‘Apocalyptic’ literature, whether in the second-Temple Jewish world or early Christianity, seems to be designed to give its hearers and readers an alternative frame of reference within which to live their lives, an alternative narrative to that which the world’s power-brokers are putting out, an alternative symbolic universe to reshape their imagination and structure their worldview. People whose worldviews are thus realigned may not instantly form political parties or take up arms to march against enemies, but they will live differently. The ruling powers of the world will find them, at least from time to time, inconvenient and unco-operative. There can be no doubt that this was the effect created by the early Christians, not least by Paul, and we have good reason to think that their use of ‘apocalyptic’ language, exactly in the tradition of the second-Temple Jews, was a significant part of how this effect was generated. They did not expect the stars to fall from the sky. They did expect the creator God to do extraordinary things for which comets, earthquakes and other portents might be powerful and appropriate metaphors.
— N. T. Wright, Paul and the Faithfulness of God, p. 175
Don’t miss what Tom Wright is saying here: the primary purpose of apocalyptic literature (like Revelation, Daniel, Matthew 24, etc.) is not to predict the future in a watch-the-news-and-check-the-events-off-your-list-of-end-times-prophecies-as-they-occur kind of way. It is to frame and create an alternative narrative to the prevailing narrative told by the world.
A couple of questions to ponder:
1. What do you think is the narrative being told by the world’s power-brokers today?
2. What is the alternative narrative that has been and is being told by God through scripture and through the life, death and resurrection of Christ?
