Warriors of the Sword

End Days of the Fifth Generation of Man

Hesiod: Works and Days

This excerpt from Works and Days by the ancient Greek author Hesiod reminds me very much of the Bible's description of the end days. Click the link below to read the excerpt, which describes the fifth generation of men that the gods created, and their unhappy end. I have also included a chart comparing the descriptions in Hesiod's work to the descriptions in the New Testament. The Hesiod text is provided by the Perseus Digital Library. All Bible quotations are from the New International Version.

Link to excerpt

(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0132%3Acard%3D174)

Works and Days	Bible
For now truly is a race of iron, and men never rest from labor and sorrow by day, and from perishing by night; and the gods shall lay sore trouble upon them...and bitter sorrows will be left for mortal men.	For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. (Matt 24:21)
The father will not agree with his children, nor the children with their father, nor guest with his host, nor comrade with comrade; nor will brother be dear to brother as aforetime.	They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law... Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold...(Luke 12:53 and Matt 24:12)
...nor will brother be dear to brother as aforetime. Men will dishonor their parents as they grow quickly old, and will carp at them, chiding them with bitter words... They will not repay their aged parents the cost of their nurture...	Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. (Matt 10:21)
...might shall be their right: and one man will sack another's city.	Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. (Matt 24:7)