Revelation (The Book)

As a Church, we are finishing the New Testament as a book of study for the year and I've been thinking how the book of Revelation is in many ways a representation of the Gospel to me: some parts of this book I just really don't understand. I'm sure there is symbolism and meaning to the different beasts and the different numbers of heads, horns, etc., but for the most part I find myself wondering what it means. There are other pieces that are somewhat scary - such as the many trials and difficulties that are prophesied before the Savior's second coming - but there are some pieces I find supernal and beautiful. I find myself filled with hope after reading them.

Revelation 1 starts by describing the Lord as "Him that loved us, and ^bwashed us from our sins in His own ^cblood" and goes on to quote the Lord explaining some of His own character and attributes:

Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that ^aliveth, and was ^bdead; and, behold, I am alive for ^cevermore, Amen; and have the ^dkeys of ^ehell and of death.

Revelation also includes some unique titles for the Savior, for example in 3:14 we read that He is "the amen" and "the faithful and true witness." (I love studying the different names the Savior has in the scriptures. I feel like there are so many things to learn from these titles.)

Two of my favorite verses of scripture come from Revelation; in 7:17 we read

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of ^awaters: and God shall wipe away all ^btears from their eyes.

 And similarly in 21:4:

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more ^adeath, neither ^bsorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more ^cpain: for the former things are passed away.

 My own personal faith causes me to spend more time working towards and pondering the beauty of these wonderful words than worrying about the pieces I do not yet understand or hope for. I love the book of Revelation and the many things it teaches about the character of God and His Son; I love and hope for the transcendent peace that will be ushered in by the Savior's second coming. These marvelous messages do not immediately make me understand the other passages, but they give me hope and something to work towards. It will be a long time before any of us fully comprehend the Lord's plan for ourselves, let alone have the ability to make sense of everything in the world. However, the more mature I become in the Gospel the more I grow in confidence that the Lord is able to fix everything that we allow Him to in our lives. He will set right the wrong to establish His mercy, and that sustains me through the many things I do not yet comprehend.

Repentance as a Gift

I've had repentance on my mind a lot lately. Today I read this scripture:

5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin - 1 John 3:5

It got me thinking: Christ took upon Him our sins so that - through fully accepting Christ as our Savior - He could bring us back to live in the presence of our Father in Heaven. Each time we repent, we can take a step towards receiving that goal now. With every step that we take towards personal virtue and purity, we become more comfortable in the presence of Deity, and we can better enjoy and receive the company of the Holy Ghost. We can allow Christ to take us closer to our Father's presence by trying to be better and exercising faith in His power to forgive us.

I'm grateful for the gift of repentance. I get upset with myself sometimes, especially when I feel like I'm making the same mistakes again and again. Because of my faith, believe I can change even the sins that I commit regularly (eventually). Over the past few years, I've made a stronger effort to better follow the Gospel and to improve my personal righteousness. I have felt a difference in my prayers and in my confidence in receiving answers to my prayers, as well as in my ability to recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost in my own life. I'm grateful for President Nelson's invitation to do better which has helped me maintain focus on improving myself.