If I'd ask what you thought was the most intriguing, mysterious book of the bible, what would you say?
There'd be a few options, but I'm sure that the book of Revelation would be on the list. As a result, sometimes we avoid it and other times we interpret the metaphors and make meaning that's outside the context of how it was written.
In this study of Revelation, Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation by Nancy Guthrie, she writes to help us see how "Revelation presents a past, present, ongoing, and future reality that servants of Jesus living in between his ascension and return need to see." She helps us understand the reasons we avoid studying this prophetic book and the reasons why we should study it.
Three verses into the book of Revelation we read, "blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near" (Rev 1:3). Upon reading this, Nancy reflects, "would I ever want to say that there is a blessing from God that I'm not interested in receiving?"
She unpacks the book of Revelation, chapter by chapter, to reveal the blessings we are promised by God as revealed by him in this portion of scripture. We discover the blessing of knowing the Lord Jesus as he shows himself to John in the vision, and also of being known by the Lord Jesus as he speaks to his church. We see blessing in the worthiness of Christ as worshiped in the heavens, in the protection of Jesus as he preserves his people, and in giving our lives for the gospel. The blessed life is also promised us as we prepare for his return, through becoming part of his family and voiding his wrath, and are prepared as his bride to finally share in his resurrection. We're given a picture of the new creation and finally admonished to continue living as keepers of the Words of Jesus.
Nancy traces this theme of hearing and keeping the words written in Revelation as she reflects in each chapter how we can live out these truths practically in our lives.
I really enjoyed this study, it's relevant for us today as those who love and follow the Lord Jesus, to keep sight of the hope and promise of his return while we continue living our day-to-day, growing to become more like him and carrying his truth to those around us.
There's no homework with this one, so if you're looking for a study, she's prepared one - and a leader's guide - for purchase at her website.
If you want to grow in learning more about God's promises through the book of Revelation, I'd highly recommend this book!!
Quick Stats
# of pages: 272 pages
Level of Difficulty: Easy
My Rating: 5 Stars!
*A big thanks to Crossway for the complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to post an honest review!