Tuesday

Apocalypse... Something To Look Forward To

2 Thessalonians 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

Ask North Americans what apocalypse means and they may give you a definition or impression derived from popular culture. Among the influences on our culture was the 1979 epic war film Apocalypse Now and then most recently Mel Gibson’s violent movie Apocalypto. In popular culture the word conjures images of lawless violence, torture, and death with an ominous dark end of all things. It is viewed as the final world descent into anarchy.

The word apocalypse comes to the English language directly from Greek. It is a Greek noun which is translated “revealed” in this passage. It is also used in the name of the last book in the Bible. Some call the last book of the Bible, “Revelation(s)” or “the Apocalypse” which is incomplete and can be misleading. The full name is The Revelation (Apocalypse) of Jesus Christ and the book is solely about His revelation.

The usage in popular culture is far from the real Bible meaning and can cloud our understanding. The word means: “to cause something to be fully known.” Louw-Nida In this passage, as with the title of the last book in the Bible, it is a person, Jesus Christ, who will be revealed as who He is to those who have not fully known Him. 

The events surrounding that Revelation are only the effect of the Revelation not the Revelation itself except to the extent that the events highlight certain things about the person being revealed. The question folks should ask and seek the answer to as they study the last book in the Bible is: What does this chapter, verse, or event reveal about Jesus Christ?

The apocalypse of Jesus Christ is coming soon... and I can hardly wait. "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

2 comments:

  1. I agree! Even death for the Christian at some point becomes "far better."

    ReplyDelete
  2. Nice to see you "back"! It will be even better to see you in heaven! And, how cool is it that we get to come back with Jesus to reign with him!! ¡Un abrazote! (a big hug)

    ReplyDelete

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