Korean Apocalyptic Visions and Biblical Imagery

Abstract

This study examines the character and imagery of the apocalyptic visions of a rural evangelist in Korea at the end of the Second World War. Pak Tonggi, a charismatic figure who founded a millennarian movement called the Empire of Mount Sion, experienced five major visions which shaped both his ministry and his understanding of world history. This article examines these visions and compares them with the form and motifs of apocalyptic visions recorded in the Old and New Testaments. While Pak’s visions owe much to the ethos of the Biblical visions, their precise content and imagery are seen to be very ‘local’.