Dr.
James Tabor wrote a very interesting blog about apocalyptic beliefs in the
Jesus movement.
“The adjective “apocalyptic,” refers to
the notion that the hidden realities of the unseen world are being revealed in
an imminent and unfolding manner at the “end of the age.” It is not the “end of
the world,” but rather a dramatic reversal and transformation of life as it is
lived on planet earth.
The
“apocalypse” (literally “the revealing”) is good news and bad news, depending
on ones stake in the present and ones attitude toward the new future–a future
that ushers in the “kingdom of God.” This reign of God involves a complete
reversal of the failed and flawed “rule” of humanity over the planet. The
Hebrew Prophets picture it as an ideal time of peace, in which justice and
righteousness fills the earth, and evil no longer holds sway. It is well summed
up by the urgent plea in the Lord’s Prayer:
Let your kingdom come! Let your
will be done, on earth as it is in heaven!
I
am convinced that the Jesus movement is utterly and thoroughly apocalyptic to
the core.”
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