God’s Word to You is Revelation 1

Prologue

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

I don’t dwell on the Book of Revelation. I have read it and reread some of it. It’s a difficult Book to understand at times. What is figurative and what isn’t? A tough and misconstrued thing is when it says it can’t be added to and is the end. It wasn’t the last book written chronologically. I’m not attacking the Book. I know it is important and we need to know it. What I am doing is trying to help you know the real importance of it in our lives today. We know Christ tells us no man will know the day of His coming. So honestly if we believe in Him there is no reason to try and guess. We know from John’s writings that there will be many warnings of the end times. But Daniel and others point to warnings too. We can see those things being played out throughout history if we search. And there are more in our world today than ever.

But Jesus also told us not to fear or worry. We don’t do a very good job at that one. Have you checked out social media lately? Who is in power, what laws are made and who is a racist seems to have all of our attention.

Folks, let me be blunt. If you believe and have read the Bible then you know bad times are coming. And there isn’t anything to stop them. But my point isn’t a doom and gloom, though there will be that time for us again if we lose our focus on Him. The early believers faced worse than we do. There are those today in other countries that face much worse than we do. Yet we can see testimonies of those who joyfully face persecution and even death for their love of Him.

That is a challenge all of us need to face and be prepared for. But I fear especially here in our country we aren’t. We are more focused on our rights, our race, our Party or our sexual preferences or those of others than loving God and loving people, yet that is pretty much the core focus of every church? When the times come and those of us in our country really have to face hardships, like not being allowed to have a Bible, like having no rights, like having no food, individual homes, cell phones or privileges, we will crack and become sheep. Unless we build and keep our faith. Like so many before us and yes, even today, who struggle because they believe in Christ. Folks, we know those times are coming but we just put blinders on because of course God loves us enough to not have “us” face those things.

But what if it all changes tomorrow? What if the next election leads our country to Socialism? What if the Muslim religion spreads across the world and we face death or conversion?

What if the only thing left to you is your salvation?

Will you still sing His name? Will you still show His light?

I pray I will. I pray it doesn’t happen in my family’s lifetime. But I pray each of us will have that faith. I pray each of us will know His love and grace. More, I pray each of us will live His love and grace, because someday that will be all the world will see but it has always been what it needs,

me n’ God love ya