Revelations Promoting Apocalypticism - Essay Example

Religion and Theology Apocalyptic Modes Religious beliefs guide thoughts on Apocalypticism. While apocalyptic theories previously focused on God’s return, they now dwell on the end of the world, largely because of a global catastrophic event. There are different belief systems that promote their theories, and this means that the society appreciates the apocalypses differently. Some term them as evil, unguided, baseless, while religious inclinations makes other believers see its positive side. Most religious beliefs, including those of Christians and Jews, hold that there will be a better life after the evil that engulfs the present earthly life. The future is unknown, but there is a belief that those following a particular belief will not suffer like the rest of the world. There are some phenomena that happen, for instance, the “blood moon”, which trigger debate on Jesus’ return. The bible presents several revelations that promote Apocalypticism. The “blood moon”, for instance, has scientific basis, but religious devotees still consider it a revelation (Bailey 1). Astronomers refer to it as a tetrad, during which the earth’s shadow engulfs the moon and forms a reddish hue. Religious enthusiasts term this as the blood moon that the bible prophesized in two separate verses. Joel 2:31 says, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord”, while Acts 2:20, in the New Testament, asserts, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord.” According to Bailey, these verses in the bible fuel the belief of the apocalypse and the end of times. To add on the controversy, several best-selling books such as Mark Biltz’ “Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent Heavenly Signs”, Oklahoma pastor Mark Hitchcoc’s “Blood Moons Rising: Bible Prophecy, Israel, and the Four Blood Moons”, and Texas megachurch pastor John Hagee’s “Four Blood Moons: Something Is About to Change”, explain the event. Through such books, the already controversial subject gains much more realism. The books prophesize traumatic and “world-changing” happenings based on the tetrad, especially because the blood moon happens during the significant religious holidays of the Passover and the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles. Even so, religious analysts disagree on these theories, and suggest that there is no need to distort data to fit religious revelations and prophesy. Apocalypse themes present fear across the population. “Doomsday” predictions at times dominate television and media sources to the point that it generates a crisis and global panic among people. A perfect example is the millennial-bug scare of 2000 that triggered global panic. In addition, there are outlandish views from doomsday cults that eventually never happen. Eventually, people, including believers, scoff at any future predictions since none ever happens. Apocalyptic end-of-the-world set-ups often arise from fantasies, assumptions, and fear, rather from solid facts or biblical inclinations. According to Bratcher, the credibility of Christians and religious beliefs are questioned when such events do not materialize. Regrettably, the biblical message is misunderstood and it becomes baseless, casting doubts on biblical approaches that humans follow in life. Besides the controversy, apocalyptic thinking has legitimate grounds on theological basis. Most of the talks are based on the bible and are mostly revelations written centuries ago (Bratcher). Although, they fail to pass, they should be guidance on how to live a righteous life because of a promised better life. Bratcher presents two eschatological perspectives that have religious inclination. Prophetic eschatology explores the way that a savior will come on earth and try to redeem humans and their sinful nature. The other perspective, apocalyptic eschatology, in contrast, affirms that the earth is beyond repair, and an event will wipe out the entire earth and its constituents. Prophetic eschatology, according to Bratcher, means that earth dwellings will continue to exist as God works miracles to transform their behavior. Although history needs to be changed, humans will continue existing, unlike the apocalyptic eschatology that upholds complete annihilation. Apocalyptic thinking evidences the evil that occurs in the world, especially because of manmade forms of ruling and reasoning. Both perspectives have a historical and social context bearing that dwell on self-inflicted suffering on the way that humans live and coexist. Owing to this, humans are more prejudiced to believe in the apocalyptic eschatology rather than the prophetic eschatology because of its easier acceptance, rather than the approval of righteousness. Several literatures, such as Shakespeare’s Macbeth, present apocalyptic representations and the struggle between good and evil. The contrast between the good and evil revolve around the witches, who form part of the movie in the way that they contradict the aspect of justice. According to the witches, the difference between good and evil is negligible. Human kind exhibits good and evil in many aspects of life. There is a continuous struggle between the aspect of good and evil within an individual. The thunder and lightning, the aggressive weather, and the witches in the play reflect the evil in society. The evil in the story represents the suffering that humans undergo and the need of deliverance from such tendencies. The play reveals the opposition against the witches, especially during the times of Elizabeth. The foreshadow reveal that the withes were brutally dealt with subject to the evil they were associated with during that time. However, there was controversy pertaining to the affiliation of many people to witches (Scully 34). Many people believed in witchcraft because of the magic they performed in favor of their followers. Additionally, Kings also followed suit given the power of superstition associated with the witches. In this regard, King James gave the witches an opportunity for defense before execution. This is similar to the apocalyptic eschatology perspective in which God allows evil to control the world, rather than sending a savior or offering a solution. The apocalyptic times is evident in many ways, for instance, evil is associated with aliens (Torry). The moor’s emptiness indicates the desolation of witches in society. The images portray the witches as evil in all aspects. Good is associated with God. The witches’ works match the works of Satan while good acts represent God’s perfect and permissive will. The tone used in the movie shows the distinction between good and evil. The witches manage to convince Macbeth that he shall be crowned when he adheres to their counsel. In this regard, Macbeth follows uncanny directives from the witches. According to Scully, Macbeth’s manipulation results in the murdering of King Duncan (45). The false believe that Macbeth’s bravery and courage will lead to Kingship is bliss for Macbeth. The struggle between Macbeth and Banquo shows the struggle between good and evil in the movie is evident. Although, Macbeth follows the witches’ instructions, his conscience is against his commitment. The struggle between his mind and body relates to the apocalyptic times when evil and good are perceptibly relative. Lady Macbeth is also troubled until she decides to involve evil in a bid to find peace. The devilish behavior of Macbeth is intolerable in view of the circumstances prevailing. King Duncan, Malcolm, Macduff, and Edward are agents of good in society (Scully, 67). Natural order upholds the right and good. The witches create the aggressive atmosphere to perform their evil acts. The evil is manifest in mischief and cruelty of Macbeth. The fight between Macbeth and Banquo is caused by evil. It is incumbent upon the good and agents of good to counter the evil in order to establish good in society. The struggle between the good and evil is in the minds of Banquo and Macbeth. Macbeth relies on the mere promises of the witches concerning Kingship in the latter days. He believes that the witches will successfully make him the thane of Cawdor. Macbeth drowns in fantasy and never establishes the difference between the evil and good. Evidently, the struggle between the good and evil in society is purely psychological and spiritual. The spiritual aspect links the evil and good to the apocalyptic times. There is a struggle in which some events are seen as messages that predict doom, while to some, the messages do not have any religious connotation. Moral decay in the society evidences Apocalypticism. Apocalyptic ideas suggest that the history of humankind may come to a sudden halt. Christians, Jews, and Hindus are all susceptible to such propositions. The books of Daniel, Hebrews, and mainly, Revelations have contributed to the formulation of apocalyptic beliefs. To make it clear to humankind, Christians throughout the globe have devised ways of interpreting these schemes in writing. Various films help instill these ideas and all the events in these films are a clear reflection of apocalyptic modes, the world ending soon as it is the will of God (Henze, 2011). Moral decay in society in the Hindu religion is an apocalyptic mode. According to Smith (2011), floods and fire will eventually destroy the world. In a similar thought, the fire that killed the Thomas’ parents was an indicator of the end of the world. He further adds that, though there is no specific date attached to the return of Jesus, whom they consider as a saint, when the life of an individual comes to a halt, there is a judgment figure that holds a book, which accounts for one’s deeds during humankind’s lifetime (Thomas 119). The jealousy principle roots from the belief that individual liberty is achieved by political power. In The Planet of Apes, Dr. Zaius plans to kill Taylor when they discover that he has the power of speech. However, Dr. Zila and Cornelius sympathized, and instead protected the ape. Many of the eighteenth and nineteenth century occurrences gave rise to apocalyptic sentiments. Mayer (2012) refers to the radical Whig as ‘the sacred cause of liberty’ in the American Revolution. Mass deaths characterize the end of the world being near. In the film Independence Day, the aliens unleash weapons that are powerful to an extent of destroying many cities and people. For those who survive, they are required to unite so that they can resist the aliens from destroying the human race. In Blade Runner, the circumstances are comparable. Deckard is a blade cutter who hunts down and assassinates replicas who are rogue. Other scholars partially agree with this idea while holding that the fear of outer space invaders cannot match the reality that humankind endures. They further add that aliens are naturally cruel to humankind to fulfill a political motive. Political power that has created a stiff competition among humankind is a clear indication of the world ending soon. In the film The Day the Earth Stood Still, Klaatu foretells that he has a message for the human kind that is of grave importance, world politics. After his injury, he escapes from hospital and falls in love with a widow. Schatz seconds the alien’s message about the condition of the world’s politics that focuses on the importance of apocalypticism in helping to curb the effects of tangible politics that destroys the planet. He also postulates that collective responsibility is facilitated if humankind keeps in mind of the consequences of co-optation. Plagues, misery and wars lead to humankind to question God’s existence. In the film, The Seventh Seal, Block faces a difficult situation that makes him question the existence of God. As a form of temptation, Death visits him and they engage in a game of chess. Similarly, Apostle Paul warned of the signs of the end of the world, which are identical in nature to those endured by Block. Moral decay ranges from massive deaths to jealous among humankind that in turn lead to world crisis. Political power has been a matter of concern in the globe characterized by unstable governments that translate to misery of humankind. The warnings made in the book of revelations are emerging, a clear indication that God is coming back soon, either to deliver people, or to destroy the earth. Human faith dwells in an apocalyptic mode in which people seek deliverance, rather than interference from God. Interference in this case characterizes the introduction of a savior on earth, while deliverance typifies the destruction of the earth and a better future for believers. Apart from the historical cries from Eastern Europe and china, there is the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt that exemplify the apocalyptic mode of reasoning. Through literature and the several movies depicting apocalyptic modes, it is evident that a supreme being is not contented with the evil that exists on earth. Either way, no prophesy has happened so far, but it is nearly impossible to determine when and where it will occur. Works Cited Bailey, Sarah. ‘Blood moon’ sets off apocalyptic debate among some Christians. Religion News Service. Apr 14, 2014. Bratcher, Dennis. Doomsday Prophets: The Difference between Prophetic and Apocalyptic Eschatology. The Voice, 2013. End of the World: Apocalypse and Its Aftermath in Western Culture. S.l.: Open Book Publishers, 2011. Print. Henze, Matthias. Jewish Apocalypticism in Late First Century Israel: Reading Second Baruch in Context. Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2011. Print. Mayer, David. The Constitutional Thought of Thomas Jefferson. University of Virginia, 2012. Web. 19 June 2014. Schatz, JL. The Importance of Apocalypse: The Value of End-Of-The-World Politics While Advancing Ecocriticism. The Journal of ecocriticism, 2012. Web. 19 June 2014. Smith, Dinita. Apocalyptic Meditations: Every Faith Has a View .The New York Times, 3 April 2013. Web. 19 June 2014. Scully, Jackie, L. Good and evil: Quaker perspectives. Aldershot: Ashgate. 2007. Print. Thomas, Robert. The Kingdom Of Christ in the Apocalypse. TMSJ 3/2 (Fall 1992) 117-40 Torry, Robert. Apocalypse Then: Benefits of the Bomb in Fifties Science Fiction Films. Cinema Journal, Vol. 31, No. 1 (Autumn, 1991), pp. 7-21 Read More