Apocalypse for Dummies

shadowwalker

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I'm hoping someone can direct me to some reference books on the Biblical apocalypse. WARNING: I'm in no way a Biblical scholar type, and so far I've gotten lost on the first page of most articles/sites I've found - well, for that matter, the first paragraph has lost me - due to all the references to various other religious/Biblical references included. I actually did find an "Apocalypse for Dummies" - part of another 'for Dummies' book - but that was a little too simplified. So basically I'm looking for a book (or books) that explains the theories and details but in layman's terms, and doesn't assume the reader already knows the Bible inside and out.

Does anything like that even exist, or am I doomed to months of wading through religious texts hoping I 'translate' it semi-correctly?
 

Beachgirl

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Here's a book that also breaks down Revelations without the need for detailed cross-references:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FOGE4W/?tag=absowrit-20

The Biblical "apacolypse" is often interchanged with "Armageddon" which is actually one specific event that takes place within the book of Revelation at the end of the seven-year period known as the Great Tribulation.
 

Izzie

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Revelation has the largest number of references to other scriptures (including references to books in the deuterocanon/apocrypha, though most refer to the Old Testament) than any other book in the various Biblical canons. Once you get past some of "The End is Nigh, Sinners" sorts of writing, you'll find a little less than two thousand years worth of theory on who wrote the book, what the book actually means, how much focus to put on the book, whether or not the book should be part of the canon...etc.

I don't know how you're incorporating the text into your project, but an easy thing to try might be to get a copy of The New Oxford Annotated Bible and read the commentary on Revelation. That version of the Bible is used in a large number of seminary programs, comparative religion courses, etc., so it may be dry but ideally the writings will make sense.

Another option would be to read/skim the book, jot down the concepts that sound interesting, and then research individual concepts versus reading articles on the entire book. You can find page upon page of commentary on the Slain Lamb alone.

A third option would be to pick a denomination, go to their main website, and see if they have an online bookstore. Or if you're feeling especially adventurous, find a church with a library and pick the brain of the clergy.

If you come across references to theology texts that are public domain, these two sites have a decent selection of notable works if you want to read further:

http://www.sacred-texts.org

http://www.ccel.org - This has a lot of writing by John Calvin, whose thought has been influential on Biblical interpretation by US Protestants. Could be interesting?

I hope that helps a little. It's a very difficult book to read.
 

shadowwalker

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Thanks to all so far - will check these out.

I've had this idea in my head for quite some time (a couple years) and it hadn't quite jelled for me - then I heard a line from, of all things, Supernatural, about how the apocalypse came and went and no one even noticed. Not exactly the story but it caught the flavor - so now I need to get the details.
 

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Here's a book that also breaks down Revelations without the need for detailed cross-references:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FOGE4W/?tag=absowrit-20

The Biblical "apacolypse" is often interchanged with "Armageddon" which is actually one specific event that takes place within the book of Revelation at the end of the seven-year period known as the Great Tribulation.

It's worth pointing out that there are big differences in how these eschatological things are interpreted. A majority of Christians don't believe in the Rapture or the Tribulation, for example. The whole 'Left Behind' scheme is largely made up by stitching unrelated bits of scripture together. (The idea of an Antichrist doesn't appear in the Bible either.)
 

King Neptune

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Thanks to all so far - will check these out.

I've had this idea in my head for quite some time (a couple years) and it hadn't quite jelled for me - then I heard a line from, of all things, Supernatural, about how the apocalypse came and went and no one even noticed. Not exactly the story but it caught the flavor - so now I need to get the details.

I haven't seen much about that, but there are many people who believe that the Book of Revelations was about events that were to happen within a hundred years of when it was written. It almost makes sense, if one looks at it that way, and there is a fair amount of literature that says that.
 

shadowwalker

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It's worth pointing out that there are big differences in how these eschatological things are interpreted. A majority of Christians don't believe in the Rapture or the Tribulation, for example. The whole 'Left Behind' scheme is largely made up by stitching unrelated bits of scripture together. (The idea of an Antichrist doesn't appear in the Bible either.)

This is something that I have found - there are differences between how Catholics and Protestants view events, and differences between Protestant segments, and then there are other non-Christian religions that have their own 'style' of apocalypse. And then the different interpretations as to whether it already happened, or will happen, or is actually metaphorical. So there's an awful lot to look at and consider - which is why I need to find resources that are thorough but not so 'academic' in style.
 

Torgo

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This is something that I have found - there are differences between how Catholics and Protestants view events, and differences between Protestant segments, and then there are other non-Christian religions that have their own 'style' of apocalypse. And then the different interpretations as to whether it already happened, or will happen, or is actually metaphorical. So there's an awful lot to look at and consider - which is why I need to find resources that are thorough but not so 'academic' in style.

The guys who are really big on the whole literal, apocalyptic, 'biblical prophecy' thing - the Rapture, the Tribulation, the Antichrist and the triumphant and really violent return of Killer Jesus - are called 'Premillennial Dispensationalists'. If you want a lot of really intricate, gnostic, but actually rather evil interpretation of the Bible, they're interesting to look at.
 

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as stated by other the book of Revelations holds the largest amount of End of the world prophecy more can be found in Issiah and Daniel

you may want to try this page. http://www.100prophecies.org/page9.htm

disclaimer i have not looked it over but they will probably have references at least. be careful of the way different scholars post an opinion. you will find as many differing views as clothing colors.

not to seem crazy but you could always contact a "preacher" and make an inquiry of them. they will prob be glad to jump at the chance to explain it to you or at lease give you direction for reference materials.

best of luck
 

Izzie

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PBS had a Frontline program on the topic. There's a lot of user-friendly information. Here's the link - links to my local station, but I doubt that matters.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/

If you have a university library, a librarian should be able to help you find some books. They should have some books for lower level undergraduate students that are ideally in plain English. Even if they don't, librarians often know where to look outside of their collection.

Poking through the religion section in a brick-and-mortar Barnes and Noble could be helpful. Most of what they'll have will be geared towards lay people, and you would be able to read a few pages before buying.

Clergy would honestly be the easiest way to get information, as long as you can find someone who will provide a mostly balanced overview of how different groups in Christianity interpret the book. Bonus points if they know all of the Judaism references.

I'm not sure if you've looked through a NET Bible, but there is a large amount of commentary. The Bible is free for download. I haven't looked through one yet, so I can't tell you what the reading is like.