Daily Reading: (Revelation 1:3):
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud 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.”
If you have ever read a part of the book of Revelation before what is the emotion that you feel when you were done reading it?
Revelation is the only book in the Bible that explicitly says you will be blessed to read it. Why is that? Obviously, you are blessed with every book you read in the Bible, however, God knew that the tendency of people would be to miss the point of Revelation and would fail to see it as a blessing to be read.
The word used in Revelation 1:3 for blessed is (Makarios) and it means “blessed” or “happy”. So, as you study the book of Revelation correctly, it should make you happy.
There are seven times in the book of Revelation where it mentions blessing. The number seven in the Bible always represents completion and perfection. This is what you are in Christ completed and perfectly blessed in Jesus. The seven blessings of Revelation testifies to this.
Let me ask you a question. What are the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls that will be unleashed upon the earth?
The correct answer three series of end-times judgments from God. The key words being judgments from God. God’s judgment for your sin was satisfied on the cross of Christ. God would be unjust if He were to unleash his judgment upon you as a believer because Jesus bore our sins and His righteousness has been credited to us.
How many Israelites were harmed by the ten plagues of Egypt?
Answer: None of those who had the blood of the Lamb applied to them (Exodus 12:12-13). “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”
The point is the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ has been applied to our lives, which means the judgment of God will never touch us because all of our sins have been righteously judged through the death of Jesus Christ. The judgment was on all the gods of Egypt and (the Egyptians). Just as the judgment of God in the book of Revelation will not be upon God’s people it will be upon the Anti-Christ, his prophet, and those who receive the mark of the beast.
The key question is how does God prevent all the crazy things from happening to believers during the end of days? God’s answer is surprising simple- you won’t be here for any of this. The bride of Christ, the church, will be raptured (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52). There will be people who believe in Jesus after the rapture and many of those people will be martyred during the tribulation.
Revelation is a blessing to be read and if you read it you will find the church is nowhere to be found when the first seal is opened in Revelation 6. There is an absence of the word "church" from Revelation 3:22 to Revelation 20:15 and this is because the judgment shall not be upon God’s people who have the blood of the Lamb applied to their lives they have been raptured.
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