Butterflies…..
Revelation 1:1-3 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants–things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 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.
I get really nervous about writing from the book of Revelation. I don’t much to be honest, but I feel led so strongly to write about what God is laying on my heart there, I feel as though I must. Revelation is a book by Jesus Christ himself; he is giving us a glimpse into the future of time as we know it, a glimpse of the battle of good and evil, and an assurance that good has and will prevail. Is is an apocalyptic book, foretelling of things to come, and its author John describes himself as recorder and writer of these visions he is witnessing. He is doing as he is told to do; recording what he sees to present to those that will hear.
Revelation is written to the seven churches in Asia. They represent the types of different churches, and these same types exist today. They are addressed with their both their good and bad attributes; they are warned of their faults. They must be both encouraged and disciplined in this book. We all can find ourselves in the description of one of these churches, and we all must heed the warnings given in these descriptions. All of this letters to these seven churches are to encourage believers to draw closer to Christ and away from the temptations and false teachings that Satan has planted in the world and the church. “God’s overriding purpose in all of history is the establishment of the promised messianic kingdom. Associated with this ultimate divine objective is the opportunity for believers to persevere by faith in a life of obedience. The prospect for these overcomers or victors is the destiny of realigning with Christ as coheirs in His kingdom. (Study Bible)
So if this book is the words of Christ given to likely his favorite apostle both as a warning and a promise, can you understand the importance of spending time there? Can you dig deep to find yourself as described in one of the seven churches? Will you ask God to speak to you as we spend time looking at where He has spoken to me? I know where my heart lied before Christ saved me; it lied in a lukewarm faith that sickened Christ as in the church of Laodecia. I pretended to be a Christian, yet lived with a heart for the world. I was going to be vomited from Christ’s mouth if He had not opened my eyes through my heart of this sin. I have repented of my sin and by the grace of God I ask you to do the same. Revelation should be a book that stirs you; makes you feel nervous too, and makes you reflect on your own faith and the outcome of it.
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