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2003-07-17 - The Time is Near
Rev 1:1-3 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave
him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending
his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything
he saw-that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed is the one who reads 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. (NIV)
Things just never seem to slow down. The pace of life seems to race ever
higher and higher like an engine accelerating through the world land speed
record. Every time a new entry makes its way to the Bonneville Salt Flats,
the power and velocity seem to exceed the mind's ability to comprehend. The
demands of daily life on mind, body and spirit seem endless.
My right shoulder pops all the time if I reach too high. It doesn't pop out
of the socket or anything. It just pops, loud enough for the person next
to me to hear it. Without my glasses I am legally blind. Thank God for glasses.
I have a knee that is not in the greatest shape. But I have a working shoulder
and knee so I am not complaining. They are just reminders that this world
is not my home.
John, the beloved Apostle, is a prisoner on a Roman quarry prison island
called Patmos. It was a marble quarry. The prisoners were literally expendable
labor. They were shackled together in work gangs. The shackles came off when
you were either pardoned or you died. Far more often the latter. There were
no toilet facilities for the prisoners, no privacy, few medical facilities
and no relief. The guards were there to make sure the work quotas were filled.
John was also not a young man by this time. If you think your work day is
bad, try trading places with John for a day or a week.
Enter this political prisoner into a collection of other political prisoners
and worse. This man actually sings while he does his work in this hideous
place. I imagine this perplexed a few guards and prisoners alike. John would
talk to anyone who would listen. I can't decide if his message of a Savior
would have been met with skeptical, weary hearts or gasped immediately by
men who had no other hope left. There may have been some of both. But this
horrible pit of despair for some became a place of hope with the revelation
of a new life reaching beyond this one.
But how does a prisoner get paper and ink to write down this glorious revelation?
One thought is that his message did take hold and begin to spread. That the
warden of the prison removed John to a nearby cave covering his basic needs
for food, water and a few requests like a scroll or two of parchment and
a pen and ink well. In this line of thinking John was removed to try to stem
the spread of this Gospel of Jesus Christ to the other prisoners and maybe
even to the guards. John's message was interfering with the production of
marble from the quarry. And rather than get into trouble with Rome, the Warden
removed John. Why not just kill him? It may very well be that God was at
work in the heart of the Warden as well. If God controls the hearts of Kings,
then a Prison Warden should be no problem.
Twenty centuries ago John declared that the realization of the Revelation
of Jesus Christ was near. How much closer must it be today. Make no mistake.
There are Christians who live in similarly horrific situations today. Their
lives are literally on the line every time they speak of their Savior. It
is a very sad thought when they bring the answer to the pain and want of
this world in search of that very answer. The answer is swept aside as the
world tries to unify as Babylon did to solve her problems. But it does not
change the fact that the time is now nearer than it was in John's day to
the time when Jesus will come to take His bride away.
Rev 19:6-9 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude,
like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
"Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice
and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and
his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and
clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts
of the saints.) 9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: `Blessed
are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added,
"These are the true words of God." (NIV)
Grace & Peace,
Mike
jmhoskins@gmail.com
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