On Thursday evening I announced to my wife that I had finished reading the Bible. She laughingly said, “so now what?” A rhetorical question of course as she knows that simply means I read through God’s Word and now I would be starting over. The reality was, I had already started back in Genesis before I informed her that I finished. My blog post today is thoughts based on my reading of the Bible. My personal plan for Bible study is that I read anywhere between three and maybe ten chapters of the Bible every day. I start in Genesis and work my way through to the end. Throughout the reading each day I highlight and keep a journal of my observations and the way the Holy Spirit is speaking to me as I read.
The last two verses in Revelation are, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:20-21 NASB) At that point I suppose that many people have different thoughts and observations. Some of mine were to thank the Lord and contemplate the question of being ready for the Lord’s return. By being ready, I mean, have I accomplished His Will that He has called me to complete? The last line (verse 21) really sums up God’s Word as it is about the grace of the Lord Jesus being with us all. Anytime I complete a book of the Bible I feel a sense of, “Wow, that was fantastic, I can’t believe I finished it.” It takes just a moment though to move past that emotion into the excitement of the next book.
The completion of Revelation certainly has a sense of finality or completion to it, closely linked to the perfection of all that is coming. But, then the start of Genesis is perfect as well. I completed Revelation and started Genesis with a thought of perfection, and God’s grace. I really feel that Revelation 22:13, which says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end,” is the verse that links Revelation and Genesis together. God has done, and God will do. Is not that the perfection, grace, mercy, and completeness of God summed up very simply?