The Greek word for “revelation” is “apokalypsi”, from which we get the word apocalypse. Popular culture has taken the idea of the end of the world, the apocalypse, and turned it into a day to be feared and avoided. But the apocalypse is the revelation God gives to John. The apocalypse is Jesus’ explanation of how things are and how they will be.
We spend so much time trying to avoid the apocalypse. We are frightened by the possibility of it. The truth is, we are all going to encounter an end-of-the-world. Whether it is by disease, old age, violence, or dramatic world event, our lives will end.
In Revelation 22, the end of The Book of Revelation, both the spirit (God) and the bride (us) exclaim “Come!” The world ends just as it began – with an invitation. An invitation to come. To participate in God’s Kingdom. To dwell in intimacy with Him. To eat at his table. Come.
Every moment of our lives is an invitation. From birth to death, creation to the end of the world, Jesus is calling us to Him. He is inviting us to come, to be, and to understand that life is not about living forever but about stewarding the opportunities we have. Responding to the invitation.
What is revealed in Revelation is God’s invitation, the call to unite the spirit and the body. To come.