See Revelation Chapter 1.
First of all, this is for His servants. The Lord specifically gave this Book of Revelation, to show His servants the things that would come to pass.
Prophecy, is not prediction, or fortune telling, or communication with the dead. Prophecy is when God speaks and reveals what He wants to reveal about the future. It's one of the characteristics of God that sets Him apart from anyone, or anything that people might worship, or hold in high regard as some great and powerful personage, or entity etc. Only the Living and the true God, The Father of Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ Himself, and the Holy Spirit have this ability.
Secondly, the prophecy contained in the Book of Revelation is associated with a blessing to those who hear it, and read it, and to those keep it. Blessed means to be happy. There is then a certain happiness that one will have as they hear, read and keep what's in this book.
Thirdly, the contents of this book were to be given to seven particular churches that existed at the time John received this revelation. Those churches were located in what is modern day Turkey.
However, most Bible Scholars, commentators, and teachers are of the opinion that the seven churches also are representative to two things.
1. Church History. From the inception of the church, right on through to the last days church.
2. The lessons in these letters can have application to any Christian at any time.( That is, for example, "leaving your first love" as with the church of Ephesus. Well, they, thatactual church was indeed losing it's first love, but, so with the average Christian, they canalso find themselves losing their first love. So, the letters in chapter 2-3 do have both a historical application to seven particular churches, but also to you and I as christians )
The Lord is very self revealing in this book of Revelation and very much so in the first chapter.
As you read it through you might try counting up the specific things that are said about Jesus.
It's a long and detailed list.
Let me just mention a few of them to you.
1. He is the God of grace and peace. Jesus gives grace and gives peace. See Rev 1:4.
This means, that He can give us grace and peace. He is unchanging and thus, these
blessings are also available for us today.
2. He is intimately connected with His church. He is standing in the midst of His church. He is in
His church ( although there are some warnings in the 2nd 3rd chapter about His removing
Himself from the church etc ) But, to start with He is in His church. And His church is not a
building, but it's people. And people are individually members of His church. A Christian is a
church member, and Christ is in that person. Christ in you, is how the Bible puts it.
So, the one who gives grace and peace is in you if you are a christian.
Let's today, as we begin this first week of the new year, 2012, and head to our various church services this week and coming weekend, be blessed by this book of Revelation, and be receivers today of His grace, and of His peace.
We can pray for those blessings. We can ask for them. We can have them multiplied through the knowledge of God, that is through His Word.
May God bring great, and abundant blessings of peace and grace to you today, and lay that foundation moving into the new year.
Pastor Bob Grenier
Calvary Chapel Visalia.
