"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;" Revelation 1:19 (KJV)
There have been many times throughout our history
where man has began to that the times were ripe for the coming of the Lord...
and yet it has never happened? Why not? Where is God and why is He waiting so
long to make His move?
The simple answer to that question of course is love. Look what the WORD says
about it:
"The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
2Pe 3:9 (KJV)
Yet, we have never been closer to many of the
prophecies that we are going to be speaking of in these lessons than we are now,
and to hear most people talk about the times were living in - they're all pretty
certain that something major is going to happen at any time that will be
cataclysmic in effect and proportion. Of course we cannot know the "when" but we
can certainly know the "what": and Jesus reveals those things to the apostle
John and we will be addressing them as they come up in our lessons.
But let me ask you a question here this morning. What is it about the Book of
Revelation that has intrigued you to join with us in our study - and why now?
I realize that's kind of s loaded question - but it's pretty easy to understand
what your response might be.
Thinking back on September 11, 2001, America for the first time in years had
realized a very real, very awesome tragedy - one of the worst in American
History. But that has proven to be only the beginning. Terrorism has become a
way of life for almost every villa and every metropolis around the WORLD.
I remember when The United States began to bomb IRAQ and the term "shock and
awe" was thrown around by our military officials. Well, I don't believe there is
anything that could ever compare with the shock and awe of watching in horror
while the World Trade Center Buildings collapsed before our very eyes. Watching
people literally jumping from windows... it still brings a gasp to my chest and
throat.
It wasn't long after that, that people started returning to the church, and
began seeking answers from God's Word. It was a time when the News Media began
using terminology like "Rapture" and "Second Coming"; concepts that were totally
foreign to them, culminating in the theme at least of the World possibly being
in what has been termed for decades as, "the end-times".
We can conjecture all we want to, but the fact is - people were scared! It made
them face the possibility of "ETERNITY" in a way they never had before... and it
made them "WANT TO KNOW". I guess you could say that it's the same curiosity
that hears a noise downstairs - like that of someone breaking in - and instead
of calling the police - they put on their robe and head downstairs to satisfy
their curiosity.
Well, many have begun a study on the book of Revelation on their own to satisfy
their curiosity, but few get very far, because it seems that in their quest to
understand future events, they get bogged down due to the terminology and the
understanding of the "descriptive" characterizations of beasts and angels, and
trumpets, and vials. If you are one who has studied The Book of Revelation
before or even just read it, I'm sure you know what I mean.
But before we begin, let me just say that if you're one of those who have "not
entered" into such a study before, because you felt that it was too difficult to
understand, or you began a study, and then quit after a couple of weeks because
you just weren't "getting it", you're not alone. There are several who feel just
as you do, however, there isn't any passage in God's Word that I am aware of,
that says we will fully understand "every" Scripture. Yet, there "is" a specific
promise in the book of Revelation that doesn't accompany other books of the
Bible. The promise of a "blessing" - and you can find that promise in Revelation
1:3 Let's go take a look at it...
"Blessed is he that readeth, and they that
hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written
therein: for the time is at hand." (KJV)
Now, that doesn't mean that the book is so
difficult to understand that God has placed a blessing and reward on those that
understand it. In fact, John was commanded by Jesus not to seal the words of
this prophecy (22: 10). Look at what John says about it:
"And he saith unto me, Seal not the
sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is
unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy
still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is
holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is
with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev 22:
10-12(KJV)
Pardon me, but who said that? Look at verse 13 of
Revelation Chapter 22:
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end, the first and the last."
Why did He say this? Because God wants us to know
that Heaven is a very real and very beautiful place. We need not be afraid of it
or our journey to it, for we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye and this
old mortal body will put off our propensity and sentence of death and take on
NEW bodies that are immortal and will live forever... in Palm Beach? No! We will
live forever in a REAL PARADISE!! Hallelujah to His Name!
What's more... we will live forever with Him. We will have His mind and His
heart, and we will be reunited with our loved ones who have gone on before, and
I have had a passel of them at my age. But Oh, How I love Jesus because He has
promised us NEW BODIES and a NEW LIFE FOREVER with Him. I can't wait. You see, I
want to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear Him give a devotional for the day. I
want to sit at the feet of the Apostle Paul and hear him tell me in person about
some of his missionary journeys. I want to stand next to the Apostle Peter and
know the strength that caused Jesus to pick Him to lead the Church on the day of
Pentecost. I want to share stories with him about how I too betrayed the Lord
and yet He saw fit to use me in a mighty way.
Heaven is a GLORIOUS PLACE - but God needs you and I to be ready to go there. He
needs you and I to forgive those who have trespassed against us. He needs us to
throw our arm of love around that brother who has slipped away and needs someone
to invite him to come back once again to Jesus. He needs preachers to stop
talking about the stock market and start preaching about THE BLOOD OF JESUS!! He
needs Preachers to stop pointing people to the buffet line and start having them
partake of communion and the Body and blood of the Lord in remembrance of what
fellowship and Christianity is all about.
Well, I know I've gone a bit long today and we'll get back to this in tomorrow's
edition of In The Garden where we will talk about the Proper way to break down
our study of the Book of Revelation - and of course I hope you'll join us. For
now let's pray shall we?
Father: we love you and we need you to teach us that what you are doing right
now is to get the Church ready to meet The Groom; we are all so complacent
anymore and so many of us are living in sin and we know it. Speak to you church
today Father and WAKE US UP TO THE REALITY THAT JESUS IS COMING and this is no
drill! This is the real thing this time and you are counting down the days
before you will HARPATZO - "snatch us all away" in the twinkling of an
eye - perhaps when You come You will do so in the first half of a second in a
flash of lightning and in the second half of that second we will be gone!
GLORY!!! Speak to our hearts today Lord - not out of fear but from a soul and
heart of hope and expectancy that we will not be left to face the wrath of the
Tribulation Period - but we will be watching it all play out from the other
side. Father I ask that you will bless this study and that many will be blessed
and come to know you in a deeper way than ever before, In Jesus' Name, Amen.
