Cash in on the Blessings
Daily Reading: (Revelation 22:7):
“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.”
We have finally crossed over Revelation 21 and so the church is back on the scene. This blessing is incredible because it is a blessing for the church to read and understand before the Rapture, even though we are in the part of Revelation well after it and we have already glimpsed the new heaven and earth and Eden restored.
Blessed is the one who (tēreō) attends to carefully the words of Revelation, observing what is ours in Christ and deciphers what is for others.
We know that we are blessed in Christ period. But we can ignore the blessings we have. We can ignore the book of Revelation and not read it and not receive the blessing of knowing all of this great stuff because we are afraid of it and don’t know what is for us and what isn’t. “Blessed is the one who observes the words of this prophecy,” it is impossible to attend to the words of the prophecy if you have never read the words of this prophecy or you ignore them (Revelation 22:7).
We are about 2,000 years after this prophecy was written. John was exiled for his faith on the island of Patmos and received a vision from God about the end of the world and heaven when records the promise that Jesus would return soon. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t use the word soon to describe an event that was coming over 2,000 years later. I wouldn’t and Jesus didn’t either. Which is part of the reason that the I am coming soon part is followed by the Greek word (tēreō) to attend to carefully- look closely at what Jesus is saying here.
Here, in English, it appears that Jesus promises to return "soon." The Greek word translated here is also used in Revelation 22:12, and 20 (tachy). This word may also be translated "quickly." This means Jesus' emphasis here is on the nature of His return, rather than the schedule of His return.
Although the entire book should be read and studied it should be done so through the lens of keeping these truths:
1) Read the Book of Revelation (1:3) it’s a blessing!
2) Your good deeds follow you- this truth enables even more fruit being born out of our lives (Revelation 14:13).
3) You are blessed because you have died in Christ and have a new life (Revelation 14:13, Galatians 2:20, 2 Corinthians 5:17).
4) Remember your standing in Jesus- you are wearing His righteousness (Revelation 16:15).
5) Blessed are those in Christ because they have union life with Christ and a wedding coming (Revelation 19:9).
6) We will be rewarded for the fruit Christ bears in our lives (Revelation 20:6).
7) You are blessed to stay in and meditate on the blessings that are ours in Christ as we read Revelation (Revelation 22:7).