Revelation 1:19 Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.
Are you ready for the future? Well, how do you even know? The future is unknown by definition. When you get to a book like Revelation, there is more than enough to worry about. What you do see, the pictures and images, are fearsome and frightening at times. What they mean seems to be unknown because it is talking largely about the future.
Yet, Revelation is not merely the revelation of the future, it is the revelation of Jesus Christ. It reveals Him first of all, and the future belongs to Him. The truth is that you are ready for the future, not because you stocked up a canned food, ammunition, or batteries, but because you remember Who Jesus is.
Jesus is more worthy of fear than the future itself. In verse 17 John says that when he saw Jesus he “fell at his feet as dead” and Jesus “laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last.” Repeatedly through the first chapter of Revelation the Bible talks about what is, what was, and what will be. This is in reference to Jesus. Jesus was, Jesus is, and Jesus will be. You think about how sweet and gracious the little Baby in the manger was. This is the same Person in Revelation whose hairs were white like wool and whose eyes were as a flame of fire. This is the same Jesus. He hasn’t changed. So, you are ready for the future when you remember who Jesus is. He is more worthy of fear than even the future.
The bottom line is that you know Him and He is consistent. He was, He is, and He will be. Jesus gives peace even during uncertainty and fear. Verses 4-5 say, “Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, which was, and which is to come…and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness.” So, I don’t know the future, but I know the One Who does. I am ready to face the future when I remember Who Jesus is.