THE DAY WHEN ALL THINGS BECOME NEW FOREVER (PART 3)

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.

The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.

The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

Revelation 21:9-21

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Every Christian who has ever lived, is living, and will ever live in the future will one day have a permanent change of address. For as we see in the Book of Revelation, chapter 21, one day they will live with God and Jesus forever in the new Jerusalem, the holy city that will be God’s dwelling place with His people (Vv.1-3)

What will this new, holy city look like?

While words won’t be able to do justice to its utter beauty and majesty, we find John doing a great job as we continue our study of this chapter. Look at verses 9 through 21:

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass.

The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl.

The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

Take a moment to imagine walking streets of gold forever in your new home. We see that this is going to happen when we live within the new Jerusalem, our new home made by the One who makes all things new (v.5). Simply amazing, right?

As we walk, we will have plenty of room to roam for the city will be square and run 1,400 miles long (12,000 stadia) on each of its four sides. It would take a person 20 days of continuous walking to cover that distance, giving you an idea of the immensity of the new Jerusalem, enough space to house all of Jesus’ disciples.

We read where the city “of pure gold”, sitting on a mountain and shining “with the glory of God”, had a “brilliance” about it “like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal”. Its boundaries were in the form of four “great, high” walls, made from jasper. These four walls had “twelve gates”, each “made from a single pearl”. These pearly gates will be equally distributed between the four walls as John records that there will be “three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west”, all with an associated angel. Each gate 200 feet thick (144 cubits) will be written the “names of the twelve tribes of Israel”.

The walls of the new Jerusalem will be supported by “twelve foundations”, each inscribed with the “names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb”. Each of these foundations would be as unique as the servant of Jesus they were named after. The scriptures tell us that they will be “decorated with every kind of precious stone” with the first foundation...jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst”.

It’s hard for us to fathom such a place, the most beautiful, breathtaking place ever created, but one day we will live there with God and our Savior Jesus for all eternity. I don’t know about you but I am so excited for that day when it comes for it will be the best day ever where you, I, and every other Christian believer can abide forever.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE DAY WHEN ALL THINGS BECAME NEW FOREVER (PART 2)

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelation 21:5-8

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It was a scene that was hard to put into words but we find John doing a really good job as chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation starts.

First, a new Heaven and earth emerged because the past version of both, referred to as part of the “former things”, had passed away along with anyone who chose to reject Jesus and align instead with Satan, the “cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral”, and “those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars”. All of these were “consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (aka Hell) which is called “the second death”.

Then, descending from the new Heaven was a glorious, magnificent city, the new Jerusalem, which would be the holy city where God would dwell with His people forever. And His people will be everyone who chose to believe in Jesus while the first Heaven and earth were in existence, those whose names were found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Finally, as if this wasn’t wonderful enough, we read where God Himself would “wipe every tear” from the eyes of His people, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah. There would be no need for sorrow in this new place because death, mourning, crying, or pain would be no more, also included in the “former things”.

Friends, this is our eternal destiny, the future time where we will live alongside God and Jesus forever, free from sin and evil and worry and suffering and heartbreak. Our best life is yet to come, for sure, and as we continue to look at chapter 21 and into chapter 22, we’re going to get even more definition as to what our forever home will be like. But before then, let’s hear words from our Lord from today’s passage, verses five through eight:

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Indeed, the God who first made all things, to include the Heaven and earth that had just passed away, now makes it clear that it was He who has made “everything new”. Further, He wanted His words preserved and so He commands that they be written down for they were “trustworthy and true”.

As for this new creation, God further makes it clear that He and He alone was there from the beginning to the end, serving as “the Alpha and Omega”. For all His people, those who thirsted for Him and had gained the blessing to live with Him and Jesus forever, we find God promising “water without cost from the spring of the water of life”. Only the “victorious” would “inherit this”, those who were the “children” of God.

As Christians, we have more reasons to thank God than we can ever sit down and list. The assurance of everlasting life with Him through Jesus should always be at the top of our gratitude expressions for although this life is far from perfect, we know the world we live in is not our true home, just a temporary stop on the way to glory.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE DAY WHEN ALL THINGS BECOME NEW FOREVER (PART 1)

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then I saw “a new Heaven and a new earth,” for the first Heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:1-4

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It’s always amazing to me how God, through His Word, shows us the connectional nature of the Old and New Testament, especially in regard to words He spoke through His prophets. Two such instances from the Book of Isaiah point to future time when things will radically change as our Lord promises to make all things new.

We’ll start today’s message with one of these instances and use it as a lead in to today’s passage. Look at what God had to say in the seventeenth verses of Isaiah, chapter 65:

“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.”

Here, we find God foretelling of a day when the Heaven and earth present at the time of Isaiah would one day be no more. They are the former things that He mentions and in their place, He promises to create a new heaven and earth.

With that vision in mind, let’s now fast forward to the opening verses of Revelation, chapter 21 where we find the vision become a reality. Look again at these verses here as John continues to share what he is witnessing:

Then I saw “a new Heaven and a new earth,” for the first Heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Vv.1-4

Here, we find the emergence of “a new Heaven and earth” that replaced the “first Heaven and the first earth” which had “passed away” (thus becoming the “former things”). Within this new creation, John sees “the Holy City” which was “the new Jerusalem” descending from the new Heaven after being sent “from God”. Trying to describe this spectacular event the best he could, John said the new “Holy City” was “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband”.

What purpose would this magnificent city hold on the new earth?

Going to our passage, we find the answer proclaimed by a loud voice from the throne:

“Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Through Jesus, the separation between God and man was no more. All who placed their belief in Jesus and, in turn had their names written within the Lamb’s Book of Life, were now living with Him for all eternity. He was their God and they were His people, the ones He saved for such a time as this.

And with that, we go to the second place in the Book of Isaiah that leads into this amazing advent of everlasting life between God, His Son Jesus, and all Christian believers. Look at these words from the eighth verse of Isaiah, chapter twenty-five:

“He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove His people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.”

Here, the God who made all things new will ensure His people leave all that afflicted them in the past. There will be no more need for worry over “death or mourning or crying of pain” because all sources of sorrow will be gone. They will join sin and evil under the category of “the old order of things” which had “passed away.”

Friends, what an incredible future we have after Jesus returns to judge the earth. For through Him, our best life is yet to come, a new life made possible by the God who makes all things new. Until that time comes, let us give thanks and rejoice in this sure hope today and every day the Lord blesses us with.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and there was no place for them.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:11-15

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Every single person who has ever lived will have one of two eternal destinies.

That’s right, everyone will one day live forever. No one dies with their body either going into the ground or sea or cremated with their soul absent, gone at the drawing of one’s last breath.

No, the body may die but the soul lives on until the moment of truth, the moment when Jesus returns to sit on His throne and bring judgment to the people of the earth. We read about what this will look like in the closing verses of Revelation, chapter 20:

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and there was no place for them.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Vv.11-15

Here we read that after Satan is “thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” with “the beast and the false prophet” where they would be “tormented day and night forever and ever”, John sees “a great white throne” and Jesus who “was seated on it”. Such was the amazing power and authority emitted by His mere presence that we read where “the earth and heavens fled” from Him but there was no place for them to go, no escaping what was to come next.

Before the throne stood “the dead, great and small”, all who had been surrendered by the sea, death, and Hades, the latter of which was just Greek word, the equivalent of the Hebrew "sheol", meaning the place of the dead. As they stood before the throne, the scriptures tell us that “books were opened” one of which is “the book of life”, also referred to as the Lamb’s Book of Life because the names within were all redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Within this book contained all that the dead in Christ “had done” and they will be judged according to this.

It’s important to emphasize here that there will be a multitude of the dead whose name will not be found in the Lamb’s book, those who rejected Him while alive. This multitude will experience “the second death” which happens when they are cast into “the lake of fire” (aka Hell) along with death and Hades. There, they will live in everlasting torment in the company of Satan, the beast, and the false prophet.

This future moment of truth should serve as a wake up call for anyone who reads this message and has not placed their belief in Jesus as Savior. My prayer is that you, the unbeliever, will sense the urgency to make sure your name is written in the book of life before you die, and you don’t know that today might not be that day. Come to Christ today without delay and seal your eternal future, a glorious future that we will start looking at in tomorrow’s message as we move toward concluding the study of this amazing book.

Amen.

In Christ, 

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE END OF SATAN

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city He loves. But fire came down from Heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Revelation 20:7-10

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I saw an angel coming down out of Heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. Revelation 20:1-3

In the opening verses of Revelation, chapter 20, we read about the imprisonment of Satan by a powerful angel dispatched by God from Heaven. After the angel bound up the devil with “a great chain”, he “threw him into the Abyss” before locking and sealing it so to prevent any further “deceiving” of “the nations”.

Now it’s important to remember that this incarceration was only temporary for the scriptures tell us that Satan would only be held until the thousand year reign over the earth by Jesus had ended. Then, the devil “must be set free for as short time”.

As we turn to our passage for today, we pick up with that moment when Satan is let loose to wreak havoc one final time. Look again at verses 7 through 10 of this chapter:

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number, they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city He loves.

But fire came down from Heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Here, we read where the devil is “released from his prison” and immediately goes “out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth” with the specific purpose of gathering “them for battle”. The forces he gained were huge for the scriptures tell us they numbered similar to “the sand on the seashore”. This army, led by Satan, “marched across the breadth of the earth” to encircle “the camp of God’s people” who were together in Jerusalem, “the city He loves”.

Perhaps this looked like a harrowing, perilous situation on the surface but God was about to eliminate His primary enemy once and for all. For we read where “fire came down from Heaven and devoured” all the fighting forces who had been deceived by Satan. Then, “the devil was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur” to join the “beast and the false prophet”. Together, they all would “be tormented day and night forever and ever”.

All and all, it was a decisive, triumphant day for the world as God displayed His absolute supremacy, once and for all. And with that, the stage is set for the final judgment of the people, living and dead, and eternal assignments to either Heaven or Hell.

We’ll pick up with that in tomorrow’s message.

Amen.

In Christ, 

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE FIFTH BEATITUDE

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Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:4-6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation marks a special period in the end times, one where the evil that had plagued the earth from the time of the Rapture on to include the evil work of Satan, the great beast of the sea (aka the antichrist), and his accomplice, the false prophet, will be gone, the latter two for good while Satan will reappear for a short time (20:3b) before being committed to Hell forever.

This period of time, known as the Millennial Reign of Jesus, will take place for 1,000 years, a time of peace and righteousness, unmatched by any other time in the world’s history. We find out more about it in today’s passage while also looking at the fifth of seven beatitudes found in the Book of Revelation. Look again at these words here:

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.Vv.4-6

Here we find that Jesus will not be reigning alone during the thousand years. For John shares where he “saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge".

Who would occupy these thrones?

The scriptures tell is that they would be “the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, the ones who were martyred for their faith because “they had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands”.

These martyred souls would be resurrected, brought to life so to reign “with Christ a thousand years”, an even referred to as “the first resurrection”. The second resurrection would come later when “the rest of the dead” would “come to life” after “the thousand years” reign had ended.

So while Jesus’ faithful disciples met a horrific, terrible end to their lives at the hand of Satan and his evil accomplices, they ultimately are rewarded and honored in a special way, elevated to rule the world with the Savior they placed their hope and trust in.

This is why we see the fifth beatitude applied here for those brought back to life during the “first resurrection” will be “blessed and holy”, now set apart as “priests of God and of Christ”.

This scene is a reminder of the blessed victory over death and the grave that all believers – past, present, and future – have today through faith in Jesus. For no matter how this life ends, whether through natural failure of the human body or a tragic unexpected death by some means, we have the wonderful guarantee that life is not finished but only beginning in a way more incredible and glorious than we can imagine, and that life, the best life ever, will be eternal.

As we read in our text for today, blessed are those who share in the first resurrection and get to reign with Jesus for 1,000 years but blessed also is anyone who has placed their belief in Jesus for they will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

Can I pray for you in any way?

 

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

 

In Christ, Mark

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

 

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

 

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

 

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)

 

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

 

Revelation 20:4-6

 

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

 

Chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation marks a special period in the end times, one where the evil that had plagued the earth from the time of the Rapture on to include the evil work of Satan, the great beast of the sea (aka the antichrist), and his accomplice, the false prophet, will be gone, the latter two for good while Satan will reappear for a short time (20:3b) before being committed to Hell forever.

 

This period of time, known as the Millennial Reign of Jesus, will take place for 1,000 years, a time of peace and righteousness, unmatched by any other time in the world’s history. We find out more about it in today’s passage while also looking at the fifth of seven beatitudes found in the Book of Revelation. Look again at these words here:

 

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)

 

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.Vv.4-6

 

Here we find that Jesus will not be reigning alone during the thousand years. For John shares where he “saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge’.

 

Who would occupy these thrones?

 

The scriptures tell is that they would be “the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, the ones who were martyred for their faith because “they had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands”.

 

These martyred souls would be resurrected, brought to life so to reign “with Christ a thousand years”, an even referred to as “the first resurrection”. The second resurrection would come later when “the rest of the dead” would “come to life” after “the thousand years” reign had ended.

 

So while Jesus’ faithful disciples met a horrific, terrible end to their lives at the hand of Satan and his evil accomplices, they ultimately are rewarded and honored in a special way, elevated to rule the world with the Savior they placed their hope and trust in.

 

This is why we see the fifth beatitude applied here for those brought back to life during the “first resurrection” will be “blessed and holy”, now set apart as “priests of God and of Christ”.

 

This scene is a reminder of the blessed victory over death and the grave that all believers – past, present, and future – have today through faith in Jesus. For no matter how this life ends, whether through natural failure of the human body or a tragic unexpected death by some means, we have the wonderful guarantee that life is not finished but only beginning in a way more incredible and glorious than we can imagine, and that life, the best life ever, will be eternal.

 

As we read in our text for today, blessed are those who share in the first resurrection and get to reign with Jesus for 1,000 years but blessed also is anyone who has placed their belief in Jesus for they will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

 

Amen.

 

In Christ,

Mark

 

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A THOUSAND YEARS MINUS SATAN

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

And I saw an angel coming down out of Heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

Revelation 20:1-3

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Upon His long awaited return from Heaven to earth, we saw Jesus triumph over the beast (antichrist), the false prophet (his accomplice), and all “the kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders”, and all the people “who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image”. We read where the beast and false prophet were case into the “fiery lake of burning sulfur” where the rest of the people were slain, their bodies left to be picked apart by the birds (Revelation 19:11-21).

And so as we turn to Revelation, chapter 20, we do so riding the wave of Jesus’ victory, one where good overcame evil with power, and in these opening verses, we find one more bit of business that needed done as Jesus set up His reign over the world. Look again at our passage here:

And I saw an angel coming down out of Heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. Vv.1-3

How powerful are angels?

Well, the Book of Revelation more than any other book shows what they are capable of, tasked and empowered by God to carry out His purposes.

In this instance, the scriptures tell us that a certain angel from Heaven will have the privilege of capturing and detaining Satan himself, “the dragon” and “ancient serpent”. We read where the angel held “a great chain” in “his hand” and he used it to bind up the devil before throwing him “into the Abyss”, a subterranean place where demonic forces dwelled”. Once there, Satan would remain incarcerated for a thousand years, unable to deceive the nations any longer.

Think about this for a moment. Every single day, we are afflicted by the presence and work of the enemy. Like our Lord, he never takes a day off in initiating and instigating wickedness. His insistent attacking as we walk across the spiritual battlefield called life is oppressive and exhausting but here in Revelation, chapter 20, we have the assurance that a day is coming when Satan will be completely disempowered for 10 centuries. What a relief and blessing this will be for every believer alive on earth then!

In the meantime, we will trust in our Lord to protect us and lead us to truth, away from the malevolent acts of the devil. For through belief in Jesus, we know that we already have gained the victory over our enemy, death, and the grave. Now and forevermore, let us lift our thanks and praise to our Savior and the God who loved us so much that He sent Him to provide our deliverance and salvation.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.