Tag: book of Revelation

Don’t Mess With God’s Word – Revelation 22

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At the end of the Revelation there is a strong warning not to add or subtract from it.

“And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book.  And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.” Rev 22:18-19

Even though this warning is specifically for the book of Revelation I believe the principle of not adding to or taking away from the Bible stands for all 66 books.

When we add extra rules to the Bible we become legalistic.

Paul warned the Corthians not to go beyond what is written because this leads to pride.

“That you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. I Cor. 4:6b.

Make sure you do not make helpful tools for you into rules that everyone should do.

When we take the parts of the Bible away that make us uncomfortable, we miss vital truth and water down the gospel.

Our culture would like Christians to adapt our message, but we must not. The power of our message only holds strong when we stick to the truth.

In an attempt to win them over we confuse true seekers if we don’t address the hard parts of the Bible. When they do eventually hear the truth they will wonder why we were not more straight forward.

The great thing about God’s Word is that it tells us everything we need to know to follow him and live productive lives.

What are some other reasons that it is important not to add or subtract from the Bible?

Share on Facebook or Twitter or post a comment. Get daily updates by subscribing by email. From my reading in Revelation 22 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

4 reasons you should read the book of Revelation. (Revelation 1)

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1. Revelation is from Jesus Christ.

“This is a revelation from Jesus Christ…” Rev 1:1a

The fact that the book of Revelation is from Jesus is enough for me to want to read it. Don’t let fear of not understanding everything to stop you from reading a book that Jesus gave us.

2. Revelation is a faithful report of future events.

“…which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to present this revelation to his servant John who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev 1:1b-2

God gave us this book as a warning of future events. He wanted us to know in advance some of what will happen in the end times so that we can remain faithful till the end.

We can be assured that John faithfully reported what he saw in his vision.

4. Revelation is an encouragement to Churches.

“Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” Rev 1:11

The first several chapters are written directly to these churches, but I believe it has much that the modern church can apply today.

3. Revelation comes with a blessing to those who read and obey it.

“God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near.” Rev 1:3

You will be blessed if you read or listen to the book of Revelation. There is a blessing that we can get from reading and applying all scripture, but this is a specific blessing for this book. You will be blessed if you read Revelation and apply it to your life.

One reason for this is that those who learn what Revelation teaches will be better equipped to understand the signs of the end times. There are also some very valuable encouragements that can apply to every era.

Also there is a stunning description of what we have to look forward to in Heaven and a startling description of Hell. Understanding what we can about Revelation will help us live with an eternal perspective now.

Revelation uses a lot of symbolism that is hard to understand, but I encourage you to read it with an open heart looking for what you can apply to your life.

You don’t have to understand everything to apply something!

Share on Facebook or Twitter or post a comment. Get daily updates by subscribing by email. From my reading in Revelation 1 in the One Year Bible New Testament.