What is the role of the apocalypse in Judaism?

Dictionaries define "the apocalypse" as a cosmic cataclysm in which God destroys the ruling powers of evil. Judaism does make mention of this, as the prayerbook includes the phrase "You (God) will remove the evil rulership from the Earth." However, knowledgeable Jews refrain from making detailed predictions, since "we won't know (exactly) how they (the relevant prophecies) will come to pass, until they have been fulfilled" (Maimonides, laws of Melachim ch.12).