It's going to happen

DEVOTION

THE REVELATION

IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN

Rev 1:1-3

1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw — that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

NIV

This is the beginning of something we have not tried before, but we will with the help of the Spirit find our way through this. God gave John this revelation of what is to come in the future of mankind and his relationship with God. God did this through an angel. John says he testifies to everything he saw, that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. This is a firsthand account of the truth we are going to see happen someday. The lesson we need to see today is in the fact that because we are reading this we are blessed as long as we hear it and take it to heart. So is there a difference between receiving sound and hearing? The Greek word here does carry the implication that hearing means to understand that which was said. This would suggests that we are intended to be able to understand all the words of this revelation. The truth is not hidden from us, it is not a mystery, for no one can take a mystery to heart. In addition, we have the Spirit who will lead us into all truth. So we need to be able to hear and what we understand we need to take it to heart, to ingest it, to absorb it deep within our being, making the truths within a part of our very being. This would mean the words within this revelation will change our lives, which is if we take them to heart. So because we desire the blessing from God he intends for us to have because of our reading, hearing and taking to heart these words, we are diving into them. Although we have read these words before we have never sought after every drop of truth as we are about to do. Our lives will never be the same again. We need to do this because the time is near. Of course that is what John thought, but then that was revealed to him from God. What is near? It appears the time is at hand according the Greek word which carries the implication of anxious, that which is imminent and soon to come to pass. We can be sure this is the case. It will happen, it will come to pass. The exact time frame is certainly known only to God and he alone will determine when it will come to pass. John was not putting the time frame in place, but only confirming that all which we are going to read, hear and take to heart is going to happen. So let us live with that truth, it is going to happen.