Good Morning! My name is Aaron Clark and I was asked to give you a devotional thought from the book of Revelation, chapters 21-22.
KEY VERSES:
Revelation 21:4, 6, 7, 8
4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. 7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Revelation 22:3, 19
3And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
REFLECTIONS:
Every time I read through the book of Revelation I am overwhelmed by the intensity of what is to come. Here is John getting a true 3D picture of that Holy City, from the messenger (angel) of Christ. John was so emotionally taken by all of the things to come and Christ’s glorious appearance that he started to bow down to the angel. (Rev. 22:8) However, the angel immediately brought John back to the awareness that he and the angel were equals, both servants to God. (Rev. 22:9) What a moment it will be when our faith is made sight, seeing Christ face to face in the light of His glory; and as in the Old Testament when His glory filled the temple; now it will bring light upon us where we dwell WITH Him. On the earth men would love darkness rather than the light, but in heaven would be blessed by the light of Christ and would see and be reminded of the perfection that is God and heaven. Now when you look at your hands there will be no scars, when you see your reflection in the Crystal Sea there will be no blemishes, the lame will feel physical fullness, the blind will have perfect sight, the weak will be made strong, sickness will be no more, sorrow will be extinct, pain will be impossible, sin will be impossible, and all the fullness of life will be continually given by this eternal Light given by the Glory of the Son of God.
APPLICATION:
In order to apply any of this news that John writes about in this book, we must first realize that we are only here for a short while. In Rev. 21:8, and Rev. 22:15 we are warned that those who live their life without ever placing their trust in Him, but instead live for their flesh, will not be permitted to enter this Holy City. It is also promised that if we change the message of His Word, the Holy Scriptures, we will be removed from the Lamb’s Book of Life and not be permitted to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Nevertheless, this should not just bring Biblical fear to our lives but also push us to close examination. Am I striving in a way that would lead others to believe that we are not living for this world but for the Kingdom of Heaven? Or, do people even know that I am a Christian at all? It is no secret that we are in a Laodicean Church age, one that is full of worldly acceptance and a “whatever” attitude; but that does not mean that we can not be overcomers. Let’s examine our lives and be ready for the Lord’s return so that we are looking for that rest and comfort in Him. Let’s be real with ourselves and take a look at our life through His Word to see if God is getting all that we are.
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. 22:7
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 22:12
Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Rev. 22:20
Thank you for being a part of the 100 Day Challenge. I hope this has helped in your walk.
In Christ, Aaron Clark
NAME: Aaron M. Clark
SAVED: October 1986
FAVORITE BOOK IN BIBLE: Proverbs
FAVORITE BIBLE CHARACTER: Peter
FAMILY: Wife Julie Clark
HOBBIES: Carpentry, Riding Snowmobiles, Guns, Being With the People of VBC!
AREA OF MINISTRY AT CHURCH: Music Leader; Youth Leader; Greeter Team Leader; Mission Committee Member; Food Tasting Team Leader