Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Apocalypse Etymology

 An apocalypse is the end of humanity and Earth as we know them, usually accompanied by some sort of prophecy. The word comes from the Greek which means "an uncovering" or "revealing.

The idea of an apocalypse has been around for a long time. In ancient Greek culture, it is common to use cataclysmic images in their mythology as a way to describe the destruction and rebirth that will occur after some great crisis is resolved.

Apocalypses are also popular in the Abrahamic faiths which feature end times. The Jewish and Christian apocalypses (or eschatologies) tell of a final battle between good and evil, with a divine intervention that will bring about an end to this world. In Islam, the apocalypse is known as "the day of judgment.

In the modern era, apocalypse is typically associated with nuclear war or an environmental catastrophe. The term "nuclear holocaust" was first used in 1948.

Humanity is obsessed with the apocalypse. It's been a recurring theme in art, literature and film for centuries before nuclear weapons were even invented.

Themes of the apocalypse and end times have permeated many different societies, from ancient to modern. In prehistoric times, people saw signs of destruction in natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.

In short, the term "apocalypse" is used to describe an event that ends something in a dramatic, violent and irreversible way. Usually it refers to a cataclysmic event such as the destruction of a planet or civilization.

While the term is often used to describe events that are considered "negative" in a human sense, it can also refer to positive events such as technological singularity. In fact, the English word apocalypse stems from two Greek words: apokalypsis and apocalypto.

One of the first recorded uses of the word "apocalypse" was in reference to a biblical book by that name. In 1984, I happened upon this book while browsing through various books at my local library.

The book, often referred to as simply "Revelation", describes a series of apocalyptic events scheduled to happen before the end of the world.

Many people read and interpreted this book to mean that the events described therein would physically happen in real life. Others, however, understood the word "apocalypse" as a metaphor for an event that marks the end of one thing while starting something new.

I believe that the phrase "end of the world" is another way to refer to apocalypse, since it can apply to both physical and metaphorical events. One could say, for instance, that humanity itself is an apocalyptic event: we are ending one thing while starting something new - namely a post-human civilization.

Apocalypse Etymology

The apocalypse is the revelation of the way things are to those who have always had a dysfunctional relationship with reality. It's an awakening from a dream, but instead of being filled with hope (as it was for the protagonist in that movie "The Matrix"), such people are filled with despair and rage.

The apocalypse is the process of facing your demons, and then seeing them for what they really are instead of being terrified by mere shadows on the cave wall. It's not about those who have always been in touch with reality; it's about those who never were.

This is why the apocalypse often seems like a bad thing. Those who are in touch with reality have already had their consciousness raised, and therefore there's no need for an apocalypse to happen anymore. The only people left in need of an awakening are those who live in deep denial about how things really are.

It's not a pretty process to go through, and no one wants to be reminded of how ugly the world truly is. But if you live in denial about reality, then all that's left for you is an apocalypse.

The apocalypse is the natural result of a dysfunctional relationship with reality. If you have no respect for the truth, or if you refuse to see how things really are, then there's nothing left but an apocalypse.

The apocalypse is inevitable if you live in deep denial about reality. But the good news is that there's an easy way to avoid it: think and act responsibly, respect others, face your demons, and be true to yourself.

The word apocalypse is a Greek compound noun meaning an "unveiling" or "disclosure". In Greek it appears only in the singular, but English also uses an apocalyptic as the plural form. Apocalypses were all written by human beings, and have appeared ever since humans developed enough facility with language to do so.

Apocalyptic literature was widespread from 300 BC to 100 AD (when Christianity became popular), at least among Jewish people. The most famous apocalypses outside of Christian texts are those found in Daniel and 4 Ezra.

As for what apocalypse means, it's a pretty broad concept. It is closely related to the ideas of revelation and eschatology, but distinct from both.

It can refer to a prophetic revelation, as in the book of Daniel, or it can refer to an end-of-the-world scenario.


The first usage is narrower than the second - it refers only to direct revelation by God, while meaning more broadly "a disclosure of divine will." In this sense apocalypse is a type of prophecy and indeed a subcategory within the larger concept of eschatology (from Greek eschaton meaning last things). The disclosure may be made through any form but usually requires some sort of divination. An apocalypse may also cover nonfictional events such as wars or disasters that are seen as signs from God.

The "end of the world" usage is not strictly speaking an end-times scenario. It literally means a revelation of divine mysteries, and it usually involves revelations by God of things that will happen in the future.

It is one of the main ways in which God reveals divine will. The term tends to be more often used with reference to religious texts, but this is not always the case.

Apocalypses are a form of prophecy, and as such they have the same purpose. Prophecies are not just about predicting the future but also about changing it - usually in accordance with God's will.

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