How many of you have seen or wondered if these days of pandemic and upheaval, violence and brutality are “The End”? Particularly at the beginning of this pandemic, as contagion began to spread across the globe, I heard people mention the word, “apocalypse.” “Apocalypse” is a Biblical word and concept, and we see it throughout both the Old and New Testament. For those of us who want to try and figure out the day and time of the End, Jesus cautions that no one knows when the End will come, not even the Son. Only the Father knows that timing (Matthew 24:36).
But what we don’t really appreciate is that the word “apocalypse” in Greek simply means “to unveil or reveal.” I am indebted to the podcast “The Bible Project” for the following insight about this word “apocalypse.” It doesn’t mean “end time” at all, as we sometimes understand that word in English. Biblically, to apocalypse something is to reveal what’s truly happening, what’s really going on. Almost anytime you see the word “reveal” in the Bible, you are seeing the word apocalypse. Often, when Jesus uses it, he’s talking about seeing the world through new eyes—through God’s eyes. In the Matthew Scripture, Jesus celebrates the fact that Peter knows He is the Messiah and that it has been revealed (apocalypsed) to him by God. God unveiled to Peter the real truth: Jesus is the Messiah. He enabled Peter to see the Godly truth in front of him.
The scripture from Romans uses that apocalypse word twice. Paul acknowledges that there is real suffering in the world, as the early church suffered Roman persecution. But then he adds that God is going to reveal (apocalypse) glory in this time, which will be much greater than the suffering. Paul goes on to say that what the world is really groaning for in its suffering is the revealing (apocalypsing) of the children of God. What’s going on here?
Paul explains that when the world is suffering, it longs for the children of God to be revealed. Their (our!) appearance is part of what God is doing in the world during times of suffering, groaning, and laboring toward new birth. God has a plan to unveil Himself and us in hard times, not to bring an end but to speed us toward a new creation, a world the way God wants it to be: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” That’s an apocalyptic prayer as we yearn for God’s renewal and restoration of our life together on earth to be accomplished. Yes, we are seeing and feeling pain and suffering. But God is also here, revealing a vision of the way our world should be and can be, with His help.
This week, reflect on all that God is revealing and unveiling right in front of our eyes. Know that part of what God is revealing is that you are a child of God and part of the new creation, here and now.