Zen's War: Captivity
Chapter 24: Good vs. Evil

What causes war? What causes the hatred of one group of people towards another? From the beginning of human history it seems that peace has been a highly sought-after ideal that has been beyond humanity’s reach. Was it the inability to compromise that led to humanity’s downfall? The mass variety of belief systems and religions no doubt contributed to humanities fall from grace. Maybe it wasn’t the belief systems or the religions themselves, but the way in which humanity utilized them.

The Judeo-Christian faiths teach of the opposing forces of good and evil, and that the power of good would eventually overcome evil. Unlike the Asian religions of Buddhism and Taoism that teach that good and evil cannot exist independently of each other. One could not exist without the other, so in essence good could never entirely defeat evil. Humanity used the concept of goods eventual triumph over evil to their advantage. If you were a follower or believer of a certain dogma then you would be considered on the side of good, if not then you would be considered on the side of evil. It seems to be human nature to lust after power and control. It was discovered that through the use of dogmas man could control large groups of people. In order to assume power and control of people, it is often necessary to destroy any opposition. If you are on the side of good, then you are justified to destroy the opposing force of evil.

In Joshua’s opinion World War III was the result of sin. It had been divine judgment for committing so many sins. In his opinion it had been the sins of science and technology that brought about God’s wrath. Man had begun to work miracles that originally were reserved for the true God Yahweh, and in doing so humanity had essentiality killed God. Humanity began to think that they were on the same level as God.

The creation of more and more sophisticated weapons made killing easier. Weapons were created that made it easier to kill more people at a single time. These were biological as well as radioactive. Intercontinental ballistic missiles made it possible to attack anywhere on the planet remotely, with the press of a button. Face to face combat had become a thing of the past. It is much easier to kill the enemy when you didn’t have to look them in the eye.

According to Joshua there was not a single Antichrist, but many. The majority of these false prophets came from the religion of Islam. They were the sheiks and mullahs of the Muslim faith. They led movements designed to destroy the Christian world. What had begun during the Crusades, when the battle for the holy land had begun, had finally come to fruition. These Muslims were simply demons in disguise. They were the Sons of Darkness described in the Book of War from the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Under his leadership Joshua and his disciples would return to Jerusalem to reestablish the true kingdom of God. They would rebuild the Temple, from where he would reign as master of heaven and earth. He would lead the chosen ones out of spiritual bondage as Moses had more than two thousand years before. Unfortunately, it was no longer a land flowing with milk and honey. The holy land was now scorched-earth and rubble. Israel had undergone an extensive nuclear bombardment, making radiation levels extremely high there. This was true of the entire Middle East, but especially of the area of Israel. Armageddon had come and gone, and left nuclear fallout in its wake.

Was he truly the Messiah, or was he simply another false prophet? Perhaps he was just another megalomaniacal sociopath who had fallen in love with himself. Maybe he was just another Hitler or Napoleon disguised by the cloak of religion.

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