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Heart Prep:
So after a year of reading through scripture chronologically and sharing these devotionals with one another, finally, here we are -– at the end! …...but really, this is just the beginning. Every day is a new beginning, until the Lord is finished with our tenure here on earth. That being said… My suggestion for a “heart prep” regarding Revelation is, as I’m sure you would before any scripture study, that you would pray intently for God’s wisdom (and certainly His guidance) as you read these chapters over the next four days. Look at chapter 1 vs 3, where he says, “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” So it stands to reason that as we are ‘reading’ this (and all of God’s Word), then as we read we should also be ‘hearing’ from God as well. This Week’s Study:
Some Things to Look For: Letters to Seven Churches (Chapters 2-3): Messages of praise, warning, and encouragement to specific churches facing trials, symbolizing the whole Church. Heavenly Throne Room & The Lamb (Chapters 4-5): John sees God on His throne and the worthy, slain Lamb (Jesus) who opens a scroll, signifying divine authority over history. Cycles of Judgment (Chapters 6-16): Three series (Seals, Trumpets, Bowls) depict escalating judgments on the world for rejecting God, showing God's justice. The Beast & Babylon (Chapters 13-18): Visions of symbolic beasts representing evil empires (like Rome) and the corrupt city of Babylon, warring against God's people. Christ's Return & Final Victory (Chapters 19-20): Jesus returns as a triumphant King (Armageddon), Satan is bound, and the final Great White Throne Judgment occurs. New Heaven & New Earth (Chapters 21-22): God creates a new reality where evil is gone, the New Jerusalem descends, and believers live eternally with God. My Thoughts: Countless books have been written concerning this one book in the Bible, not to mention the number of films that have been produced. Why? Because always and often incessantly there begs the question, “what really happens at the end of it all?’ And when are the end times?” Now then, this book ties together and confirms prophecies and visions from many other books in scripture. It would be impossible for some forty men, or forty-thousand, or even four-hundred thousand – many of them uneducated – to even attempt to write this and then try to tie it all together, were it not spiritually superimposed on them and in them supernaturally by God. Listen, if you do not already know this, and I believe you do, then know this: the revelation that was written to those early Christian believers was also meant for us as well. All of scripture is! And it has always been the Lord’s desire for mankind to seek redemption through Jesus. And despite intense suffering and evil, God will prevail, and His kingdom will be established. All of scripture is His story (history), and Christ is the grand subject, from Genesis to Revelation. Jesus won the victory not only on the cross, but by His subsequent resurrection and ascension. And through this book, His revelation, Jesus calls for all of us to resist idolatry and oppression. And this is not new; again, all through scripture we are called to be faithful to the Lord and to serve Him and, via the Holy Spirit, to be faithful to and serve one another. In the New Testament we read letters that were written by God, through man, to the early church. Jesus addresses some of the churches in Revelation, and He is still addressing His church today. Behold, He comes! Riding on the clouds! Shining like the sun! Hear the trumpet call! The Lion of the Tribe of Judah… He will return! His first cry broke the silence. His second cry tore the veil. His final cry will tear open the skies, and shake the universe… forever. Prayer: Lord, As we read through this final leg, this final chapter(s) in scripture, we see how there are many wondrous and many very terrifying events that will take place in times ahead. Some of them appear to be on the cusp of occurring already. Yet through it all and because of our faith in You, we know that You are our strong tower, our ever-present help in time of need. So give us a renewed hunger for Your Word, a renewed passion to serve You, and an intense desire to share with the world that their only hope – indeed, that the only hope – is found only in Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. studog
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