FROM EARTHQUAKE TO ARMAGEDDON, HOW APOCALYPTIAN THINKING SHAPES THE MODERN WORLD AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

From Earthquake to Armageddon: How Apocalyptic Thinking Shapes the Modern World And What To Do About It.

"We can learn from cultures that saw time as a circle, not a line. From leaders who act more like gardeners than generals. From systems that focus on repair, not wrath."

Two days ago, an earthquake shook Northern Thailand. It came not as an isolated event, but as the third in a series of natural shocks: flooding in late 2024, annual pollution past dry season, and now  earthquake.

On its own, each disaster could be seen as unfortunate, perhaps a quirk of nature. But taken together, they point to something larger, something many people feel in their bones: that we are living in a time of cascading crises, even End Times.

The hope of this article is that by understanding the apocalypse mentality, we can avoid slamming into Armageddon.

Chapter 1: Local Shocks in Southeast Asia

Northern Thailand and its neighbours have endured a string of environmental hits:

• Floods  rivers that overflowed into streets and submerged fields and villages
• Pollution from crop burning and a haze from cleaning up forests.
• And now a 7.7 magnitude earthquake with tremors felt across the region

These disasters no longer feel rare or isolated. In places like Southeast Asia, they’re becoming seasonal, cyclical, even expected. And in some ways they are accelerating.

Chapter 2: Global Fault Lines

Beyond the local environment, tectonic pressures are building globally. Globally, there are worrying signs of more disasters to come:

• Public Debt Pile: Sovereign debts are ballooning. When the bill comes due, austerity bites, stability crumbles, the economy could enter recession ( this is not financial advice, but sell out to cas and gold, Monday) and people will take to the streets.
• Trade Wars: Globalisation is fraying. Tariffs and sanctions and the US dollar are the new weapons. 
• Hot Wars and Security Flashpoints: From Ukraine to Gaza to the South China Sea, conflict is turning conventional again. 
• Climate Change: The slow-burning catastrophe that underpins them all. Droughts, fires, floods, and forced migrations.

Each of these is a crisis in itself. But together, they are forming a perfect storm. And in that storm, old narratives begin to resurface.

Chapter 3: Apocalyptic Thinking is in Power

The world’s three great apocalyptic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—were all born in the harsh, unforgiving landscapes of the Middle East. In the desert, where survival is precarious and life can end in a moment, where people are forced to huddle together in groups, travel at night and conform to strict rules of behavioural conduct, it makes sense to see existence as a test. The idea of a moral universe where God judges good and evil, grew naturally in a place where life itself felt like a constant reckoning.

These religions gave us a powerful narrative: the world is fallen, history is a battleground between light and darkness, and in the end, there will be a final showdown - an Armageddon - where justice is served, the wicked are destroyed, the Saviour returns to govern the good.

That narrative would suggests that geography has shaped religion, and in turn, religeon with its prophecy and values has shaped geopolitics.

In the context of the apocalyptic mindset, geopolitics becomes a moral battlefield - not just about power and control, not just for territory or resources or mates, geopolitics is about fulfilling prophecy, choosing sides in a cosmic drama, and shaping history toward a final reckoning.

The Apocalyptic Mindset

For a modern, secular, or atheist observer, it must be quite baffling to imagine that the world's most powerful nations are guided, consciously or not, by an ancient narrative born in a desert thousands of years ago.

The Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation, written near the end of the 1st century CE, provides the core script. It describes a scroll sealed with seven seals. As each seal is broken, a new wave of judgement is unleashed. 

The four horseman of the Apocalypse

The first four seals bring forth the infamous Four Horsemen - the 

Conquest; War; Famine; Death.

As the seals continue to break, the world descends into chaos. Next come

The Seven Trumpets

Hail and fire scorch a third of the earth; A burning mountain poisons the sea; A star named Wormwood poisons rivers; Sun, moon, and stars go dark; Demonic locusts torment humanity; Angels release deadly armies; And finally, there is a divine proclamation.

But it’s not over. Then come 

The Seven Bowls of Wrath

Boils and sores; Seas and rivers turn to blood; Scorching sun; Darkness and pain; The Euphrates dries up and armies gather; And finally, an earthquake and storm that tears the world apart. Then, 

Armageddon

A final battle between Good and Evil. The righteous are saved. The wicked destroyed. A new heaven and earth are created, but only after total cleansing.

It’s a potent mythos. But when embedded into the political and military thinking of global powers—especially in the Middle East, where many actors see prophecy unfolding in real time, it becomes extremely dangerous - just consider the situation in the Middle East today..

This isn’t fringe thinking. In the United States, 50 millions evangelical voters and key policymakers sincerely believe they are watching Revelation come true. In Israel, elements of the religious right see war as part of a divine timeline. In parts of the Islamic world, apocalyptic prophecies also shape expectations.

For a European raised on secularism, science, and diplomacy, this seems amazingly irrational. But if you believe the world must end first in order for redemption to come, you may feel justified, even compelled, to accelerate its demise.

This is why understanding the apocalyptic mindset isn’t just academic. It’s a matter of global survival.

From Prophecy to Policy

So how did it apocalyptic thinking become embedded into political and military thinking?

We can see that the apocalyptic mindset didn’t stay in the scriptures. It travelled with empires.

Roman emperors adopted christianity with its prophecy. Islamic rulers justified expansion as divine mandate. European colonisers saw themselves as instruments of God's plan, bringing light to the heathens.

In modern times, especially in the United States, apocalyptic thinking still has influence. Evangelical movements see Israel as the key to end-time prophecy. Wars are framed in terms of good and evil. Leaders speak of existential battles.

This isn’t just religious theatre. It seeps into tje deep state and how decisions are made. It justifies military action. It fuels zero-sum thinking. It blinds us to compromise.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the Middle East itself, where multiple actors - Zionists, jihadists, American evangelicals - see current events as part of a divine script.

The danger is obvious: if you believe the world must end in fire for salvation to come, what incentive is there to stop the fire? Surely there are other ways of seeing?

Chapter 4: River Cultures and Regenerative Thinking

Indeed, apocalyptic and times are not the only way to view the world.

Religions born in fertile, river-fed regions - like Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, and ancient Egyptian beliefs - tend to see the cosmos differently. Here, the world isn’t something broken to be destroyed and replaced. It’s a cycle to be tended, harmonised, and renewed.

Where the desert strips life down to its moral bones, the river invites us to see life as rhythm, regeneration, and balance.

This isn't romanticism. It's an invitation to reframe our crises. Floods, pollution, and earthquakes don't have to signal the end. They can be warnings, yes. But also calls to adapt, repair, and re-root ourselves in responsibility rather than destiny.

Chapter 5: A Different Future

If apocalyptic thinking has shaped the mindset of many world leaders, it doesn't have to define the future. We can challenge it:

• By exposing the myth of inevitable destruction
• By embracing systems thinking over saviour fantasies
• By elevating cooperation over conquest
• By recognising that moral clarity doesn't require moral war

Governance doesn't have to be about choosing sides in a cosmic battle. It can be about stewardship, tending to the fragile web of life with humility and care.

We can learn from cultures that saw time as a circle, not a line. From leaders who act more like gardeners than generals. From systems that focus on repair, not wrath.

Conclusion: From Apocalypse to Adaptation

The earthquake in Thailand reminded us that the ground can shift under our feet. But it also reminds us that we are not helpless. We are storytellers. The stories we choose matter.

We can choose a story that ends in fire. Or we can choose one that begins again, with fertile soil, with rivers, and with life.

If we want to survive the coming storms - economic, political, military, environmental, and spiritual - we need leaders who think like gardeners, not warriors.

The desert gave us Armageddon. But the river still runs. And it offers a different future.