Six of the top fifteen films at the UK box office in 2014 featured a version of the apocalypse or a dystopian world saved by a superhero of some kind. There is an interesting discussion to be had about the 21st century obsession with this kind of material and how much this is in relation to societal unease about the world.
But this is not new as we see in this chapter of Isaiah who could be described as the ultimate prophet of a dystopian apocalypse. We looked at the meanings of these two words:
- Apocalypse – means unveiling, revelation or lifting the veil. Often used in tandem with the last book of the Bible, entitled Revelation but often referred to as the apocalypse of John.
- Dystopian – this is the opposite of Utopian and the literal translation of this is ‘not good, bad place’. A place so bad they named it twice in the same word!
Isaiah describes a world in this chapter which is devoid of God physically, socially, politically, morally and spiritually. And yet, even in this world, there is a glimpse of hope in verses 14 and 15 as a few people break into glad song and shout about God’s majesty. A few who cling to the hope that God’s grace is just around the corner.
This feeling of hope alongside desolation is beautifully captured in this lovely short film. A_GLIMPSE_INTO_WHAT_A_POST_APOCALYPTIC_WORLD_WOULD_LOOK_LIKEshort
You can hear the talk by Martin Poole here Isaiah 24_1-20
