I hope I'm not disturbing anything too much here by going off-thread a bit, but the mention of the evangelicals etc., who are hoping for an armageddon makes me smile (in wry despair, not amusement) - seems to me these groups hope for an armageddon to come to 'cleanse' the world of all its undesireable elements, which never seems to include themselves of course. It reminds me of something I read once (I think in CS Lewis) about how the average High Church of England service-goer enjoys hearing a good hellfire-and-brimstone sermon as he bleieves it'll do his neighbour a world of good to hear it!