Revelation

¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

All scripture is....useful..... - I guess that means even the book of Revelation. Zach and I do a bible study together each night. We pick a book of the bible and go through it - when we've finished that one, we pick another one. For sometime now he has been "nagging" me to do the book of Revelation - I would politely decline and make another suggestion. When we finished our last book, he didn't ask, he simply stated we were going to do Revelation next. I grumbled and complained and he did not give in - boo!

What, you might think, do I have against the book of Revelation? Well, for starters, I am rational and logical and it is not. I also have a hard time reading and finding imagery useful - I'm too literal - say what you mean :) The book of Revelation is unappealing to me for these reasons - there are plenty of prophets (I originally typed "profits" - can you tell I'm an accountant hehe) who talk similar to this but I can chalk those up to already having occurred in general and just move on. Revelation, however, may or may not have partially occurred depending on your beliefs.

I fail (perhaps I am wrong) to see the importance of debating the specifics of Revelation. I believe it is God's word and every bit of it is true. However, when I was a child, I would spend hours pondering things - I am nosey and curious and can't stand not knowing something. So I would try to rationalize or logically understand eternity, God, salvation/forgiveness, the devil, why we were created if God knew that we would sin, and the list goes on and on. For these, there is no logically explanation and our finite minds cannot comprehend them. As such, I accepted the truths of God's word and quit thinking about them. They are true and I believe them - but I cannot explain them. I am saved and know I am going to heaven - and even the book of Revelation can't tell me what I will go through between here and there. Because of this, I have kind of had the attitude that I know what I believe and see no need to ponder things that can't be explained - one of which is the book of Revelation.

A good friend of ours was speaking of being asked if he was a premillennialist or a postmillennialist and he said he was a panmillennialist - he believes it will all pan out in the end - and I thought - AMEN!

However, Zach and I began our bible study a few weeks ago and I have been doing Beth Moore's John: 90 Days with the Beloved Disciple. I'm going to be honest with you - I had already completed the Paul study and picked John to do next and never even considered that since he authored Revelation, that there may be some of it in there....well, there is....I just didn't get to it until about a week after Zach and I had started. Beth points out that at the end of each letter to the churches it says "he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" and she goes on to say - as only she can - that it doesn't even say you have to have two ears, just AN ear - so if you have an ear - He's talking to you. FINE - I said - FINE!!!

God really knows how to get your attention and change your mind or attitude - I have been studying Revelation every morning and night for the last two weeks! I have learned - but it has been painful :)