The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants,... (Revelation 1:1)
I get the feeling that many people rush past the opening verses of Revelation (perhaps even the first few chapters) in order to get to the seals, trumpets and bowls—what they feel is the “important” part of the Book. There are two very important conditions which are provided in these opening verses which make all the difference for understanding everything else to come: (1) This is not something that is written for everyone, but given “to show His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place”, and (2) hearing and reading this Scripture (as with all Scripture, actually) must be followed up with heeding it—that is, putting it into practice. If the Book of Revelation is written exclusively for those who are in a right relationship with Christ who are actually putting His Word into practice, what are the odds it will ever make sense to those living contrary to His Word and ways?
A bond-servant is someone who is under contractual obligation to serve another. A common scenario would be someone who could not pay their debts, so they would enter a legal arrangement wherein they would become a servant for however long it took to repay the one who paid the debt for them. It was a two-way relationship wherein the “master” did not simply loan money, but clothed, fed and sheltered the debtor for the duration of the contract. During that time, the debtor became a servant who worked exclusively for their new master, living in the master’s house, concerned only for that master’s business. Does this sound familiar? A biblical bond-servant is a born-again believer in a covenant relationship with Christ (who paid the debt of their sins) and no longer works and lives for himself in the world, but exclusively in the Master’s house to carry out the Master’s will...
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Please read here for the complete article, by Danny Isom: http://moriel.org/MorielArchive/index.php/discernment/church-issues/end-times/it-is-not-a-book-for-everyone
In His love,
Roger
