* Apokalupsis
It is one of the
transliterations of the Greek word from which we get
apocalypse. And the mention of that word - apocalypse - conjures images of the
end times ... the
end of the world ... or some cataclysmic event. It's the stuff of prophesy,
dystopian novels and movies, such as:
* The
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
-
[reference: Who are the four horsemen of the apocalypse?]
* The
Left Behind series
-
[reference: Left Behind]
* The movie,
Apocalypse Now
-
[reference: Apocalypse Now (1979) - IMDb]
But
apokalupsis, the apocalypse, means
an unveiling, uncovering, revealing, revelation.
[reference: Strong's Greek: 602. ἀποκάλυψις (apokalupsis) -- an uncovering]
Let's focus on this -
* Revelation
The Apostle, St. John, wrote about the end times in the last book of the New Testament -
Revelation - the Apocalypse. And this book gets its title for the first sentence:
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Revelation 1:1 (KJV)
So the Book of Revelation is not just a foretelling of the coming plagues of Biblical proportion. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ - the
Apokalupsis. But what about these thing which must shortly come to pass -
* The End Times?
St. John gives an indication of the end times, which he calls the
"last time" as well as the coming of the Antichrist, associated with the Apocalypse, when he writes:
Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
I John 2:18 (KJV)
The end times - "the last time" - began in the 1st century. Indeed, it's been 20 centuries since John penned those words and the end of world has not come yet. But Jesus never set a date of His second coming, which would usher the end of the age, as He said:
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Matthew 25:13 (KJV)
Indeed, there are many who have set dates, and they have been proven - every time - to be wrong.
Meanwhile, we have the Apokalupsis of Jesus Christ as is revealed in the Bible, a book which has been suppressed throughout the ages, like during the
Dark Ages. One such story is told in my historical fictional series,
* The Forbidden Book and the Upside Down Kingdom
The first book of the series,
Anastasis - The Forbidden Book Concealed is about the suppression of the Bible for supposedly good and not so good reasons.
[reference: S. K. Smith - Anastasis]
Now, the second book of the series is out and available as an eBook -
Apokalupsis - The Forbidden Book Revealed
This second book can stand alone. This novel makes sense without reading the first book of the series, though it chronologically follows the first book that gives the details of the back story.
Apokalupsis continues the story of the power of the revelation of the Forbidden Book, the Bible. And its revelation stirs up division among people, as Jesus said that He would:
Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
Luke 12:51 (KJV)
Below is a short description of this second book:
In the year anno
Domini 1377, Queen Anastasia has purposed in her heart to spark a revival in
her kingdom of Opulentia, beginning with herself. Under the counsel of Bishop Sinjin, the Queen
commissions the Bible to be read to her people in their own language. Meanwhile, her favorite courtier Lord Adryan Crippen
implements Her Majesty’s reforms in her mines, translating the Gospel into deeds.
Yet these reforms meet
opposition on many fronts. Prelates move
to crush this movement to hold onto their power over the people. Merchants, clerics, and other powerful men balk
as these reforms hit their purse. And
the peasants resist any change that upsets their perception of the natural
order.
Apokalupsis - Greek for
Apocalypse – means revelation, especially the revelation of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And this revelation turns their kingdom
upside down.
---------------------------------------
The Apokalupsis – the revelation of Jesus Christ – shakes up the old order in the Dark Ages.
One definition of the Dark Ages is the period from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance. It can also mean an oppressive or unenlightened period or stage. But the good news is that in any dark age, Kings and Gentiles come to the Light of the World as the people walking in darkness see the His great Light. And the darker it is, the more He shines as -
It's the Darkest Ages that reveal the brightest Light.
On that note, this theme of Apokalupsis is sung (in notes) in these movements, 10. Bass Recitative and
11. Bass Air, from Handel's Messiah:
The
lyrics come from these words:
For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Isaiah 60:2-3 (KJV)
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Isaiah 9:2 (KJV)
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Where the eBook may be purchased:
Info at:
S. K. Smith - Apokalupsis
Amazon.com: Apokalupsis: The Forbidden Book Revealed - eBook
Barnes & Noble:
Apokalupsis - Nook Book
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Related series on Anastasis -
Anastasis (part 1) - The Forbidden Book Concealed (2011)
Anastasis (part 2) - standing up (2011)
Anastasis (part 3) - Famine (2012)
Anastasis (part 4) - Back to which Bethel? (2012)
Anastasis (part 5) - Bible in the Oxyrhynchus garbage dump (2012)
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Photo from:
Wikipedia/Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
