'Apocalyptic' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.” vs 13 2 Peter 3:11-13 Prior to the testing of the atomic bomb in New Mexico in 1945, hundreds of scientists were working in labs all around the country to see if such a bomb could be built and delivered. Using mathematical formulas a few physicists projected a doomsday scenario in which the unknown forces generated by an atomic explosion…
Daily Devotions
Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” vs. 33 Mark 13:32-37 The emphasis on keeping alert in the apocalyptic teaching of Jesus is puzzling to some. They wonder why it’s so important to keep awake, and why the sleeping would be excluded when the faithful are gathered into the kingdom. We’d expect that if the Lord returns in clouds with multitudes of accompanying angels there’d be such a stir that even the dead would…
Daily Devotions
And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and, “The time is near!” Do not go after them.’” vs. 8 Luke 21:5-9 The gospel of Luke was likely written in the midst of what might be called apocalyptic times. Horrendous things were happening! Roman armies had been summoned to put down a Jewish rebellion and had devastated the country from one end to the other. Jerusalem…
Daily Devotions
As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me, and the visions of my head terrified me.” vs. 15 Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18 Much of the book of Daniel is apocalyptic and similar to what we read in the book of Revelation. It’s not to be understood as history, nor does it have much in common with the books of the prophets. Rather it presents graphic images of an unsettled future, one in which evil forces threaten all that is…
Daily Devotions
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” vs. 1 Revelation 21:1-4 Events of the past months have reawakened the fear of atomic war in the hearts of people. It seems that even in these “enlightened” times there are those who would willingly wreak havoc and destruction on their fellow human beings. Some believe that as weapons become more deadly, life…
Daily Devotions
Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap.” vs. 34-35a Luke 21:20-36 The apocalyptic sayings of Jesus as recalled by Luke make reference to “the day of the Lord,” that moment when God would act in a decisive way to bring salvation to humanity. Jesus tells his disciples that they should be able to discern when that day…
Daily Devotions
Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” vs. 2 Daniel 12:1-3 Written at a time when the remnant of Israel was facing enormous persecution from their Greek overlords, the book of Daniel uses apocalyptic language to describe the onslaught and the bloodshed. The temple had been desecrated and the sacrificial system threatened–the people were looking for deliverance. For its audience the images made…
Daily Devotions
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” vs. 2 Revelation 21:1-3 Apocalyptic writings emerge in times of fear and dread, those moments when nations are on the move and catastrophes loom. It should be no surprise then, that our age teems with apocalyptic thinking. A glance at the trailers of current movies shows a huge interest in science fiction (the new apocalyptic) and…
Daily Devotions
Mark 13:24-31 “But in those days, after that suffering…Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory.” vss. 24a, 26 It’s hard to believe that Advent is upon us. Four Sundays of preparing and then comes Christmas! And somehow Mark’s words seem particularly appropriate this year. They’re a part of Jesus’ apocalyptic message, and most years we don’t know quite what to do with them. All the symbolism seems dated, and besides, most…
Daily Devotions
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 “Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.” vs. 17 When taken literally these words of Paul paint a spectacular picture of Christ’s Second Coming. Those who have died will burst from their graves and shoot into the air with all living believers, and together all the saints will meet their…