ABSTRACT
Apocalyptic texts attempt to describe the four dimensions of space and time. As descriptions of otherworldly journeys in which a visionary is led by a spiritual guide, apocalypses describe heaven, hell, and the middle earth of human existence. At the same time, however, many apocalyptic and millennialist texts also imagine linear time: sequences of events from the past and present into the future. They prophesy an epic drama occurring on the cosmic scale. Not surprisingly, therefore, in the Western traditions of Judaism and Christianity, commentators on apocalyptic and millennialist texts have sometimes resorted to visual representations or charts that map this sequence.
