Blessed 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.
-- Rev 1:3 NIV
Earlier, John called his book a revelation (apocalypse), but now he also calls it a prophecy. John, like the prophets Samuel, Elijah, and Jeremiah, warns God's people of God's impending judgment on their unfaithfulness and calls them to repentance so that they might find God's mercy and forgiveness. Therefore, we who study John's message should look more at ourselves than "signs of the times." How are we being seduced or intimidated by the ungodly culture around us? Why do we who call ourselves Christians practice divorce at the same rate as non-Christians? Why do we enjoy the same lust-laced entertainment and music as non-Christians? Why do we use the Lord's name as frivolously in conversation as non-Christians? Why are we caught up in the same materialism as the culture around us? Unless we repent, knowing the signs of the times will profit us nothing. Blessed are they who hear and take heed.
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