Apocalypse Sonnet 1: revised

Apocalypse Sonnet 1

Probably the West’s most revered city,
It all seems so surreal and so distant:
Rich of art, religion, and history–
Tens of thousands gone in an instant!

I can’t imagine it took place so fast;       ( 5 )
Most wonder where the bomb could have come from,
And how it made devastation this vast,
And when a just retribution will come.

In the explosion, many people died,
And thousands more suffered bad injury;     ( 10 )
The debris on ferocious winds did ride
Unleashing chaos, havoc, and fury.

I write as if this already occurred,
For when it does my vision will be blurred.

 

                                                                                                                                  Notes on Apocalypse Sonnet 1

Line 4:  
Because I am actually writing about this event as if it already took place, I can only hypothesize as to an actual number of casualities. Tens of thousands seems quite conservative when considering the most likely target city, that it would have a large population. Unfortunately, the threat of a nuclear bomb in the hands of terrorists is considered low, and the gathering of resources to deal with such a large scale crisis is too daunting a task for even the most well known preparedness organizations.   

Line 5:  
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. Revelation 18:10 KJV
Line 7:  
And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. Revelation 18:21 KJV

Line 8:  
Although grief is certainly a strong emotion right now, anger is another one. For some there is no absence of the desire to repay those who committed this atrocity. Intelligence will ultimately point the finger at a regime that has already been punished and put away, thus retribution will remain limited. That does not mean terrorism is not at large: in fact, the terrorists may well have temporarily gained the psychological advantage by this act–an advantage that must be short-lived. Ignorance of what this event means and why it happened would prolong their advantage, which is why this revealing (apocalypsis) is so important.    

Lines 11 and 12:
Outside the primary blast zone is where super heated winds cause much fire to break out, and flying debris is also a major hazard.

Lines 13 and 14:
The timeliness of this material requires, for the most part, it be done before the fact.  Emotions will be far too intense around the time it happens, and the value of this knowledge has yet to be seen. 

 

 

Harry Thumberbe

Apocalypse Sonnet 2: revised

Apocalypse Sonnet 2

This is the climax of a long dark night:  ( 15 )
The West deeply hurt by this explosion,
Indefinitely taken from the fight,
And seemingly lost in the commotion.

Now that a real smoking gun has been found,
Think what would be done to requite this:     ( 20 )
It is good that Saddam is not around;
So many bombs would fall they could not miss.

Those who once protested would just stand by
As the skies become darkened by the smoke;
A lot of innocent people would die;        ( 25 )
Discretion and caution would be a joke.

The end of war none can say just how long,
But to expect worse than this would be wrong.

 

                                                                                                                                  Notes on Apocalypse Sonnet 2

Lines 17 and 18:
Because the primary source of this weapon of mass destruction has already been dealt with, (i.e. Saddam Hussein and his regime), the militaries of the West are not really sure how to react at this point.  

Line 19: 
A smoking gun is the hard evidence that people wanted to find after Operation Iraqi Freedom to prove Saddam Hussein’s WMD programs. None was ever found, until now.

Line 26:
Imagine Saddam Hussein was still in power. People would probably laugh at the idea of taking extreme precautions against collateral damage. All that would matter would be taking him out, no matter what sort of violence that might entail.

 

 

Harry Thumberbe

Apocalypse Sonnet 3: revised

Apocalypse Sonnet 3

I sensed that my vindication would come:
I feel sad that this is what it required;    ( 30 )
I would almost rather be wrong and dumb
And just for fiction writing I was wired. 

My work on the Sun of Apocalypse
Seemed like ranting and raving before now;
But when the world into great darkness slips–   ( 35 )
Looking for a way out, I can show how.

God showed this event before it occurred,
So we could know it is the worst to be:
That what He wants in this war might be heard,
And the light we might be able to see.     ( 40 )

He knows we are in need of lasting peace;
He knows the right time for this war to cease.

 

                                                                                                                                   Notes on Apocalypse Sonnet 3

Line 29: 
Not that I really looked forward to it, seeing what being right would mean.

Line 33:
The Sun of Apocalypse is peace, lasting peace, and Middle East peace, which is the antithesis to this climactic apocalyptic darkness of war that we are now in.

Line 34: 
Until it took place, what I spoke and wrote of really was an unbelievable notion. I probably wouldn’t have believed it myself, except for the personal sacrifices I made to maintain some focus on it. 

Line 38: 
Knowing the worst that the terrorists can give out at this time is a very valuable knowledge, for it provides a sense of timing on the one hand, and on the other hand it will prevent the nations from despairing overmuch and pushing Armageddon prematurely.

 

 

Harry Thumberbe

Apocalypse Sonnet 4: revised

Apocalypse Sonnet 4

A lack of vision or knowledge is sad:
The Lord won’t let us fail for want of these,
Especially now when things look so bad,    ( 45 )
Our suffering and affliction He sees.

He gave the vision centuries ago;
Right now He is not standing idly by;
He provided the stuff we need to know:
That we do not have to perish or die.     ( 50 )

My role in this work is nothing unique,
And no one should envy my position;
His guidance and leadership we should seek;
He’s the One can improve our condition.

So His will and His way we do not miss,    ( 55 )
He must have some input a time like this.
                                                                                                                                  Notes on Apocalypse Sonnet 4

Line 43: 
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Proverbs 29:18

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.  Hosea 4:6
Line 47: 
Zechariah’s time was about 25 centuries ago.

Line 49:  
God provided what we need to know because there is not a man alive today that can do it on his own understanding.

Lines 51 and 52:
I believe it was more than coincidence that put me in a position to put together some of the key pieces of the puzzle of this apocalypse. Anybody in a similar position could have done it as the logic and reasoning is not too dificult to follow; it just turned out that I was available for the task of pursuing this knowledge when it needed done. I might point out though, that it has been a tough puzzle to put together, and at one point I had to make a conscious decision to “run” with this troubling knowledge, a decision that would cost me dearly; the cost of this quest has been high. If I had stayed in the position I was in when I began to see the bigger picture, I would have had no motivation to pursue this knowledge, and I would have said, “let someone else deal with it.” 

Line 56:
I am sure other people have noticed and wondered how God can seem so silent at this critical juncture in the timeline of human history:  He is saying more than we realize if we know where to look and how to listen.

 

 

Harry Thumberbe

Source of Insights into Apocalypse Sonnets 5-25: Zechariah 5:5-11 KJV

Apocalypse Sonnets 5-25 are based on insights from the following verses of Scripture:

Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth.
And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.
And, behold, there was lifted up a talent of lead: and this is a woman that sitteth in the midst of the ephah.
And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.
Then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork: and they lifted up the ephah between the earth and the heaven.
Then said I to the angel that talked with me, Whither do these bear the ephah?                                             And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base.            Zechariah 5:5-11 KJV

Apocalypse Sonnet 5: revised

Apocalypse Sonnets 5-9 are based on insights from the following verses:

“Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.”  Zechariah 5:5,6 KJV
                                                                                                                          Apocalypse Sonnet 5

That we can know that peace which may succeed,
And when we might expect its arrival,
There are some things to which we must give heed:
Timing is important to survival.      ( 60 )

God has shown us the climax of this war,
The climax of darkness of a long night,
So we do not fear there is worse in store,
And so we don’t forget to stand and fight.

Peace will come but not a moment too quick:    ( 65 )
A premature peace would certainly fail;
It’s important we make sure it can stick;
It’s important on rough seas it can sail.

This can’t just be a run of the mill deal:
We’ve got to make sure that this one is real.     ( 70 )
                                                                                                                                  Notes on Apocalypse Sonnnet 5

Line 70:   
In my opinion, it is a sad cliche’ that often refers to the coming of a special peace as a “false peace.”  I feel this notion is a non-sequiter: it does not follow. If this is a false war and a false apocalypse and a false darkness, then I could agree with the idea that the coming Middle East peace is a potentially false one, but I cannot, for this darkness is all too real and this war is all too real and the world needs something real to put all this in the past; moreover, God wants to give peace to Israel and the world when the time is right, so I am somewhat hesitant to call “false” that which He sanctifies.

 

 

Harry Thumberbe

Apocalypse Sonnet 6: revised

Apocalypse Sonnets 5-9 are based on insights from the following verses:

“Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.”  Zechariah 5:5,6 KJV
                                                                                                                          Apocalypse Sonnet 6

One big container and many small ones,
All are sharing a similar design:
The larger one going forth, hides and runs
While the smaller types openly do fine. 

The size of the ephah we can’t ignore;     ( 75 )
Something about this standard is unique:
It holds six gallons or a little more,
Which does not our curiousity peak. 

However, knowledge of the resemblance,
A similar container of like make-up,     ( 80 )
Similar also in its appearance,
Should be to us a warning to wake-up.

Although they have similar stuff inside,
The stuff in the ephah must run and hide.
                                                                                                                                  Notes on Apocalypse Sonnet 6

Line 72: 
The design on these containers, large or small, is for the most part a cylindrical metal container. The insides are encased with lead and the cover is solid lead.

Line 79:
Without the widespread use of these common resemblances, there is an extremely high chance that the importance of this vision to our current events would have gone on without getting any attention at all, (except for the subjective explanations that seem to pop up now and then). My work in weights and measures was a divine appointment, and I believe it was more than coincidence that when I first descried the use of these radiological containers, I was also studying the minor prophets of the Holy Bible. Fortunately, I favored the KJV, or else I might have missed some of the more objective elements that are crucial to understanding this vision.   

Lines 83 and 84:
The large container is obviously hidden from view, and obtaining knowledge of it on its own would be all but impossible; however, the resemblances are more common, and being aware of them gives us a crucial clue into the nature and purpose of the large container.

 

 

Harry Thumberbe

Apocalypse Sonnet 7: revised

Apocalypse Sonnets 5-9 are based on insights from the following verses:

“Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.”  Zechariah 5:5,6 KJV
                                                                                                                           Apocalypse Sonnet 7                                                      

The smaller versions share a common aim:     ( 85 )
They are put to work in weights and measures;
In small quantities it is quite tame–
For safety though, still handled like treasure.

Inside, a speck of fissile element
That may on a pencil eraser fit;      ( 90 )
Too small to consider malevolent,
Yet in its way nobody wants to get.

Once air particles become effected,
They warn the presence of a gamma source,
Which in current times must be detected     ( 95 )
Where this energy is par for the course.

Not near enough to make critical mass,
But strong enough to test, and fail or pass.
                                                                                                                                  Notes on Apocalypse Sonnet 7

Line 89:
Fissile material is nuclear material that can be used in a reactor core or in the production of a nuclear weapon. Plutonium is probably the most well known type of fissile material. U235 is another.

Lines 91 and 92:
In weights and measures applications, the fissile material necessary is way too small for making a critical mass, (capable of a self-sustained chain reaction), but it is still a dangerous substance and must be handled with much care.

 

 

Harry Thumberbe

Apocalypse Sonnet 8: revised

Apocalypse Sonnets 5-9 are based on insights from the following verses:

“Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.”  Zechariah 5:5,6 KJV

                                                                                                                          Apocalypse Sonnet 8

Certain equipment needs calibration:
With the lid removed, the tech stays behind,     ( 100 )
Avoiding contact with radiation,
A force in even small doses unkind.

Since a working dosimeter is nice,
And it’s good to know a rad is a rad,
Equipment that detects must be precise,     ( 105 )
Or else the situation could be bad.

With a video cam, the tech can see
What the device under test is saying–
On a television screen for safety–
Sees what the instrument is displaying.     ( 110 )

For this type of use, this stuff is quite mild,
But in a big quantity could prove most wild.
                                                                                                                                   Notes on Apocalypse Sonnet 8

Line 104:
A rad is considered a unit of radiation sort of like a volt is a unit of electricity.

Lines 107-110:
The technician never wants to let any part of his or her flesh to be in the direct path of the gamma radiation that will emit from inside the container once the lead cover is taken off. A device under test is placed in the direct path of the radiation that will come from inside the container. Then the lead cover is safely removed. A video camera is in place to get a bird’s eye view of the action taking place on a device under test. The image of that action is fed to a monitor where the technician can safely sit behind the open container. In a sense, when the cover is taken off the container, it is sort of like a gun or a cannon that shoots out a projectile, (only this one is an invisible stream of ionized air particles).

 Line 111:
For calibrating and certifying radiation measuring equipment, only a small amount of fissile fuel is necessary: about the size that could fit on top of a pencil eraser.

 

Harry Thumberbe

Apocalypse Sonnet 9: revised

Apocalypse Sonnets 5-9 are based on insights from the following verses:

“Then the angel that talked with me went forth, and said unto me, Lift up now thine eyes, and see what is this that goeth forth. And I said, What is it? And he said, This is an ephah that goeth forth. He said moreover, This is their resemblance through all the earth.”  Zechariah 5:5,6 KJV

                                                                                                                           Apocalypse Sonnet 9

The main thing of the ephah it its size:
Larger containers can carry more stuff,
But that should not be any big surprise,     ( 115 )
And this fact should seem logical enough.

An ephah-sized container of this sort
Could hold about the size of a beach ball,
Suggesting a use of graver import:
For reproduction it would give its all.     ( 120 )

Not impossible to come by these days
As long as one has much money to spend;
In rogue governments, this stuff is the craze:
This one container, a bad use portends.

It goes forth from one place to another,     ( 125 )
So what’s inside may become a mother.
                                                                                                                                   Notes on Apocalypse Sonnet 9

Line 113:
A major factor in understanding the objective truths this vision speaks is to realize the importance of the size of the container that is made use of here. Generally speaking, there is nothing wicked about an ephah, just as there is nothing inherently wicked in a six gallon or a ten gallon container.

Line 118:
Owing to the vast array of beach ball designs out there, perhaps a more telling estimate would put the size of this portion of wickedness a little larger than the average basketball.

Line 120:
The amount of fissile material that could have fit into an ephah, (six to ten gallon container), would have put Saddam’s total accumulation of this stuff well into the range of a small but efficient nuclear reactor core.

Line 121:
Black market supplies were available to the highest bidders in the latter years of the 20th century.

 

 

Harry Thumberbe