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Apocalypse!
by Chris
Moen
Why do most people associate the word
“apocalypse” with end-of-the-world events? What does the word really mean in
relation to biblical prophecy?
The popular narrative often shows a collapsed
civilization!
The planet has become a wasteland of crumbled buildings and
motionless cars.
Millions of bodies are scattered about. Radios and televisions
are silent. The power grid is gone, and all appears dark.
But then, like Noah
and his family stepping off the ark, a few survivors who took refuge in
underground shelters slowly make their way to the surface to rebuild the earth.
As they stumble through the smoke and rubble, they begin to
gather in small groups, searching for meaning in their now-shattered world.
Novels and films with
such doomsday scenarios abound.
When most people hear the word apocalypse, it
engenders an immediate association with great devastation on the earth that
leaves only a remnant of survivors to carry on the human race.
Stories about the end
of the world have fascinated people throughout human history, and today science
fiction movie theatrics can create the vivid imagery of nuclear explosions and
leveled cities, catastrophic loss of human life and zombies roaming the streets
in the aftermath.
While history shows
that humanity in general has a penchant for bringing much suffering, the world
is not destined to end
this way. Please read on.
Author Daniel Wojcik
wrote, “Until recently, the end of the world has been interpreted as a
meaningful, transformative, and supernatural event, involving the annihilation
and renewal of the earth by deities or divine forces. During the last half of
the twentieth century, however, widespread beliefs about a meaningless
apocalypse have emerged and now compete with traditional religious apocalyptic
worldviews” (End of the World as We Know It:
Faith, Fatalism, and Apocalypse in America, p. 1).
In other words, a more
contemporary use of the word apocalypse describes
meaningless mass destruction.
The age of potential annihilation
Over the past 60 years or so, interest in the
end of the world has dramatically increased. But why such a fascination with
the destruction of society?
According to Wojcik, “The creation and proliferation of
nuclear weapons, in particular, have fundamentally altered contemporary
apocalyptic thought, fueling fears of global annihilation and evoking
widespread fatalism about the future of humanity” (p. 1).
The dropping of atomic
bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August of 1945 helped promote the
idea that civilization as we know it could end by an apocalyptic disaster.
This fairly universal human concern is one major reason for the
popularity of apocalyptic movies and novels.
Added to that,
scientific research is often dramatized by media portrayals of other risks to
humankind.
These include the gradual destruction of the environment,
mega-storms, volcanic eruptions, solar storms, global ozone depletion,
widespread famine and incurable strains of diseases.
These are real
concerns, but they also help feed fatalistic fears that the world might end by
one or more of these causes.
In a 2012 Ipsos poll conducted in 21 countries and involving
16,000 adults, one in seven (14 percent) agreed with the statement “the
world will come to an end during my lifetime.”
In the United States, one in five (22 percent) agreed to this
statement.
While there are many
potential global hazards, the world is not destined to end this way.
Fascination with biblical disaster
In the United States
interest in apocalyptic themes in Bible prophecy is integral to the worldviews
of many evangelical Christians.
Such widespread interest in apocalyptic disasters in recent
decades is indicated by the success of best-selling books on the subject.
Wojcik holds up Hal
Lindsey’s 1970 book The Late Great Planet Earth as
an example of works appealing to those interested in biblical end-time
prophecies (p. 37).
It became the largest-selling American nonfiction book of that
decade (New York Times Book Review, April
6, 1980, p. 27).
By 1991 more than 28 million copies of the book had been
sold (Los Angeles Times, Feb.
23, 1991).
Apocalypse simply means revelation
Though the word apocalypse has come to have doomsday
overtones, it’s interesting to note what it originally meant.
According to Dictionary.com, the English word apocalypse comes from the Greek word apokálypsis,which simply means
“revelation,” and is equivalent to apokalýptein,meaning
“to uncover, reveal.”
In religious contexts it is usually a disclosure of something hidden,
like knowledge or understanding.
At that point, Jesus
Christ will return to put a stop to humanity destroying itself.
In the Bible the Greek word apokálypsis refers
to the book of Revelation,
which was given to the apostle John.
The book of Revelation is Jesus Christ’s
unveiling of events to His servants (Revelation 1:1).
What is revealed is a series of major events that lead to the
end of this present age, including Christ’s return to the earth.
What will happen to planet earth?
The Bible is the only
absolutely reliable source for learning the fate of planet earth.
Within this divinely inspired book, God reveals His plan for
humanity through His servants, the prophets (Amos 3:7).
God has given an outline in the Scriptures of troubles that will
intensify in the end times because of the increase of many evils in societies
around the globe (2 Timothy 3:1-5; Revelation 6:1-7).
Bible prophecy reveals that humankind will come to the very
brink of self-destruction. At that point, Jesus Christ will return to put a
stop to humanity destroying itself (Matthew 24:22).
The world will not end
with some cataclysmic, apocalyptic event, leaving just a few human beings
wandering aimlessly in a struggle for survival without law and order.
Thankfully, this is not the final
outcome that God has in store for planet earth!
When Jesus Christ
returns to earth, He will forcefully put down all opposition and establish the Kingdom of God.
This will be the start of 1,000 years of global peace, prosperity and abundance.
This Millennium of
joyous, meaningful existence is a stark contrast to the apocalyptic scenarios
imagined by many today. While there are difficult times ahead, God tells us the
future is very bright!
Chris Moen currently serves as associate pastor in the combined Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, Michigan, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.
Chris graduated from Ambassador College in Pasadena, California, in 1979, married Angela Hays in 1982, and was ordained into the ministry in 1991. Since then, together they have had the joy of serving in 17 Church of God congregations.
Chris and Angela are blessed with two married daughters, Jennifer and Ashley, along with their fine husbands, and four grandchildren. Chris serves on the Life, Hope & Truth “Ask a Question” answering team and with a prior engineering background, he occasionally assists with technical projects for the Church.
Chris enjoys grandchildren, teaching at youth camps, music, outdoor life, technology and, topping the list, serving God’s people in the congregations.
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