When you think of the word “apocalypse” you probably envision the destruction of the world and the end of civilization. This aligns with the concept of “end times” in some spiritual belief systems: the destruction of the earth and Humanity (after a “final judgement”) initiated by the coming of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Conquest, War, Famine, and Death.
I did some research into the concepts of “apocalypse” and “end times” and learned a lot I didn’t know. So let’s take a closer look…
(Note: I’m not a biblical scholar or an expert on comparative religion—I did my best to summarize my research. Also note that although “God” is not my preferred term, I use it here because it’s expedient.)
The meaning of “end times” varies but, broadly speaking, it falls into two main interpretations:
1. Literal Apocalyptic Judgment—a real, cataclysmic event in which God intervenes in human history; a final battle between good and evil; a final judgment with separation of the righteous from the wicked—and then each going to heaven or hell, respectively OR the arrival of God’s Kingdom when the “true believers” will be taken up to meet Jesus and escape the judgement that will occur for non-believers.
Outcome: a new eternal reality—either heaven or hell.
Themes: wrath, justice, and salvation.
Predominant in: Evangelical Christianity, Islam, and some Orthodox Jewish traditions.
2. Spiritual Renewal or Cosmic Cycles—a symbolic or cyclical event, representing spiritual transformation, moral decline and rebirth, or the end of an era (rather than the end of the world).
Outcome: Renewal, enlightenment, or return to balance—inspiring inner growth, harmony with nature or the cosmos, and higher consciousness.
Themes: Awakening, restoration, and evolution.
Predominant in: Mainline Christianity (non-Evangelical), Hinduism and Buddhism, New Age spirituality, and Indigenous traditions.
Likewise, I discovered that the term “apocalypse” is derived from the Greek word apokálypsis which actually means a lifting of the veil, revelation, disclosure—NOT death and destruction.
If, as I believe, interpretation #2 is what’s happening, then Humanity is in the process of transformation, of birthing a New Paradigm. And right now we’re experiencing the labor pains of that birth/rebirth. To that end, maybe significant apokálypsis (revelation) is happening:
- The current chaos is providing a clear picture of Humanity’s wounds (like racism, and natavistic hatred) so we can heal them once and for all.
- All the worst characteristics of Humanity are being clearly revealed all at once so we can, as a group, insist decisively “That is not who we are as a nation. That is not who we are as Humanity” and act on it—shifting our path from destruction to enlightenment.
I think conventional wisdom holds that “who we are”—“Human Nature”—is a complex blend of inherent goodness and a tendency toward sin. That the goodness has been corrupted by sin resulting in a separation from God. In some spiritual belief systems, there’s a heavy emphasis on the concept of sin, and the possibility of everlasting punishment when judged by God. Many people believe in this wrathful God of judgement and punishment.
Personally, I believe in a patient God of compassion and mercy—of pure, unconditional, infinite Love. And since every one of us has/is a spark of the Divine, then Love is who we fundamentally are—even if for some of us, for whatever reason, that spark is hidden. (God did, after all, gift us with free will that, I believe, is rarely contravened by even, shall we say, “higher entities” including the “highest.”)
So consider pondering these questions:
- What if “the arrival of God’s Kingdom” means that this is the point in human history when we de-emphasize “corrupted by sin” and instead we live our “inherent goodness”—our spark of the Divine Love—by living Oneness (like practicing Kindness, Compassion, and Forgiveness—with respect to everybody)?
- What if all of this (ALL of our history) has been about Humanity experiencing separation from God—and then finding our way back?
- What if Humanity is currently being “called” to finally end that separation from God—and we’re in the process of doing that?
Yes, this process—expressed by the creation of that New Paradigm—is difficult and painful right now. A lot of people are suffering. But I (and many, many others) believe that it will soon shift for the better. I don’t know exactly how or when but I firmly believe it will—and many of us believe that it’s all up to us to make it happen. But it is a process and, as such, may have some twists and turns as it unfolds.
We just need to hold fast, have courage and perseverance—and make our own particular contribution to making the shift happen. If participating in a protest march isn’t in your wheelhouse, then what is the particular action or skill you can contribute? Maybe you can—as my Spirit Guides have told me over and over—simply “Do what brings you joy.” As Boston University historian Heather Cox Richardson recently said:1
“If you do what you love and you do it well, and you put your heart into it—whatever that may be, you are working to create a society that supports the kind of progress that we are striving for. And just because it’s not the sort of thing you see on a checklist, that doesn’t mean it’s not important.
So whatever your skill is—maybe you fix computers, maybe you arrange flowers, maybe you bake, maybe you are really good at reading to children, maybe you paint—you know there’s any number of these things you can do that contribute to making our society and our community better. And that counts even if it’s not knocking on doors for a political candidate. It’s creating community. It’s supporting each other. It’s creating the kind of world that we want to see.
So don’t lose hope, and don’t feel like you’re not doing enough because of who you are. I mean, that’s what we’re trying to value here is the way in which all of us contribute to society.”
I suggest you not get sucked in by the naysayers lamenting that all is lost. That everything is being irrevocably broken. Instead, acknowledge that what’s broken can be rebuilt into something that’s even better, even stronger—a New Paradigm that’s more relevant and useful to who we are now vs. who we were in 1776 or even the first century AD.
If your beliefs align with interpretation #2, and you believe we’re in a time of awakening, transformation, and rebirth, then what’s the unique contribution you can make to having the shift happen?
Whatever your contribution is, I urge you to just do it. Do it starting right now. And do it with joy.
1 Politics Chat, July 24, 2025, Heather Cox Richardson
Your Path to Oneness 