09/11/16 How Much is Enough?
As Pastor Bruce shared selected passages from Revelation chapters 16 – 18 he reassured us that “we can’t remember all the details about every vision”. So if we can’t possibly remember all those details, what should we remember? What do we need to take away from listening to Pastor Bruce as he teaches from “the Revelation of Jesus Christ”? What do we need to take away from our own study?
I have been using the Revelation commentary of H.A. Ironside as part of my own personal time of study. Ironside’s opening words in his commentary are so true about Revelation and about Christians (specifically yours truly). He opens his commentary with the following statement – “It is certainly cause for deep regret that the book of Revelation seems to many Christians to be what God never intended it to be – “a sealed book.” “ The book of Daniel was meant to be a sealed book until the time of the end but in Revelation it is written, “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand” (Rev 22:10). “This portion of Holy Scripture was given for our instruction and edification, but thousands of the Lord’s people permit themselves to be robbed of blessing by ignoring it.”
Are you one of those Christians that have allowed the book of Revelation to be a sealed book? Are you one of those Christians who are missing out on the blessings that are promised there? I must confess, I am one of those Christians – at least up until the last few months when Pastor Bruce opened the Word of God and began teaching through Revelation as part of his Sunday messages. Pastor Bruce’s weekly messages have not only “unsealed” the book to me but also “unsealed” my hunger to better understand the prophecies found there.
Revelation begins (1:3) and ends (22:7) with the promise of a blessing for all those who will read and heed all the words found between those two verses of scripture. I am finding nothing but blessings as I continue to dig deeper into this book.
In this one book we find described for us the future of the world along with our own personal future. There we find the consequences of our own personal choices – is our future to be spent in glory with Jesus Christ or will our future be spent condemned in the Lake of Fire? Those are the consequences of our choices – black and white, no gray areas. Have we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior – if so He promises to protect us from the wrath of God that we see described in Revelation.
In this one book we see the glory of Christ , the Lamb of God, we see the Judge of mankind. We see the fullness of Christ, in the gospels we see Christ as a man, in revelation we see Christ in all His gory and fullness. In this one book we get a glimpse of our eternal home – either in glory with Christ or condemned to the Lake of Fire.
In this one book we find the completion of a full circle from Genesis to Revelation – the totality of God’s plan.
How much is enough? Do we need to understand every vision, every image? No – but we do need to know and take hold of the future that God’s Word spells out for each one of us? Are we ready for the rapture? Are we ready for our Savior to call – “Come up Hither?”
How much is enough? Jesus warns at the very end of Revelation – chapter 22: 18-19- “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll”. Nothing can be added to, nothing can be taken away. We have been given enough to make the choices that He requires us to make.
Thanks Pastor Bruce for opening His Word, for “unsealing” the book of Revelation for us..