.

Bringing a little Biblical apocalyse to the post-apocalyptic topic, this offering from Jack Chick's THE CRUSADERS series, issue 5.

https://viewcomiconline.com/the-crusaders-1974-issue-5/


[Linked Image from milehighcomics.com]

For those unfamiliar with the series, each issue has these two Christian missionaries, Jim Carter and Tim Clark, sent on missions to different parts of the world, to aid people against political and spiritual threats. And once there, enlighten people what Bible scripture foretells about the threat they face.

In issue 1, they travel to communist-occupied Rumania, where they help smuggle in the Bible on microfilm, to spread the gospel and allow the Rumanians to teach scripture and print their own bibles, The two missionaries clash with the KGB, who try to discredit and undermine them.

Issue 2 is set in southern California, and deals with runaways who unwittingly make friends with Satanists, and are unwittingly drugged and used as human sacrifices.

Issue 3 is set in southern Africa, about an African nation's dictator, who was savagely beaten at a young age by imperial British soldiers, sparking a lifelong hatred of whites that drove him to become an oppressive dictator. He also allies with Chinese-looking communists who seek to use his country as part their communist global expansion. One of the best illustrated issues. The dictator character somewhat resembles then-revolutionary and later prime minister Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
Issue 4 is set in India, and deals with demonic posession.

Relevant to this discussion, in issue 5 the two crusaders are sent to Israel on a mission, and a Bible scholar they meet discusses details of Israeli history and end-time Bible prophecy, the rise of the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet, a revived Roman empire (ten nations with ten kings, "the beast with ten horns", that unite under the AntiChrist in end times), the 7-year Tribulation period, and the battle of Armageddon (Armageddon comes from Har Megiddo, or the hill of Megiddo, a high-ground hill overlooking the valley of Jezreel, where the battle of Armageddon is foretold will be fought, that in Biblical times had a watchtower fort built on top of it.

This issue was released in 1975, so it has some amusing dated elements such as hippies and peace signs, with giant tattoos of 666 symbols on everyone's foreheads. Whereas in the current era, we know this "number of the beast" required mark on everyone's right hand and forehead would be in invisible chip form that can be electronically scanned. And the global threat of Soviet communism has shifted since 1991, in modern times to be a world more dominated by a Chinese communist threat than a Russian one. Although the Russians still have enough missiles to blow up the world, or be reigned into a war in the Middle East, in alliance with Arab nations, that could bring about the same basic scenario of a global conflagration.
While a serious story and an informative review of Biblical end-time prophecy, these dated anachronisms in the story and other bits of deliberate silliness make them fun to read, such as the zealous communist spies everywhere: "I must notify Moscow at once, my Comrades will be pleased."

Issue 6 deals with Evolution, and anti-Christian messaging in popular culture.

Issue 7 explores archaeological history that supports the existence of Noah's Ark, that several documentaries have shown to still remain on Mount Ararat on the northeasternmost edge of Turkey, where the two missionaries travel on their assignment that issue.

The two best issues of the series for me are issues 3 and issue 7, that also have the best art. Issue 5 is another nice offering to the series.
https://viewcomiconline.com/the-crusaders-1974-issue-3/
https://viewcomiconline.com/the-crusaders-1974-issue-7/