Advent

The Litugical Season of Advent is upon us. Many traditions within Christianity don't follow the liturgical calendar and so are unaware of Advent beyond Advent calendars. Are the original focuses (preparing for the Birth of Christ and Christ's second coming at the end of time) of Advent valid in the 21st Century? How do we understand the return of Christ - something early Christians expected would happen in their lifetime - today, some two thousand years later? Do we see Christ's return as a single event or as a recurring event? Does all the biblical language around Armageddon make sense in a contemporary context, or was it ever meant to be taking literally at all? What do we make of the book of Revelation? What about the so-called "rapture"?