Prayer – Lord, open my eyes to understanding Your word and prophesy of the end times…of the coming days. What do you expect of us…and what can we expect to happen in the future? You have a plan and You are willing to show us the mystery if we just dig into Your word. I’m willing and ready to be like a Berean and study.
This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God
gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an
angel to present this revelation to his servant John, who faithfully reported
everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of
Jesus Christ. God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the
church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for
the time is near. Revelation 1:1-3
Meditate. Consider God’s guidance in scripture. Read God’s
word and listen to what He is saying.
Is the Book of Revelation scary for you? Does it confuse or
mystify you? Are you avoiding reading it…and have no desire to study it?
Well, take a deep breath and reread those first three
verses of Revelation above. Do you see that it says:
God blesses the one
who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who
listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.
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God will bless you if you read it or listen to it. Do you want to listen to a recorded version? There are plenty of options out there. For example, the Blue Letter Bible and YouVersion have choices for audio selection. Another alternative is to just read it out loud to yourself, with family, friends, or to someone in a nursing home. Now is the time to just begin—don’t be intimidated or deceived. Just pray about it and read it. Please note that it is not a book that has to be studied in order, chapter by chapter. The events that are described and recorded in Revelation may not occur in the order that is written. God’s schedule is not necessarily the same as a timeline that anyone may project—so we have to be careful and remember that we don’t know the “hour or the day” of any of God’s prophesy to be fulfilled. God wants us to unravel the mysteries of Revelation. This could be a very intriguing study. Get ready to be blessed as we build bridges of our relationship with God—learning about His plans for the future.
Note that obeying is mentioned in these introductory
verses. God wants His followers to be obedient. Listen and obey. He has spoken
to His people throughout history about desiring their obedience.
"If you follow
my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you the seasonal
rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will
produce their fruit. ... "I will give you peace in the land, and you will
be able to sleep with no cause for fear. I will rid the land of wild animals
and keep your enemies out of your land. ... "I will look favorably upon
you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my
covenant with you. ... I will live among you, and I will not despise you. I
will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people. Leviticus
26:3-4, 6, 9, 11-12
There is a promise repeated throughout the Bible for those who
refuse to obey.
"However, if
you do not listen to me or obey all these commands, and if you break my
covenant by rejecting my decrees, treating my regulations with contempt, and
refusing to obey my commands, I will punish you. I will bring sudden terrors
upon you--wasting diseases and burning fevers that will cause your eyes to fail
and your life to ebb away. You will plant your crops in vain because your
enemies will eat them. I will turn against you, and you will be defeated by
your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will run even when
no one is chasing you! And if, in spite of all this, you still disobey me, I
will punish you seven times over for your sins.” Leviticus 26:14-18
God emphatically makes it clear what He expects of His followers.
Obedience. This leads us back to Revelation 1:1-3. God’s desire is for His
servants to listen and obey. Start at the beginning…and seek His truth, His
way, and life everlasting. This wasn’t presented just to John. God, the Father,
gave this message of Revelation to Jesus Christ. Then it was given to an angel
who presented it to John in several visions. John wrote about his revelation—that
was from Jesus to all those who worship and serve Him.
I hope that you are one of those. I am. Maybe that is why I
desire to read and study the book of Revelation.
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Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
Surprise. The Feast we’re all looking forward to is not guaranteed
or promised to be at the beginning of our time in heaven. Where do we see the marriage
feast?
"Then the
Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to
meet the bridegroom. ... "But while they were gone to buy oil, the
bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage
feast, and the door was locked. Matthew 25:1, 10
"The Kingdom of
Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding
feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify
those who were invited. But they all refused to come! ... And he said to his
servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren't worthy
of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.'
... "But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who
wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how is it
that you are here without wedding clothes?' But the man had no reply. Then the
king said to his aides, 'Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer
darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' "For many
are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 22:2-3, 8-9, 11-14
Let us be glad and
rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding
feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the
finest of pure white linen to wear." For the fine linen represents the
good deeds of God's holy people. And the angel said to me, "Write this:
Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." And
he added, "These are true words that come from God." Revelation
19:7-9
Prepare yourself for a great feast. You might not even have
to do the cooking! Just enjoy the presence of the Son of God, our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
© 2023 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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