Remember Your Apocalypses!

Well, good afternoon, brethren.

There’s a word that’s used often in conversation. Some of us may use it, but in just kind of discourse outside, people will use this word. We hear it often in popular culture as well, it’s used all the time, and we see it in news articles. It can be in headlines, quotes from politicians. It’s a word that is used over and over and over again, and most people have no idea that it’s from the Bible, but they use it all the time, that’s the word apocalypse. And we hear that more and more.

There was actually an article from the outlet Study Finds, and they had a title for an article that was “Apocalypse goes mainstream: The end of the world is becoming normal conversation.” And that’s how apocalypse is usually heard about in normal conversation is end of the world, bad things occurring. And quoting from the article, “An apocalypse is more commonly understood as a cataclysmic, catastrophic event that will irreparably alter our world for the worse. Something to avoid, not something to await.”

And that alluding to there’s some Christians who know the term apocalypse, and they see good things coming because certainly, we see good things coming as well. So, apocalypse is how they’re using it, this cataclysmic, awful event is not how we see it, but that’s how it is. If you hear the term post-apocalyptic, that’s a genre of movies and TV shows, and books as well. But there were many movies that came out in the last couple of months.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, post-apocalyptic, something bad happened, and they’re living in the aftermath. A Quiet Place: Day One, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Those are all movies that have come out recently and they’re post-apocalyptic. Something world-altering and terrible happened, and now they’re living in that aftermath of it. If you want a G-rated apocalypse, WALL-E. So, the Disney movie WALL-E, all of the human beings are off Earth, and it’s just a wasteland, and there’s just a friendly robot and his pet roach.

But usually, it’s like Terminator, and The Matrix, and that’s how we hear apocalypse in the world. But it’s very different now, and very different from what the Bible actually says for apocalypse. Let’s turn to Revelation one. Revelation one. This is where the world’s idea comes from, and we’ll see that it’s got to tweak our thinking a little bit. Revelation one, and we’ll start in verse one. In the world, they hear apocalypse, and it’s about disease epidemics, and it’s about nuclear war, and climate change, and all of those things that will change the world and destroy it.

But here is where that word comes from and the thinking for it. So, Revelation one-one, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him.” Revelation there is apokalupsis. So, it’s a Greek word, apokalupsis. And if it’s translated Revelation, that doesn’t mean bad things. But in popular discourse, you see all of the things that are in the book of Revelation, so hailstones raining down, huge swaths of mankind, rivers turning to blood. All of those things that we know are in that book, but people in the world attach that to what apocalypse means when it means revelation, revealing.

The definition from the outline of biblical usage puts it this way, so there’s fair, strong, and this is another way that you can define Greek words. But Outline of Biblical Usage defines apokalupsis as laying bare, making naked, a disclosure of truth, very different than destroying the world, instruction concerning things before unknown. And the root word of apokalupsis means to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up. We’ll use these terms a lot throughout, so you don’t have to write them all down, but make bare. And Strongs defines it as, take the cover off. So apokalupsis.

And there’s other ways that it’s said in the New Testament, apokalýptō is another one, and there’s a few other ways it’s said. But most of times when we see that word today, it’ll be apokalupsis or apokalýptō, or point it out here and there, but they mean roughly the same thing, to lay bare, reveal, make known. So how often has God revealed things to us? It’s all the time, isn’t it? He’s revealed so many things to us, and every single one of those, we should think of as apokalupsis. Kind of a flip of the switch in our mind. So, God revealed that to me. God apokalupsed that to me. It has a little more weight to it but that’s the awesome thing that when God reveals things to us that should have that same weight. Where we think in the world of apocalyptic events, and it’s bad, world-altering, how many times has something been revealed in our lives, and it’s been... it’s changed our world forever? Those are all apokalupsis. And they can change how we see things, and it shows God’s working with us. It’s proof that He is working in our minds and in our lives.

Every time those happen, that builds our faith, doesn’t it? When we sit down, and we think about those moments when God’s revealing and laying bare and opening to us. So, brethren, we’re going to do that today. We’re going to boost our faith by looking at the many apokalupsis in our lives. So, we’re here in Revelation one, one, so let’s just look a little bit about that. And often that uncovering and laid bare is with prophetic knowledge.

We’ve had the series that’s been going on for four years and that’s certainly what’s happening. Things are being opened up; the cover is being taken off. We can understand what prophecy like never before at the end of the age. And that’s definitely a series of apokalupsis, making known, disclosing, and that’s exciting. We won’t spend too much time on that because we do spend a lot of time on it generally, brethren, but don’t discount it.

So here, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, the apocalypse of Jesus Christ. So, something that we can notice here is that this was revealed to Jesus Christ. So, the Father knew these things, and He revealed it to Christ. So, there’s certain things He even receives apokalupsis. And this had to be exciting for him. I get to know more of the Father’s plan for all of mankind. And then, so “revealed to Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, the Father, to show unto his servants.” So that apocalypse is handed off to his servants, to us.

“Show his servants things must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by his angel unto the servant, John: Who bear record of the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ, and all the things he saw. Blessed is he that reads, and hears the words of this prophecy, and keeps them which are written therein.” And that’s because it was opened. We can understand what’s in the book of Revelation. But all of the Bible. All of the Bible. It’s open to us, brethren. It’s apokalupsed to us.

So, once again, in the first verse here, we’re seeing that the Father reveals certain things. He’s a God of secrets. He’s a God of secrets. But he’s not just stingy and holding on to them. He wants us to know those things, and he does that through revealing, and laying bare, and disclosure. So, let’s turn to Amos three. We read this verse often, but let’s read it in this context. Amos three, seven. So, God has secrets. He has mysteries, but He wants us to know them.

And that’s one of the things he uses his word for, and his church for is to reveal an apocalypse to those who are ready to hear. Amos three, seven, “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets.” So, obviously, in the Old Testament and Hebrew, so the word reveal there isn’t apocalypse, but it means the same thing, reveal, uncover, make known to his servants, the prophets. Matthew eleven. Look at this God we serve. God of secrets.

So, we’re here in Matthew eleven, and we’ll start in verse twenty-five. Verse twenty-five, “And at that time Jesus answered and said, ‘I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hid these things from the wise and the prudent.” We’re seeing that God of secrets; He has certain things that He hides because it’s not time for them to know it, but He has apocalypsed them unto babes. That’s you and me. So, God’s opened our minds to certain things that the world cannot know at this time because God hasn’t opened their minds to it. Verse twenty-six, “Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in your sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knows the Son, but the Father; neither knows any man the Father, save the Son, and He to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.”

Reveal there again is apocalypse. These are verses that we know well but put apocalypse in there. So just how that’s that big, huge event. When you hear that used in news articles, it’s big. Make it big. The God of the universe opened these things to us, and we can understand his plan. He has shown us these things. He’s apocalypsed them. Turn to Deuteronomy twenty-nine. A little more of this God we serve, this God of secrets. Deuteronomy twenty-nine. Start in verse twenty-nine.

Deuteronomy twenty-nine, twenty-nine. Fathers revealed us things as babes, and this describes Him a little bit more. Deuteronomy twenty-nine twenty-nine, “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may know and do all the words of his law.” The secret things that are unknown and hidden, God reveals to us. So, this was said in the Old Testament to ancient Israel.

So, there were certain secret things that were revealed at that time, and they could do the law but how much more today are things uncovered and apocalypsed and opened up and disclosed to us about God’s plan and our part in it? Grab hold of that, brethren, so that you don’t lose that point and allow that to shore up your belief and our belief in what God is doing. Romans sixteen. Romans sixteen shows more of how special it is of what we have today in the New Testament era and especially at the end of the age.

Romans sixteen will be in verse twenty-five. Verse twenty-five. “Now to him, that is of power to establish you according to my gospel,” it’s Paul writing here, “...and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the apocalypse of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.” A revelation of mystery kept secret since the world began. “And now it is made manifest,” apparent, “...and by the scripture of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith.”

So, all of these things as we’re looking at in a big way, kind of just knowing knowledge is an apocalypse all of that time, anytime we know that, which means what? It means that our calling is also an apocalypse. And let’s turn to Matthew eleven. Our calling was also an apocalypse. You don’t need to turn there. We’ve actually already been there but recall in Matthew eleven twenty-seven, “to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” And God has revealed these things to us so that we can follow his way and be part of his plan.

But our callings are definitely apokalupsis. And they changed our lives, didn’t they? Just living, going along, and bam, we changed because God opened our minds to things. Paul definitely knew this. So, let’s turn to Galatians one. Galatians one and verse eleven. So again, this is Paul writing. “But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation, the apocalypse of Jesus Christ, for you have heard of my conversation, in times past, my conduct in the Jews’ religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the Church of God, and wasted it: and profited the Jews’ religion of many of my equals in my own nation, being more zealous than the traditions of my fathers. But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace.” So, Paul was persecuting the church, and then when it came time, God called him, “to reveal his son in me,” apocalypse his son in me, disclose, uncover, make known. Paul called his calling an apocalypse.

Let’s look at that a little bit more and what lessons we can draw from that. So, Acts nine. Here’s where Paul references his calling over and over again. And it meant something to him. You can read about it in Ephesians and elsewhere. He repeats it in Acts later. But here, in Acts nine, is when it happened. This is that world-changing event for one of the great servants of the Bible. But it’s the same for us, the same for you and me.

So, Acts nine and verse one, “And Saul,” before he was Paul, “...yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues, that he found any of his way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” So, looking for Christians, and it didn’t matter who they were. It didn’t matter if they were men or women. If they were Christians, he was going to get them.

And we know he was involved with stoning of Christians as well. So, this is the individual that he’s doing what he thought was right, going along his way. This is his apocalypse. Here it comes. Verse three, “And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven,” so light came from heaven, “And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Was he knocked to the ground, then wind get knocked out of him?

You know how it feels when you get knocked down. It jolts you and shakes you. And for Paul, he also had his light and a voice. It’s like, “Why are you persecuting me?” Obviously, when you and I were called, we didn’t get knocked to the ground, but it felt like it did, didn’t it? When we were going along our way and boom, “Hey, there’s something that I didn’t know that.” And God starts to open our minds in apocalypse and show us things.

But for Paul, he was down on the ground.

Verse five. “And Paul said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, who you persecuted: it is hard for you to kick against the bricks.’ And Paul trembled and was astonished and said, ‘Lord, what will you have me to do?’ And the Lord said unto him, arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told you what you must do.” We all had that moment where we think, “What am I supposed to be doing?” And the church was there, and ministers helped us to know, “What should we be doing?” Literature we were reading and started to change what we were doing.

Verse seven, “And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man.” So that’s a funny way that King James does it. He opens his eyes, and he doesn’t see. I don’t know why they didn’t just say blind, but he couldn’t see. He was led by the hand and brought into Damascus.

And verse nine, “And he was there three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink. And there was a certain disciple in Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He said, Behold, I’m here, Lord.” So, here’s an apocalypse within an apocalypse. So, Ananias needed to hear something from God and be revealed to him.

“And the Lord said unto him, ‘Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and enquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prays, and has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming, and putting on his hand, and that he may receive his sight.” So, Ananias is being told all of this. “And Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard many of this man, how much evil he has done to the saints of Jerusalem.” So, Ananias needed to have his mind changed. He’s like, ‘I know about Saul. He’s not a good dude.’ And he wanted to be careful, but God had to reveal and show Ananias this. Verse fourteen, “And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on his name. But the Lord said unto him, ‘Go your way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name of the Gentiles, the kings, and the children of Israel: For I will show him great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” So, Ananias went and prayed with him. And verse eighteen, “And immediately there fell off scales from his eyes as it has been scales: from his eyes and he received sight forthwith, and rose, and was baptized.”

So that was Paul’s apocalypse, his calling, when he was going about his business, what he thought he should be doing, and it changed. Ours are the same, brethren. We probably felt like scales fell from our eyes many times when God was showing us things, and continues to do that to us, too, in all those moments. And for most of us, maybe our calling was a short time ago, or it could have been many years ago, but don’t lose sight of that. Keep it with you. Hold on to that, that moment, and remember how God is working in your mind and in your life and with you.

Similarly, any spiritual knowledge that we receive is an apocalypse. So, all spiritual knowledge we receive is an apocalypse. Turn to First Corinthians two, nine. This helps describe how God is working in us. First Corinthians two and we’ll start in verse nine. “As it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.”

But without God, we couldn’t know these things. “But God has apocalypsed to them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of man, saved by the spirit of man which is in him? even so, the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God.” To know that any time we’re receiving spiritual knowledge, it could be during services, it could be reading some of our literature, it could be when you’re studying the Bible, that’s an apocalypse.

Maybe small, maybe a little thing that you notice here and there, but they’re all apokalupsis and they’re proof that God is working with you. Back here in verse twelve, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things which are freely given to us of God. Which things we also speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

How important is it to have God’s Spirit and to be asking for more of it and building it and exercising it? So that we can have this apokalupsis so that God can disclose and open our minds to his way, so we can more fully understand it. But just the simple fact that we can, is proof that He’s at work in our lives. Talking about God’s Spirit, and you ask God for it, but we can pray. It would be part of the next point, which is we should be praying for apokalupsis, asking God for them.

Again, generally, when you hear the term apocalypse, if you go down... go outside and ask someone, “Do you want an apocalypse?” “No.” It’s like for us, yes, and we should be asking God for them. Let’s turn to Psalm one hundred and nineteen. That’s the way we can pray for them. Psalm one hundred and nineteen verse eighteen. It’s always a little cruel when the minister says, ‘Psalm one hundred and nineteen,’ and then you’re like, “We’re in it?”

But eighteen, so toward the beginning. Psalm one hundred and nineteen and verse eighteen and you turned there, and I didn’t. I was teasing you. Psalm one hundred and nineteen and verse eighteen. Here’s something that we can pray for, so God can open our minds and disclose to us. Verse eighteen, “Open you my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” I make this part of your prayers that God can show you things out of his law. And as you’re keeping what God commands, when it’s exciting, I’m like, I didn’t realize that’s another reason that God wants me to be tithing. Oh, and the blessing that comes from that. And it can be many years you can be doing it before it’s like, oh there’s another lesson here.

That’s the richness and the depth that’s there from God where He can reveal things to you. It’s like, I need to obey him. Okay. And then there’s all of the meaning that’s attached to it. So, look for those. Look for those little apokalupsis in the things that you’re doing but ask God, open my eyes, show me, disclose to me things from your law that can excite you and show you more of God’s mind. Ephesians one. Another way we can pray for apokalupsis, and we’ll start in verse sixteen. Ephesians one sixteen. Paul said that, “I cease not to give thanks for you, this is Ephesus, brethren, “...making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation.”

A revelation there is apokalupsis. Though Paul never ceased to give thanks for, brethren, but he also was praying that God would give, brethren, the spirit of wisdom and revelation. Apokalupsis so that they could understand and know the knowledge of God and his plan. Eighteen, “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of your calling, and what the riches of the glory and the inheritance of the saints.

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.” Verse sixteen, it started with cease not. So, Paul was praying for a lot of things, giving thanks for brethren, but one of them was that they’d have understanding. And many details here of understanding of God’s calling and what our part in it is.

But we can pray for one another in this way, that understanding, and that we can more deeply as a group know what it is that God has for us. Again, it’s a mystery and God is opening our minds to it, but the longer that we’re in his way, and the more that we pray that, the more we can understand it more deeply and it can motivate us to change and grow. So that’s a praying for everyone for apokalupsis, but when we do it individually, it could be a little more pointed. When we pray for God to reveal things, it could be more pointed. Can’t it? Like things to change in our lives. Change in our lives.

Philippians three. Just a book over. If you’re a crazy person like me and you don’t have tabs in your Bible, and it’s Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, that’s a tough one to remember those, you flip through them, it’s go eat popcorn. That’s how I remember it. Mr. Hennessy taught me that before I was in the church, but it was a Bible study thing that we had in high school club. And we go, and Mr. Hennessy taught me, if you can’t remember, go eat popcorn. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians Colossians.

So, we’re here in Philippians three. We can pray for apokalupsis in our lives, specific ones. And verse fourteen, “I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ. Let us therefore, as many be perfect, be thus minded: and if anything, and in anything you be otherwise-minded, God shall reveal,” apocalypse, “...even this unto you.” So, God will reveal if there’s places where we’re otherwise-minded. It’s kind of a euphemistic way to say, doing the wrong thing, having wrong thoughts, wrong actions, and asking God to help us see those. Open our minds to them. Make it bear. Again, take the cover off. It’s a little harder when it’s about showing things about ourselves, and I’ve heard many people talk about that, and where they just add God, “God, show me, me as I am.” And it was an interesting time for them because God really showed it to them. So, we want to be careful with it. Let’s turn to Jeremiah ten. Jeremiah ten. This is the better way to ask God to uncover things to you and show you yourself.

Jeremiah ten and we’ll start in verse twenty-three. “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself: it’s not in man that walks to direct his steps.” Here should be our prayer. “O Lord, correct me, but with measure; not in your anger, lest you bring me to nothing.” So, when we ask God for this apokalupsis in our lives, like show me what? Show me me, in measure. And there may be something that you already know a little bit about, it could be a weakness you have, and you can ask God to help you see that more clearly.

Maybe it’s just, you know there’s something there and you want more, but asking God for those. Psalm one thirty-nine. Another way to look at this. Psalm one thirty-nine and verse twenty-three. So, we’re praying for God to show us ourselves, and this is another way that we can do that. The verse we can turn to when we’re on our knees and asking God to show us ourselves. Psalm one thirty-nine and verse twenty-three, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there would be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

God will search us and try us, and then will show us those things, show us if there’s any wicked way in us. Something that we may be missing, and that needs to be shown to us. Sometimes that can come in prayer, and God will show it to you, and then you’re reading the scriptures, and you’re like, “You know what? I’m doing that wrong.” But sometimes they’ll come from other places, too.

They can come from maybe you’re talking to a church member, and they’ll bring up something that’s like, “Hey, you know what? Be careful about this or that.” That’s a little harder. Our minister correcting you. It could come from literature as well. It gets a little more difficult, yet in all of those, we should take it. God’s apocalypsing that. Put it in perspective. It’s different ways that God will reveal these things for us to do and to learn. We should be thanking God for them.

So, in all of these that we talked about praying for them, we should thank God for these apokalupsis. It helps us to cling to them. Let’s turn to Daniel two. Daniel two and we’ll start in verse twenty. We should be thanking God for when He uncovers things to us and shows them to us, whatever they are. We’ve talked about so many different ones so far, all these apokalupsis that are in our lives. So, Daniel two, twenty. So, this is Daniel after revealing Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and this is his response after that happened.

Verse twenty, “Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are his: And He changes the times and the seasons: he removes kings, and sets up kings: he gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge unto them that know understanding. He reveals the deep and secret things: he knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells in him.”

I could have read this earlier when we were looking at the God of Secrets. This is the God we serve. This is our Father and think of all the things He’s revealing to us. And here is the heart of Daniel’s prayer here, “And I thank you, and I praise you, O God of my fathers, who has given me wisdom and might, and has made known unto me now what we desired of you: If we have made known unto us the king’s matter.” That’s Daniel, and he’s a specific example of he didn’t know what Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was and Nebuchadnezzar didn’t know it and God revealed that and showed him the meaning of it. But anytime God opens and apokalupsis to us things in our lives, be thankful for them. Pray for them. Pray for them.

So, we’ve looked at many apokalupsis that may have happened in the years past or some of them that are happening now, but there’s one more apocalypse that’s very important to us and can help us kind of boost our faith and our belief in God and how He’s working with us. So, this next one I want you to just write, leave a space apocalypse. So blank apocalypse. We’ll fill in that blank in a moment here. Once you write that down, turn to Romans eight. So, one more important apocalypse here.

So, Romans eight, and we’ll start in verse sixteen. All of the apokalupsis that we’ve talked about have been really exciting, but this one is the top. Romans eight sixteen, “The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified with him together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us,” apokalýptō.

The glory that will be apocalypse in us. “...for all earnest expectation of the creature of creation waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.” Manifestation there is apokalupsis. All of creation’s waiting for our apocalypse. You can fill in that blank, “our” that’s you and me and that hasn’t happened yet, but we’ve seen all of this different apokalupsis in our lives. It’s clear evidence God’s working with us, and He’s done those to us. This one is for sure as well.

It’s in the future, but we have to think about it and remember it. It can be something you can grab onto and hold onto. Verse twenty, “For creature, creation was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creation itself would also be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now. And not only they but ourselves also.” We do, don’t we? Manifestation. Scratch that out.

Apocalypse, our apocalypse, our revealing when we become sons and gods. Verse twenty-four, “For we are saved by hope: but the hope is not hope: for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for? But if we hope for what we see not, then we do wait with patience for it.” Remembering that this apocalypse, the manifestation of the sons of God, you and me, brethren, help us to wait patiently for it. But it what’s not always easy, is it? It’s not always easy.

Let’s turn to First Peter one. First Peter one, and verse one. We’ll start in verse two, “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

So, we heard manifestation of the children of God. This is explaining it and expanding that out to us. “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith until salvation ready to be apocalypsed in the last time.” But again, we mentioned it. It’s not always easy, is it? We look forward to that and want it, but there’s hard times now. It’s hard times now. And Peter addresses that.

Verse six, “Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto the praise and honor and glory at the,” apocalypse of Jesus Christ, “...appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, you though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which the salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently.”

They wanted to know everything that we know now, brethren, but they couldn’t know it all. “Inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you.” That salvation, what God has in store for you and me for the first fruits. “Searching what, or what manner of the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed,” apocalypse again, “...that not unto themselves, but unto us, they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them and which have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit sent down from heaven; which the angels desire to look into.”

And this is the key verse. Verse 13. “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end of the grace that is brought to you yet at the apocalypse of Jesus Christ.” And when he’s revealed, we’re revealed. Brethren, as we’re looking through all of these different apokalupsis in our lives, they should excite us. They’re exciting, they’re inspiring. They show God is working with us. To repeat to the world, apokalupsis are huge world-changing events. Make sure that our apokalupsis are also those life-changing events.

Even if they’ve happened years ago, remember them. Think about them. Make them live again and excite you again. Make sure they change us and motivate us no matter what comes our way. Brethren, the God of the universe, our Father has opened our minds. He’s at work in us and he’ll continue to uncover and reveal and make known and take the lid off spiritual knowledge that the world does not have at this time. But we can know it. Never forget that.

And anything that comes our way, should motivate us. Remembering all those apokalupsis, remembering that soon, we will be revealed, and anchor us to that. So, brethren, as we put together all these apokalupsis in our lives, let’s never forget that God is working with us. Brethren, and let’s never forget all of our apokalupsis.