Beyond the Fire and Brimstone: 5 Impactful Truths About How We Read the Apocalypse I. Introduction: The Enigma of the Unveiling For centuries, the human imagination has been held captive by the specter of the "end of the world." Within contemporary discourse—from Hollywood’s high-octane disaster tropes to the sensationalist headlines of "prophecy experts"—the Book of Revelation is frequently reduced to a gothic horror script or an impenetrable riddle. However, as a scholar of contemporary religion, one must recognize that the Apocalypse is less a cinematic nightmare and more a rigorous hermeneutical battleground . The term apocalypse is derived from the Greek apokalypsis , meaning "unveiling" or "clarity." It is not a synonym for doom; rather, it signifies a profound covenantal shift . It is the King’s battle plan—a war report that pulls back the curtain on the power dynamics of heaven and earth. How we interpret this unveiling does not merely...
When I was growing up, I didn't realize that the apostles were ordinary, imperfect people like most of us. When I got to watch the series, The Chosen, the full humanity of the apostles and even Jesus were brought to life and it brings me to tears most of the time because it means that ordinary, nameless people like us can be part of God's inner circle. Not one of them were born with halos on their heads, they were as ordinary as they come struggling through this rat race of a life. One of them was someone who'll bend the laws if needed. One of them had been in prostitution. One of them was in a profession that is viewed more cut throat than what our Wall Street guys do now. One of them was someone who only trusts himself and another is even a trained assassin. But one of them is someone who loves money and achievements more like many of us now. And way later, a mass murderer got converted to be one of Jesus' followers. They weren't a flock of f...