Apocalyptic

See the words of Frank Herbert's Preacher and of Poul Anderson's Jaan here.

Apocalyptic writers address:

present moral concerns;

future cataclysmic events.

 

Thus:

 

the Preacher condemns present blasphemy and idolatry and predicts, "'Sand will cover you...'";

 

Jaan says that the world must be made worthy, i.e., is currently unworthy, and that "They shall return," also that he brings "...not peace but a sword.'"

The future cataclysm is traditionally supernatural:

"You will see the Son of Man...coming on the clouds of heaven." (Mark 14:62)

- but can also be a natural consequence of current activities, e.g., a projected ecological crisis.

Herbert and Anderson imagine apocalyptic prophecies in future interstellar civilizations. Anderson also imagines technological implantation of an apocalyptic voice inside a man's head. We can heed moral warnings without necessarily accepting specific prophecies.