Blessings found in the Book of Revelation
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep (guard) those things which are written in it; for the time is near (ready). (Revelation 1:3 NKJV)
How are we Blessed?
The Revelation of the Lord given to the apostle John is supposed to bless those who read and hear the words of the prophecy. How does it bless us?
First of All
We are reminded in the first chapter that the One who humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross is one day going to be the almighty judge. Even John who leaned his head on the Lord’s breast at the last supper, fell at His feet as dead when He saw the Lord in this vision. The cross, the burial, the resurrection and the Lord’s ascension is not all of the story. As Paul Harvey used to say, this book is the “rest of the story.”
Second
Consider the fact that in each of the seven churches mentioned in chapters 2 and 3, there are overcomers and there are those who are not overcomers. The blessings to the overcomers are blessings that all true believers have. Therefore, in each local congregation listed there were unsaved people. The unsaved are going to miss out on the rapture and are going to be left behind for the wrath of the Lamb. And yes, the Lord will be angry with the people and nations who have refused to worship Him, the One who created all things. So the book should make the preaching of the Gospel to supposed Christians and to the obvious unbelievers a priority. John 3:36 is pretty clear: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the WRATH of God abides on him. (John 3:36 NKJV)”
Third
In heaven there is true worship. This is seen in chapters 4 and 5. In heaven we are reminded that the Lord is worthy to open the seals of the scroll that introduces us to the wrath of God. He is worthy because He willingly sacrificed Himself so that believers could be delivered from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). But for those who were too proud to trust him, one day they will wish that they could, but it will be too late.
Notice: “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'” (Revelation 6:15-17 NKJV)
Conclusion
There are many prophecies connected with the Lord’s first coming that have come true. One is found in Psalm 22. “For dogs (gentiles) have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet (Psalm 22:16 NKJV).” This prophecy was written about 1000 years before the Lord’s crucifixion It tells us how the Lord was to die years before crucifixion became “a thing.”
Another is found in Isaiah 53 written about 700 years before the Lord was crucified. “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken,smitten by God, and afflicted (Isaiah 53:4 NKJV).” Notice the surely. This is why the Lord was crucified.
In Daniel 9, we have a calendar of events given to us that show exactly when the Lord was to be crucified. It would be 483 years after the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes, a Persian King. Historians have shown that the 483 years were finished upon the Lord’s triumphal entry in Jerusalem.
If the Lord predicted the means of His crucifixion, the reason for His crucifixion and the timing of the His crucifixion, then I think it would be safe to assume that His promise of wrath on the unbeliever is certain as well.
But remember, the wrath that falls on the nations and peoples on this earth who have rejected the Lord will be nothing compared to the eternal state of those who reject the warnings of this book.
The Last Blessing
For me the last blessing found in reading this prophecy is to thank God for my salvation and to thank God that He has extended the day of grace so that others can be saved. It is not His will that any perish (2 Peter 3:9). Please read and believe this book if you haven’t already. It could be the most important book you have ever read.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of August 14, 2022