The diversity of scripture, when understood properly, represents one of the most dynamic aspects of a unique religious legacy. It points to the fact that biblical revelation is both intrinsically tied to human history and specifically related to individual persons and groups within their particular setting, a unique pattern of meaning emerges that constitutes the contribution of the apocalyptic writing to our scriptural heritage. Having considered the specific message of representative passages in chapter 4-5, we now consider the apocalyptic messages as a pattern woven into the fabric of the canon.
One of the recurrent themes of the apocalyptic writing of the Bible is the deadly struggle being waged between the power of good and evil and threat thereby posed for all humans. The problems besetting the human race are not viewed in facile terms, as mistakes requiring certain adjustments, but as the culmination of a long history of sinful repudiation of divine will and grace that has brought the world to the drink of the total disaster. The world view thus constructed is thoroughly moral and the critique utterly radical. In a hard-hitting manner both Jewish and foreign, who pursued their own ambitious schemes at the cost of the suffering of the faithful, the infirm, and poor, come under scathing judgment of a holy God. One of the unforgettable lessons of the apocalyptic writing is thus their radical assessment of evil and of the collaboration of humans in the ungodly processes that threatened to destroy the world.
In antiquity this lesson no doubt spoke with a high degree of authority and credibility to those suffering grievously under the powerful oppressors of their time, and perhaps was heard as a warning to many whom through complicity or complacency abetted the degradation of human life.
Another of the ubiquitous themes of the biblical apocalyptic writings is the universal reign of the one true God. In a majestic manner, all facets of life and the world are drawn into the drama of the unfolding purpose of the Sovereign God. Though the agents of evil both on earth and in heaven seem to be on the rampage, the visionaries exhibit a remarkable audacity in peering beyond the transitory to the ultimate, which in the mythological symbolism of the time mean peering into the drama of heaven and the conflict of God with the evil hosts. The effect of this peering is the formulation of a clear statement of faith, namely, that God’s righteous purpose for reality would prevail and that all of the life would finally be drawn into the cosmic harmony of the one true Sovereign.
It is readily apparent how these two themes, radical assessment of evil and daring affirmation of God’s sovereignty, constituted the basis for a message of comfort to the faithful in their times of most bitter suffering. We can thus characterize apocalyptic writing as literature that applies the tenets of classical biblical faith to situations of crisis.
We have emphasized earlier how important it is to keep the original message and setting of the apocalyptic writings clearly in mind, in approaching the question of their modern significance. This prevents the co-opting of these writing buy those who, whether consciously or unconsciously, are partners in the exploitation of the poor and weak and underprivileged of the earth. In relation to such, a historical reading preserves a harsh word of warning and admonition that dispels false illusions of peace and well-being, through in-depth description of reality, and extends a call to repentance and radical reform. On the other hand, in relation to those denied all earthly, and sources of hope and comfort the apocalyptic writings (again, historically understood) hold out an uncompromisingly realistic assessment of the human dilemma and a clear confession: God’s righteous reign will prevail over all evil, and the faithful will be delivered from all forms of bondage.
Given the very serious problems facing our world, foremost among them global hunger and the nuclear arms race, two themes of apocalyptic literature are conspicuously appropriate: judgment upon oppressors and upon those complacently overlooking systemic structures of injustice, and hope and courage for those finding no earthly source of comfort. The situation we face is serious, but at the made time the divine power inviting humans to a radical alternative is creatively and redemptive present.
If we remember that the apocalyptic writings are a remarkable ancient example of the courage to look beyond human powerlessness and historical disaster to a new creation willed by God, we can take this part of our scriptural legacy as an invitation to engage our own imaginations, using the idioms and images of our own time, to describe a world reconciled, living in peace and harmony. The radical assessment of evil combined with the vision of God’s sovereignty come together in a vision of global community that gives up tribalism in favor of a commitment to world peace and justice and that realistically sees sacrifice and risk-taking, both on an individual and a national scale, as aspects of thinking beyond war and poverty and hunger. Such modern visions should no more be dismissed as utopian than the visions of the new heavens and new earth of ancient Judaism. Their reality us not measurable alone, or even primarily, in terms of their descriptive accuracy, but above all in terms of their ability to bring the godless to repentance, the oppressed to hope, and the faithful to action. In having these effects, godly visions do have a powerful impact on reality. They destroy obsolete notions and open up human consciousness to righteous They break down human barriers and, on the basis of God’s universal reign, create the basis for bridge-buildings and suspicions. Far from being an exercise in utopian fantasy, such contemporary versions of the apocalyptic visions of a new creation may be the only remaining alternative to another apocalyptic vision whose possibility none of us can deny: the vision of the total destruction of the earth and all who dwell on it.
In our world, a vision of God’s alternative to global extinction encounters obstacles, especially in the form of two mental attitudes toward the world situation. One is the attitude of facile optimism and boundless trust in the human (or the national) capacity to meet every challenge and to prevail. History has demonstrated how tragically misleading such hubris is, yet how seductive it can become, blinding its adherents to illusions of grandeur and invincibility. Against such triumphalism, the apocalyptic legacy projects the foe of every oppressive human institution: the righteous God.
The second destructive attitude is displayed in a guise that a far more sympathetic appeal too many. Its adherents begin with a realistic assessment of human situation that in many ways recalls that of biblical apocalyptic. Then, with grim determination and often with very minimal hopes, they set out to engage in pitched battle with evil and its human agents. Dietrich Bonheoffer describes the pitfall lying in wait of those espousing this attitude:
Then there is the man with a conscience, who fights single-handedly against heavy odds in situations that call for a decision. But the scale of the conflicts in which he has to choose-with no advice or supports except from his own conscience-tears him to pieces.
The way out of the impasse demarcated by facile optimism and grim realism is opened up at the point of confluence between radical critique of evil and radical faith in God’s sovereignty, that is to say, at the meeting point of the two fundamental themes of the apocalyptic writing of the Bible. People of faith , both in community and as individuals, can be utterly realistic in their assessment of the human situation and yet not succumb to despair or bitterness, because they act not on the basis of their own programs of reform but as those drawn into God’s creative, redemptive purpose on behalf of all humans. People of faith who are drawn into God’s purpose are given a dependable basis for transcending the petty schemes and disputes of driving the world towards the nightmare of the definitive ending of human history and the extinction of all forms of life on our planet. In the confession that God is present in every struggle for justice and every campaign for peace, empowering all those who accept the reign of righteousness that transcends every claim of special privilege, the faithful today as in ancient times can find a hope-filled path into the future that avoids both heartless arrogance and grim despair, by embracing a vision of a reign of peace and justice uniting all life around one holy Source.
圣经 》,当理解正确,多样性代表的独特的宗教遗产最具活力的方面之一。它指向事实,圣经启示是本质上绑在人类历史上以及具体涉及个人和群体内他们特定的设置,意义独特模式出现,构成世界末日写信给我们读圣经 》 的文化遗产所作的贡献。作为一种模式织成织物的佳能,我们现在审议代表段落在 4-5 章,具体消息考虑世界末日的消息。圣经 》 世界末日写作的反复出现的主题之一是好的之间权力与恶从而威胁全人类的致命斗争。困扰人类的问题而不是肤浅地,作为错误需要进行某些调整,作为历史悠久的罪恶否认神的旨意和恩典,带来世界总灾难的饮料的高潮。因此构造的世界观是彻底道德和完全彻底的批判。切中要害地犹太和外国,追求自己雄心勃勃的计划以忠实的痛苦为代价,弱者和穷人,来根据严厉判决的圣洁的神。世界末日写作难忘的教训之一就是邪恶的因此他们激进的评估和协作的不敬虔的进程,威胁要摧毁世界的人类。在上古本课毫无疑问发言具有高度的权威性和公信力的那些痛苦悲伤地根据自己的时间,权势的压迫者和当对很多人通过共谋或自满的警告教唆退化的人类生活也许传来。另一个圣经的世界末日文字的无处不在的主题是普遍统治的一的真神。雄伟壮观的方式,在生活和世界的各个方面被卷入主权神展开目的的戏剧。虽然在地球和天堂的邪恶的代理似乎是在横冲直撞,有远见表现出无比大胆在超越短暂到极限,眯着眼睛在时间的神话象征意义的意思是窥视天堂的戏剧和神的冲突与邪恶的主机。这眯着眼睛的作用是信仰的制定明确,即上帝的公义宗旨为现实会占上风的一切生命最后将一个真正主权的宇宙和谐而卷入。很容易看出这两个主题,邪恶的激进评估和对神的主权,大胆肯定如何在最痛苦的时候构成消息的忠实信徒们舒适的基础。我们因此可以描述世界末日作为适用于危机情况下的教义的经典圣经 》 的文学写作。 We have emphasized earlier how important it is to keep the original message and setting of the apocalyptic writings clearly in mind, in approaching the question of their modern significance. This prevents the co-opting of these writing buy those who, whether consciously or unconsciously, are partners in the exploitation of the poor and weak and underprivileged of the earth. In relation to such, a historical reading preserves a harsh word of warning and admonition that dispels false illusions of peace and well-being, through in-depth description of reality, and extends a call to repentance and radical reform. On the other hand, in relation to those denied all earthly, and sources of hope and comfort the apocalyptic writings (again, historically understood) hold out an uncompromisingly realistic assessment of the human dilemma and a clear confession: God’s righteous reign will prevail over all evil, and the faithful will be delivered from all forms of bondage. Given the very serious problems facing our world, foremost among them global hunger and the nuclear arms race, two themes of apocalyptic literature are conspicuously appropriate: judgment upon oppressors and upon those complacently overlooking systemic structures of injustice, and hope and courage for those finding no earthly source of comfort. The situation we face is serious, but at the made time the divine power inviting humans to a radical alternative is creatively and redemptive present. If we remember that the apocalyptic writings are a remarkable ancient example of the courage to look beyond human powerlessness and historical disaster to a new creation willed by God, we can take this part of our scriptural legacy as an invitation to engage our own imaginations, using the idioms and images of our own time, to describe a world reconciled, living in peace and harmony. The radical assessment of evil combined with the vision of God’s sovereignty come together in a vision of global community that gives up tribalism in favor of a commitment to world peace and justice and that realistically sees sacrifice and risk-taking, both on an individual and a national scale, as aspects of thinking beyond war and poverty and hunger. Such modern visions should no more be dismissed as utopian than the visions of the new heavens and new earth of ancient Judaism. Their reality us not measurable alone, or even primarily, in terms of their descriptive accuracy, but above all in terms of their ability to bring the godless to repentance, the oppressed to hope, and the faithful to action. In having these effects, godly visions do have a powerful impact on reality. They destroy obsolete notions and open up human consciousness to righteous They break down human barriers and, on the basis of God’s universal reign, create the basis for bridge-buildings and suspicions. Far from being an exercise in utopian fantasy, such contemporary versions of the apocalyptic visions of a new creation may be the only remaining alternative to another apocalyptic vision whose possibility none of us can deny: the vision of the total destruction of the earth and all who dwell on it. In our world, a vision of God’s alternative to global extinction encounters obstacles, especially in the form of two mental attitudes toward the world situation. One is the attitude of facile optimism and boundless trust in the human (or the national) capacity to meet every challenge and to prevail. History has demonstrated how tragically misleading such hubris is, yet how seductive it can become, blinding its adherents to illusions of grandeur and invincibility. Against such triumphalism, the apocalyptic legacy projects the foe of every oppressive human institution: the righteous God. The second destructive attitude is displayed in a guise that a far more sympathetic appeal too many. Its adherents begin with a realistic assessment of human situation that in many ways recalls that of biblical apocalyptic. Then, with grim determination and often with very minimal hopes, they set out to engage in pitched battle with evil and its human agents. Dietrich Bonheoffer describes the pitfall lying in wait of those espousing this attitude: Then there is the man with a conscience, who fights single-handedly against heavy odds in situations that call for a decision. But the scale of the conflicts in which he has to choose-with no advice or supports except from his own conscience-tears him to pieces. The way out of the impasse demarcated by facile optimism and grim realism is opened up at the point of confluence between radical critique of evil and radical faith in God’s sovereignty, that is to say, at the meeting point of the two fundamental themes of the apocalyptic writing of the Bible. People of faith , both in community and as individuals, can be utterly realistic in their assessment of the human situation and yet not succumb to despair or bitterness, because they act not on the basis of their own programs of reform but as those drawn into God’s creative, redemptive purpose on behalf of all humans. People of faith who are drawn into God’s purpose are given a dependable basis for transcending the petty schemes and disputes of driving the world towards the nightmare of the definitive ending of human history and the extinction of all forms of life on our planet. In the confession that God is present in every struggle for justice and every campaign for peace, empowering all those who accept the reign of righteousness that transcends every claim of special privilege, the faithful today as in ancient times can find a hope-filled path into the future that avoids both heartless arrogance and grim despair, by embracing a vision of a reign of peace and justice uniting all life around one holy Source.
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