When we read through the Prophets in the Old Testament, particularly when we get to Ezekiel and Daniel we are introduced to fantastic images, whirling wheels, fantastic beasts, and world-shaking prophecies. This type of writing is what is known as “apocalyptic” and it’s useful to take some time to understand this type of writing, this genre in the Bible to understand the books that contain it.
There is a lot of confusion around the word “apocalyptic.” In the secular world, this term has taken on the idea of the end of the world, or a massive collapse of society, etc. The Biblical meaning, though it can be that, is a little different—
The Greek term apokalypsis, from which we get our English word apocalypse, literally means “unveiling.” It also means a revelation.
In the apocalyptic writings, God is unveiling, giving special revelation, special insight to His prophets, enabling them to see things from HIS viewpoint.
And sometimes that view can get a bit wild and difficult to understand as he does that.
In this lesson, we’ll look at a key characteristic that distinguishes apocalyptic writing from other prophetic writings and that is its use of images, why we need to understand the meaning behind the images if we are going to understand the writing, and why today we often have trouble with that.
In addition, one of the most useful parts of this lesson will be an overview of commentaries you can go to for help in understanding these books. None of us and no one teacher has all the answers, but we have incredible resources today that can help.
Below are links to the blog and downloadable notes and questions, the podcast, and the video.
If you would like FREE, editable downloads of this material that you can modify and use to teach without attribution, go to the Bible805 Academy. Just click on the little search (magnifying glass icon) at the top of the page, type in the topic you want, hit enter, and it will bring up the various lessons and infographics on it.
How to understand apocalyptic passages in the Bible
Teacher: Yvon Prehn
We’ve been talking about the prophets
• From Elijah to Jeremiah, they reminded the people of the covenant they made with God.
• The blessings that would follow if they obeyed what was in it,
• The judgment that would come if they didn’t.
• The time has come for judgment.
But God has not abandoned His people!
• Even among the exiles, God has his spokesmen,
• There are still prophets speaking God’s messages to His people.
• Daniel (and his three friends) are in the palace, in the government.
• Ezekiel is a pastor (formerly a priest) with the captive people.
• We will talk specifically about them and the content of their books in another lesson, but first. .
If you’ve started reading Ezekiel you might be saying to yourself……
• Whoa…..what is going on?
• Whirring wheels within wheels and eyes and beasts and all sorts of fantastic visions and dreams.
• What is happening?
• We need to clarify a new type of literature, just as we had historical and prophetic passages in the Bible, here we have….
Apocalyptic Literature
• In the secular world this term has taken on the idea of an end of the world, or massive collapse of society, etc.
• The Biblical meaning, though it can be that is a little different—
• The Greek term apokalypsis, from which we get our English word apocalypse, literally means “unveiling.” It also means a revelation.
• God is unveiling, giving special revelation, special insight to His prophets, enabling them to see things from HIS viewpoint.
And sometimes that view can get a bit wild
and difficult to understand
• It is important to understand that not all prophetic writing is apocalyptic.
• Most prophetic messages are quite clear— “You were supposed to do this, you didn’t, judgment will come.”
• Apocalyptic adds to this, it brings in divine visual imagery that is often difficult to understand.
• One commentator said, “We would expect it to be this way if the message is truly from God and deals with the things of God.”
• Another said,” How can you show a prophet what may have never happened yet? That it is from God and filled with His power?”
• Images are a way to do this.
The Power of Images
• Images summarize a group of ideas.
• If you want to describe the perfect superhero, a sterling example of strength, integrity, leadership, and self-giving, you could list these characteristics in minute dictionary detail or you could simply say, “Captain America.”
• If you want to tell people about a team you support—you wear a t-shirt or paint your face their colors.
• An image can contain volumes of backstory and meaning in a few words—the key to understanding the message is that you need to understand the meaning of the image.
The challenge to modern readers
• Is that we don’t know the backstory of the imagery. For us, the current wheels within wheels and the creatures with 4 heads of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle make about as much sense to us as Captain America, Thor, and Spiderman would make to the Old Testament Jews.
• So how do we deal with these books?
• How do we understand them?
• What are they supposed to “reveal?”
• That is the challenge with ALL apocalyptic passages and if we don’t at least acknowledge this people can come up with wildly incorrect interpretations.
A caveat, disclaimer to start
• There is probably no ONE correct meaning to any apocalyptic vision.
• You will find little agreement among even the most conservative, Bible-believing scholars.
• So don’t be too hard on yourself if you struggle with it.
• It is not a copout to go to Isaiah 55:8-9
• 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
• In all of what you read that follows, keep that in mind and that the God whose ways and thoughts are far above ours loves us and works out all for our good.
At the same time, we shouldn’t be lazy, but seek to understand what we can
• I believe simply struggling with them will deepen your understanding, wonder, and worship of your God.
• To help you do that, I’ll share some overall resources and some examples of how they can help.
• This is in addition to what you are already doing—reading through the Bible, getting to know the entire Bible, and learning the imagery and backstories, because that is foundational to understanding anything else.
• I have videos describing how to use what follows on the www.YouTube/Bible805 channel and I hope to do more on other resources there—do subscribe!
First, let’s review Gordon and Fee’s book, How to Read the Bible for All its Worth, as we’ve used it for understanding other genres/types in the Bible
• Here is how they define this type of Biblical writing:
• Apocalyptic Definition: A type of Jewish and early Christian lit., the bulk of which stems from the years 200 b.c.-a.d. 100, containing visions or revelations (hence the term “apocalyptic,” from the Gr. apokalypsis, meaning “a revelation” or “a disclosure”) from God concerning the imminent coming of the end of the present evil age and the final advent of God’s kingdom.
• When reading apocalyptic literature, here are a couple of important guidelines to keep in mind—
This is what they recommend overall
• First, each detail does not necessarily carry symbolic significance. Even the details that do carry symbolic significance may not be transparent to us, and speculating accomplishes little.
• Second, it is important to remember that the apocalyptic vision is not the message itself, but rather is the vehicle or occasion for the message. So, e.g., the message of the first vision of Zechariah (Zec 1:7 – 17) is not that there are going to be four horses of different colors in a myrtle grove. The message is laid out very clearly in Zec 1:14 – 17—(that God will judge those who conquered Israel and will once again give her prosperity and comfort—NOT that 4 horses will suddenly start running around the land .)
• Apocalyptic literature is simply a medium, and in the end, it is more interested in revealing God than in revealing the future. (and showing us how little we can comprehend Him)
NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible Copyright © 2016 by Zondervan
Commentaries can help reveal more of our God and His message behind the images
• Useful not only for difficult passages but to check on all study conclusions.
• They also prevent faulty interpretations and pride.
• Do be careful of the commentaries you read—not all equal in value—most solid ones basically agree though they say things a bit differently.
• Use in both in print and online, one is not better than another.
• Can be overwhelming, pace yourself.
Biblegateway.com
some free, paid study resources plan highly recommended
• Some resources are free, many Bible verses, great to check different ones.
• 40+ resources $40.00 a year
• Few ads.
• Easy to use.
• Contemporary sources, solid, reliable.
Super easy Greek and Hebrew basic words
Drill down to the specific word
www.blueletterbible.org
• The oldest of its kind from the early days of the internet
• Best for original language study, topical studies, word studies, easy access to Strong’s Concordance
• Limited commentaries, but useful
• Additional resources in audio, about hymns, misc.
Other commentary sites that are useful
• http://www.gotquestions.org Q&A format, often find the related article through a Google search—not great scholarship, but solid and useful.
• www.equip.org started as an apologetic site, but good to check on various topics. Well-researched articles.
• www.preceptaustin.org it used to be better than it is now. A huge number of excellent resources, but virtually not indexed and an organizational mess. If you have time, though real gems are there—I have a video that might help on www.Youtube.com/Bible805
• www.wikipedia.org surprised? Though not the greatest for biblical study—very secular views of theology, great for general historical background, images (the wonderful paintings of the masters), and sometimes to see what the secular view of something is, very helpful.
• Lots of others, but I tend to avoid those with lots of ads and the one paid one I like is the Biblegateway, other paid ones are similar, but I like the selection of resources here.
The point of this apocalyptic vision of God and the future
• The apocalyptic writings and the commentaries about them are not to confuse us or then to merely explain the confusion.
• “Life is not concerned with time alone. There is an overruling power which works in time to prepare for eternity.” William Orr
• Dallas Willard said, our world is a “crucible of soul-making.”
• In this soul-making for eternity, apocalyptic Bible passages give us a vision beyond the ordinary.
Challenge to us with the vision we’ve been given, what can we do to be a vision of God’s life to our world?
• “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.”
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
• What can we do in our world to show that our focus, our heart, and our treasure is on the one to come?
• How can we reflect the values of the Kingdom of God—not the Kingdom of me?
• The best way to do that, is to spend time in the passages we are reading, to think about them, to ask our Lord to reveal himself to us and pray that as we see our Lord more clearly, we will become more like Him.
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• Chronological Bible-reading schedules