Apocalypse Dualism Essay

The term Apocalypse can be defined as a sense of ending, decline, crisis and transformation. The more traditional form are religious apocalypses, which are viewed as revelations. These apocalypses bring about peace and justice. It is when those who believe to live a good life, that fulfilled the moral code of their religion yet are being deprived, will be rewarded at the time of an apocalypse. The apocalypse will bring a turn of order and provide a sense of hope. This is because the oppressed believe that they will be rewarded and will then be offered something better. As a result, those who are oppressed, who want something better traditionally, tend to be more apocalyptic. An example of a religious apocalypse comes from the Book of Daniel.
The opposing aspects are used to speak things into creation. Some of the most common moral binaries can be seen in Genesis. The most popular moral pairs are “day and night” and the “sea and earth.” The “day” represents light, all of which is good, and gives moral character to aspects of creation. In contrast, “night” represents darkness and evil. The concept of “light” and “darkness” can also be seen in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Here, the Essenes view themselves as the “Sons of Light” because they believe they are the right ones, representing goodness. Anyone outside of the Qumran community, they refer to as the “Sons of Darkness.” In this case, the “darkness” signifies outsiders, those who are evil and corrupt for not living by the same guidelines as the Essenes. The “sea” and “earth” are another set of moral binaries because as seen in Genesis, the sea also represents evil and the earth represents what is good. It states, “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the early was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters” (Gen 1:1-2). This portrays an image of light and goodness as God is creating the heavens and the earth. The “formless void and darkness” that is being referred to, is that of the water covering the earth and characterizes it as something evil because it is an obstacle for God to overcome to continue creating. Further examples can be seen in the combat myths. As seen in the Baal cycle, Yamm is the sea and is also the evil force. Similarly in Enuma Elish, Tiamat is the evil sea monster. He was the evil force and his evil is symbolized through his associated with the