The Book of Apocalypse

The last book of the Bible is The Book of Apocalypse.

No, I have not wandered into heresy and I’m not breaking the exhortation by the Apostle John in the book of Revelation:

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book.  Revelation 22:18

I don’t need to repent because the actual Greek word from which we get the word “Revelation” is “Apocalypse.” If you look at the Greek text for Revelation, it reads:

Apocalypse Jesus Christ 

In English, it reads, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” with “the” and “of” added to make sense. “Apocalypse” does mean “revelation” and The Passion Translation has it as, “This is the unveiling which God gave.”

If you were a Bible-believing saint in the first century, enjoying your morning devotions, and reading the book of Revelation, the very first word read in the Greek would be “Apocalypse.” Yep, the first word of this book.

I am not a heretic!

I am trying to increase the drama for reading the book in this Interruptions. Drama lost with English translation. “The Revelation” does not sound as intense as “Apocalypse!”

Try this out and let me know what happens. Go to a local coffee shop and shout “Revelation!” and then go to another shop and shout “Apocalypse!” Please let me know at which shop the police are called. I would bet it is the “Apocalypse!” coffee shop.

In Biblical times there was a genre of writing known as apocalyptic, usually involving some type of revelation given by a celestial being. The book of Apocalypse fits this category in 22 chapters of literal apocalypse as revealed by Jesus to the Apostle John.

In this “revealing” you read about seals, trumpets, the millennium (1,000-year reign of Christ on earth, the Millennium Falcon flown by Hans Solo [Oops, wrong Apocalypse]), plagues, bowls of wrath, trumpets of Almighty God, Gog and Magog, the lake of fire and sulfur, the Battle of Armageddon, heaven’s streets of gold, and the marriage feast of the Lamb.

All legendary images depicted in literature, movies, and current culture.

Overall, the book of Revelation has an apocalyptic warning to those who do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior:

Then the kings of the earth and its great princes and generals, the rich and powerful, and everyone, whether they were slave or free, ran for cover and hid in the caves and among the mountain boulders. They called out to the mountains and the boulders, saying, “Fall on us at once! Hide us quickly from the glorious face of the one seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.  Revelation 6:15-16 TPT

The book of Apocalypse ends by revealing the future of those who did not bow to the 666 economy, did not deny Christ, and stayed faithful.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, flowing with water clear as crystal, continuously pouring out from the throne of God and of the Lamb.  Revelation 22:1-2 TPT

The leaves of the Tree of Life are for the healing of the nations.  Revelation 22:2 TPT

And every curse will be broken and no longer exist, for the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there in the city.  Revelation 22:3

 Night will be no more. They will never need the light of the sun or a lamp because the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign as kings forever and ever.  Revelation 22:5

In 2021, dozens of Interruptions will feature the book of Apocalypse (the first was Interruptions #280) and every one of them will end like the book of Revelation, as the ending reveals the purpose of the book:

Hope!

Come Lord Jesus; the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all of you!