CAN YOU HEAR THE FAT LADY?

I was in a Bible study once with a girl we'll call Linda.  Linda had a mild interest in the study and most of her theology was opinion. When it came time to look up a proof text in Revelation, she protested "no one really understands that book...and the ones who try, get all out of balance and go off the deep end".  Gee.  How would you evaluate my friend's statement?  She was sorta right.  There ARE some folks who get Scripture outta whack and concentrate on the future to the exclusion of the present.  They may appear to others as wild-eyed food stockpilers who talk a LOT about the Anti-Christ.  Most people just give them a wide berth on life's highway.

But on the other hand, the Lord did include Revelation in His book.  So does it make sense to ignore it entirely?

This is about the fourth time Mike and I have been through a study of John's revelation.  My church has taught through it twice in the last ten years and we also did it last year at Community Bible Study.  Every time I study the revelation, I learn something and get a better handle on the big picture.  But every time I also find things that remain a puzzle. Bottom line for me is that I don't want to get to the end and screw up and hear "I warned you about that in the last book. Didn't you read it?"

God is so kind.  He took my whipping so I could be with Him eternally.  He gave me a heads-up as to how best to walk gingerly through this minefield of life that the enemy occupies.  He has cheered my heart by telling me how the eternal struggle will play out.  And it is over and beyond that He would leave gingerbread crumbs of proof that lead back to Himself.

Say what?  What crumbs?  Well, I'm glad you asked.  On the Lord's first journey to Planet Earth, the Book lists statements out the wazzoo about the Messiah...so that when He arrived, the people who knew the Book would recognize Him.  Those specific miracles were things that ONLY the Messiah would be able to do.  Unfortunately, many did not recognize Him although He fulfilled every prediction about His first coming.  Those crumbs should have been pretty obvious to a listening heart.

Then, there are tons of other statements about the way the Second Coming will happen.  Since they haven't all happened yet, we can't claim them as gingerbread proof.  But if the first time was fulfilled, you can bet the second time will be fulfilled as well.  Our times are lining up and many things are becoming possible in our day.  Stuff that used to sound far-fetched now sounds reasonable.  Consider these three things:

1.  Scripture says that when He comes, every eye will see Him.  That used to sound impossible.  But when the second plane hit the Twin Towers, many eyes were watching.  Never before has technology made those Bible words plausible.

2.  Scripture talks about the nations organizing a one-world government toward the end.  Hey, that's TOTALLY not far-fetched.  Can you say "euro"?

3.  Gog, Persia, Ethiopia, and Put are said to form an alliance to come against Israel in the end.  Who's that, you ask?  Russia, Iran, Libya and Turkey.  Well HELLO!  Yeah, I can see that.  Our Bible is coming alive like never before!

So here's my parting shot.  For the first thirty years of my life, I was in church regularly...but was taught NONE of this. My question, then, is "why"?  Would it sound critical of me to bemoan the fact that I was not very well prepared?  We stand accountable to the Lord for our individual walk (how we respond to His truth).  I'm not in Iraq and won't be beaten with a rod for studying the Bible.  It's here for me.

But the offer does have a shelf-life expiration date.

"Are your ears awake?  Listen.  Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches."  Revelation 3:22 The Message