Prophetic Prospective Daily Devotional

As we come to the book of Revelation for our daily devotions, we have come to the last book of the Bible that has the “end of times” scenario for all of those students who want to understand exactly what the Lord has planned for all of His creation.

We started with Genesis and have gone through the Bible, book by book, looking at the scripture for a devotional with a prophetic prospective in these pages of God’s Word. I’m amazed how each book of the Bible has passages that have a prophetic significance, not only the books that have been set apart focused on Bible Prophecy.

As we now visit this book of Revelation which is packed full of “end time prophecies”, I am going to encourage you to read through the entire book even though we will not be able to cover the whole book in our devotionals.

By the way, if you will read through Revelation and maybe listen to it on an audio Bible, and then go out into the world and live in light of what you read and hear, then you are promised a blessing, verse 3.

As we look at this last book of the Bible, we see the "resurrected Jesus Christ" as described in the written word, Revelation 1:12-18. God gives the "message" of this book to Jesus. The Lord then gives the contents of this prophecy to an "angel", who will deliver it to John, verse 1. The title of the book is also found in that first verse, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ".

The first chapter presents Jesus Christ in His "person", His "power", and His "program". The "person" of Jesus Christ is the resurrected, glorified Son of God with white hair, verse 14a. The Lord's "white hair" depicts his purity and his longevity. Verse 14b tells of His "eyes" - eyes that see our every activity. The "feet" of Jesus, as described by John, are like brass that has been burned in the furnace, verse 15a, which speaks of Jesus as the "coming Judge".

The resurrected Christ has a "voice" like the sound of many waters. That voice spoke the worlds into existence. That voice will shout for us to join Him in the heavenlies at the Rapture. To those who have never been saved, that voice will one day say, "sorry, I never knew you."

Revelation 1:16 describes Jesus with the Seven Angels of the Seven Churches in His "hand", verse 20. In this verse, it depicts His word coming from His mouth as a "two-edged sword" and His "face", His countenance, as the sun shineth in its strength. The power of Jesus is found in verse 18. The Lord gives testimony of being alive, dead, and now alive. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the manifestation of His "power".

The "program" of Jesus Christ is found in verse 19 where John is told to write about those things in the "past", those things that are "happening at that time", and those things, which happen "hereafter". The things found "hereafter" are found in Revelation 4-22, which we will eventually get to in our devotions.

The "resurrection", which is the "cornerstone of our faith", is also the "foundation of Bible prophecy". The "resurrected" Jesus Christ proves His authority to foretell the future as the authoritative Word of God, the One who does indeed know the future.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank You Lord, the One who knows the future, because Your are the "resurrected One", for revealing the future to me and all that read your "Word".

The theme of this little book written by Jude, the brother of James, the Pastor of the church in Jerusalem, is "earnestly contending for the faith". Jude goes at this exhortation and challenge from several directions.

As we come to our devotional reading for today, Jude wants each of us to "contend for the faith" by “remembering”. We must remember the “word spoken by the apostles”.

The apostles were a select group of men that Jesus trained for a special period of time and purpose for the new "body", known as the church. Each of the apostles had to have seen Jesus, in person, after His resurrection. The last of the men chosen to be an apostle was Paul who saw Jesus in person on the road to Damascus as he was traveling from Jerusalem, Acts 9:1-16.

The Holy Spirit "breathed" into these men the "words of warning" that Jude wants us to remember. Let me just remind you of the words of two apostles, Peter and Paul. In Paul's last letter, II Timothy, he wrote of the days that would mark the "last days" that lead up to the return of Jesus Christ.

II Timothy 4:3-4 reminds us of the people who will no longer endure sound doctrine, they will turn away their ears from the truth and they do this because they, of their own lust, will choose teaching that will "tickle their ears."

Peter also, writing his last words before his death, reminded us of those who would even "deny the coming of the Lord" as they also would "walk after their own lust," II Peter 3:3-4.

Now notice what Jude tells us about his "warnings of the mockers in the last days," verse 18. These mockers of Jesus, His second coming, and even us as followers of Jesus, these mockers will be those who walk after their own lust," verse 18.

Jude gives us three ways to live in these times described as the “end times”. Verse 20 tells us to "build" ourselves up in the "holy faith." Faith comes by hearing the Word of God and believing it to the extent that we walk in what it says.

Then Jude says to "pray." Matthew says "watch and pray", we watch for Jesus to come as we pray. Then in verse 21 Jude says "keep yourself in the love of the Lord." This means "stay in love with the Lord," don't forsake or leave your first love for Jesus.

If you notice that you have left your first love, return to that proper relationship by spending time talking to Him in prayer and allowing Him to talk with you in His Word.

These are only several ways that Jude tells us we can "earnestly contend for the faith" as we await His soon coming.


PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you Lord for the warning of the end times, help me to "contend for the faith" by remembering your Word for these days.