My belief for Armagedon is really simple:
Although in the Bibles it refers to the Almighty God's Great War, I think it refers to the victory of Good on Evil. This is not a destruction of the earth or its people on it. God is a loving God, not an avenger God. When He say He will destroy the wicked, I think that means the tendency to do evil, not the person itself. Unlike what the WT would like us to think, wars are a lot less frequent than in the past. Humanitarian actions taken in some developping countries have prooven succesfull over the past century. About a century ago, the average life expectancy in those countries was about 25 years of life span. It is now more than 50 years of life span. I agree that the difference between the richer and the poorer is increasing, but don't forget that the riches contribute a large part in the improvement of the life conditions of the poors. Cheap cost technologies is well affordable now for the poor, and it contributes to make a poor richer than it was because its life conditions are much better than before. I work in a manufactury, my salary is pretty good, I am considered a poor among the riches who are my bosses, but that doesn't make me a poor in the sense of life conditions. I can buy myself everything I want.
For someone living in developing countries, their needs are much different than ours, who live in well-idustrialized countries. They need medicine, food, clean houses for their family, hospitals, so the basic human needs that everyone in Canada or USA take for granted. Even in those countries they can now afford computers and other technologies. Ok maybe they will have a 486, with a poor connection to the WEB, but still they can connect on the Internet like everyone else. And for their basic needs, just see the improvements they got from over a century; it speaks by itself.
For the livng on a paradise earth, let me put it this way: as long as it is the Human race that have make the earth like it is today, it is the purpose of Humans to reverse that destructive way. And it has already begun; more and more now want to change things to make our mother earth a better place to live. Maybe we will at the proper time have the help of God to accomplish this, but in my thoughs God won't intervene in human things as long as we won't turn our heart toward His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Only our faith in Jesus and His sacrifice for the sin of humanity will save us, not in a hypotetic Armagedon like the one which is taught in the WT litterature. The faith in the Blood of Christ is what changes hearts for the better. It is what make us take action for the humanity cause. It should never be used to support any religion just for the sake of believing in something, even if we believe in something that is false. The only true religion is our personnal relation with Jesus Christ, and not with any religion, especially not the sectarian ones for which the only goal is making money, not your welfare.
I think that resumes my beliefs about Armagedon. Thanks for the tread
