Lucifer, Leviathan, Lilith, and other Mysterious Creatures of the Bible by Joel R. Soza

Author:Joel R. Soza
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Hamilton Books
Published: 2012-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Dragons, Beasts, & Creatures

of Apocalyptic Literature

As time moved along in the ancient near east so did the type of stories they told. By late in the Old Testament period a new type of genre was developing known as apocalyptic. A large body of literature followed that introduced new and strange ideas into popular thought of the day. One might recall that in recent western civilization the introduction of science fiction came about as a result of the rise of science and the industrial revolution. H.G. Wells book War of the Worlds in 1898 resonates with the idea of introducing a brand new genre as a result of changing times. The radio broadcast of War of the Worlds on October 30, 1938 narrated by Orson Welles allegedly caused a mass panic as people heard of a Martian invasion on planet earth that some believed was real. This was a result of unfamiliarity with the genre that was now being presented.

For its part, apocalyptic literature developed amongst Jews between 200 BCE and 100 CE and it is estimated that some seventy “apocalypses” were recorded.[24] During these days Jews of Palestine were occupied by the armies of those loyal to Hellenistic culture and the Romans. They penned apocalyptic as an oppressed subgroup seeking a better future reality beyond the present state of affairs.[25] They had become pessimistic about the present world and man’s ability to overcome evil through better living.[26] “More comprehensive coverage was needed”[27] to “grasp the laws which governed the world”[28] and to re-establish that God was still in control of things. Whereas the prophets of Israel spoke the word of God as mouthpieces of the divine voice with “thus sayeth the Lord” and similar utterances, apocalyptic was a revelation by a “celestial personage”[29] who revealed secrets via dreams, visions, and various symbols, such as the use of numbers and mysterious creatures. They were not only concerned with the element of time and the future, but were also delving into the spatial arena where the cosmic fight between God and the forces of evil were taking place. The basic definition of an apocalypse is a revealing of both time and space where heavenly secrets are disclosed about the end of the world, the defeat of evil, and the coming of the kingdom of God.[30] It showed that human kingdoms were short-lived and were becoming more and more beastly and less and less human as humans were designed to be.[31] This we shall see in the books of Daniel and Revelation. Apocalyptic proved especially helpful during times of persecution to bring comfort as it purported to have an ancient, authoritative voice, such as Daniel, predict the fall of empires.

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