shturt678 said:
Any 'prophecy' in the Book of Revelation that should seriously concern us even at this moment? Gospel's message good enough without Revelation's prophecy in today's time? I strongly feel that we should be concerned, for example, Rev. chapters 6 through 11 more so than Rev. chapters 19 through 20
Old Jack
This view is no different than the churches, for they have considered the Bible like going to a "buffet" at a restaurant, pick and choose what you want and discard the rest. This goes contrary to Jesus words to Satan, saying: "It is written (at Deut 8:3): ‘Man must live, not on bread alone, but on
every word that comes from Jehovah’s mouth.’”(Matt 4:4)
And the apostle Paul wrote that "
all Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, so that the man of God may be
fully competent, completely equipped for every good work."(2 Tim 3:16, 17)
Hence, without all of the Bible, there is a void, whereby "the man of God" will
not "be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work." What machine can function properly if several key parts are missing ? So, to pick and choose what a person wants to hear (and apply) regarding the Bible shows disrespect for our Maker, Jehovah God.
It also shows an arrogance, for a person is saying that all that has been presented through the Bible is not really "good" and "I don't like it." This is like the Pentecostals who basically only accept Acts 2:38, rejecting the rest of the Bible. (I had a Pentecostal couple tell me this and that even Jesus words were unimportant)
Thus, to say that "we should be concerned......Rev. chapters 6 through 11 more so than Rev. chapters 19 through 20" shows that a person is lacking in love for God, but wants to set their own guidelines of what is "right and wrong." (see Gen 3:1-6)
What does Revelation 1:1 say ? It says: "A revelation by Jesus Christ, which God gave him, to show his slaves the things that must shortly take place." So, to pick out only part of Revelation shows disrespect for both Jesus and God, as if saying that " I know what more than them".
Revelation 1:3 says: "Happy is the one who reads aloud and those who hear the words of (all) this prophecy and who
observe the things written in it, for the appointed time is near." How can a person "observe (all) the things written in" Revelation if they cut out part of it ?
At Jeremiah 2, the nation of Israel was condemned for having done this, saying: "Because my people have done two bad things: They have abandoned me (by picking only what they wanted to hear which led them to worship other gods), the source of living water, and dug for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that cannot hold water.’ "(Jer 2:13)
The reason many wish to slide parts of the Bible "under the carpet" is
(1) because it exposes them as unrighteous (see John 3:20),
(2) because many are unwilling to change their personality to fit God's "new personality", "stripping off the old personality".(Col 3:9, 10),
(3) because they are disinclined to allow Jehovah God to teach them (see Heb 5:13),
(4) because they do not like the message that often "stings".(see Rev 9:5, 6)