- APOCALYPSE
ə'pɑk.ə.lɪps noun. Vision meant to reveal heavenly secrets through representative or parabolic images. - 2. Any supernatural revelation.
- 3. [uppercase] Destruction or damage on a tremendous scale, particularly the end of the world.
- [apocalyptic
ə.pɑk.ə'lɪp.tɪk adjective.]
When people talk about “the apocalypse,” they typically mean the end of the world. “It’s the apocalypse!” means “It’s the End”—and we’re
Not even close to the original meaning of the Greek apokalýpto/“to uncover.” It’s just our last book of the New Testament, Apokálypsis Yisú Hristú—or Apokálypsis for short, Apocalypse in Latin and many other languages, Revelation in English—is about the End. So people have come to mix up apocalypse and the End. Stands to reason.
Our word Revelation defines it best. It has to do with revealing. Uncovering. Telling us what’s gonna happen in future. Except… well… not literally.
See, an
Zechariah 1.7-11 KWL - 7 On 24 Šebát of Darius’s second year [15 February 519
BC ] - God’s word came to the prophet Zechariah ben Barukhyahu ben Iddo, to make him say,
- 8 “I saw this at night. Look, a man preparing to ride a red horse!
- He stood between the myrtles in the valley. Behind him, red, speckled, and white horses.
- 9 I said, ‘My master, what are these horses?’
- Giving me the word, the messenger said, ‘I’m letting you see what these horses are.’
- 10 The man standing between the myrtles answered, ‘These are the horses
- which the L
ORD sent to walk round the land.’ - 11 The horses answered the L
ORD ’s messenger standing between the myrtles: - The horses said, ‘We walked round the land. Look, all the land sits, and is quiet.’”
The horses answered? Sure. Most translations simply go with “they answered,” and leave it to us to deduce who “they” are. They don’t wanna look dumb by making the very simple logical leap. Ain’t no other group of people there to answer.
Talking horses, man. But that’s the sort of thing we see in apocalyptic visions: All manner of weirdness. Deliberately weird, ’cause God’s trying to grab our attention. You know how you’ll have some freaky dream, and the images in your dream bug you for a good long time after you’ve awakened? (Happened in the bible a bunch of times too.) It’s for the same reason God shows his prophets bizarre apocalyptic visions: He wants this imagery to stay with us, and burrow into our minds. Mere words, even God’s words, won’t stick with us like these visions do.
That’s why so many Christians are fascinated, even obsessed, with Revelation’s imagery. Weird chimeric creatures with multiple heads. Women with strange names. Angels and bowls and trumpets and declarations. Prophets being obligated to eat books which, while tasty, upset their stomachs.
Now. Jesus says the reason he uses parables is to inform those who are really listening, and go over the heads of those who really aren’t.
In contrast, there’s those who truly aren’t seeking God. Really, they figure knowledge is power, and covet some degree of control over an uncertain future. But their interpretations of these apocalypses don’t produce good fruit. Oh, they sell books, and definitely help Jim Bakker sell loads of overpriced supplies for your End Times bunker. But they don’t spread love, peace, gentleness, patience, and hope. Just more panic and worry, and God knows there’s far too much of that in the world already.