Everything about Apocalypse totally explained
Apocalypse (
Greek: Ἀποκάλυψις
Apokálypsis; "lifting of the veil"), is a term applied to the disclosure to certain privileged persons of something hidden from the majority of humankind. Today the term is often used to mean "End of planet Earth", which may
be a shortening of the phrase
apokalupsis eschaton which literally means "revelation at the end of the æon, or age".
Origins
Apocalypse technically refers to a revelation of God's Will (Bible), not to some knowledge that's or will remain hidden or unknowable. Thus, in Revelation, we see a clear pattern of future events: the various periods of the true church, shown through the letters to the seven churches in this age, which age ends in
apostasy; the throne of God in Heaven and His Glory; the judgments that will occur on the earth; the final form of
gentile power; God' re-dealing with the nation Israel based upon
covenants mentioned in the
Old Testament; the
second coming proper; the one-thousand year reign of Messiah; the last test of Mankind's sinful nature under ideal conditions by the loosing of
Satan, with the judgment of fire coming down from Heaven that follows; the
Great White Throne Judgment, and the destruction of the current heavens and the earth, to be recreated as a "
New Heaven and New Earth" , ushering in the beginning of Eternity.
Terminology
Apocalypse, in the terminology of early
Jewish and
Christian literature, is a revelation of hidden things revealed by
God to a chosen prophet or apostle. The term is often used to describe the written account of such a revelation.
Apocalyptic literature is of considerable importance in the history of the
Judeo-
Christian-
Islamic beliefs and traditions, because it makes specific references to beliefs such as the
resurrection of the dead,
judgment day,
eternal life,
final judgment and
perdition. Apocalyptic beliefs predate
Christianity, appear throughout other religions, and have been assimilated into contemporary secular society, especially through popular culture (see
Apocalypticism). Apocalyptic beliefs also occur in other religious systems, for example, the Hindu concept of
pralay.
Changes in meaning from the Second Century A.D. to the present time
From the Second Century A.D. onward, the term "Apocalypse" was applied to a number of books, both
Jewish and
Christian, which show the same characteristic features. Besides the Apocalypse of John (now generally called the
Book of Revelation) included in the
New Testament, the
Muratorian fragment,
Clement of Alexandria, and others mention an
Apocalypse of Peter. Apocalypses of
Adam and
Abraham (Epiphanius) and of
Elias (
Jerome) are also mentioned; see, for example, the six titles of this kind in the "
List of the 60 Canonical Books"; and also
Development of the New Testament canon.
The use of the Greek noun to designate writings belonging to a certain literary genre is of
Christian origin, the original norm of the class being the
New Testament Book of Revelation. In 1832
Gottfried Christian Friedrich Lücke explored the word "Apocalypse" as a description of the book of Revelation, a usage obtained from the opening words of the book which refer to an apocalypse (prophecy) of Jesus Christ given to John, who wrote the text. In Greek the opening words are 'Aπōκάλυψις 'Iησōῦ Χριστōῦ.
Characteristic features
Apocalyptic religious writings are regarded as a distinct branch of literature. This genre has several characteristic features.
Dreams or Visions
The disclosure of future events is made through a
dream, as was the experience for the prophet Daniel, which is recorded in the book with his name, or a
vision as was recorded by John in the Book of Revelation. Moreover, the manner of the revelation and the experience of the one who received it are generally prominent. The account is usually given in the first person. There is something portentous in the circumstances corresponding to the importance of the secrets about to be disclosed. The element of the mysterious, often prominent in the vision itself, is foreshadowed in the preliminary events. Some of the persistent features of the apocalyptic tradition are connected with the circumstances of the vision and the personal experience of the seer.
The primary example of apocalyptic literature in the Hebrew Bible is the
book of Daniel. After a long period of fasting, Daniel is standing by a river when a heavenly being appears to him, and the revelation follows (
Daniel 10:2ff).
John, in the New Testament
Revelation (1:9ff), has a like experience, told in very similar words. Compare also the first chapter of the
Greek Apocalypse of Baruch; and the
Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, vi.1ff, xiii.1ff, lv.1-3. Or, as the prophet lies upon his bed, distressed for the future of his people, he falls into a sort of trance, and in "the visions of his head" is shown the future. This is the case in Daniel 7:1ff;
2 Esdras 3:1-3; and in the Book of Enoch, i.2 and following. As to the description of the effect of the vision upon the seer, see Daniel 8:27; Enoch, lx.3; 2 Esdras 5:14.
Angels
The introduction of
Angels as the bearers of the revelation is a standing feature. At least two angel-classes are mentioned in biblical scripture: the
Cherubim and the
Seraphim. God may give instructions through the medium of these heavenly messengers, and who act as the seer's guide. God may also personally give a revelation, as is shown in the Book of Revelation through the person of Jesus Christ.
There is hardly an example of a true Apocalypse in which the instrumentality of angels in giving the message isn't made prominent. In the
Assumption of
Moses, which consists mainly of a detailed prediction of the course of Israelite and Jewish history, the announcement is given to Joshua by Moses, just before the death of the latter. So, too, in the
Sibylline Oracles, which are for the most part a foretelling of future events, the
Sibyl is the only speaker. Neither of these books are truly representative of apocalyptic literature in the narrower sense (see below).
"Beast" - Endtime Ruler; also known as Antichrist
In the Old and New Testaments, a particular individual is singled out as the particular focus of God's wrath. This individual is known in biblical scripture by many titles such as the "beast", the "little horn", the "prince that will come" and other titles. One ancient prince was singled out in scripture, the Prince of Tyrus, who may be considered a 'type' of antichrist.
After the judgment of the Prince of Tyrus, God directs the prophet Ezekiel to write a judgment about the King of Tyrus, and from the scripture is learned that this individual isn't a human being, but "
the anointed cherub that covereth". From further reading of the text it's learned that the cherub being addressed here's Lucifer (or Satan), as this was his former position before the throne of God before his fall. Satan is also viewed as a 'prince' that will eventually be judged.
Future
Apocalyptic visions through the writing of these scriptures is how the prophet is revealed God's justice as taking place in the future. This genre has a distinctly religious aim, intended to show God's way of dealing with humankind, and God's ultimate purposes. The writer presents, sometimes very vividly, a picture of coming events, especially those connected with the end of the present age. In certain of these writings the subject-matter is vaguely described as "that which shall come to pass in the latter days" (Daniel 2:28; compare verse 29); similarly Daniel 10:14, "to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days"; compare Enoch, i.1, 2; x.2ff. So, too, in Revelation 1:1 (compare the
Septuagint translation of Daniel 2:28ff), "Revelation . . . that which must shortly come to pass." Past history is often included in the vision, usually in order to give the proper historical setting to the prediction, as the panorama of successive events passes over imperceptibly from the known to the unknown. Thus, in the eleventh chapter of Daniel, the detailed history of the Greek empire in the East, from the conquest of Alexander down to the latter part of the reign of
Antiochus Epiphanes (verses 3-39, all presented in the form of a prediction), is continued, without any break, in a scarcely less vivid description (verses 40-45) of events which hadn't yet taken place, but were only expected by the writer: the wars which should result in the death of Antiochus and the fall of his kingdom. All this, however, serves only as the introduction to the remarkable eschatological predictions in the twelfth chapter, in which the main purpose of the book is to be found. Similarly, in the dream recounted in 2 Esdras 11 and 12, the eagle, representing the
Roman Empire, is followed by the lion, which is the promised
Messiah, who is to deliver the chosen people and establish an everlasting kingdom. The transition from history to prediction is seen in xii.28, where the expected end of
Domitian's reign -- and with it the end of the world -- is foretold. Still another example of the same kind is Sibyllines, iii.608-623. Compare also
Assumptio Mosis, vii-ix. In nearly all the writings which are properly classed as apocalyptic the eschatological element is prominent. The growth of speculation regarding the age to come and the hope for the chosen people more than anything else occasioned the rise and influenced the development of apocalyptic literature.
Imagery
The element of the mysterious, apparent in both the subject and the manner of the writing, is a marked feature in every typical Apocalypse. The literature of visions and dreams has its own traditions which are well illustrated in Jewish (or Jewish-Christian) apocalyptic writing.
This apocalyptic quality appears most plainly in the use of fantastic imagery. The best illustration is furnished by the strange living creatures which figure in so many of the visions -- "beasts" or "living creatures", as is written in Revelation 4in which the properties of men, mammals, birds, reptiles, or purely imaginary beings are combined in a way that's startling and often grotesque. This characteristic feature is illustrated in the following list of the most noteworthy passages in which such creatures are introduced: Daniel 7:1-8, 8:3-12 (both passages of the greatest importance for the history of apocalyptic literature); Enoch, lxxxv.-xc.; 2 Esdras 11:1-12:3, 11-32;
Greek Apoc. of Bar. ii, iii; Hebrew Testament, Naphtali's, iii.; Revelation 6:6ff (compare
Apocalypse of Baruch [Syr.] li.11), ix.7-10, 17-19, xiii.1-18, xvii.3, 12;
the Shepherd of Hermas, "Vision," iv.1. Certain mythical or semi-mythical beings which appear in the Hebrew Bible also play an important role in these books. Thus "Leviathan", mentioned in the Old Testament and "Behemoth", mentioned also in the Old Testament, as well as (Enoch, lx.7, 8; 2 Esdras 6:49-52;
Apocalypse of Baruch xxix.4); "Gog and Magog" (Sibyllines, iii.319ff, 512ff; compare Enoch, lvi.5ff; Revelation 20:8). Foreign mythologies are also occasionally laid under contribution (
see below).
Mystical symbolism
Mystical symbolism is another frequent characteristic of apocalyptic writing. This feature is illustrated in the instances where
gematria is employed either for the sake of obscuring the writer's meaning, or enhancing its meaning further as a number of ancient cultures used letters also as numbers (
for example, the Romans with their use of '
roman numerals'). Thus, the mysterious name "
Taxo," "
Assumptio Mosis", ix. 1; the "
number of the beast"
666, of Revelation 13:18; the number 888 ('Iησōῦς),
Sibyllines, i.326-330.
Similar to this discussion is the frequent prophecy of the length of time through which the events predicted must be fulfilled. Thus, the "time, times, and a half," Daniel 12:7 which has generally been agreed to be 3½ years in length by dispensationalists; the "
fifty-eight times" of Enoch, xc.5, "
Assumptio Mosis", x.11; the announcement of a certain number of "weeks" or days, which starting point in Daniel 9:24, 25 is the "
the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks",ff, a mention of 1290 days after the covenant/sacrifice is broken (Daniel 12:11), 12; Enoch xciii.3-10; 2 Esdras 14:11, 12;
Apocalypse of Baruch xxvi-xxviii; Revelation 11:3, which mentions "
two witnesses" with supernatural power, 12:6; compare
Assumptio Mosis, vii.1. Symbolic language is also used to describe persons, things, or events; thus, the "horns" of Daniel 7 and 8; Revelation 17 and following; the "heads" and "wings" of 2 Esdras xi and following; the seven seals of Revelation 6; trumpets, Revelation 8; "vials of the wrath of God" or "bowl. . ." judgments, Revelation 16; the dragon, Revelation 12:3-17, Revelation 20:1-3; the eagle,
Assumptio Mosis, x.8; and so on.
As examples of more elaborate prophecies and allegories, aside from those in Daniel Chapters 7 and 8; and 2 Esdras Chapters 11 and 12, already referred to, may be mentioned: the vision of the bulls and the sheep, Enoch, lxxxv and following; the forest, the vine, the fountain, and the cedar,
Apocalypse of Baruch xxxvi and following; the bright and the black waters, ibid. liii and following; the willow and its branches, Hermas, "Similitudines," viii.
End of the age
In John's apocalypse, the
book of Revelation, he refers to the "unveiling" or "revelation" of
Jesus Christ as
Messiah. This term has been downgraded in common usage to refer to the
end of the world. But it's more accurate to interpret the term "end of the world", as we see in the
King James Version of the
Bible, as the "end of the age". The word translated as "world" is actually the Greek word "eon" or "age".
The eschatological pictures of the end of the age as books of the Old Testament were images of the judgment of the wicked, as well as the resurrection and glorification of those who were given
righteousness before God. The dead are seen in the book of Job and in some of the Psalms as being in
Sheol, awaiting the final judgment. The wicked will then be consigned to eternal torment in the fires of
Gehinnom, or the Lake of Fire mentioned in Revelation .
The
New Testament letters written by the
Apostle Paul expand on this theme of the judgment of the wicked, and the glorification of those who belong to
Christ or
Messiah. In his letters to the
Corinthians and the
Thessalonians Paul expounds further on the destiny of the righteous. He speaks of the simultaneous
resurrection and
rapture of those who are in Christ, (or Messiah). This is a combined apocalyptic event that comes at the end of this age and before the coming
Millennium.
Christianity had a
Millennial expectation for glorification of the righteous from the time it emerged from
Judaism and spread out into the world in the first century. The poetic and prophetic literature of the Hebrew Bible, particularly in
Isaiah, were rich in
Millennial imagery. The
New Testament Congregation after
Pentecost carried on with this theme. During his imprisonment by the Romans on the Island of Patmos,
John described the visions he experienced, writing the Book of Revelation. Revelation chapter 20 contains several reference to a thousand year reign of Christ/Messiah upon this earth.
Throughout
Church history, the kings and princes of
Europe had traditionally viewed with extreme disfavor the idea of a judgment at the end of this age and a Millennium to follow. King Henry VIII was very angry when he heard that his subjects were reading smuggled copies of
William Tyndale's New Testament. Upon hearing that they were discussing the judgment at the end of the age, he flew into a rage. Archibishop Wolsey was summoned and questioned about this matter. A series of events then led to
William Tyndale being hunted down, captured, condemned, and burned at the stake.
Preaching or teaching on end time apocalytic themes in the "Three Self" government church in China is strictly forbidden.
Modern Christian movements in the 18th and 19th Centuries were characterized by a rise of
Millennialism. Christian Apocalyptic eschatology was a continuation of the same two themes referred to throughout all of scripture as "
this age" and "
the age to come". Evangelicals have been in the forefront in rediscovering and popularizing the biblical prophecy of a major confrontation between good and evil at the end of this age, a coming Millennium to follow, and a final confrontation whereby the wicked are judged, the righteous are rewarded and the beginning of Eternity is viewed.
Most evangelicals have been taught a form of
Millennialism known as
Dispensationalism, which arose in the 19th century.
Dispensationalism sees separate destinies for the
Church and
Israel. Its concept of a special Pre Tribulation Rapture of the Church has become extremely popular. This is the central thesis of the
Left Behind books and films. Recently, however,
Dispensationalism has been undergoing some opposition from those who teach and embrace what is termed
Traditional Millennialism. Prominent among them are those who hold to a
Post Tribulation Rapture.
One of the most complete exegetical works on the meaning of the Book of Revelation was written by
Emanuel Swedenborg called the Apocalypse Revealed, first published in two volumes in Amsterdam in 1766. A more current book, utilizing the literal method of interpretation, is "The Revelation Record" by
Henry M. Morris.
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