Can you believe it? We made it through the whole Bible! Our first Word Wednesday was over a year ago. Boy, has my life changed since then. How about yours? Here is hoping that you grew closer to God as we read our way through the Bible together. I’ve loved your comments and your emails. This has been a growth experience for sure. I’m still deciding what to do next, so check back next Wednesday for the plan. Are you ready? Here we are in Revelations, and the vision of Jesus that literally thrills me every time I read it:
Revelation 19: 11-16 (NIV)– I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Have you ever needed a hero? Here He is. Oh, my friends, one of these days… One of these days this is exactly how we will see Him. He will arrive and, boy, will it be the most amazing, most incredible, most awesome thing we have ever seen. Is it any wonder that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord? How can we not when He shows up in triumph like this?
Don’t you just love it? There is so much here to absolutely gush over. One of the names of my Jesus is Faithful and True. Think on the meaning of that one for a few minutes. He is justice. He is victory. He is salvation. He is things that only He knows. He is, ultimately and above all, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our mighty Savior returning in triumph. I can’t wait to see that!
Can you tell? This is one of those times I resort to babbling because I’m at such a loss for words. There is so much more in my heart when it comes to Jesus than my words could ever explain. If I thought seeing my husband step off the plane from Afghanistan was incredible, I can’t fathom what it will be like to see my Savior step out of the sky!
It all boils down to Jesus. The whole Bible points to Him, to God’s love in sending Him. Please. If you don’t know Him, be willing to meet Him. He’s come more than halfway for you, and one of these days He is going to crack open that sky and make the most triumphant return ever imagined. Read those verses again. Don’t you want to be a part of that? I do. And I can’t wait!
-JB
Jen says
I’ve been a total slacker when it comes to posting my WW verses ever since we hit the New Testament, but I HAVE been choosing them (even if it’s been a few weeks behind). I promised myself that I’d catch up and join back in for the finale, and here I am! My favorite verse from Revelations is the short and sweet 1:8.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Growing up as an Army brat, I became accustomed to change at an early age. Every year, it was a new home in a new state, a new school, and a new group of friends. And even though I enjoyed the adventure of that lifestyle, something in me longed for consistency. For a place I could put down roots and stay awhile. Thankfully, I found that place at church. Yes, the physical buildings changed, as did the denominations…. but no matter where we went, God was always the same. I heard the same familiar stories about Jesus year after year, state after state, and my relationship with Him was the one thing in my life that couldn’t be uprooted. As an adult, I still cling to the promise that God is unchangeable. The fact that He will be the same tomorrow as He was yesterday is sometimes the only thing that keeps me going, and I love how this last book of the Bible begins with a reminder of that promise. In a way, it’s what makes every promise possible, isn’t it?
Dawn Lucowitz says
I have re-read, thought a ton about, written and re-written the verse and post I want to make, and I keep coming back to 22:20 – He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
God’s timing is funny sometimes. We are ending this challenge as we are ending another year. Most people tend to use this time to look back on the year. They reflect on the good, bad and ugly of their year. They also begin to look ahead to how they are going to make the upcoming year better. They start to look for a new beginning.
This book is so much like the end of the year. Yes, it’s the last book in the bible, the final chapter! Many nonbelievers that don’t know much about the bible will still sometimes talk about this book. They use it to discuss the end times. They want to know when and how the world will eventually end. To believers this is a book of hope. With so much destruction and pain seen in the book, it’s funny to think of it as a book of hope, but to believers it is talking about the coming of our Lord and Savior!
As we enter 2012, I totally laugh at people that are predicting the end of the world. No one knows the day or hour of Jesus arrival, but we know he is coming. None of us knows what soon means, so we must always be ready. I remember vividly when I would sometimes play in the backyard by myself. I was always looking up at the sky and listening for those trumpets, just waiting for Jesus to return. Back then I literally understood soon as any moment, and I did not want to miss it!
I plan to look at this New Year with that anticipation. To be looking and understanding that my Jesus is coming soon. I can’t wait for the end of this chapter and the beginning of the rest of our lives!
Jodie says
WOOHOO!!!! Beautiful final post, my friend! Love the idea of you looking to the sky when you were a kid. 🙂 It is strange to me also to think of Revelations as a book of hope. I mean, the book has a section about “woes.” I think it really does all depend on your heart toward it. Jesus coming again eclipses everything else!