Apocalyptic Christmas (Week 4): The Unveiling Of A Kingdom Not Of This World
Apocalyptic Christmas: The Unveiling of a Kingdom Not of This World
When most people hear the word apocalypse, their minds go straight to disaster movies, chaos, fear, and the end of the world. But biblically speaking, that’s not what the word means at all.
The word apocalypse comes from the Greek apokalypsis, which simply means “an unveiling”—the revealing of something that has always been true but not yet fully seen.
And when we understand that, we begin to realize something powerful:
Christmas itself is apocalyptic.
Not because it signals destruction, but because it reveals something that had been hidden all along.
The Unveiling of God’s Plan
From the very beginning, God had a plan.
Before creation.
Before humanity.
Before the fall.
Genesis doesn’t describe God improvising—it reveals God unfolding what had already been established. Creation itself was the unveiling of His design.
At the heart of that design was relationship.
God’s desire was never distance, fear, or control. His desire was intimacy. Humanity was created to walk with Him, know Him, and live in unbroken fellowship.
But in Genesis 3, something fractured that relationship. Sin entered the world and brought separation—not because God withdrew, but because humanity could no longer remain in His presence as it once had.
Yet even in that moment, God didn’t begin with condemnation.
He began with a promise.
“I will put enmity between you and the woman… He will crush your head, and you will bruise his heel.”
— Genesis 3:15
Before Adam and Eve were addressed, God spoke to the enemy. From the very beginning, God declared that restoration—not separation—would have the final word.
Shadows Before the Substance
Throughout the Old Testament, God continued to reveal His plan through shadows.
The temple.
The veil.
The sacrifices.
The priesthood.
None of these were the destination—they were signposts. They pointed toward something greater that was coming.
Then, in the fullness of time, Jesus arrived.
Not as a conquering king.
Not as a political ruler.
Not with armies or force.
But as a baby in a manger.
This, too, was an unveiling.
Jesus wasn’t just born into history—He revealed God’s heart. He showed us what God had always been like: humble, near, compassionate, and committed to restoring relationship.
Christmas wasn’t just the birth of Christ.
It was the revealing of God’s nature.
A Kingdom Unlike Any Other
When Jesus stood before Pilate, the Roman governor asked Him a question that still echoes today:
“Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus responded:
“My kingdom is not of this world.” (John 18:36)
That statement is often misunderstood.
Jesus wasn’t saying His kingdom doesn’t exist.
He wasn’t saying it’s imaginary or purely spiritual.
He was saying its origin is different.
Earthly kingdoms are built on power, force, control, and fear.
God’s kingdom is built on love, sacrifice, surrender, and truth.
Earthly kingdoms dominate.
God’s kingdom serves.
Earthly kingdoms take.
God’s kingdom gives.
Earthly kingdoms preserve power through fear.
God’s kingdom advances through love.
That’s why Jesus could say:
“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)
Rome ruled through force.
Jesus ruled through self-giving love.
And history would eventually show which kingdom would endure.
A Kingdom That Cannot Be Shaken
Scripture tells us:
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken…”
— Hebrews 12:28
Every earthly system eventually collapses.
Every empire fades.
Every power structure fails.
But God’s Kingdom is eternal.
And when we place our trust in Christ, we are transferred into that Kingdom:
“He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.”
— Colossians 1:13
This isn’t symbolic language.
It’s spiritual reality.
We live in this world, but we no longer belong to it.
We answer to a different King.
We live by different values.
We are shaped by a different hope.
Living Between Two Realities
This is where tension enters the story.
The Kingdom of God has already come…
but it has not yet been fully revealed.
Theologians call this inaugurated eschatology—a simple way of saying:
The Kingdom is here, but it is still coming.
Jesus inaugurated it at His first coming.
He will complete it at His return.
We live in the space between.
And that space is uncomfortable.
We live with faith instead of sight.
We live with trust instead of certainty.
We live with hope while still facing hardship.
But that tension isn’t a flaw in God’s design.
It’s part of His formation.
God isn’t just rescuing people.
He’s forming them.
If everything were fully revealed now, faith wouldn’t be necessary.
If outcomes were guaranteed, trust wouldn’t be required.
If obedience always made sense, it wouldn’t be obedience.
Faith is formed in the in-between.
Why Christmas Came Before the Crown
If Jesus had come in full glory the first time, no one could have rejected Him.
But love that cannot be rejected is not love.
So He came quietly.
Humbly.
Vulnerable.
Not to force submission—but to invite trust.
Christmas made rejection possible.
Revelation will make denial impossible.
The same Jesus born in a manger will one day return as King of Kings.
“Then I saw heaven opened… and on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
— Revelation 19:11,16
The baby in the manger is the same King who will one day restore all things.
What This Means for Us Now
This message isn’t meant to create fear.
It’s meant to create honesty.
Because belief always shapes behavior.
If Jesus is truly King,
then eternity is not just a future hope—
it’s a present reality that shapes how we live today.
The question isn’t:
“Is Jesus returning?”
The real question is:
Are we living like He is?
Where have we become too comfortable?
Where has routine replaced reverence?
Where has belief stopped shaping behavior?
Not out of guilt.
Not out of fear.
But out of alignment.
Because awakening always begins with awareness.
An Invitation to Reflect
So here’s the invitation:
Where have I been living as though this world is all there is?
Where has comfort replaced conviction?
Where has faith become passive instead of active?
If something stirs inside you as you read this, that isn’t condemnation—it’s grace.
It’s God gently awakening something that may have grown quiet.
The same Jesus who came in humility…
The same Jesus who reigns in glory…
Is still inviting people today:
Not to fear Him.
Not to impress Him.
But to trust Him.
Because the Kingdom has already begun.
And one day, it will be fully revealed.