"God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near."

Revelation 1:3 NLT.

Understanding and applying the truths of the book of Revelations has been a challenge throughout church history. In entire periods spanning several decades, church elders elected to simply ignore it as they were reluctant to mislead the church. Our generation has to be different.

As we start studying this book, it will help to take out time to read the book of Daniel alongside as I believe understanding Daniel's prophecy is the key to understanding the book of Revelations. Daniel saw the beginning part of the prophecy, John is seeing the concluding part of it.

Studying the book of Revelation is part of what we refer to in Bible study as Eschatological studies. Eschatological is from the Greek word Eschatos which means Final or ending. Eschatology therefore means study focused on the ending.

The book of Revelation like Jesus says right from the start also focuses on the events that were taking place during John's time, which therefore means that the book of Revelation focuses on revealing the events from John's time and others that were soon to come.

In studying the book of Revelations, I personally make use of the dispensational style of interpretation. There are 4 recognized styles of interpreting the book of Revelation; contemporary-historical, continuous-historical, futurist and dispensational interpretation. As such, I acknowledge that using the other styles of interpretation, others might come to different conclusion, which is fine. The dispensational style of interpretation makes the most sense to me both for understanding and application.

Also, as the book of Revelations is a book of prophecy, I use the rule of thumb for interpretation that says; "when the words of the Bible cannot be understood literally, it is speaking figuratively." At such times, it is our duty to understand and interpret the figurative as if it is to be understood literally. A good example is found in verse 10 of chapter 1; "It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast." Revelation 1:10 NLT. We take the verse literally until the literal does not make sense. In this verse, everything is fine and clear until John says the voice was like a trumpet blast. Obviously, this is figurative language. It is not saying Jesus is blowing a trumpet, but that his voice was as loud as a trumpet's. The book of Revelation makes use of figures of speech of this nature to communicate spiritual truth, it is our duty to find them out.

Lastly, I will say in studying the book of Revelations, we divide the book into 7 parts. Part 1 covers Jesus Christ appearance to John (Revelation 1). Part 2 covers the letter to the 7 churches of; Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea (Revelation 2-3). Part 3 is the tribulation broken into 2 parts; the tribulation and the Great tribulation. This period also herald the blowing of the 7 trumpets, breaking of the 7 seals and the pouring of 7 vials or bowls of judgements on the earth (Revelation 4-18). Part 4 cover the battle of Armageddon and the imprisonment of Satan (Revelation 19). Part 5 is the Thousand years reign or the Millennium kingdom of Christ (Revelation 20). Part 6 is the judgement where the White throne judgement will occur (Revelation 20). Part 7 covers the new heaven and earth, the only other period apart from Genesis chapters 1 and 2 where Sin is no more (Revelation 21-22).

My encouragement, be open to learn and let's see where the Spirit takes us with this study. Thank you Jesus for giving us these words of prophecy as a guiding light during this close of the Church age.

Let's share some of the advises the apostle John gives us; "We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life.

Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

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1 John 5:18-21 NLT. I know the concept of sin and what the Bible teaches about it is somewhat belittled in our generation. However, God's word will be proved right in the end; the wages of sin is death. Listen, God's children do not make a practice of sinning. They do not habitually, as if it is their nature, live in sin. In fact, sin is alien to the believer. The final verse in that quote is revealing, if you are a child of God, then stay away from, keep away from, even run away from, anything that might seek to take God's place in your heart. Whatever name you give it; whether it is money, riches, glory, achievements, even people you put before God, ultimately, the name for it is idolatry and it is a sin against God. Another advise; "I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.

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2 John 1:5‭-‬6 NLT. Loving others means simply treating people how the word of God says to. Remember the words of Jesus, whoever wants to be first must serve everyone else. That is love, it is simply doing what God says.

The apostle John shares with us some of the most profound truths every Christian must know as an anchor. As you read your Bible, the first thing you probably noticed is that it is divided broadly into 2 books; the Old and New testaments or Covenants. As this Covenants were enacted, God gives us commandments, in a sense, they are our roles or parts to fulfill in the covenant. So in the Old testament, you would have noticed there were some over 600 commandments the people had to keep. Did you know that in the New testament, we have just 2 commandments? "Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him. And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

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1 John 3:21‭-‬24 NLT. Let me break that down! God's commandment is that we believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ. Why? Jesus Christ, by his one sacrifice, fulfilled all of the requirements the 600 and more laws were trying to achieve. Accepting and believing in him is thus fulfilling all of the laws. Secondly, John says; God's commandment is that we love one another, period! Why? God himself is love, we can't claim we know God or love God and not love. If we claim we love God that we cannot see, it will show itself practically in hiw we love people we can see. "We love each other because he loved us first. If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.

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1 John 4:19‭-‬21 NLT. There are 2 things God will ask of you when you stand before him; did you believe in my son Jesus Christ? And did you walk in love?

I cannot say this strongly enough, we are living in the last days and Peter in his second letter written just before his crucifixion warns us that we are. He also warns us what our responses must be to these things. A few things will be common as the last days draw to an end, let's take a look at them. "Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”

2 Peter 3:3‭-‬4 NLT. Scoffers will be in abundance making gest of Christianity and the message of salvation. Secondly, there will be a concerted effort to live for the flesh and follow sinful desires. Also, in the last days, false teachers will be in abundance; "But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.

2 Peter 2:1‭-‬2 NLT. A result of this will be the persecution of believers and the censoring of the truth. They will try to shut out the voice of truth by outrightly banning the sharing and teaching of the Bible and Christians practising and sharing their faith will gradually become offensive. "Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.

1 Peter 4:12‭-‬14 NLT. These are all signs of the end times. Our response is simple; we must continue to grow in our faith and hold on to our testimonies in Christ Jesus; "In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 1:5‭-‬8 NLT. "And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—

2 Peter 3:14‭-‬15 NLT. Thank you Jesus for the privilege to witness the endtimes.

Let me share with you the apostle Peter's advise to Christians as per suffering for being a Christian and standing up for our faith; "Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? And also, “If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners?” So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.

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1 Peter 4:12‭-‬19 NLT. It can be surprising when Christians claim to be surprised at being persecuted. Today, Christian suffer for just calling themselves Christians or wearing an emblem that says I am a Christian. Recently, some big businesses banned having Bibles within their premises or even the mention of God. Their claim is that being Christian is discriminatory. Peter says our suffering make us partners with Christ, we are sharing in his suffering, and that it's a privilege. If you are a Christian, never forget, it is not a shame to suffer for being a Christian. Your persecution is proof you do not belong to the world.

The book of James is a powerful book of admonition. While it is addressed and intended probably for Jewish believers, its admonitions and advises can be a compass for us today. Let's see a few of them; "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

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James 1:2‭-‬4 NLT. Troubles, challenges and trials James says should never be wasted. They an opportunity for great joy. Trials can try, but they can never steal our joy as long as we remain focused on the Lord. How does that even make sense someone is saying? James says, temptations, trials and challenges are an opportunity for growth and to be in the Lord's presence. Never forget, in the presence of God, there is fulness of joy. Secondly, there is a dimension of blessings and opportunity that comes to only those who are or have been tested; "God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

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James 1:12 NLT. While satan might use situations like this to tempt and discourage us, they can be an opportunity to show us how blessed we are. Next advise; "Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

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James 1:19‭-‬20 NLT. This one is loud and I wished someone would hear me; human anger does not and cannot produce what God planned. Let's take one more; "What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

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James 2:14‭-‬17 NLT. Faith, belief, must show its true nature by the result it produces. Invariably that also means, your faith, however what you claim it to be or how strong it is, is proofed by its results.

As we conclude reading the book of Hebrews today; let's share a few words of encouragement and pray. "So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36 NLT. The believers in Italy during this period were witnessing severe and terrible persecution. Suffering for being a Christian wasn't new to them but this was different, the emperor, Nero, was determined to wipe out Christianity and its followers. They were publicly ridiculed and beaten, others were jailed and their businesses, properties and homes confiscated by the government. Until now, they had accepted it with joy but it was gradually wearing some of them out. Since Nero accepted Judaism and had proclaimed it so, some leaders felt it was safer to revert back to Judaism, and convert back when things cool back down. It was to them Apollos said; "do not throw away your confident trust in the Lord".

The truth is, even today, Christians are living through something similar all over the world. In some places, it is not just governments persecuting Christians, today muslim terrorists particularly target Christians. In some other places, those who stand for Christian values are cancelled, their businesses ruined and confiscated in the name of wokeness and liberalism. My encouragement is the same as the writer of Hebrews; do not cast away your confident hope in the Lord, "let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." Hebrews 10:23-25 NLT. Never forget; "For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

Hebrews 13:14 NLT. However long or short, this world is not our home.

"When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear." Hebrews 8:13 NLT. The first covenant is now obsolete, the new has come. Christians are partakers of a NEW covenant enacted by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of calvary. This covenant became necessary because God found fault with the first covenant for a variety of reasons; "if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it." Hebrews 8:7NLT.

The old covenant had 4 main faults; first of all, the people could not fulfill their own part of the covenant (Hebrews 8:8). Second, the sacrifice, made with the blood of animals could not purify the people's consciences. As a result, they had to come back again and again atoning for the same sins ( Hebrews 9:9). Third, the high priest who represented the people were not qualified to represent the people, they had to offer sacrifices first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people (Hebrews 7:27). Lastly, even the tabernacle where the sacrifices were offered was only a shadow of the real thing in heaven (Hebrews 8:5). Jesus solved all of these problems and more when he offered his own sacrifice. "So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood - not the blood of goats and calves - he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever." Hebrews 9:11-12 NLT. Thank you Jesus. The old covenant with its systems and rules is now obsolete. The new covenant is better and with far better promises. First, while the old covenant was enacted with conditions that pronounced curses along with blessings, the new covenant in Christ does not have a single curse attached to it. In Christ, you only have blessings, no curses. Thank you Jesus.

"While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.

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Hebrews 5:7‭-‬8 NLT. Did you know when Jesus lived here on earth, he could feel, he could taste, he could even be tempted. He could fall into sin, etc. However he didn't. This understanding is important because with this, we know Jesus went through, or even suffered some of things a regular human being would suffer. As such, he could then qualify to be an example for us on how to live for and serve God.

Though the writer of the book of Hebrews is not necessary clear, it's name and the audience it is written to is as clear as crystal. The book is written especially to a Jewish audience and its intention is to present Jesus; as the son of God, great than the angels, greater than; Moses, Joshua, Aaron and Abraham. With that, he presents Jesus to an audience that were likely rejecting or disbelieving him. The majority agree that the book of Hebrews was likely written by either Appollos or Barnabas, it was likely not written by the apostle Paul or even any of the other apostles. Also, because the writer likely heard the words of Jesus from the other apostles who heard him directly (Hebrews 2:3), evidence points to those two. The book of Hebrews was also likely written during the period when the emperor, Nero, persecuted and killed Christians for games and sport. He favoured Judaism over Christianity and so the writer sort to encourage the believers and especially those who were considering converting back to Judaism in other to escape persecution not to give up (Hebrews 12:2-4). In chapter one, we see that Jesus, the Son, radiates and expresses the glory and character of God. In other words, Jesus is the one we see whenever we look for God. "The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honour at the eight hand of the majestic God in heaven." Hebrews 1:3 NLT.

Outside Jesus, you can't see or know the Father. Secondly, the Son is the one who holds everything in the universe together, they are sustained by him. Thank you Father for giving us Jesus.

Halleluyah!