Hold fast until I come...Day 18

For the life of me I can't remember what those little pocket puzzles that I had when I was a kid are called. To the right there is an illustration that should be familiar to those that had one. Rather than numbers though I remember them having something like a smiley face. We used to be able to get them after Sunday school in the Sunday school office. Probably with a Jesus face on it. 8) They used to give us a certificate every month if I remember correctly for good behavior or something of that sort. They had all kinds of goodies that you could choose from. You could buy very simple toys like the one I described above for one certificate or things like jewelry, books, Bibles, crosses, etc. for those kids that were patient and could save 3-4 years worth of those wonderful certificates with that red star in the middle. Those fleeting pieces of scrip never lasting more than one day for me. 8)

What had happened to me on that early morning in March of 2005, was huge. The only word I can think of that is fitting is epiphany. As I had been studying the Bible over the last few years I had found myself getting more and more frustrated with my inability to solve that puzzle and have a smiley face staring up at me. Maybe frustration is too strong of a word. I guess I had hoped that with more study that the details regarding Bible prophecy would have become increasingly clearer. However to my dismay I found myself staring into the abyss of differing and contradictory futurist views that all seemed to have scriptural support. And I believe that it was this building frustration that was the priming of the pump that prepared me for that moment when a fulfilled view of prophecy fell in my lap.

Another example I like to use are constellations. Here in Southern California in the mountains just to the north of Dodger stadium and just a little east of the HOLLYWOOD sign is the world famous Griffith Park Observatory. If you've never been because of your geography and would like to see it, I would recommend James Dean's movie "Rebel Without a Cause." The observatory in that movie is the one that I am speaking of. Anyhow...Back to constellations. Inside the observatory they have a glass case that is approximately 6 foot square by 3 feet tall. Inside of it are stars suspended in mid air. On the display it asks you to try and figure out which constellation you are looking at. As you walk around it scratching your head you see a small x on the far side of it labeled, "Look Here." You can spend all day walking around the case but until you are standing in just the right place you can't see the "Big Dipper." You see...The constellations that we find in our dark night skies only exist from our perspective in our vast cosmos. And this is what it was like for me. I had all the right details, however I hadn't been looking at all the details from the proper perspective.

Are the events portrayed in the book of Revelation speaking of a future event? Yes...From the perspective of when it was written. Was there anything in the book of Revelation itself that spoke to it's time of fulfillment? Yes...And now they were starring me in the face and speaking rather boldly.

Revelation 1:1 "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place."

Revelation 1:3 "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near."

Revelation 2:25-26 "But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations"

Revelation 3:11 "Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown."

Revelation 22:6 “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.

Revelation 22:7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”

Revelation 22:12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work."

Revelation 22:20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Four times in the opening chapters and four times in the closing chapters. It was like a veil had been pulled away and I was seeing these verses clearly for the first time. I couldn't ignore them and what they were saying. The time was near...Not far. He was going to be coming quickly...Not after a delay of some 2000+ years. And as an encouragement because of the tribulation that the original recipients were dealing with, they were told to "Hold fast until I come!"

The original recipients that were being persecuted because of their faith were being encouraged by the words of Jesus through this Revelation to hold fast to that faith and persevere, "Until He came!"