The Words Of The Book
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Christian Encouragement December 29, 2001
<b>Hello Everyone! </b>
<u><b>Revelation 22:7-11 NIV</b></u>
<b>---"Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this
book. I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen
them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But
he said to me, 'Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the
prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!' Then he told me, 'Do
not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. Let him who
does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does
right continue to do right, and let him who is holy continue to be holy.' " </b>
<u><b>Revelation 22:7-11 KJV</b></u>
<b>---"Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of
this book." And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I
fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith
he unto me, 'See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the
prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.' And he saith unto
me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is
unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he
that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy
still.' "</b>
<b>A lot of people are afraid to study the Book of Revelation and so they miss out on a
tremendous blessing! We are clearly commanded to keep the sayings of this book and not to
seal them up because the time is at hand. What time? The time of the Lord Jesus Christ's
return. </b>
<b>Just like with the other books in the Bible, we are to study, memorize, believe and
share it with others. For those who are faithful, it is a tremendous encouragement. For
those who don't know Christ or who have drifted from the truth of God's Word, it is a
hair-raising warning. </b>
<b>I haven't written an encouragement for over a month now. I've been battling with a
major decision. At first, even though I knew what God had to say about the particular
issue, I couldn't see how in the world it would possibly work in my case. (Oh, brother!)
So, out of frustration and unbelief, I chose the opposite. It was on my mind
constantly....and heavy on my heart. I walked around for weeks in a "fog" mulling over and
over again the repercussions that such a decision would have on my future and how it would
affect those around me. I didn't want to open God's Word. I didn't want to pray. I didn't
want to sit in the Father's lap and rest my head. My heart and mind were under attack and
I was miserable. I asked 2 or 3 people to pray for me. They did and the Lord intervened. </b>
<b>About a week and a half before Christmas, I received a phone call from an old friend. A
lost friend. He was in Southern California and wanted to stop by and visit on his way home
to the Bay Area. We've known each other for 22 years, but for the past 12, we have only
spoken a few times a year over the phone. Many years ago, I had shared with him the plan
of salvation, but he had rejected it. Since then, he has teased me about being a Baptist,
but has always been respectful of my belief in the Lord. I didn't want to "visit", however
I did finally agree to meet with him at a Denny's here in town. Russ kept telling me it
could be an opportunity to share Christ again. The soup in my head was still thick, but I
did finally manage to squeak out a prayer: "Lord, lift this fog enough so I can think
straight and bring scriptures to my mind, please. In Jesus' Name..." Now keep in mind,
though I had decided not to follow one of the Lord's commands, I had not actually done
anything on the matter yet. My flesh was fighting the Spirit and the Spirit was fighting
the flesh. I was in such turmoil, that my blood pressure even shot up! </b>
<b>After catching up on family life and a lengthy discussion on politics, the conversation
turned to religion. I don't even remember how the door opened, but suddenly there it was.
Mike vs. Deb....Christ vs. Satan.....good vs. evil.....Heaven vs. Hell. Now picture this:
on one side of the table was this young, gray-haired, saved, Baptist grandma. On the other
side was this older, bald-headed, worldly, well educated, highly knowledgeable unsaved
lawyer. He could talk circles around me, not to mention, right over the top of my head!
We've been friends for 22 years and have absolutely nothing in common, or so I thought. I
discovered we've memorized some of the same scriptures. He began quoting them to me. </b>
<u><b>"I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to Father except through Me."</b></u>
<b>--</b>
<u><b> John 14:6.</b></u>
<b>"There you go, Mike. YOU said it. Now what are you going to do with it?", I asked. </b>
<b>"I don't believe Jesus is the only way to get to Heaven", he said. </b>
<b>"But you just quoted God's Word to me", I replied. </b>
<b>"Yeah, but I still don't believe it. I don't want to serve a God who doesn't have as
much compassion for human life as I do. Have you read all that killing in the Old
Testament? I think there's some truth in the Bible, but I also think there is truth in the
Qu'ran and the Torah. I also don't believe there's fire in Hell. I think some awful people
will be tormented, but there won't be fire. You know, people like Hitler, Stalin, Bin
Laden...." </b>
<b>I told him the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19-31. He listened. Then I
quoted him Revelation 20:15: 'If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life,
he was thrown into the lake of fire.' It's real, Mike. God doesn't lie." </b>
<b>He argued his points. I listened, and countered with God's Word. </b>
<b>Finally, it really got down to the brass tacks. I shared my salvation testimony with
him. </b>
<b>I told him how the Holy Spirit MADE ME KNOW I was a sinner and that I needed Jesus
Christ. I told him how I asked Jesus to forgive me and to come into my heart and my
life....which is exactly what Jesus did. I told him that the Lord "calls all men unto
Himself" and that I'd bet that He had called him at least once in his lifetime already.
"Mike, you were raised Presbyterian, and your grandmother was Seventh-Day Adventist. Both
of those religions believe in salvation by grace. So what happened? What's your excuse?" </b>
<b>He kept eye contact with me and listened.</b>
<b>"He's MADE YOU KNOW before, hasn't He? He's spoken to your heart", I asked, speaking of
the conviction of the Holy Spirit. </b>
<b>Have you ever been looking intently in someone's eyes when they were under conviction?
Sometimes, you can see it. It's a moment in that person's life unlike any other....and an
awesome one in your own. It's a mighty severe moment. </b>
<b>We were both quiet. </b>
<b>Then, he lowered his eyes and shifted his weight. The body language spoke volumes. </b>
<b>"I don't believe", he said softly, "but can we still be friends?" </b>
<b>The invitation, I believe, was given again. And again, he said 'no'. The moment was
over and, as a child of God, I knew what it meant. He didn't understand yet the full
impact of his action, but I did. I made eye contact with him again and held it. </b>
<b>"Mike, I'll be your friend, but listen to me. Someday, you'll call to chat and I won't
be here. Not because I don't want to talk to you, but because I won't be on the planet
anymore. You laugh about the Rapture and the things to come, but they're true. You can
look all over the earth for me, but you won't find me. You won't find Russ or my kids. In
fact, a lot of people are going to be missing all at once. The Bible says that those who
have accepted Christ as their Savior will be called up in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye. We will hear Him when he calls us. If you don't know Him, you won't hear anything.
You think mankind is evolving into something better and people will eventually come
together in peaceful unity. Not true. Things are going to get a whole lot worse before
they ever get better. Only when Jesus Christ Himself steps foot on this earth again will
the wars and evil stop. And Mike, there is fire in Hell and I don't want you to go there.
God doesn't want you to go there. He loves you and wants you to accept His Son as your
Savior. I believe that after I'm gone, the anti-Christ will come and he'll demand you take
his mark....in the forehead or the hand. Don't do it. Remember what I'm telling you. Don't
forget it." </b>
<b>It was late so I stood up and called it a night. He paid the check and walked me to my
car. We hugged and I told him how good it was to see him again. One of the last things he
said to me was, "Deb, if I die and go to Hell and there really is fire....THEN I'll know
you were right". </b>
<b>As I drove home, I choked up and prayed, "Father, please don't let him die tonight.
Just give him another chance. I know you already know who will accept your Son and who
will not, but I don't. Please....just don't let him die tonight". </b>
<b>God's absolutely amazing! He was working on me and working on Mike. The Lord spoke to
my spirit and told me to let go of the anger and frustration that I had been holding onto.
He told me to forgive so that I could come out of the "fog". Then He reminded me that His
Word is true in ALL areas of my life. No matter how big the problem seems, following His
Word is always the best course of action. He also reminded me that there is MUCH work to
do and I needed to "throw off the sin that constantly entangles me". It's a
stumblingblock. A real hindrance! My heart melted, and I bawled like a baby. I confessed
that I was contemplating going against His will and agreed to follow Him wherever He takes
me. The next morning, I called a Christian friend and, Russ with me, we opened God's Word
and broke down the scriptures pertaining to the situation that had been causing me
problems. I left there filled with a new sense of hope. The Lord brought me the hope
through His Word and, as always, revealed to me my own responsibilities in the situation. </b>
<b>It may seem like I've chased rabbits in this encouragement. The point is no matter what
we must not go against God's Word. No matter how big or unsolvable it may seem, we must
not give up hope of a right and Godly solution to the problems of this life. In the midst
of "foggy times" I encourage you, as the Lord has encouraged me, to remember that there is
a work to do that by far outweighs any problems we may have. Time is growing short for
those of us who are saved to share the gospel of Christ with the lost. So short, I
believe, that sharing the Book of Revelation should not be shied away from! Has anyone
else noticed that fewer and fewer people are willing to listen? Sure! More and more people
flocked to God and churches after the 9/11 attack, but how may are actually listening?
Even our kids, after their friends have come to church with us and heard the plan of
salvation, are feeling discouraged. Because of their love for their friends and their
understanding of future world events, they are now telling the other kids what is going to
happen in Revelation. They are feeling a sense of sadness and desperation for these kids'
souls! </b>
<b>Sean turned on the news a couple of days ago and they were talking about the Euro
currency going into effect on January 1st. He shut off the TV, shook his head and said,
"Mom, I know what all of this means. All those bible studies when I thought I wasn't
listening....well, I was. Now I wish I hadn't, because I feel a heaviness in my heart.
First, for my lost friends because I know what they're going to have to face if they don't
get saved. Secondly, I'm a little sad because I always wanted to get old and die. I don't
think I'll be getting old. I understand what all this means and I know it won't be too
much longer until we won't be here anymore. I've started telling my friends about
Revelation. They need to know before I'm gone." Russ told me last night that he saw one
buddy in particular reading a little of Revelation as I had been studying it and had left
my Bible open. Good deal! </b>
<b>I remind him that God's time is God's time. We don't know the hour or the day. We're
just told to tell about Christ until He calls us out of here. "Behold, I am coming
soon......Do not seal up the prophecy of this book, because the time is near." Throw off
everything that puts you in a "fog". Get to the bottom of it, confess it and throw it off.
There's work to do. Be bold about sharing the words of the book and stay encouraged!! </b>
<b>With love in Christ, as always~~ </b>
Debbie Reed-Parman
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