A Special Blessing

Revelation 1

Have you ever been reading or studying something but you are not really able to understand what you are reading? You read it over and over and no matter how many times you read it, it still does not make sense? It’s in those moments that we wish we had a cliffnotes version of whatever it is we are studying. Revelation can be a difficult book to understand but in the very first chapter Jesus gives us an outline of the entire book which will be helpful as we study Revelation together.

Revelation 1:19 “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.”
Jesus is speaking to John(author of the Gospel of John and the 3 epistles), and gives him an outline for the book John is about to write. Jesus tells John to write down 3 things: The thing which he has seen, the things that are, and the things that will be.

The Things that you have seen: This refers to chapter 1 and the vision of the Son of Man(Jesus) which John saw. The things that are: This refers to chapters 2-3 and the 7 letters to the seven churches. The things that will happen: This is talking about the vision’s and prophesies that John saw in chapters 4-22. This will help us understand what Revelation is talking about in the coming weeks. Use this outline as we study this incredible book together. There are many things that John describes that will require you to use your imagination and as he describes things in the book like God on His throne(ch. 4) try to imagine what it all will look like.

If you begin to get discouraged as we study Revelation because it is hard to understand or because it can be downright frightening at times, remember Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it,  for the time is near.” There is a special blessing to those that read this book. John originally wrote this book to actual churches that were suffering and going through hard trials and this book would be read aloud at the church, giving them strength but also causing them to examine their own lives according the Bible. I pray that you would do the same. I pray that by reading this book you will be excited about Heaven, have a passion for the lost, and examine your life and live according to the word of God(Revelation 22:7 “Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”)