Revelation -What It Means for You Today

 "Happy is the one who reads aloud . . . the words of this prophecy." -  REVELATION 1:3.

HAVE you ever been invited to look through a photo belonging to someone else? As you glance at the photos you see mostly unfamiliar faces.  One particular photo, however, catches your attention. Why?  Because you are in that photo. As you study it, you try to remember when the picture was taken and where.  You also try to identify everyone else in  the photo. That photo is especially meaningful to you.

The book of Revelation is like that photograph. Why?  For at least two reasons. First, this Bible book was written fo rus.  In the very first verse, we read: "A revelation by  Jesus Christ, which God gave him, to show his slaves the things which must shortly take place." (Revelation 1:1)  So what is written in this book is not for people  in general but for us, God's dedicated servants.  As God's people, we should not be surprised to discover that we are sharing in the fulfillment of the prophecies found in this fascinating book.  In other words, we find ourselves  "in the photo." 

The second reason involves the time when these prophecies are to be fulfilled. The aged apostle John identified that time when he said:  "By inspiration I cam to be in the Lord's day." (Revelation 1:10)  When John wrote these words in about 96 C.E.,  "the Lord's day" was still far off.  (Matthew 25:14, 19;  Luke 19:12) But according to Bible prophecy, that day started in 1914 when Jesus was enthroned as King in heaven.  From that year onward, the prophecies of Revelation, which involves God's people, started to undergo fulfillment. Yes, we are now living in "the Lord's day"!

Because we are living in this thrilling time, we are the ones who need to pay special attention to the loving counsel recorded at Revelation 1:3:  "Happy is the one who reads aloud the words of this  prophecy and who observe the things written in it, for the appointed time is near." Indeed, we need to 'read aloud' to "hear the words of this prophecy," and to"observe" them.  What are some of these words that we need to observe?

Next time: Revelation -What It Means for You Today - MAKE SURE THAT YOUR WORSHIP IS ACCEPTABLE 

From the jw.org publications