The Brick Testament - Armageddon

[Brendan Powell Smith]

The Brick Testament website has been updated today with four new stories from the book of Revelation:

Son of Man’s Bloody Gorefest, God Tortures Remaining Humans at Length, God Tortures a Whore, and Armageddon.

Here are some sample images (see the rest on the website):

Enjoy,

-Brendan Powell Smith

The Brick Testament - The world’s largest, most comprehensive illustrated Bible

[ProducePrincess]

That was really good .

I've been reading the brick testament since i was in grade three and those few i think were done very well .

[cagri]

Great scenes but a little too violent for my taste :)

[Sandy]

Great scenes but a little too violent for my taste :)

You can't blame the artist for that, but the source.

Great Job (pun intended), as always! The doomsday party just gets wilder...

[cagri]

You can't blame the artist for that, but the source.

Lol Sandy, I don't think I'd want to get involved with the higher powers.

[Tom Bricks]

I think I learned more about the Bible on that website than all of my Sunday school and a year of Catholic school combined.

[Francis Marion]

I've only read certain parts of the Brick Testament, and I find it a little gory for my taste, so I usually can read a chapter or two at a time. On a slightly more relevant note, from what I have seen I enjoy your blend of custom elements with LEGO to depict these stories. Also, I've seen some rather innovative ways of combining elements to make strange creatures (i.e.- numerous many-headed beasts) and soldiers (I loved your Phillistines).

Reason for edit: My original text seemed overly critical, sorry about that...

Edited June 7, 2009 by Francis Marion

[Brendan Powell Smith]

I've only read certain parts of the Brick Testament, and I find it a little gory for my taste, so I usually can read a chapter or two at a time.

I can certainly understand that.

On a slightly more relevant note, from what I have seen I enjoy your blend of custom elements with LEGO to depict these stories. Also, I've seen some rather innovative ways of combining elements to make strange creatures (i.e.- numerous many-headed beasts) and soldiers (I loved your Phillistines).

Thanks. I'm not sure I can quite be said to have "custom" elements, but I suppose it's debatable. As a rule, I have chosen not to use any 3rd party LEGO-compatible elements like the ones available from Arealight, BrickArms, BrickForge, etc (though some of them are so cool, I sometimes kick myself for adhering to this rule). I do happen to have a few parts that were most likely prototype LEGO parts, like the black one-piece hair-and-beard element worn by the King of Kings in the Armegeddon story. Other than that, I will occasionally "modify by subtraction" official LEGO elements when I cannot find any better solution. For example, cutting the metallic silver longsword so that its blade sticks out of the mouth of the King of Kings.

Reason for edit: My original text seemed overly critical, sorry about that...

Didn't get a chance to see the original text, but I don't want anyone to worry about saying something critical of my site. I can handle it.

-Brendan

[Marcus Aurelius Antoninus]

Your interperation varies quite a bit from my interpertation of the book revelations. That is the reason for so may different religions. Still not bad, as always enjoyed the scenes, however I would definitly change the cursing from using the F-bomb, I wouldn't let young children read or use this as a fun reference to the bible.

But as I said not bad for more mature audiences.

[Sandy]

I wouldn't let young children read or use this as a fun reference to the bible.

I'm not speaking of Brendan's behalf, but somehow I don't think the Brick Testament is meant for kids to begin with. Just because it's made out of LEGO, it doesn't mean it's childish.

[KimT]

I'm not speaking of Brendan's behalf, but somehow I don't think the Brick Testament is meant for kids to begin with. Just because it's made out of LEGO, it doesn't mean it's childish.

Agreed and one could even argue if the bible (old testament) is meant for children?

Great work as usual, I am only annoyed by the slightly annoying trouble I have to go through to order the books

[Brendan Powell Smith]

I would definitly change the cursing from using the F-bomb

I know I differ from most people on this subject, but I just can't work up the effort to be offended, outraged, or in the least bit nonplussed by the mere appearance of taboo words such as the so-called f-bomb. I can certainly understand taking umbrage with the sentiment being expressed when someone uses a taboo word in ways in which they are commonly used, like "F-bomb you!". But I don't find that the least bit more offensive than someone expressing the same venomous hatred using non-taboo words, like "I hate you from the pit of my heart and hope your life is filled with suffering and despair." Both such sentiments are equally worrisome to me, one is just more succinct than the other.

As for the other taboo words that are names for copulation, genitals, and feces, our collective avoidance of particular words for these things while considering different words with the exact same meaning as perfectly acceptable, I find to be truly bizarre and seemingly superstitious. It seems to imbue these taboo words with some magical power over us they utterly do not deserve.

Marcus, I don't know if you were saying that the f-bomb is the reason you wouldn't show The Brick Testament's illustration of Revelation to children, or whether it's the overall subject matter of Revelation (illustrated or not) that makes it unsuitable for children. It's very hard for me to relate to a mindset that would consider torture and mass slaughter appropriate subject matter for children but then suddenly balk at the idea of a child seeing a taboo word. As I said, it's not clear to me from your post that this is what you are saying, but I have certainly encountered that sort of reaction to The Brick Testament before, and I always find it quite confounding.

Alas, this is a LEGO forum, so we probably shouldn't delve or debate too deeply into this subject here. I may have already overstepped my bounds. I appreciate that you had something nice to say about the construction of the stories even if you disagree with aspects of their presentation and have a significantly different interpretation of Revelation.

Regards,

-Brendan

[Guss]

Excellent As usual !

I love it but you had to break a sword to make the sword coming from his mouth, it's quite sad!

[Francis Marion]

Didn't get a chance to see the original text, but I don't want anyone to worry about saying something critical of my site. I can handle it.

-Brendan

My original post also included something like the below quote, but I didn't want to post it for fear of violating Guideline #7 (Touchy Issues). However, since you did seem inquisitive as to my original post content, I felt it only fair to provide it.

It's very hard for me to relate to a mindset that would consider torture and mass slaughter appropriate subject matter for children

[The Who]

Another nice addition to the Brick Testament, though a tad violent.

My original post also included something like the below quote, but I didn't want to post it for fear of violating Guideline #7 (Touchy Issues). However, since you did seem inquisitive as to my original post content, I felt it only fair to provide it.

You know, I would kind of expect you to live in South Carolina, with you going by the name Francis Marion.

[mechamike]

Another nice addition to the Brick Testament, though a tad violent.

I agree , Nice to see the Armageddon in brick..And Yes it's a bit violent, I sure wish God would have made the bible a bit less violent :-)

And the things he got in store for sinners and the world in the ends seems a bit to violent. its like Rambo 4 on speed.

[Zarkan]

The problem with illustrating the final book of the Bible is that Revelation is unique among all other sections of the Holy Book as having more unique interpretations than any other passage. While many passages in the Old and New Testement generate little debate among Christians, the very same people hold an abundance of different theories on everything from the timeline of the End Times to whether certian parts are literal or figuretive to what Hell exactly depicts, making the book a rather hard subject for anyone to tackle - regardless of their beliefs.

As far as I've seen, your Brick Testament representation takes the more traditional and literal approach - the "fire and brimstone" view, as they call it. The problem is that in recent years the stereotypical view of Hell has been challenged by people within the Christian circle. While it is true that many Christians believe in the literal interpretation, there are those (including myself) that question whether Hell is an actual literal place at all, and whether the "eternal torment" is reserved for all unbelievers or only applies to Satan - who, being the purported source of all evil in the universe, deserves that kind of punishment far more than any human. This, of course, is the root problem of tackling a passage like Revelation - while stories like David and Goliath and the Birth of Jesus are always interpreted literaly and have obvious and straightfoward themes, the final book of the Bible remains extremely controversial among almost everyone who you talk to about it, and I don't believe that will ever change.

Regardless, your visual imagery and creative use of lego pieces is fantastic as always, Brendan. It's a shame that the Brick Testament, and all other biblical depiction projects, will never truly be able to capture all the varried opinions on Revalation and combine them into one cohesive and definitive work. Then again, I'm not sure if even that would please anybody.