“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.” — REVELATION 1:3
The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the only book in the Bible with a promised blessing for those who read, hear, and keep the words of this incredible book. The Lord reveals the purpose of His Revelation in the very first verse: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place”—Revelation 1:1. Though we often focus primarily on the events—“what soon must take place,” the main purpose of Revelation is to reveal the Lord Jesus Christ in all of His majestic glory as the “Alpha and Omega…who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:1, 8). As His Church, we must truly know the Lord Jesus Christ in all of His divine glory as our Lord and King in order to be truly ready for “what soon must take place.” Therefore, His Church needs to read the Revelation of Jesus Christ “for the time is near.”
However, before we can understand many of the amazing new revelations in the Book of Revelation, we must clearly understand what Jesus has already taught the Church about His glorious return at the end of the age to establish the Kingdom of God. The Lord delivered one of His most foundational lessons to His disciples about “the end of the age” in the Parable of the Weeds, which lays out the entire scope of the human story in one simple parable. The Lord also gives us an important clue about how and when the Lord will establish the Kingdom of God. He clearly prophesied that before “the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father,” that “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil” to be thrown into the “fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”—Matthew 13:36-43. Jesus also clearly revealed to His disciples that before they “see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” to “gather His elect…from one end of the heavens to the other,” (Matt 24:30-31) that the Antichrist would be revealed (Daniel’s “Abomination of Desolation” in Daniel 9:27) and His Church and Israel would suffer “great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time” (Matt 24:15-21). In 2 Thessalonians, Paul also directly confirms by the Lord’s revelation to him that the Lord would not return to gather us—the “Rapture”—until after the Church faced the Antichrist and the Great Tribulation when he desecrates the temple and declares himself God, which is referred to by Daniel in Daniel 9:27, and by Jesus in Matthew 24:15, as the “Abomination of Desolation.” Read carefully what Paul says:
“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness [the Antichrist] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” — II THESS 2:1-4
In our present state we—the Church—are simply not ready to face the “great tribulation” that Jesus warns us about, much less ready to sacrificially love and serve in the midst of it. The Lord knows that we will struggle to pass this time of testing without a great reset of the Church, which will require each one of us to humbly repent. The time of His coming seems to be very near, and the Lord has specifically revealed to the Church “what must soon take place.” The Revelation of Jesus Christ was prophetically given to those that “have an ear to hear” to prepare our hearts for this time of tribulation and testing. Now is the time to read, hear and keep the words of the Revelation of Jesus Christ for the time is near!
“Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book.” — REVELATION 22:7
A Prayer
Lord Jesus, you have clearly told us that you are coming soon to establish your eternal kingdom forever. Give us the wisdom and courage to read the book you have prophetically sent us to prepare your Church—the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Prepare our hearts and pour out your Holy Spirit as we humble ourselves and repent. I pray that we, your Church, may continue to love and serve others as we bear witness to you Lord in our praise and worship. Lord, we invite your Holy Spirit to burn in our hearts and give us a hunger for your word. Bless the Church with the words of your Revelation and give us the strength and courage to live out the remainder of our lives as overcomers, just as you have already overcame the world. May we all read and hear your message to us. May we keep and obey the word of your Revelation as you prepare and purify us as your radiant Bride. May we all cry out for you with a burning heart until you return and come into your glory: Come Lord Jesus, come! Amen!
Part of Dan Waters’ four-part Reset & Repent study, read in order. Continue reading: I — The Lord’s Great Reset of the Church Begins with Repentance.