Monday, August 21, 2023

Do You Want God’s Blessing?

Prayer ~ Jesus, You encouraged Your followers, while You were alive and ministering on earth, to repent, listen and obey…and most of all to follow Your commandments. Those Ten Commandments were summarized into two: Love the Lord Your God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Now in the Book of Revelation, You don’t seem to stress those, but have another agenda. Show me what it is that You expect of Your faithful followers. Thanks. 

The time is near.
Sunset near the Ashley River, Charleston, SC.
Day is done...gone the sun.


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 1:3

 

Meditate. Think about what Jesus has revealed in Revelation and how you can apply it to your life.

 

The commands in the Book of Revelation—are not the same as the great Ten Commandments. Jesus repeats over and over…listen.

"Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God. ... "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death. ... "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it. ... "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29

"Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. ... "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. ... "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches." Revelation 3:6, 13, 22

 

Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. Revelation 13:9

 

Similar to Jesus’ call to obedience at the beginning of His ministry on earth, we see Jesus telling the churches at Ephesus and Pergamum to repent. He continues to stress repentance—and the importance of purity.

Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don't repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.  Revelation 2:5

Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Revelation 2:16

 

Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don't wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. Revelation 3:3

 

But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their sexual immorality or their thefts. Revelation 9:20-21

 

Everyone was burned by this blast of heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had control over all these plagues. They did not repent of their sins and turn to God and give him glory. ... and they cursed the God of heaven for their pains and sores. But they did not repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. Revelation 16:9, 11

Repenting is still the key to a long-lasting relationship with Jesus and with God. God expects purity. I said recently on this blog that God likes war—but I realized that war is the way back to the purity that He demands. Purity is really the driving force of God’s ideal realm. Without purity we cannot approach the throne of God—we cannot enter heaven. Our purity is guaranteed by the blood of Jesus. He covers our sin—washes it away and presents us pure and clean to His Heavenly Father…our Heavenly Father. So, hang onto that purity, just as Jesus advised several places in Revelation…and backed up by verses in both the Old and New Testaments. Search the scriptures for those verses for yourself. Hold tightly to your salvation—your hope of resurrection and ultimately of heaven.

…except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, to them I will give authority over all the nations. Revelation 2:25-26

 

Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. Revelation 3:10-11

 

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. Revelation 3:11

That’s it for now…listen and obey, repent, and hold onto what you have.

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 1:3

 

Verse of Salvation ~ Look up to the skies above, and gaze down on the earth below. For the skies will disappear like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing. The people of the earth will die like flies, but my salvation lasts forever. My righteous rule will never end! Isaiah 51:6

 

© 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

 

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