martin armstrong post number two in which he ruminates over the possibilities that we're in the end times;

Various cultures and religions have been concerned about the end of time looming throughout history. Aethelred II (978-1016 AD) was so convinced the world was about to end in 1000 AD that he removed his portrait from the coinage and placed the Christian symbol of the lamb on it. The world did not end, and he restored his portrait the year after. Why is there this need to constantly scream the end is near, which seems to plague Western society?

Turn the economy down, and you will find major upheavals in religion. To whatever extent our model may align with religion or even astrology, rest assured that neither are inputs into Socrates to make forecasts. So, I have found these prophecies of various religions interesting.

In our Western culture, we think everything is linear. I always found it interesting how Revelations 20, clearly lays out a cycle.

[7] And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

[8] And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

The Bible describes a cycle. Some have interpreted this cycle as 6,000 years up, 1,000 down, and then it repeats. These are interesting times no doubt. Are they Biblical in proportion? No one knows the answer to that. But many always preach doom and gloom right down to Y2K and the Mayan calendar ending. They cling to the latest topic and go. It was the year 1,000 AD when the Last Judgment was to take place, according to popular conjecture. It did not. But it did start the pilgrimage movement from Europe to the Holy Land, and that led to the creation of the Knights Templar to protect the pilgrims. It ushered in a rebirth of trade that created merchant banking and then sovereign debt. This also sparked the Crusades. So, even wrong interpretations can have profound impacts..........more......