Revelation Unlocked #280.

Faith is the Hand that Accepts God’s Offer.

“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.” – Revelation 22:18-19. (NASB)

This is, at first glance, a very threatening way for God to end the Bible! “Don’t mess with this book! If you touch even a word of it, you will be in such trouble that you will wish your life were over!” While these threatening words undergird the authority of the Book of Revelation in particular, they seem appropriate also for the Bible as a whole.

The Bible as it is, does not contain all truth.  

“Two plus two equals four” is a truth, for example. But it isn’t in the Bible. “It is warmer at the equator than at the poles” is a truth. But it isn’t in the Bible. So, the Bible is not a collection of everything that is true, it is like a measuring stick, by which we measure claims to truth.

That’s why it is important to leave the Bible as it is from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible, as it is, is fitted by God for its purpose. To tamper with it, to ignore one part or another, would be to interfere with its divine purpose. To add something or to leave something out is to distort God’s purpose. It seems to me that has implications for us as well. For instance, we have seen how important Genesis is in Revelation, and yet Genesis would be the most attacked book in the Bible. That is because it contains the foundational truths of the entire book right through to Revelation.

Every one of us is unique. We too are fitted for a purpose. We might want to add or subtract from the work God has done with us, but we would be wiser to accept His purpose and use our unique characteristics for His glory.

Our journey through the book of Revelation has been a rollicking ride filled with war, famine, pestilence, wild beasts, earthquakes and scorching fire. Through it all I have tried to maintain a focus on the book’s primary theme, the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The plagues of the book are a demonstration of His power to save. So, it is not totally out of character for an action/adventure book like Revelation to end with grace. Grace is a special manifestation of the divine presence and power, an expression of kindness, mercy and good will. An excellent translation would be “healing compassion.”

Even the millennium has a healing theme: Why is the 1000 years necessary when the Second Coming seems to have brought all things to an end and even time is no more? (1000 = 10x10x10 a triple 10 of completeness) Firstly, it provides recovery time for the righteous. There will be a need for coming to terms with the fact that some are there and some are not. Revelation 22:2 speaks of the leaves of the tree of life being for the healing of the nations. There may be people there you didn’t like or didn’t expect to see in heaven. Others you expected to see are missing. The symbolic 1,000 years will provide time to learn and grow as eternity begins. Secondly, it will be an examination time for the righteous. The redeemed will be free to explore the “books of heaven,” getting answers to questions about God, about those we loved who are not there, and about issues in the great controversy. There will be many questions to answer. Finally, it will be a demonstration time for Satan and his followers. At the close of the millennium, Satan and his followers will demonstrate one final time the destructive nature of their characters. This final demonstration will secure the redeemed in loyalty to God throughout eternity. The watching universe have already had this revelation.

Philippians 2:10 says that “at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Even the devil himself will have to acknowledge this. And so, I say unto you today – if then, why not now?

As the book of Revelation draws to a close, I invite you to drink in the healing compassion of Jesus Christ. Let him heal your wounds, soothe your hurts, and affirm your value as a person. Take his offer which is the free gift of salvation. Faith is the hand that accepts the offer!

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