WHY THE APOCALYPSE SCARE?

History of the Apocalypse Scare

Apocalypse, or Revelation, is the name of the last book in the Bible, written toward the end of the first century C.E. In view of the prophetic nature and highly symbolic language of this book, the adjective "apocalyptic" came to be applied to a form of literature that began long before the Bible book of Revelation was written. The mythological symbolism of this literature goes back to ancient Persia and even beyond. Hence, The Jewish Encyclopedia speaks of the distinctly Babylonian character of most of the mythological elements incorporated in this [Jewish apocalyptic] literature.

Jewish apocalyptic literature flourished from the start of the second century B.C.E. to the end of the second century C.E. Explaining the reason for these writings, one Bible scholar wrote: "The Jews divided all time into two ages. There was this present age, which is wholly bad . . . The Jews therefore, waited for the end of things as they are. There was the age which is to come which was to be wholly good, the golden age of God in which would be peace, prosperity and righteousness . . . How was this present age to become the age which is to come? The Jews believed that the change could never be brought about by human agency and, therefore, looked for the direct intervention of God. . . .The day of the coming of God was called The Day of the Lord and was to be a terrible time of terror and destruction and judgment which would be the birthpangs of the new age. All apocalyptic literature deals with these events."

Next time: Is the Apocalypse Scare Justified?

Watchtower, 2001