Apocalypticism

The term used as the title of this book, "apocalypticism," may confuse people unfamiliar with the subject, leading them to believe that it is another commentary on the biblical text of the Revelation of Saint John: The Apocalypse.

However, this is neither the content nor the purpose of the excellent research work offered in its pages. Dr. Zaldivar adopts a very different approach from the traditional one. Assuming that “apocalypticism,” or the idea of the end of the world, has ceased to be an eschatological topic confined to debate in religious circles and has become something of general interest, and even more so, a lucrative business, his objective with this work is:

— To provide coherent explanations for the irresistible fascination that the idea of the end of the world has historically exerted on human beings at all levels.

— To denounce the exploitation and abuses committed under its protection by the mass communication industry –journalism, publishing, television, film, etc.– both at a general level and also in religious circles.

— To demonstrate that some of the predictions described in the Apocalypse of Saint John are not future events, but present realities that are already happening in the world.

— To present, from a contemporary evangelical theological position, proposals to develop a Latin American eschatology of its own, free from foreign interference.

The topic is delicate and controversial in all its aspects, with profound ramifications at every level, and it is fair to say that to openly address and properly analyze it, as the author does, is daring and demonstrates enormous courage. But Dr. Raúl Záldivar is a young, enterprising, and dynamic theologian; a clear representative of a new generation of Latin American evangelical scholars who are not intimidated by the new challenges of contemporary Christian thought, who do not blush when there is a need to acknowledge past errors or denounce present abuses, and who do not shrink back from proposing ideas that are faithful to the Word, yet innovative and suited to the needs of the times. And this is precisely what he does in this work, where he thoroughly analyzes the topic of the end of the world from a balanced Christian perspective, using the critical method.