- [Jon] It's the end of the world. The moon turns to blood, mountains crumble, mutant locus swarm. These are just some of
the strange images we find in parts of the Bible called apocalyptic. - [Tim] And while most people think the Biblical word "apocalypse"
means the end of the world, it actually doesn't mean that at all. - [Jon] So let's talk about how to read apocalyptic
literature in the Bible. So wait, the apocalypse doesn't
mean the end of the world? - [Tim] No,
"apocalypse" is a Greek word that means "to uncover or reveal." An apocalypse is when you
suddenly see the true nature of something that you couldn't see before. - [Jon] Because I
don't always see things the way they really are. - [Tim] Right, we
all develop familiar ways of seeing the world that can
limit or blur our vision. - [Jon] So an apocalypse
is like a revelation. - [Tim] Right. Now in the Bible, an apocalypse is when God
pulls back the curtain to show someone what's
really going on in the world from a divine perspective.
- [Jon] For example? - [Tim] Take Isaiah the prophet. He's suddenly transported in a vision into God's throne room. - [Jon] Oh right,
he's in God's temple, described as a bridge
between Heaven and Earth. - [Tim] And there, God
gives him a divine perspective on Israel's past,
present, and their future. - [Jon] So that
Isaiah can bring challenge and comfort to God's
people in his own day. - [Tim] Or think
about the apostle Paul who was trying to stop
the movement of Jesus, but then he gets stopped in his tracks by a vision of the risen Jesus himself. - [Jon] Yeah, he
realizes that he's fighting against the very thing
that he's been hoping for, and it changes the course of his life. - [Tim] So these
apocalypses give people a heavenly perspective on
their earthly situation, and they can give hope or
they can challenge you. - [Jon] Or make
you change everything. - [Tim] Now, those
are Biblical stories about people having an apocalypse. There are also whole
sections of biblical books where a prophet describes
extended apocalyptic dreams and visions. People call
this apocalyptic literature. - [Jon] And reading these dreams and visions is difficult. I mean, they're filled
with strange images. Like, let's take Daniel. He sees ferocious beasts
coming up out of a dark sea, trampling people on the land. And then a character called
the Son of Man is exalted to rule the world. What is going on? - [Tim] Yeah, apocalyptic
literature is written in a poetic, imaginative style, and it's packed with symbolism. - [Jon] How can I know
what these symbols mean? - [Tim] Well, first by
studying the rest of your Bible. Apocalyptic imagery is based
on Biblical design patterns that begin in the book of Genesis and then develop throughout the Bible, like the chaotic sea in the
first sentences of the Bible that God tames but doesn't
eliminate as he orders creation. And so the sea becomes an image of danger, death, and cosmic chaos. - [Jon] And the dry land,
which comes out of the sea, is the safe, ordered place
where humans are supposed to rule as God's image. - [Tim] Yes, and also
on the land are beasts that humans are supposed to
oversee, but keep reading and the humans are deceived by a beast. - [Jon] And start
acting like violent beasts. - [Tim] Exactly.
Now sometimes a prophet will tell you what a symbol means. Like in Daniel, we're told those beasts symbolize violent human kingdoms. But more often, the authors
just assume you know how to trace an image through
the Biblical story to understand its meaning. - [Jon] Now let's look
at the last book of the Bible, the Revelation, because
it's one really long vision. The whole thing is an apocalypse. - [Tim] Yeah, and
it works the same way. It begins with John the
visionary transported to God's throne room where
he sees the risen Jesus as the exalted king of the world. - [Jon] But Jesus is
depicted as a bloody lamb. - [Tim] Right, it's a design pattern, showing how Jesus is the sacrificial lamb from Israel's Passover and
from the Day of Atonement. He gave his life for
the sins of the world. And then John sees the
ultimate beastly dragon, that spiritual power that
energizes violent earthly empires, it's cast out by Jesus,
the world's true king. - [Jon] Yeah, now that reminds me, when I read the Revelation, I'm struck by all this cosmic
destruction and violence. I mean, it happens over and over and over. - [Tim] Yeah, in the Revelation there are three seven-part
cycles of God's judgment. And it's another design
pattern that connects together the stories of the flood,
the 10 plagues on Egypt, and the exile to Babylon, and even more. These are moments when humans
unleash so much violence and death into the world that God hands them over
to self-destruction. It's like a reversal of
creation in Genesis 1, as God allows the world and humans to sink back to darkness and disorder. - That's sobering.
- It is. But remember, in Genesis 1
God overcame darkness and chaos with his light and life, and
so, too, in the Revelation. The death of Jesus and the
death of the world as we know it is the pathway into the renewed creation that began with the resurrection of Jesus. - [Jon] And so while
the Revelation feels like the end of the world, - [Tim] It's actually
about the beginning of the renewed world where
Heaven and Earth are reunited and God's human images rule all creation in the love and power of God. - [Jon] Okay, this
is a lot to take in. - [Tim] It is, and
there's a lot in these books that is still hard to understand, but the purpose of
apocalyptic is really clear to give us a heavenly perspective on our earthly circumstances so that every generation of
God's people can be challenged, comforted, and given hope for the future. - [Jon] All right, we did it. In this series on how to read the Bible, we looked at all the styles
of writing in the Bible: narrative, poetry, discourse. - [Tim] And we learned how to read all of the main sections of the Bible. - [Jon] This is sophisticated
and beautiful literature, and I can see why the Bible is one of the most influential
books in human history. - [Tim] Yes, every part
fits into the unified story that leads to Jesus. And it invites us into a lifetime
of reading and meditation. There's a whole new world just waiting to be
discovered in your Bible. (laid back music)
It seems the way they introduced and defined Apocalypse in Episode 1 was similar to how Rob Bell taught about it in his recent book on the Bible. But looking forward to diving in more with the next few episodes.
I love the Bible Project it is so helpful to learn about what your reading in the Bible. Thank You Bible Project 😄.