The Revelation of Jesus Christ 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. I cannot think of the Book of Revelation without thinking of the time Pastor Lyons (from the church I was a member of before Emmanuel) was introducing the study of the book of Revelation. It was an evening service and a single father was ushering that night who has a daughter which was about 4 at the time. He had her sit in one of the back pews so he could keep an eye on her. Pastor Lyons was explaining to us that the word revelation comes from the word apocalypse, at which point the little girl stood up on her pew and screamed out to her dad, "Did he just say caca lips!" Needless to say the father was humiliated and we all got a good laugh.
Most people would associate the word apocalypse with the end of the world or the end of all things but it actually means the unveil or uncover. It is fitting that the book starts with the words, "The revelation of Jesus Christ" because it is just that. The book is revealing Jesus Christ fully. While Jesus came the first time veiled in flesh to reveal the Father to us, in the end He Himself will be fully revealed as the sovereign King of kings and Lord of lords. John, the writer of the book, rightfully calls himself and us bond-servants. The word bond-servant is bit misleading because you may get the idea that it is just a servant who willfully submits himself to his master but the word itself literally means slave. Someone with no rights that has been purchased for a price. Of course the word slave brings anything but good feelings but this is the proper relationship between a King and his slave which is displayed here and throughout the book of Revelation. The word slave and what it means was not shameful to John, those who read this letter originally or to the one one who understands Biblically who Jesus is and the price He actually paid so we could be redeemed (bought back) from sin's curse. It is interesting that God chose to reveal these things to John through "His angel" and not directly. Angels appear and are major players in this time of tribulation. They not only carry the words of God but also carry out the word of God even as we are told in Psalm 103:2, Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! As we mentioned yesterday in the class, there is a blessing spelled out for us right in the beginning of the book. If we read, hear and obey what we are told in this book we will be blessed. To be blessed can mean happy but I believe it is much more. The word means to become long, large. It's the idea of God extending His am to give you something. To be blessed is to recognize that God has given us something that he has not to everyone else. It's to know that we are loved and special in His eyes. Let this truth put wind in your sail as you rest today know that our King has labored on our behalf so we can be blessed. Happy Labor Day! Have a great day and God bless you real good!
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There is something about children in third world countries that make them rise above their circumstances. They may be poor, hungry even sick but they're still hospitable, kind and smiling. I'm sure it's not all the time and they are not ignorant of their situation but they don't allow it to keep them down.
God reminds us of the same thing through Apostle Paul as he writes to the church in Corinth. One thing that that I really appreciate about today's verses is that the Bible do not deny or gloss over the fact that God allows and even brings Christians through some pretty serious things. We are not to see hardship, whether from the outside or inside, as something beyond us. As human beings living in a sin cursed world, we need to make sure we have the right perspective. Thinking of one person in particular, who I will not mention by name. This individual has endured more in the past decade than most people will in a lifetime, all with smile on her face. I know her hope is in Jesus and she knows what will be when He returns. I imagine that time when Jesus returns couldn't come fast enough for her, as it should be for all those who belong to Him. As I write, this will be our last blog post for thelifebook. The Gospel of John and these few but tough topics at the end of the book have been both challenging and encouraging because they remind me of hard truth and that God's word can and does address them. It's the perfect transition into our new study in the Book of Revelation. The book of Revelation displays Jesus in all His glory and shows us how He will usher in His Kingdom of righteousness and make all things new again. What a mighty God we serve. My prayer is that you enjoy this study and that it gives you a longing to see Him face to face. Have great day Loved Ones and God bless you real good! |
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