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Revelation 22:12-15. This is a very meaningful one, be forewarned!

 

Here's the whole reading: "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

 

Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood."

 

Whew, ok, get ready for a whole lot!! When I first started my Bible journal, I was surprised at how often I journaled about a coming time of destruction; even, it felt like, the end of times. My thoughts were, of course, tied to the readings I got, but they had a very prophetic feel, as if God was using my journaling to speak to me and give me warnings. I discounted it as my own worries coming through, although it niggled in the back of my mind. The feeling intensified over months and years and began being a bit overwhelming at times. I truly had the feeling that the end was nigh! I told myself that I did not know what "nigh" meant - I do not know God's time or purposes or ways - his time is not our time - but I was more and more getting the feeling that I had to say something - that he wanted me to warn people somehow and call them back to him. I felt that I was being called to be both a prophet and an evangelist.

 

So, not willing to put myself out there too much, I focused on the evangelist part, thinking that the prophet part sounded too crazy. I started trying to find small ways to evangelize, and I had some success. He let me see some of these successes so I knew I was on the right track. But I got the feeling ... no the message ... that while he did want me to do this, it was not all he wanted me to do. 

 

In January of 2020, one of my best friends in the world died. Michael had suffered with ALS for years and, when I met him in 2016, he already was bedridden and could only speak through a computer that tracked his eye movements. Over the years of our friendship I would visit him each week and we would talk about many things. We would do Bible readings and have discussions, but never did I mention this feeling I was getting from my journaling. In fact, I had not started journaling when I met Michael, I knew him for three years before I even started my daily journal.

 

So Michael and I always kept our discussions upbeat and hopeful - he was an incredibly joyful man even in the midst of all his sufferings, and he was an inspiration to me and to many others. At his funeral service in February of 2020, a minister who had only met Michael one time related that the only words Michael ever spoke to him were "Jesus is coming again soon." (!!!!) This gave me chills. I sat there thinking "This is a message for me... God wants me to hear this and to act as if Jesus is coming soon... He is breaking through my doubts with Michael's words through this minister... It could not be clearer." I still felt really weirded out by the whole thing. I had been journaling about it, but had never told anyone, not even my husband, about these feelings.

Michael's words were a push. The very day of his memorial service, I told my sister all of this, she was my test case. She listened, kindly (what else could she do, she's a nice, good person!?) and the conversation moved on. I did not feel like I had particularly made any impact, except maybe that she thought I was a little crazy. The weeks went by, the feeling intensified, and then COVID hit. I thought "this is it, this is what he has been preparing me for," and I think that is right, but not in the way I thought at the time.

 

My journaling, and feelings, and several very vivid and meaningful dreams, continued, and intensified, and told me that COVID was just part of it - more, much more, is happening. I do not know what it all is, but I know that he is preparing us - He is coming, soon! It's amazing, but this does not scare me at all, it just makes me want to tell people - to warn them, to encourage them, to help them come back to God. He is so comforting and he always makes me feel so loved and protected - I want that for everyone, and so does he! It's joyful, really!

 

A few nights ago (August 9th, to be exact) while saying the Rosary and drifting in that half-asleep state, I heard him say "I am coming, I am coming, do not worry, everything will be okay." It was so clear, and I had such an overwhelming feeling of peace - I journaled about that at the time, which is how I know the date and the exact quote. Now for today's reading I get this "Behold, I am coming soon."

 

So I cannot deny this anymore, I really cannot. He is coming soon. It is completely clear to me and I am very certain. I do not know what "soon" is to God. Not even Jesus, while he was here, knew the day nor the hour when he would come again. But we are told what it will be like - in the Gospels, in Revelation - in fact, all of the Bible tells us what it will be like. The Truth is there and you don't even have to be very good at pattern recognition at this point to see it anymore. Just take off your blinders, let go of everything you are clinging to for comfort that is not him, and look - really look - at the world around you - at reality.

 

You can see it, you can feel it, he is coming and he loves you and he wants you back. He wants you back soon, he wants you back now! So we must wash our robes in the blood of the Lamb - we cannot save ourselves - we need him. Everything that is happening is meant to show us that. We are sinful and we are helpless unless we turn to him. All shall be well for those who do - "Blessed are those who wash their robes."