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...
The Ballad of a Mother's Heart
by Jose Villa Tierra
The night was dark,
For the moon was young,
And the Stars were asleep and rare,
The clouds were thick,
Yet Youth went out,
To see his Maiden fair.
Dear one,
he pleaded as he knelt before her feet in tears.
My love is true,
Why you have kept me waiting all this years?
The maiden looked at him.
Unmoved it seemed,
And whispered low.
Persistent Youth,
You have to prove by deeds,
Your love is true.
"There's not a thing
I would not do for you, Beloved" said he.
"Then, go." said she. "To your mother dear,
And bring her heart to me.
Without another word,
Youth left and went to his mother dear.
He opened her breast and took her heart!
But he did not shed a tear.
Then back to his Maiden fair,
He run unmindful of the rain.
But his feet slipped, And he fell down,
And loud, he groaned with pain!
Still in his hand he held the prize,
That would win his Maiden's hands.
But he thought of his mother dear,
So kind,so sweet,so fond.
And then,
he heard a voice!
Not from his lips,
But all apart!
"Get up" it said.
"Were you hurt,Child?"
It was his mother's heart