Revelation 1:3 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.

If you have never read the Bible through from Genesis to Revelation, you should start today because it will never be enough to hear the Word preached to you. Reading in this sequence will lend discipline to your study but remember it is not a race; you will get to the end at some point. Then you can start over again. The important thing is to read and ask the Holy Spirit to minister to you and interpret what you are reading. Some passages, like the genealogies in I Chronicles, may boggle the mind but in later years you will find them useful or at the very least understand why they were written.

When you set out to read a book such as a mystery or detective story, the last thing you want is for someone to tell you how it ends, because that would deprive you of the pleasure of finding out for yourself.

Not so with the Word of God. Reading the Scriptures brings life, light and wisdom and reading the Book of Revelation in particular comes with a promise that you will be blessed. Why is that? Because it is the revelation of Jesus Christ! You know that he came as a baby and lived to teach and demonstrate the nature of God, then he died as Savior, was buried and rose again and now sits at God’s right hand to intercede for all believers. The Book of Revelation tells us what happens next – he will come again but as Judge and King of Kings. If you do not read it you will never grasp the totality of God’s authority over his creation nor understand the degree to which He is determined that every knee will bow to his Son and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. (See Philippians 2: 9 – 11). You also will not understand that God is faithful to those who believe in him and is determined to vindicate them.  All this is the embodiment of your faith. Once when I finished reading Revelation 19, 20 and 21 the Holy Spirit spoke to me:

“He who now takes away the sins of the world as the lamb slain from the foundation of the world shall come again as Judge and King of Kings of the earth. As the Word says, he will reward every man according as his work has been. He will render justice for the oppressed and down-trodden; he will deliver his people. He will make all things plain. He will put in place the new heavens and the new earth wherein only righteousness will reign. Never again will his name be blasphemed in the earth but he himself will reign in righteousness. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God and the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He alone is worthy and true.”