Honestly, Revelation is my favorite book in the bible. Of course, I love the whole Bible and can give you a list of some of my favorites, but to me, Revelation is special in the fact that it is the only book in the bible that has not happened yet, it is unfulfilled prophecy. Revelation is often not read in churches or when asking other Christians, it is something scary, so they avoid it. But there are many reasons we need to read, study, and discuss this important book, and as Christians, we should find hope, joy, and excitement at the anticipation of what is to come for those who are saved. Here are 4 reasons to study Revelation.
1. Blessings
The revelation from 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, who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 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. - Revelation 1:1-3
Reading and listening to Revelation is one of the blessings we are given. This book is extremely important, and God holds us accountable for either listening to Him and gaining wisdom from it or ignoring it and removing it from our minds/hearts. Many Christians are misinformed about Revelation and the meanings this book provides. They say it is a frightening book they want to avoid, but God has told us to read aloud the words and treasure it in our hearts. First, it is God's gift to us to inform us what is to come, to give us hope and anticipation of the life we will have with Him for eternity. Second, it is God's goodness to warn us about what will take place if we reject His sacrifice for our sins. Third, it is God's power to show us how great and holy He is and how He is to be honored, praised, and obeyed. Fourth, it is God's love to encourage His children to remain strong, steadfast on His Word because in the end, He wins, the devil loses, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior! We, His children will join Him in the victory forevermore, no more tears, suffering, pain, or heartache for all of eternity. I get filled with joy and gladness just typing this.
2. Hope
Revelation gives us hope for the future and kingdom to come. Here on earth, we are evil, there is heartache, pain, hurt, disease, everything bad you can imagine, and that is not how God created this world, it is what we, as sinful humans, have done to it. Right now, God is allowing the devil to have control over this earth, but when it is God's timing and every person has had the chance to either accept His love and retribution for our sins or reject it, He will come back and put an end to the devil's control and to all evil! As Christians, we wait patiently with excitement and hope on the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you are not saved, God is patient with you and is giving you the opportunity and choice to make your decision to either live with Him for all eternity or live without Him for all eternity. Just think if you reject God, you are choosing a life of complete evil, darkness, void, restlessness, pain, heartache, loneliness, fear, deception, corruption, and weariness for all of eternity... because God is light, truth, love, comfort, joy, fulfillment, goodness, rest, peace, and holiness. Apart from God, there is nothing good. God loves you and does not want you to be in darkness or pain, He desires that you would accept Him into your heart and be adopted into His family so you can be a child of the King. He longs to welcome you with open arms! If you are not ready to make a decision, you already have. There are only two choices: accepting or rejecting, being on the fence is rejecting. Think about it this way, if I baked a cake for a party, and offered you a piece, but you said maybe later, and people were coming and getting a piece of the cake, eventually the door to that opportunity closes and you will no longer be able to accept a piece of that cake. It may not be the best example, but hopefully, you understand my meaning. God is waiting for you, but one day that opportunity to accept Him will be closed. Jesus Christ is coming back, and He is coming back soon. No one knows or will know when, so be ready, accept Him today!
3. Joy
There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. - Revelation 22:5
As a Christian we should get joy out of reading Revelation, yes it is extremely sad and horrible for those who are not saved but remember, we ALL make a decision, and we ALL are accountable for our choices. God created us with free will, we are the only creation that can choose freely. Angels do not have that ability, they were created solely to worship and obey God, without free will. God wanted a creation made after Him, in His image, and soul. We are free to choose for ourselves what we want. Therefore, as horrible as hell is, those people who are there and are going there, made their decision. We have sorrow for them and the fact that they chose a life without God, which is why it is extremely important for us to witness to others now, while we can. It is why God has commanded us to love others and proclaim His name to the ends of the earth because God does not want anyone to go to hell. He desires that all humans would live with Him for eternity, as we are designed to be, with our Father and Savior. The joy revelation brings for believers is amazing! We are going to work in the areas we were designed for (this is not the work we think of in earthly terms, but we will be doing what each of us was created for and absolutely love it!). We will be eating, and celebrating forever! There is no night, so all will be beautiful and bright. There are no mistakes, errors, blemishes, sin, or temptations in heaven, just perfect, holy, flawless beauty. We will be with our Husband, as the Church is the bride and Christ is the groom. We will know each other, even those we did not know on earth, because we are sisters/brothers in Christ. We will have no memory of our time on earth or those who are not in heaven, this one is a bit sorrowful, the fact that those we love who will not be in heaven will be forgotten, but the joy in not remembering our time on earth is that we will no longer have regret, sorrow, mourning, or tears. All will be made right through God. He is making a place for us and, in the end, will create a new heaven and a new earth! We will have perfect bodies, free from gravity, sin (disease, pain, aging, weakness, tiredness), and limitations. We will not get tired or hungry! We will be able to go as we please without gravity holding us back or age slowing us down. I don't know about you, but just thinking about it makes me want to go now! This is why, as Christians, not only are we to witness and reach as many people as we can so they too can experience this, but also why we need to pray for Jesus to come back soon.
4. Eternity
Eternity is a long time. Did you know there is no time in heaven? As humans, we are not able to understand everything about God or heaven, but one day all will be revealed to us. Right now we are very limited, because of sin. Even our minds are not at full functionality. In heaven, we will be free from the restraints of this life and will be at 100% how God created us to be. We will be made whole. If this has not gotten you excited, then I suggest you reflect on your heart and your relationship with God. I strongly ask that we read and study Revelation more and encourage each other!
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. - Revelation 22:16-21