READ: Amos 3-4; Proverbs 11; Revelation:1
SCRIPTURE: 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.
OBSERVATION: Unfriendly social
atmosphere, fears about the future, threats of persecution, intolerance towards
other religions, and rulers’ biased view against Christianity, they are not
only the issues against present-day Christianity, even in the first century
Christians had to face them. As part of the persecutions Christians faced those
days, aged Apostle John was on the island of Patmos as a prisoner “because of
the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (v.9). God gave the revelation to
John to encourage the Church and the believers to be steadfast in the faith
during such a precarious time. The Book of Revelation is an apocalyptical or
prophetic book of the New Testament.
According to their interpretive
methods, people give different interpretations to the book of Revelation. The
following are the major approaches used in interpreting the book of Revelation:
1. The Preterist - the Revelation tells us about the events fulfilled in John's
time during the first century; 2. The historicist - Revelation
gives a prophetic survey of events of human history from the time of John to
the Second Coming of Christ; 3. The Idealist– the Revelation reveals timeless
spiritual truths and describes the victory of good over evil; 4. The
futurist – Revelation primarily tells us about the end-time events; 5. The Eclectic is a mixed method that adapts
elements from one or more other approaches. Some try to interpret the book of Revelation
to match their whims and their ideas. Some emphasize their approach more than
the biblical text. Our goal is to understand what God speaks to us and apply it
to our lives, not spread our new interpretations or our chosen approach. As Pastor David Guzik says,
“This is a book that Jesus gave to show His servants something. It isn’t a book of meaningless nonsense. It has a promise of
blessing, not a promise of confusion.”
Revelation 1:3 is the first of seven
beatitudes in the book. Here, we see a unique promise that blesses both the
hearer and the reader. This verse not only says about hearing the word of God
but encourages us to believe and practice it. As one commentator says, “To
hear God’s word is a blessing. To obey it is a duty.” As some think, the
book of Revelation is not hard to comprehend. All who read and hear it can
understand and receive God’s blessing. John’s reason for this prophetic
blessing was, “the time is near.” It implies the imminent return of Jesus
Christ. Here the Greek word for time denotes a period of time, not a particular
time. Since the time is near, we should be prepared for his coming. We can
prepare ourselves to stand before Christ by reading and obeying the word of
God. The blessings of God and his word were the hope for suffering Christians
in the first century. Even today, the second coming of Christ is the blessed hope
for every Christian.
APPLICATION: The timeless word
of God blesses all who hear and obey it. Considering the time I live, I must
obey God's word without any delay. All I know is the time is near for Christ’s
return. I must be ready to meet him with all preparation. The word of God gives
me hope for the future, healing for the present wounds, and the blessing that
we need at all times.
PRAYER: Jesus, thank you
for the prophetic promise of your blessing. Lord, open my eyes and ears to see
and hear the wonders of your word. Holy Spirit, help me be conscious that “the
time is near” and strengthen me to live with an expectation of the soon coming
of Christ. Amen
- Arputharaj Samuel
+91 9538328573
Day – 344
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