Word Study:

Apocalypse

 By R.A. Coombes

 
I just ran across another newswire story referring to Christian fundamentalists and evangelical views regarding the fulfillment of Bible Prophecy as being the end of the world. Don’t you get sick and tired of "morons in the media" attempting to pretend that they know anything about Biblical Prophecy and or the term eschatology. Their ignorance is glaring to even those who have just a smattering of understanding of Biblical Prophecy.

For instance, anyone with any study at all knows that the book of Revelation doesn't portray our current status in time as at the end of the world. It may well be the end of an era but not the end of human life.  The sad reality is that the mass media (both the news media, print and electronic plusHollywood) portrays the book of Revelation as predicting the end of human existence.  This is NOT the case.

Perhaps the most telling indicator of mass misunderstanding is the very name of the last book of the Bible.  In it's original form, the New Testament of the Bible was essentially written in the Greek language and this includes the last book of the Bible which today in English we call "Revelation." In the original Greek language the last book is called "Apokalupsis Iohnnou"

The term "apokalupsis" = letter for letter into English becomes "apocalypsis" or into more sanitized English grammatical form as "apocalypse."  Now here is where things start going haywire as uneducated folks (like the media morons) get their hands on the text and begin to draw conclusions.  Apocalypse means "end of the world", correct?   Wrong! It means no such thing in the actual ancient Greek language.  Instead the word apokalupsis in its raw, root form means "to uncover what has been covered up."

Let's look at the actual Greek-English Lexical definition found in the major lexicons of our day. If you have no background in Greek language, but you have a Strong's Concordance or a lexicon with Strong's code numbers (such as Thayer's Lexicon for example) you can still follow along, at least somewhat by looking up the number via the Strong's numbering code. 

Below are the actual Lexical renderings from each of the major Greek-English Lexicons.  (A lexicon is a dictionary of definitions of a word from one language converted into another language.)

Root word is #601-- Apokaluptoh
Main Word is Strong's Code #602 -- Apokalupsis

Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich & Danker's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament & other early Christian Literature.  [i.e. B-A-G-D]

Definition:  Revelation, Disclosure.

1. of the revelation of truth generally
2. of revelation of a particular kind, through visions, etc.
3. in the eschatology sense of hte disclosure of secrets belonging to the last days.
4. in book form

Liddell & Scott's Greek-English Lexicon

Root Word #601 -- uncover, unmask, reveal, disclose

Definition:  Uncovering. Disclosing. revelation, esp of divine mysteries. manifestations.

H.K. Moulton's The Analytical Greek Lexicon Revised

Definition: Uncover

To reveal, to be disclosed, to be plainly signified, distinctly declared, to be set forth
announced. 

To be discovered in true character.

To be manifested, appear

A disclosure, a Revelation, Manifestation, Appearance. Also Spiritual Enlightenment.

 

 

Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament

Root Word #601--  to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up; to disclose, make bare.

Main Word #602
Definitions: Overall -- AN UNCOVERING

1.  prop. a laying bare, making naked.
2. Tropically, in New Testament and ecclesiastical language:

a. a disclosure of truth, instruction, concerning divine things before unknown--especially those relating to the Christian salvation-- given to the soul by God himself or by the ascended Christ, especially through the operation of the Holy Spirit (Ist Cor 2:10) and so to be distinguished from other methods of instruction

b. manifestation, appearance

Mounce's The Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament

Root word #601 -- to uncover, to reveal, disclosed, plainly  signified, distinctly declared, announced, manifested, appeared.

Definition: a disclosure, revelation, Romans 2:5; manifestation, appearance Rom 8:19; Ist Corinthians 7:2; 2nd Thessalonians 1:7; 1st Peter 1:7, 13 & 4:13; metaphorical of spiritual enlightenment as in Luke 2:32.

 

 

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong

[From the Root word #601 Apokaluptoh = to take off the cover.   to disclose, reveal]

Definition:  disclosure. appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation.

As you will see, there is nothing in these lexical definitions indicating the end of the world or the end of human existence. 

What we see in our culture today is a subtle, satanic influence upon the culture to miscategorize all divine truth, including and especially divine truth that is related to salvation and also to the future events.  We can expect that this strategy of distortion of truth by Satanic forces will implement itself in even more intensive forms with each passing day. 

Still, it really irks me to see western culture and the media completely misled about the content of future predictions.  Of course, I get really livid to see the truth about "salvation" distorted, twisted and turned into the fullblown death-trap of thinking that happens when someone twists the simple doctrine of salvation by faith alone into a "merits" or "works" basis or a mix of merits, works with "faith."  Any mix of that sort is as deadlly as the actual works/merits alone basis not to mention the simple notion of worshipping false gods and counting upon their false doctrines of salvation.

Don't be surprised to soon see persecution of Christianswho believe that Jesus Christ is coming back soon.  Expect the persecution to be led by the government law enforcement agencies and investigators who will undoubtedly act just like the Gestapo of a half-century ago. Christian believers in America had better get mentally ready for a lot of pain, suffering, torture and persecution of Christians in America by the US government. 

Are you ready for what's coming?  If not, get prepared by checking out the information here.