'Revelations'

I am already loving this "backwards through the Bible" thing. I finished reading Revelation today, and tomorrow I'll finish 2 & 3 John. Three books down in five days? That's so much more motivating than spending weeks in The Pentateuch. :-)

Really, though, I've been surprised at how it changes my reading. Day 1 was glorious as I read the end when God's ultimate glory is accomplished and sin is finally put to death. It felt like I was reading the end to the most amazing movie I've ever seen...well, times a gazillion. It was incredible. But then suddenly, in Days 2 and 3, sin was back again, and man was it ever being punished severely. It was pretty painful to read its final blows upon mankind. Seriously awful. Every time I got caught up in the dreadfulness of it all, though, I remembered. I already know the end! This doesn't last! Sin IS defeated!

Day 4 (the first 5 chapters) is full of beautiful praise and declaration of God as the only One worthy. It's also full of warnings to the churches because of the 'drama' that's about to happen between God and sin. It's warning them to be steadfast, to be more than lukewarm, to be faithful. Those words from the Lord to those churches were so much more meaningful to me after having just read WHY God is warning them. He knows what's about to happen and how they will be tested through great persecution. He's preparing them in a way only His great love can do. I never would have picked up on that while reading forwards.

Oh, and one other bonus I realized after starting this endeavor. My dear husband is reading forwards as I am reading backwards. That means that there will be one incredible day when we're reading the same thing. I told him we need to plan to do something really big that day...because for once, we'll be on exactly the same page. :-)