On the buses... Revelation 1

Well good morning, (Actually it may well be evening for those of you reading this)

I’m now on the train. I’m sitting on a seat that I nearly had to fight for… Mortal combat this early in the morning isn’t worth the while as it would really put me on the back foot for the day.

Just gonna use my marvellous computer to do my daily reading… you’re just gonna have to be put on hold for a few minutes. My apologies.

Right… obviously there will have been no gap in the reading of what I’m writing here… but I just took approximately 20 minutes to sort out how to use an erring Quickverse programme… In that 20 minutes I’ve reset the version of the Bible that I was actually reading to the NIV, which I didn’t actually want but the programme didn’t have the ESV… I’ve struggled to try and find how to bring up more than one chapter, or even a whole book… But nonetheless, I’ve started a somewhat belated reading of Revelation which I had actually been planning on reading for some time.

This book is awesome… I’ve only read the first chapter but it’s exciting. I already know broadly speaking what happens and have had it explained what it all means.. well not all… because there’s a lot to it…

Have to keep remembering… Picture book!!! It’s a picture book! Like that film that was released a while ago now… keep reminding yourself, “It’s only a movie”, well this is like that! Only it’s not only a movie. Nor only a picture book! The pictures are an accurate description of the things that are to come! For the atheist amongst the readers of this site, this is going to seem a bit far fetched. But I urge you to not throw the possibility of what is being read as being fantasy! What you are about to read, if you have the fortitude to keep yourself reading, is some of the most scary and yet potentially rewarding prophetic descriptions of the end of times that you could ever read.

For the believers… Take heart. Under present stresses and tribulations, the time is near! Do not absolve yourself that the race is nearly run. Pick up your head! Fight the fight with a growing sense of urgency! There must be someone you know that needs to hear this message! Stand up and make each one of these last days count!

Revelation

Revelation 1

Prologue

¹The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, ²who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. ³Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Greetings and Doxology

⁴John,

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits^£ before his throne, ⁵and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

⁷ Look, he is coming with the clouds,

and every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him;

and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.

So shall it be! Amen.

⁸“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

One Like a Son of Man

⁹I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ¹⁰On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, ¹¹which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

¹²I turned round to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man”,^£ dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash round his chest. ¹⁴His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ¹⁵His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

¹⁹“Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. ²⁰The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the

seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Right then,

I’ve finished my day.

Found out today that there are even more benefits to working here. Our Christmas do this year, despite that boss being a Muslim, may well be going for a meal. But wait… “A meal? Just a solitary meal?” I hear you ask… No no no. This meal could well be going to Europe, either by boat or by plane for a load up! How about that?!

Not bad for me eh? Considering they wouldn’t even let me go bowling at my former emplyee’s discretion.

So now I’m pretty bored. Train journey home could be quite uneventful. Could be fraught with young babies crying and such but hopefully not.

As it happens the minibus to the station ran through no less then 3 red lights. That was entertaining.

*E* started her new job today too. Good stuff. I wont have to pay for everything anymore. I hope anyway… only joking smelly! As far as I know she’s enjoying herself. She spoke briefly at lunch to say that she would still not be the more tired of the 2 of us… I beg to differ as my internal clock is getting used to the ridiculously early rising time and the late re-entry to my abode… I say my abode… it isn’t really mine. Again, still under the roof of my rents causes entertainment daily. Mum is now home following spending about 2 weeks at Emma and Nathans, following the birth of their second… My brand new neice. Amy Grace. That makes 10 neices and nephews now. 10! What are my siblings thinking of… I know that Mum and Dad decided to go for broke in having 5 kids but that doesn’t mean that all the older siblings have to try to beat that record. Jane and Chris incidentally are awaiting the birth of their 4^th in March. Great huh?! That’ll be 11.

I’ve noticed trains are generally quite packed to and from East Croydon. This can cause problems, especially when typing. Over the past 3 weeks I’ve been quite fortunate however, having a seat every day except the first day I traveled up. Plus in the mornings I get to smell the delicacies of the buffet cart trawling up the oh-so-thin aisles.

Cracking.

Well… I think I’ve rambled enough for now.

I’m going to shut down and appreciate the riveting conversation of two commuter gents next to me… The larger of which checked out the computer when I sat down looking down at the fact that someone wearing jeans, albethey black, could possibly be typing on a laptop at all...

Anyway.

Laters all…

[listening to:- Funeral for a Friend, History]

[contemplating:- phoning for a lift back from the station, just because I’m lazy]