Scripture: Mark 13 v 19 - 26: "For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.
23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory."
The Greek word for apocalypse is 'apokalupsis', which means to uncover or reveal. The definition of it from the Oxford English Dictionary is an event involving destruction or damage on a catastrophic scale.
Jesus calls the curtain raisers for the end time tribulation, the beginning of sorrows. This period began with the First World War which was immediately followed by the pandemic of Spanish Flu which killed another 18 million people. Right in the midst of all that the Tsar of Russia was overthrown and Communism took his place.
The next apocalyptic event was the 2nd World War, with its extermination camps in Germany, Austria and Poland. This resulted in the Israelis getting back their God-given homeland, which caused the Arab nations huge bitterness and hatred.
There have been other wars, Korea, Vietnam, all over Africa. There has been Apartheid, and its sorrows. There has been universal anti-Semitism, Myanmar, xenophobia, the migrants fleeing Syria, ISIS, and other extremists. There has been Columbine and other school massacres, senseless behaviour that scars nations.
In this century more earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, superstorms, asteroids, comets and bloodmoons, fulfilling scripture and escalating the arrival of the tribulation, the Rapture of believers, and finally Armageddon.
The war in the heavenlies that spilled over onto Earth from time to time, will now be in its most traumatic season and Earth's inhabitants will face the brunt of it. Jesus urges us to not be deceived, not follow blindly those with a different agenda, but ensure our salvation is in line with His Word.
There are other types of apocalyptic events that are smaller in scale but actually define the outcome of our lives. These events can be through the hands of God, or engineered by Satan and his demons. It can be confusing.
If we check over our lives we should see the milestones that shaped the direction of our lives. It may be a physical or mental challenge, such as blindness, deafness or autism. A challenge that needs all hands on deck to subdue it and triumph over it.
We may be facing a deadly disease like HIV/AIDS, heart problems, diabetes or cancer. These can be a stone that crushes you or a stepping stone to a stronger, more determined, winner. We can choose to let our particular burden beat us, or we can grow our faith to overcome it.
We may be poor and homeless, but look at the life of Jesus. He had nothing and had nowhere to lay His head. He was a King who laid aside His crown to be born in a stable, to live a humble life, teaching others about His Kingdom, and how to find it.
Everything about Jesus was apocalyptic. His truth against the falseness of the Pharisees and scribes. It led to His arrest and cruel death. An earthquake and a 3 hour eclipse of the Sun, heralded His death, which potentially saved the whole world, if we believe He is the Son of God, and change our lives to show we mean it.
We need to be small apocalypses in the lives we can reach. This blog is number 1801 of the things Jesus wants us all to know. He surprises me often in the things He wants me to publish here and I can't apologize for them. I committed my life, and its had quite a few apocalyptic moments, to being a faithful servant of the Trinity of God. So far no complaints from the Lord of Glory.
So it is over to you, the reader, to believe and receive. To check your standing with the King of Kings, and in your own life do what He wants you to do. Make your own small apocalypses that will be life-changing to those you can reach.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, the end is nigh! We long to be with You and all our loved ones gathered around Your Throne. Lord we face many challenges no matter where we live, or our circumstances. Thank You for guiding, protecting, encouraging and comforting us along the way. Help us over these upcoming rough spots and show us how to help others. In Jesus' name. Amen.