The Kingdom of God is near

As I completed my service to Zion church, Tomball, TX. last Sunday I read the Scriptures publicly. After the Divine Service, as I shook hands with those attending, one lady remarked,

I love the way you read the Bible. It sounds so personal and clear. 

I responded,

The Scriptures were meant to be read aloud and interpreted by the inflection and use of one's voice.

In support of that I submit the following from the first chapter of John's Revelation:

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. - Rev 1:3 ESV 

Actually, the original Greek does not say "reads aloud." It merely uses a word that implies that those reading were reading aloud since you can't hear what is written in this prophecy unless it is read aloud. The blessing John writes about comes in the midst of this public communal activity of reading and hearing the words of this prophecy. The one who reads is blessed and those who hear and keep what is written are blessed. Notice that the blessing comes not merely from the hearing, but also from the keeping of what is written, as the Lord Jesus said,

He who has ears to hear, let him hear. - Mat 11:15 ESV 

The keeping of the words of this prophecy refers to guarding them. When Jesus was entombed by Joseph of Arimathea (a little town of Judea), guards were placed before the tomb. The concern was that the disciples would steal the body of Jesus away and so claim that he had risen from the dead (Matt. 27:62-66). The Greek word for the guards is the one from which we obtain our English word custodian. Following that lead, I can hear John suggesting that we who hear the Word are to be custodians of it, watching over it so carefully that not a single letter is lost. As we ponder and guard that Word we will be blessed.

Further, what John writes is a prophecy. Prophecy has three meanings.

1. In the strict sense prophecy is foretelling, that is speaking about future events before they happen. The Gospel of Matthew often uses prophecy in this way. For instance, the angel who appeared to Joseph told him not to be afraid to marry Mary, because of what had been spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). - Mat 1:23 ESV
2. The second meaning of prophecy is illumination. Divine light is cast upon what is otherwise secret, unknown or not understood in God's revealed Word. Suddenly there is for the hearers who receive and guard it in their hearts an Aha! So in a recent Bible class I observed that many realized for the first time that "the name" of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is the sacred NAME of God (YHWH - Exod. 3:13-15) and this NAME is shared by all three members of the Holy Trinity. So the Father is YHWH, Jesus is YHWH.  and the Holy Spirit is YHWH. 
3. The third meaning of prophecy refers to interpretation. This is what a preacher or a teacher does for his assembled hearers. He interprets God's Word and applies it to the lives of those gathered. 

As we read (together in this blog) and hear John's Revelation I pray that all of these meanings will be opened to us, because this prophecy does indeed tell of things to come, but it also throws light on things already written and helps us to interpret and apply them to our lives. 

Finally John says, "For the time is near." John uses one of two N.T. Greek words for time. In this case  he speaks of kairos as opposed to chronos. Chronological time keeps changing. It is impermanent. So I may awaken at 6:30 a.m. on a Tuesday, but a moment or two later it is 7:00 a.m. and so on. On the other hand kairos refers to a specific time whose significance continues forward. So I think of the birth of my children. Each birth changed my life permanently and continues to do so to the present. In a far more profound way the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus has changed everything and will continue to do so forever. So after John was arrested, Jesus proclaimed, 

"The time (kairos) is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand (near); repent and believe in the gospel." - Mar 1:15 ESV

Thus let us be very conscious that the reading and hearing of this prophecy brings us to a kairos of decision. The Spirit is a work in these words.  Things foretold are about to be fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is at hand (near). Consider what it means for your life here and now. Now is the time to repent and believe in the gospel. The Kingdom of God is being fulfilled in our midst at this present time.

God Has Spoken By His Son

We are taking a look at prophecy in the Bible. The writer to the Hebrews starts his letter referencing the prophets. He writes,

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world (Hebrews 1:1-2)

Again and again the Apostles referenced the prophets' writings, emphasizing that the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus was in fulfillment of the prophets' writings. For instance, Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the holy family fled to Egypt and returned to Nazareth, John the Baptist preached in the wilderness, Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, Jesus healed the diseased and cast out demonic spirits, Jesus taught in parables, Jerusalem was destroyed, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, Judas betrayed Jesus—all to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets (see Matthew 1:22; 2:5; 2:15-23; 3:3; 4:12-16; 12:10-21; 13:34-35; 21:1-11; 23:29-56; 27:3-9).

There are around a hundred Prophecies in the Old Testament that are commonly referred to as being fulfilled by Jesus. Hundreds of books have been written about these matters. In addition to the link listed above, you may also find helpful Rich Deem's side by side list, Prophecies of Jesus Christ as Messiah.

The writings of the prophets are all about the Messiah and His coming. As Jesus said in His confrontation with the Jews,

"You do not have his (the Father's) word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" (John 5:39-40).

In that sense the writings of the Prophets are what has been called self-authenticated. Here we may return to a prophetic verse from Moses' final discourse:

"But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my (the LORD) name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.' And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?'—when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). 

If we turn the statement into a positive one, that means that when a prophet's word does come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has spoken. And so we return to the first words of Hebrews 1:1-2. What God spoke to the prophets about His Son has come true. So when these prophets speak of Jesus as the Son of God, very God of very God, Creator of the world, then we had best pay attention. Jesus is God's Word, His Living Word spoken in these last days. We await now with joy and hope for His glorious return.

But what about His return? What have those same prophets said? To that we shall return at a later time.