Before we begin today's episode of renewing your mind, we invite you to stay with us through the end of the program to hear how you can request today's featured resource from Ligdair Ministries.

What John is saying to us here implicitly is, the fact that I'm suffering doesn't mean that I'm not beloved.

And the real message of that to all the readers of this book is,

and so whatever you're suffering doesn't mean you're not beloved.

We live in a fallen world. Suffering, sin, disease. We're surrounded by them all, and sometimes

it can feel like God has forgotten us. And there are many places in the Bible we can turn

to for encouragement and hope during these times. The Psalms, Job, Romans chapter 8, for example,

but today here on renewing your mind,

W. Robert Gottre will show us why the Book of Revelation is another source of comfort.

Well, we're just beginning to get into the book itself and to look at what it teaches us,

and we're looking a little bit at that introduction, the first three verses that

orient us to the whole book. And you notice there in verse three that John tells us that this is a

prophecy, a prophecy that Jesus has given to John to share with the churches. And it's important

to pause and remember that prophecy throughout the scriptures,

whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, doesn't mean simply words about the future.

It very much means God's word to us to help us now in light of the future. And that's what it means here too.

This doesn't mean future information or future shock, but it means this is a pastoral word for us.

And that's what we hope to be seeing as we go along. So as we continue to look at what vital information is given to us about reading

this book in these opening verses, we see two time markers here. First of all, we're told

that this must take place soon and then that the time is near. Unless we think that this applies just to the letters

to the churches, this point is made again

at the end of the book in the conclusion.

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