I just finished reading the Book of Revelation again, and it makes me wonder why so many Christians don’t read it. These are some of the reasons I found. People say:
It’s not that relevant to my life.
It’s so hard to read.
I don’t understand it.
It makes me uncomfortable.
It scares me.
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John introduces the Book of Revelation by saying,
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” Revelation 1:3 NIV
And consider what Jesus says about the Book of Revelation:
“Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.” Revelation 22:7 NIV (The Greek word translated soon can mean quickly or suddenly, also in v. 12.)
“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” Revelation 22:12-14 NIV
The first time you read Revelation, some parts might be difficult to understand, but there will be many parts that are pretty straightforward.
Chapters 2 and 3, for example, are messages from Jesus to the seven churches. These messages contain warnings and compliments from Jesus and are still relevant today.
The more you read and study Revelation, the more of it you will understand. For one thing, other books of the Bible will help you determine its meaning, especially Daniel and Ezekiel.
So go ahead and get started. You will be blessed!
Note: Here are three books by Amir Tsarfati that I found helpful for making the connections to Old Testament Scriptures:
Revealing Revelation, Exploring Ezekiel, and Discovering Daniel.
In His wilderness temptation with the devil, Jesus fired Scripture at the devil—but He only used ammunition from Deuteronomy. The late Dallas Seminary professor Howard Hendricks used to ask his students, “If your spiritual survival depended on how well you knew the Book of Deuteronomy, how long would you last?”
The Holy Spirit will not bring to mind a verse that we have never read. It is up to us to hide the Word in our hearts so the Spirit can use it to help us fight off the attacks of Satan. (From the Jeremiah Study Bible Online Notes)
Dear Friends, If you make it your practice to read the entire Bible, and then read it again and again, you will discover this truth for yourself. You might be surprised to know that it is not difficult to read the entire Bible in one year when you devote 15 to 20 minutes daily. You can find a 1-year plan you like online. This has been the most impactful practice of my life.
“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Psalm 119:15-16 NIV (emphasis mine)
“Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Matthew 5:13 NIV
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:5-6 NIV
“Salt has a number of characteristics that illustrate the Christian’s role in the world. It hinders the spread of corruption; it creates thirst; and it enhances flavor. Christians who live out the virtues described in the Beatitudes achieve all three of these purposes.” Jeremiah Study Bible Notes
One of the biggest problems in the world today is that people believe lies, even outrageous lies. Who would have believed that American universities would be teaching that a man can get pregnant, or that an unborn child at full term isn’t a human being?
Who would have believed that, all over the world, people would be protesting against the Jews in support of the evil terrorist organization Hamas? Who would have believed that an irrational hatred for Israel and the Jews would be unleashed that hasn’t been seen since the Holocaust?
These lies come straight from Satan. He is behind the dangerous lies that much of the world has bought into.
Unfortunately, many people believe these lies (also known as propaganda). It’s shocking how easily a culture’s thinking can be reformed and controlled.
Remember, Satan is the Father of lies. Speaking to the Pharisees, Jesus said,
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 NIV (emphasis mine)
I’ve read many historical novels that take place during WW2. You may have read the famous book, The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. (If you haven’t read it, please do!)
How could 6 million Jews have been carried off to concentration camps and no one stopped it? Why didn’t the people do something? Some, like Corrie ten Boom and her family, did take action by hiding Jews in their home. They were arrested and put in the infamous concentration camp Ravensbrücke. And there were others, like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who gave their lives to stand against evil. But the vast majority did nothing. Did they believe Hitler’s lies?
As we think about our question, consider these words of Adolf Hitler:
Throughout the world today, there is enormous support for the terrorist organization Hamas and an irrational hatred for Jews. Only demonic influence can explain it.
“The world changed on October 7. It will never be what it used to be.” Jan Markell
“As the world becomes more and more anti-Jesus, it is going to become more and more anti-Jewish.” Trevor Rubenstein
“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Winston Churchill
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:6-8a
“So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth…” Ephesians 4:25 NLT
No wonder the Bible has so much to say about love and truth! How important they are!
During a period of intense persecution of Christians in Rome, the Apostle Paul wrote 2 Timothy while he languished in prison. It was the last letter he would write.
Historians describe Rome’s Mamertine Prison as a former cistern, a cold, damp dungeon in a well, 12 feet below ground. Neglect, darkness, and stench made it hideous. It was the last stop for prisoners condemned to die, where they awaited execution by strangulation or decapitation. Strong evidence tells us that Paul spent his last days in such a place.
Paul knew he would die soon. Therefore, this letter is not to be taken lightly. I urge you to read this short letter. The following are a few of the verses from that special book of the Bible:
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 NASB (emphasis mine)
“But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these.For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. … But evil people and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:1-7, 13 (emphasis mine)
“All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;” 2 Timothy 3:16 NASB (emphasis mine)
“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” 2 Timothy 4:2-4 NASB (emphasis mine)
In summary: More difficult times are coming. Make sure you teach the Bible correctly. It is the Word of God. Even greater deception is coming. Evil impostors will teach people what they want to hear, rather than the truth.
“Exposing error is most unpopular work. But from every true standpoint, it is worthwhile work. To our Saviour, it means that He receives from us, His blood-bought ones, the loyalty that is His due. To ourselves, if we consider “the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt,” it ensures future reward, a thousandfold. And to souls “caught in the snare of the fowler”- how many of them God only knows- it may mean light and life, abundant and everlasting.” ― H.A. Ironside, Holiness The False and The True
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” John 17:17 NASB
“Contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints.” Jude 3 NASB
The idea of “listening prayer” is to spend some time talking to the Lord and the rest of the time listening to His response. It is often described as having a conversation with God. Although you won’t find it in the Bible, it is being taught in the church today.
When you listen to a Bible teacher, ask yourself, “Is that in the Bible? Or, is it someone’s personal opinion?”
There is a lot of “Bible teaching” that is not based on Scripture but is based on the individual’s own experiences and learning. Ask yourself, “Where did they learn this? Who do they learn it from?”
Sometimes you can learn a lot about a “Bible teacher” from researching who they follow. You may discover that they are learning from some unbiblical sources. In fact, you would be surprised how many well-known “Bible teachers” subscribe to New Age thought. This is unbiblical and very dangerous.
To assume that the voice a person hears in his mind is the voice of God is to leave the door wide open for self-delusion and even demonic deception.
GotQuestions.org has an excellent article on this topic. I urge you to read it. What is Listening Prayer?
Another great source to learn more about this topic and where it came from is the video Wide Is The Gate 2 (5 of 5) The Emerging New Christianity: The Contemplative Mystical Movement. Watch it here.
Jesus prayed to the Father for us,
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 NIV
He taught us how to pray,
“Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Matthew 6:9-13 NASB
The Bible, God’s Word, is our only source of Truth. This is how God speaks to His children. Read it every day.
Did you know that every book in the New Testament (except Philemon) contains warnings against false teaching? This tells me that false teachers pose a severe danger to the church. These false teachers lead people away from the truth. Yet many Christian leaders blatantly tolerate them and refuse to contend for the faith.
“…I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints.” Jude 3 NASB
Jesus said, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Matthew 7:15
“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, this you toleratevery well!” 2 Corinthians 11:3-4 NASB
Because this tolerance is so widespread, I have been searching for the answer to this nagging question: Why do Christian leaders tolerate false teaching?Why? Here are a few possible answers:
Lack of Discernment: While discernment can be a specific spiritual gift, it is also a skill developed through studying God’s Word.
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NASB
Prioritizing Personal Feelings: Allowing emotional, cultural, or worldly perspectives to override biblical truths.
Compromise: to avoid offending people
Prioritizing Popularity:
John 12:42-43 says, “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God.” NASB: “… they loved the approval of people rather than the approval of God.”
The Love of Money
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24
A spirit of ecumenism: This often comes from a flawed understanding of Biblical unity. It is impossible for true Christians to be in unity with false teachers.
Relying on pop-psychology or worldly wisdom instead of Biblical truth
“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” 1 Corinthians 3:19
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Where lies and deception abound, Truth is what the world needs, not a compromised gospel, not a “different Jesus”.
In His Love, Cindy
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122:6 NASB
All Scripture is from the NIV unless stated otherwise.
Real Christian Women 