The sixth blessing in Revelation is a crucial one for all of us.
[Darris McNeely] Many of you are students of prophecy. You love prophecy, right? I know you do. I do as well. I've always been fascinated by the prophecies of the Bible, especially the book of Revelation. We've been going through a series called the seven beatitudes, the seven blessings, out of the book of Revelation. Many don't realize that there are seven beatitudes, kind of a parallel of the beatitudes that Christ gave in the Sermon on the Mount. We're at number six and it's in Revelation 22:7. And it has to deal with the words of the book of Revelation. Christ says this, "Behold I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." And this book is the book of Revelation. And there are many prophecies there. And again, if you're a student of prophecy, you understand these are some of the most fantastic prophecies out of the whole Bible: beasts, and horns, and heads, and false prophets, and plagues, and tremendous end of the age activities that Jesus Christ begins to unfold upon the earth at this time. And yet He says, "Blessed are those who keep the words of the prophecy of this book."
You know, prophecy at the heart of it, I've said for a long, long time, and actually, I haven't said it, it's the Bible that says it, the prophecy should motivate us to righteousness, to good works, to character, to a relationship with God. And as we keep the words of the prophecies of this book, in other words, as we let them motivate us, it's not a matter of trying to figure out every last detail and being the first one to the finish line, the one with all the answers, right? About all the different beasts, and charts, and aspects of the timetables of the book of Revelation, it's about righteousness and letting those words motivate us with a proper fear of God and respect of God's word to live righteously knowing that there is a time of judgment. And that is a blessing for today because it produces a life of character, a life of quality, and a life of blessing. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecies of this book because He says, "I'm coming quickly." Live your life with that expectation of Christ's return, of the time of the judgment upon this earth, and the quality of your life will be better, in fact, it'll be a blessing for you.
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The fundamental message of the book of Revelation is simple. It promises that God will institute universal peace, prosperity and cooperation over all the earth immediately after the return of Jesus Christ. It reveals how this wonderful new world will be established and why it will never be destroyed or superseded by any other way of life or social order.
Darris McNeely works at the United Church of God home office in Cincinnati, Ohio. He and his wife, Debbie, have served in the ministry for more than 43 years. They have two sons, who are both married, and four grandchildren. Darris is the Associate Media Producer for the Church. He also is a resident faculty member at the Ambassador Bible Center teaching Acts, Fundamentals of Belief and World News and Prophecy. He enjoys hunting, travel and reading and spending time with his grandchildren.