The Grand Finale: The Apocalypse in the Tanakh the Gospel and the Qur'an

We often hear that we are living in apocalyptic times. Wars like those in the Middle East are just more signs that the end is near. That however is a misunderstanding of the message of the Bible and the Quran. The basic meaning of apocalypse is disclosure revelation bringing to light what is happening now and what has happened throughout all of history. The apocalypse is not about making predictions about the future but about determining who bears responsibility for injustice in the world. In that sense all times--including ours--are apocalyptic though in a different way than what is usually thought. Since the devastating Greek conquest of the world by Alexander the Great there have been apocalyptic insights and revelatory readings of the whole Hebrew Bible. The same is true of the New Testament with Rome as the world power then. The same apocalyptic message is confirmed by the Quran when the Byzantines and the Persians fought for mastery of the world. The apocalyptic message is that God will put an end to the unjust dominion of violence money and lies. Gods kingdom will certainly arrive but not through violence--after all there is no violence in God (Diognetus).