END OF TIME PROPHECIES 006

"Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."                           Revelation 1v3

What is to be our response to such a revelation, as has just been described?   A threefold response is indicated as follows:

• "He that readeth"
• "They that hear"
• "They that keep the sayings of this prophecy."

Before we develop the three responses on our part, there is predicted a divine blessing upon our proper response to this awesome divine communication.     This is the first utterance of blessing out of seven in the entire book.   They are as follows:  chapter 1v3:  chapter 14v13:  chapter 16v15:  chapter 19v9:  chapter 20v6:  chapter 22v7:  chapter 22v13.    In each case the context determines the nature of the blessing.   The word  "blessing " requires some unravelling, because we tend to glibly use these words without understanding the meaning.   It is the Greek word  "makarios;"  this word means  "ultimate prosperity "   an extreme state of wellbeing which will never end.   The world at large speaks of the  "feel good factor " often times without any logic behind it.   Blessing from God as described throughout the Bible is a state of absolute peace and security and contentment; it cannot be improved upon and it will never end.    Its use in the Bible is the opposite from the idea of cursing, which means ultimate ruin.   We do well to ponder the glorious meaning of these bible words.

•   "He that readeth....."    Public reading is here in view, since it is followed by the plural  "they that hear."   Public reading has largely become a lost practice in modern day evangelical churches.   There is no doubt this was a practice in Jewish synagogues and in the early New Testament churches.   Today, it is more practiced by what are known as the "mainstream churches" but has been somewhat neglected elsewhere.   I think this is what Paul had in mind writing to Timothy in 1st Timothy 4v13   "Till I come give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."    There is a singular blessing pronounced on such public reading of this book.
• "They that hear  ......."     This could be better rendered  "They that heed.....": not only hearing with the physical ear, but with the inner spiritual ear.   This idea is repeated in the Bible.  Isaiah 6v9   " Hear ye indeed, but understand not."      Isaiah 6v10   "  Make their ears heavy."   and "hearing with the ears."    In Revelation chapter 2 & 3 the message to each of the seven churches is this;   " He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."       There is an extraordinary tendency in human beings for selective hearing.   The Spirit of God knows this and so emphasizes it by this repeated command.     These words could never be spoken by mortal man,  only by One who spoke with Divine authority and who knows at the same time as speaking whether or not the hearer has truly heard.   The grammatical construction here is an example of the figure  " polyptoton" which is the repetition of the same verb in a different inflection by which great emphasis is placed on the injunction given.   The Spirit of God is speaking and we need to hear.  It is interesting that the Lord Jesus who used this injunction in His ascension glory to the churches, used the same method to His disciples when He was here on this earth.     Seven times over to His chosen disciples He repeated this same phrase:  Luke 8v8:  Matthew 11v15:  Matthew 13v9:  Matthew 13v43:  Mark 4v32:  Mark 7v16:  Luke 14v35.   In all of these cases the Lord is calling for special attention on the part of the hearers.   We are called to hear, in the biblical sense, the words of this prophecy.
• "They that keep those things that are written therein."    Listening, hearing, is not enough.   This book is not written for curiosity or idle speculation.   This book is intensely practical, and the information that we receive in our heads must work its way down to our hands and our feet in practical living.    This is fundamental to Christianity.   It is never seen in terms of profession only, but in terms of reality.   In Revelation 22v9   those who are saved are described as  "they which keep the sayings of this book."    We must respond to the gospel of grace by real fruits of the Holy Spirit.   This is not to outdo the gospel of free grace, just that acceptance of it must issue in good works.   The emphasis on this book is toward godly living and we shall see more evidence of this as we proceed.  

Why must we respond like this?    The answer is given  " for the time is at hand."   The end of time as we know it is near.   We are on the cusp of eternity.   There is no greater incentive to godly living, than that the present order of things is about to end.   The whole message of the book is that Jesus is coming soon.   We are going to live with God in a new universal order completely.   The day of sin and unrighteousness and failure is coming to an end.