What is Apocalyptic Literature?
By Jan Roberson
The apocalyptic literary genre stems from the Old Testament prophets’ heavenly visions in which God showed the prophet His plans for the near and far future.
Apocalyptic literature was a common and widespread form of writing in the first century. From about 200 AD-200 BC, this type of non-biblical Jewish literature reflected the dark time for the Jews (the times between the testaments with no prophecy, the Maccabean revolt, Roman occupation, the destruction of the Temple 70AD). It harkened to the Old Testament prophets and looked toward the future when God would vindicate them and bring all things to a just and glorious end. It was characterized by pseudonymity, symbols, heavenly messengers, bizarre images, divine judgement and dualism-this world and the next, the struggle between good and evil. These were similarities between the non-biblical and biblical apocalyptic literature.
Revelation differs from the apocalyptic literature of the day in that it clearly claims to be a book of prophecy (Rev 1:3) and the word of the Lord (see Biblical Prophecy) It gives encouragement and urges repentance rather than being amoral. It points to the victory of the Christ crucified and the slain Lamb as being worked out now and, in the future, rather than only having a future hope.
The Greek word apokálypsis means "uncovering, disclosure, revelation. The biblical definition then would relate to the writings in Scripture that have a revelatory nature. Old Testament prophets often had visions and bizarre images heavy with symbolism that would unveil heavenly realities to the people around them.
Descriptions or characteristics of Biblical Apocalyptic literature are as follows:
Heavenly perspective on earthly situations to offer comfort, hope and challenge to recipients
Reveals the world where heaven and earth overlap
Visions of God’s heavenly throne room
An uncovering by God for people to see the world as it really is-His heavenly and true perspective
A subset of Biblical prophecy, a vehicle of prophecy
Real visions relayed in figurative language
Announcements of future judgments and blessings
Involves both warnings and consolations
Revelation-A book of Biblical prophecy in the vein of Old Testament prophetic tradition and with elements of the apocalyptic literature genre.
When we ask why Revelation is written with so many bizarre creatures and seemingly obscure symbols, we can remember that God chose to reveal Himself in a particular culture and time and with certain Jewish Christian leader in the church.
The apocalyptic style was not so strange to the recipients of John’s letter of the Revelation. As he received these visions from God and heavenly messengers, he was filtering everything through the lens of what he knew. He knew the Old Testament thoroughly and he knew the prevalent style of writing in his day.
John heavily alludes to the Old Testament prophetic writings from which apocalyptic literature stems. There are over 500 Old Testament references in the book of Revelation. We can readily see pieces from Daniel, Ezekial, Isaiah and Zechariah in which there are visions and prophecies of the future heavily laden with symbolic imagery.
The imagery, symbols and figurative language give vivid pictures of the truths conveyed. “Glimpses into the future and even into heaven itself, required the kind of language John used. Only through symbolism and imagery can we gain some understanding of the things the Lord was unveiling through the writer John.” “… [the symbolic] conduces to evocative description of unseen realities with a clarity unattainable by any other method.” Alan Johnson, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol 12., p. 400