Apocalyptic Literature and God’s Revelation

Discover how apocalypse reveals God’s hidden will through vivid, pictorial language about end times and His future Kingdom, distinct from broader revelation throughout redemptive history.

Apocalypse and Apocalyptic Literature

1. Apocalypse

In the Bible, apocalypse is sometimes rendered as ‘revelation, apocalypse, vision (2 Chr 26:5, Zechariah who had understanding in visions).’ The Greek word translated as apocalypse, apokalypsis, is derived from the verb apokalypto, meaning ‘to uncover,’ ‘to reveal,’ or ‘to disclose.’ It carries the sense of ‘unfolding what has been veiled,’ ‘bringing hidden things to light,’ ‘removing a covering,’ and ‘illumination,’ referring to God’s act of making known His previously hidden will through the Holy Spirit. Apocalypse was disclosed primarily through the prophets, and on rare occasions—as in the case of Solomon—through individuals who were not prophets (1 Kgs 3:5).

The word “apocalypse” shares the same etymological root as “revelation” (Jer 14:14) and “vision” (1 Sam 3:1), yet in general usage these terms carry slightly different nuances. That is, while “revelation” tends to be used in a broad and comprehensive sense — focusing on how God manifests the entire history of His redemptive work for the salvation of humanity — “apocalypse” and “vision” are used in a somewhat narrower sense, functioning as a kind of literary term that depicts in vivid, pictorial language the end of the age, and in particular the events associated with the coming Kingdom of God. In Scripture, this genre can be seen in Isaiah 24–27, Joel 3, Zechariah 9–14, Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (Matt 24), which is sometimes called the “Little Apocalypse,” and the Book of Revelation. For this reason, the Book of Revelation is also referred to as the Apocalypse, though this designation is rarely used today.

Furthermore, unlike a dream (1 Kgs 3:5), apocalyptic visions were most often given to prophets (2 Chr 26:5; Isa 21:2; Hab 2:2) while they were awake and conscious. However, in the time of the prophet Jeremiah, there were many false prophets who had received no vision (Lam 2:9) and prophets who had seen false visions (Lam 2:14). These individuals proclaimed the thoughts of their own hearts as divine visions, thereby leading the people astray (Jer 23:16).

2. Apocalyptic Literature

Apocalyptic literature is a genre of Jewish religious writing found in the canonical Scriptures, the Apocrypha, and the Pseudepigrapha, as well as a form of early Christian literature. A concentrated body of apocalyptic works appeared particularly during the period between the Old and New Testaments and around the time of the destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70), roughly between 200 B.C. and A.D. 100 — that is, after the Babylonian exile. This was an era in which the Jewish people had not yet recovered their nation and were suffering under the domination of foreign powers, a time of political, social, and religious oppression that left them with little hope for the future.

Historically, this period was marked by the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes of Syria, who subjected the Jewish people to severe religious persecution: he erected a statue of Zeus in the courts of the Jerusalem Temple, forced the offering of pigs — an animal forbidden under the purity laws — as a sacrificial offering, and declared circumcision illegal (these actions sparked the Maccabean Revolt). Later, around the time of Jesus’ birth, the Jewish people came under Roman rule, and following a series of uprisings against Rome, Jerusalem was completely destroyed around A.D. 70, the nation was annihilated, and the Jewish people ultimately became a scattered and wandering people.

It was precisely during this period that apocalyptic literature emerged, using apocalyptic literary forms to symbolically express the faith of those who were suffering, the coming of the Messiah, and the consummation of the Kingdom of God that would result from his arrival. In that context, apocalyptic literature serves as a valuable resource for examining the historical and religious situation of Israel during the intertestamental period. It is also a notable characteristic of apocalyptic literature that, in many cases, the authors wrote under pseudonyms.

The most representative examples of apocalyptic literature in the Bible include the book of Daniel in the Old Testament and the book of Revelation in the New Testament. In addition, Isa 24–27, Joel 3, Zech 9–14, and Matt 24 also belong to the apocalyptic genre. The deuterocanonical book of 2 Esdras, as well as the pseudepigraphal works such as the Apocalypse of Baruch and 2 Enoch, are likewise classified as apocalyptic literature. However, these books were not recognized as Scripture due to their insufficient canonical standing.

3. Characteristics of Apocalyptic Literature

• Whereas the Old Testament prophets proclaimed their messages under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, the authors of apocalyptic literature generated their revelatory messages through dreams and visions of heavenly journeys that they themselves constructed.
• Most authors of apocalyptic literature imitated the visions of the Old Testament prophets — particularly Daniel — and composed their content under the guise of divine revelation; in reality, however, such content amounted to little more than a pious embellishment of their own personal hopes and desires.
• The Old Testament prophets proclaimed their messages directly under their own names, whereas the authors of apocalyptic literature wrote their books under the names of ancient figures in order to lend greater authority to their content.
• The Old Testament prophets each proclaimed their messages within real, concrete historical situations and settings, whereas apocalyptic literature was written largely from a non-historical or trans-historical perspective.
• Apocalyptic literature made extensive use of symbols, drawing on the influence of visionary traditions found in Old Testament prophets such as Daniel and Ezekiel.

In conclusion, apocalyptic literature was created with the purpose of instilling hope and courage regarding the final judgment of the wicked and the coming heavenly kingdom, particularly in response to extreme crises of faith and life. Since the historical context was a period of national and religious persecution, apocalyptic literature is largely described through symbols, metaphors, numbers, mysterious phenomena of the natural world, and the symbolic significance of animals.

Source: [Naver Encyclopedia of Knowledge], [Dictionary of Biblical Cultural Background]

apocalyptic literature, Revelation, eschatology, divine revelation, New Testament background

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