The Time is Near

As I start to share some Scripture from the Book of Revelation, I want you to know what I've read from scholars and teachers. They say not to try to understand all of what you read in this book. Mostly, what you're supposed to get from the book is that you will be blessed; God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit love you; the end can come at any moment, so you need to be prepared (saved and living a Christlike life by being kind, helping others, teaching others about Christ, loving your neighbor as yourself, etc.); eternity will follow this life on earth so how you live now will determine where you live after this life - the comforts of  heaven where there is no more dying, illness, or disappointments or the tortures of hell where there will be gnashing of teeth, never-ending thirst, the hottest flames that neither consume nor can be extinguished. 

So, I'm going to pick out just the simplest but powerful passages that I understand and share those with you. Indeed, it is a blessing to know that God sent this message to prepare us for Christ's second coming and the Last Judgment. 

Image courtesy of  Sixteen Miles Out via Unsplash

In Revelation 1:3 Apostle John 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. 

One of my NLT study Bible interprets that John was telling people to be ready at all times for the Final Judgment. The NKJV study Bible explains that Jesus' first coming is when the last phase of history was entered, and there is an urgency to be prepared (see my explanation in paragraph one) for Christ's second coming and judgment that follows. The church, mentioned here, is all who believe in Christ, accept him as their Savior, and live like it.

Apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 5:24 NLT, "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there." My interpretation of this is that as a saved person you don't want to sin anymore and will allow the Holy Spirit to guide you to make right decisions. And as you become more like Christ you will sin less. But none of us will ever be perfect. As humans, we still sin unknowingly every day. We won't be perfect until we reach heaven. We're actively striving for that perfection so we may enter the presence of our Glorious God, Savior, and Holy Spirit when our life on this earth is over.

My favorite author, teacher, and minister is Joyce Meyer. She once said in one of her sermons, "If the end was near in the New Testament days, just think how close we are now." And again, as I've mentioned in many of the other Revelation posts, your end may come any moment whether the world comes to an end or not. So, urgency should be practiced now! Please don't put salvation off any longer. If you don't know what to say, see the sinners prayer at the bottom of the original Revelation post.

Prayer: Father in heaven, thank you for giving us a glimpse of what the end may look like so that we can be prepared for Jesus' second coming and Final Judgment. But let us not wait until all the signs are visible to be prepared; let us always be prepared for Judgment to happen at any time. I'm grateful to the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, who died so that my sins would be erased, so that I am found worthy of your acceptance, making it possible for me to come to you in prayer at all times. I'm grateful that because of this, you have made forgiveness and repentance readily available. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Blessings in Christ,

Patricia