Today, probably, there is not a single person on Earth who would not have heard of the prophecies of the Mayan priests: the end of the world will come in 2012. By the way, many prophets and clairvoyants have spoken on this topic. However, the most famous is still the apocalyptic prophecy in the Revelation of John the Theologian. It is this text that is the starting point for the reasoning of all historians, theologians and scientists who are trying to see signs of an impending catastrophe in the events taking place today.
There are no such words
Today many people like to speculate about whether the end of the world will come, and if it does, when? At the same time, almost no one can clearly say, but what is this Apocalypse? Indeed, in the very text of the New Testament, which includes the text of the Revelation of John the Theologian, there are no such words - "the end of the world."
It just became a tradition to use the word "apocalypse" as a synonym for a universal catastrophe. But what does this concept actually mean? And if the prophecy is destined to come true, then what events can actually be expected in the future?
Classic version
The Book of Revelation, or Apocalypse, was written in the nineties of the first century AD by the Apostle John, the "beloved disciple" of Jesus Christ. Later he was nicknamed John the Evangelist. The book describes the events that will take place before the second coming of Jesus Christ to earth. We are talking about numerous cataclysms and miracles: fire that will descend from heaven, the resurrection of the dead, the appearance of angels.
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In its content and style, the Apocalypse differs sharply from other texts of the New Testament - it sets out the revelation received by John from God. Through visions, John revealed the impending birth of the Antichrist and the second coming of Jesus Christ, the Apocalypse itself and the Last Judgment of God. The book contains symbolic images, which later became the subject of numerous theological interpretations. The book of Revelation ends with the prophecy that the victory of God over sin will crown the hard struggle of the forces of light and darkness on Earth. And that after the Apocalypse God will dwell among people. That is, humanity will not disappear from the face of the Earth after what we call the end of the world. Moreover, John says: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away." John in his Revelation writes,that after the Apocalypse “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more; there will be no more crying, no outcry, no sickness, for the former has passed."
In these words, there is an encouraging assurance that the speech in the apocalyptic prophecy is not about the death of the Earth and all people, but about their qualitative change. “And he who was sitting on the throne said: Behold, I am making everything new. And he said to me: It is finished! I am Alpha and Omega, beginning and end; To the thirsty I will give a gift from the fountain of living water He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. But the fearful and the unbelievers, and the abominable and murderers, and the fornicators and sorcerers, and idolaters and all liars, their lot will be in the lake, burning with fire and brimstone."
As you can see, after the Apocalypse came not the death of everything, but the death of the vicious and the birth of a new bright world.
The beast and the lamb
The main negative image of the Apocalypse is the Beast. And it is traditionally believed that the Beast of the Apocalypse is Satan, the Antichrist, personifying universal evil. But also his concrete embodiment in the image of a man-false prophet, paganism, idolatry.
The strengthening of the anti-Christian state is also a sign of the impending collapse. It is believed that before the end of the world, the Roman Empire, the world kingdom of the Antichrist (the kingdom of the beast) will be restored. The system of predatory anti-Christian power itself, as well as a society of greedy and vicious people who have departed from the laws of God and love, is considered a beast and a sign of its manifestation. Another sign is the spiritual hardening of people, their bestiality, cruelty and the triumph of egoism. This interpretation is explained in the 13th chapter of the prophecy: “Here is wisdom. He who has intelligence, count the number of the beast, for it is a human number; his number is six hundred and sixty-six."
The symbol of the Lamb is not controversial to anyone. Traditionally, the lamb is a symbol of Christ the Savior, whose second coming is expected precisely during the events described.
The Apocalypse of John describes the second coming of Jesus. This is an event expected in most Christian churches, foreshadowed in the New Testament as well as in the Qur'an. Jesus Christ himself also spoke repeatedly about his second coming to Earth, the apostles also speak about him, and therefore it was a common conviction of the Church at all times and entered almost all ancient creeds.
Traditionally, a specific person is expected to arrive. And this circumstance is skillfully used by charlatans, posing as the Messiah.
And according to Jesus Christ himself, His second coming will be visible to everyone in different parts of the world at the same time. About this event in the Apocalypse it is said that it will be "like lightning from east to west."
Seven seals and four horsemen
The introductory chapter to the entire apocalyptic process is the VI chapter of Revelation, which describes the successive lifting of the seven seals by the Lamb, as a revelation of the general content of history …
The opening of the first seal corresponds to the beginning of the last times. “And I saw that the Lamb removed the first of the seven seals …” But further it is written: “Do not be afraid of anything that you will need to endure. Behold, the devil will cast some of you into prison to test you, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life, the one who overcomes will not suffer harm from the second death. And it is said: Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it."
Various interpretations of the image of the seven seals have been proposed and are being proposed. One of them draws attention to the seven energy centers of a person and related not only external, but also internal processes.
This is evidenced by the words of Revelation itself: “But exclude the outer court of the temple and do not measure it, for it was given to the pagans: they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And if the Lord had not shortened those days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect whom He chose, those days will be shortened. And nothing will be damned …"
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are biblical characters personifying catastrophes and cataclysms that precede the events of the Second Coming and the Last Judgment. They are described in the sixth chapter of the Revelation of John the Theologian. These symbols have been the subject of heated debate for centuries. Recently, however, an increasing number of researchers are inclined to think that these four horsemen symbolize the four natural elements that are clearly beginning to rage on our planet.
Second coming
The second coming of Jesus Christ, according to John the Theologian, will be glorious: He will not appear as a humiliated son of man, like the first time, but as the true Son of God, surrounded by angels serving Him. This glorious coming will be at the same time terrible and terrible, since now Christ will judge the world.
However, Jesus Christ and the apostles not only do not indicate definitely the day and hour of the Second Coming, but even directly speak about the impossibility for a person to know this: "About that day or hour, no one knows, neither the Angels of heaven, nor the Son, only the Father."
But they indicated some signs of this time. And the most important sign is "the impoverishment of faith and love in people."
As in the prophecies of the Old Testament, in the prophecies of the New Testament it is said that the second coming will be preceded by many cataclysms (earthquakes) and signs in the sky (darkening of the sun and moon, falling stars from the sky). “And suddenly, after the sorrow of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken; then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven; and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
But Jesus' words in Revelation sound warning: “Beware lest you be misled; for many will come in my name and will say, "I am the Christ," and they will deceive many. And this time is near. Don't follow them. Also hear about wars and rumors of war and turmoil. See, do not be dismayed; for all this must be before; but this is not the end: for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, pestilences, confusion and earthquakes in places; yet this is the beginning of disease. But you are watching yourself."
Watch yourself, what does this mean?
The German Christian mystic poet Angelius Silesius (1624-1677) wrote that the second coming of Christ is not only an external, but also an internal event. He left to posterity the following words: "And if Christ had been born a hundred times in a manger, but not in yourself, you would not have been saved."
Lana Breeze. Secrets of the XX century magazine