Friday, January 28, 2022
The Appointed Time
Apocalyptic literature is defined as a “literary genre that foretells supernaturally inspired cataclysmic events that will transpire at the end of the world”. (Britannica Online) Although the genre disappeared after Europe’s Middle Ages it persists in the 20th Century in works like Katherine Anne Porter’s Pale Horse, Pale Rider [1939] and Nathanael West’s Day of the Locust [1939]). It is reflected in films such as Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal [1957] or Federico Fellini’s La dolce vita [1959]). The U.S. best-selling writer Hal Lindsey brings us The Late Great Planet Earth (1970); and the popular Left Behind series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, describe apocalyptic events in a violent way. (Britannica Online)
The modern world, it seems, has a fascination for cataclysm and dire circumstances and as local and global news unfolds before us we hear of violence even as we struggle to gain peace in our individual and collective lives. Perhaps the popularity of apocalyptic tales reflects our personal and public fears. Perhaps Daniel’s stories, cautions and predictions resonate with what and how we live.
If we long for our own appointed time when we might unseal the secrets of the world to find solutions to all that betrays and hounds us, we may have found a familiar echo in Daniel 12. This week we have spent time exploring prophecies of the future and our own trials by fire. Today we take time to examine different versions of Daniel’s words . . . and to listen for the whisper of hope, the promise of peace, and the fulfillment of our own appointed time.
Use the scripture link above to compare different versions of this scripture passage . . . and listen.
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/29733/apocalyptic-literature
For more reflections on the words of this prophet, enter the words Daniel or Apocalypse into the blog search bar and explore.
Looking for something new to read? Consider the titles above, and consider how these writers may have been influenced by the Book of Daniel.
Image from: http://zerocircle.bandcamp.com/track/the-fourth-seal-riders-on-the-pale-horse-death-and-hell
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