BIBLE MEDITATION:
“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” Revelation 1:3;
ENCOURAGING WORD:
Why is it that most pastors and bible teachers will overlook certain passages in the Bible and even in some cases, teach the complete opposite of what the scriptures say? In all my days I have never attended a mainline denominational church where the book of Revelation was taught or even mentioned. I believe that these churches are doing a huge injustice to their congregation. Good Christian people who are attending church on a weekly or sometimes a bi-weekly basis are doing so, because they want to be fed the Word of God, yet they are not being taught what the Bible speaks of about end times. If you are not prepared for the days ahead, you will be caught off guard and completely unaware of what to expect. We read in Revelation 1:3 where it says, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” yet you will never hear this message in any church service that you attend unless it is a church that is teaching through the Bible, Book by Book, Chapter by Chapter and Verse by Verse. Paul tells us in Acts 20:27; “For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” Paul is telling us that we need to study the whole counsel of God, not just the chapters that make us feel good. If you are attending a church that just teaches topical studies, you are not hearing the full counsel of God. You are most likely missing what most of the Bible teaches.
The reason that I believe Revelation is not being taught is because it is hard to understand unless you have been through the Old Testament book by book. You have to understand the Old Testament before you can understand the New Testament. They both climax in the Book of Revelation. If you do a complete study of the book of Daniel, and understand all 12 chapters, then you will have a better understanding of Revelation. There are many parallels between the book of Daniel and Revelation. I’ve heard it said by a great scholar and it makes total sense, “The New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed and the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed.” This is so true, when you take part in a New Testament teaching, there is often an Old Testament picture. For example; when you read about Jesus Christ in Revelation 5, as the Kinsman Redeemer, you will see the perfect picture of this fulfillment in the Book of Ruth. The book of Ruth, a traditional reading at harvest time during the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot), is a book of only four brief chapters that is both a classic love story and also an essential book of prophecy. One cannot understand Revelation Chapter 5 without it. It is a story about Boaz, a type of the Kinsman Redeemer, (Jesus Christ) restoring the land of Israel back to the rightful owners, (Naomi) and the redemption of the believing Gentiles, The Church, (Ruth)
This is just one example of hundreds of messages that are cleverly hidden in the scriptures of the Bible. The only way that these hidden messages can be revealed is through the Holy Spirit. Matthew 10:26; tells us; "Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.” We are told that knowledge and wisdom will increase in the end times, and if you are watching and listening, you will see that this is true in the world today. If you’re not watching, it will all blow by you like a brisk morning breeze, and when it is too late, it will pass you by and catch you off guard.
ACTION POINT:
One of the last verses that we read in the Bible, Revelation 22:18-19; says it all, “Revelation 22:18-19; “For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” I would not want to be responsible for all the false teaching that is being taught in the mainline denominations. Remember, the Bible says in Galatians5:9;“A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” A little mislead teaching can lead to a huge deception and that is what Jesus said would happen in the end days, and we are seeing that on a huge scale today. Be aware of truth, it is found in the Bible and only in the Bible!
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