Have you ever wondered who influences who? Or is it mutual influence happening, back and forth? It may be as challenging as answering the question which came first the chicken or the egg, when we think about who is influencing who. Is the church influencing the world or is the world influencing the church.

Jesus said in Matthew 16, “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” Church is people not a building. Paul says in Ephesians 5, this is a mystery, Christ is the head and the church is the body.” A mystery, something concealed that is awaiting its time to be revealed.

Paul uses the mystery terminology on more than one occasion when he says, “The mystery of Christ in you the hope of glory, that has been hidden since ages past.” (Colossians 1) Or even when Jesus said the reason He spoke in parables was because they had eyes but could not see and ears but could not hear. (Matthew 13).

Solomon will not be left out of the conversation, for he adds, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings to search it out.” (Proverbs 25) Mystery, concealment and may I add one more word, apocalyptic.

Back to the original question, is the church telling the world what apocalyptic means or is the world telling the church. We have movies declaring Apocalypse now; we have books called Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsay declaring apocalypse. We have the church screaming left behind and rapture. But what does the word apocalypse mean.

It is the Greek word apokolypsis and it means the lifting of the veil; an uncovering; a revelation of what already exists but has been hidden. No wonder the book of Revelation begins by saying this is the revelation (unveiling, revealing) of Jesus Christ. The whole book is an unveiling of Someone that could not be seen.

I pray with Paul in Ephesians 1, that the eyes of your heart would be enlightened so you can see the glory of the riches of the saints who are in Christ Jesus. We need an apocalypse, an unveiling of what already exists and it is not what we have been taught. Www.apostolicresourcecenter.org