I don’t believe in Santa Claus. If Santa was God, I would be an atheist.

When my children were little, I took them to the mall before Christmas, where other families brought their children to see Mall Santa. Those children had fun, and got coloring books and candy canes, all for free.

So where were my children? In the line up with everyone else. With my Scottish name, it must be clear that I love not spending money, and free anything is attractive to me. I don’t believe in Santa Claus, and I told my children that he was not real, but fake Santa sure was fun. And my wallet stayed safe in my pocket.

I have met one atheist who truly did not believe in God. I am a Christian and he was a friend of mine. I never saw him in church, but he probably would not object to a visit. He was an atheist, not a hater.

Have you noticed that most people who call themselves atheists are angry at God? They don’t not-believe, they oppose. One Rabbi tried to make sense of the anger expressed by atheists:

• RELATED: Why are atheists so angry?

Note that the Rabbi does not swear. If you search the Internet for comments about angry atheists, you will find some very long speeches, with much swearing, and much anger.

You can find the same thing in the Bible book of Revelation, minus the swearing.

I am sure we would understand this book better if we read one narrative, like a novel. It is mostly a vision of the future, and of the end of the world as we know it. The action is described in series of sevens; messages to seven churches in Asia, the Seven Seals, the Seven Angels with Trumpets, (the Voices of the Seven Thunders), and the Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath. We cannot know the messages of the Thunders, we only know they exist. Usually each item is like a step downward to something worse, and the seventh item opens the next series. There are also large intermissions between the series, which I think are like stage hands setting the scene for the action that is coming. These intermissions tend to become larger as the action progresses.

I have written about the first nine chapters of Revelation, and these include the Messages, the Seals, and six of the Trumpets. Chapter 10 includes the unknown voices of Seven Thunders, and chapter 11 contains the seventh Trumpet, which brings the last series of seven, Angels with bowls filled with the anger of God. Each Angel steps forward and pours out a bowl on the Earth, which causes something terrible to happen.

I am skipping over many details because I think you need to read for yourself, and form your own opinions. This part of the Bible is good for you.

[Read Revelation chapters 10, and 11.]

If you are looking for the Anti Christ and 666, see chapter 13. Chapters 12, 13, and 14 are like two sides getting ready for a huge war. The war starts in chapter 14, and the description is our source for the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” with “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored …” and also the source of the novel title “The Grapes of Wrath.”

Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia. (chapter 14: 17 to 20)

[Read Revelation chapters 12, 13, and 14.]

In chapter 15 the seven angels with the bowls of God’s anger are introduced, and in chapter 16 they do their work.

The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since mankind has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible. (chapter 16: 17 to 21]

And then the war is over.

[Read Revelation chapters 15 and 16.]

At the end of history, the Bible predicts that atheists will be deniers, rejecters, and opposers who curse God, and not people like my benign friend. In the end, our anger against God will confront an angry God. What we see now in angry people who oppose God is what we will soon see everywhere. The future is not a strange thing, it is just people doing what they have always done. The picture in the book of Revelation is us, marching in anger to our final showdown with God.

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. (Psalm 145: 18 to 20)

More in this series:

• Apocalypse 1: The boring part
• Apocalypse 2: Really, It’s their Fault
• Apocalypse 3: The Eco-Apocalypse
• Apocalypse 4: The Atheist Wars
• Apocalypse 5: The Final Occupation