Welcome to 2018, possibly our last year on earth, Christians!

I could be completely wrong about the timing of this, of course, but my belief that the Rapture will take place in 3018 is well documented. 

But the Lord told us to keep living our lives until it actually happens. “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the Coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away; so will be the Coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37-39) Of course, I intend to do my part: I always eat and drink more than I should, and I’m now engaged to be married sometime this summer. 

The key, as the following few paragraphs explain, is to remain FAITHFUL to Christ in both word and deed, not wavering in doubt with His supposed “delay” - the Lord is never early or late; He is always just on time - or losing touch with the Holy Spirit (Mt 24:46-51 and Mt 25:1-13, respectively). And the best way to remain close to God throughout is by reading His Word every single day. 

That’s why I highly recommend “Bible-in-a-Year” for every Believer every single year, no matter how long you’ve been His Child. Every year, no matter how well you think you know the Bible, He always has something new for you - and I increase the odds by consuming Scripture differently each year. I’ve read the Bible in the KJV, the HCSB, and the ESV; this year, I read along with the Max McLean audio Bible. I haven’t started yet today, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to try reading the New Living Translation. It’s the most popular of the ‘modern vernacular’ Bibles, used by the majority of pastors who choose 21st century language to share God’s Word with their parishioners.

My goal is simply to find new depth in my reading of the Bible, and thus new information from God’s writing. If I could read Greek or Hebrew, I’d choose those in a heartbeat. But even if I was to read exactly the same copy of the Bible every year, I’d do it. Think: 1189 chapters! You won’t memorize it in one reading per year. There are sections I know extremely well. (I don’t have very many exact memorizations in my skull, partly because I DO use different versions of the Bible.) Just make sure you READ!

And you don’t have to read left to right, although so far I have every year. Most reading plans alternate between Old and New Testaments, or perhaps help you follow chronologically. Heck, go alphabetically if you want! JUST READ IT! You will be amazed at what you discover. 

What will you learn? Here’s what I think are the most important points that doing this drives home:

1) So many take verses out of context. You cannot do that this way. And you’ll learn WHY in many cases. 

2) You will notice how the same thoughts, the same themes recur repeatedly. The more He points something out, the bigger a deal it is. 

3) After a few readings, you might finally discover the truth about the Bible: every single book, chapter, verse, word, is about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

Good luck, my friends. Be prepared. He is Coming Soon.