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

 

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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.

THE FINAL BATTLE

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In Christ, Mark

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

I saw Heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose Rider is called Faithful and True. With justice, He judges and wages war.

His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of Heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh, He has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the Rider on the horse and His army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs, he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

 Revelation 19:11-21

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

The world needed a Savior.

Every single person had sinned and fallen short of the glory of a God (Romans 3:23), essentially becoming His enemies. No one had a chance to defend themselves again His judgment and all were destined for an eternity of torment and darkness in the depths of Hell.

And so God did something amazing out of His deep grace and mercy. The scriptures tell us that He so loved the world that He decided to offer up His only Son Jesus as an atoning sacrifice so that whosoever would simply just believe in Him wouldn’t perish but instead gain eternal life (John 3:16).

With that, God sent the world His Son who came with all the power of His Father but humbly submitted Himself to the persecution and eventual crucifixion at the hands of those who hated and despised Him. Three days later, He was brought back to life, rising first from the tomb and then fifty days later, to Heaven where He would sit in all authority over Heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18) until the day when He would return to the world, just as He said He would.

In today’s passage, we find John detailing Jesus’ return and as we see, this time He came with a much different mission than the first. Look again at these closing verses of Revelation, chapter 19:

I saw Heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose Rider is called Faithful and True. With justice, He judges and wages war.

His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of Heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh, He has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the Rider on the horse and His army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs, he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

Here, we find Jesus coming as a mighty warrior, ready for battle. John shares that He will emerge from Heaven riding “a white horse” to judge and wage war with justice against the beast, false prophet, and “the kings of the earth and their armies”

As John looked upon Jesus, He shares how He wore “many crowns” on “His head” and that “His eyes” were like “blazing fire”. Jesus wore “a robe dipped in blood” and had a “sharp sword” that was “coming out of His mouth”, a sword He would use to “strike down the nations”

We see where Jesus also carries with Him four titles, one of which was only known to Him. As for the other three, they included:

1. Faithful and True.

No one was more faithful and true to the will of His Father than Jesus. Sinless in every area of His life, He was always perfect in everything He did, incapable of being disobedient or deceitful.

2. The Word of God.

Go back to the opening chapter of John’s Gospel and we find Jesus introduced this way:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1, 14

The scriptures proclaim and affirm that Jesus was indeed the Word of God.

3. King of kings and Lord of lords.

As mentioned prior, God delegated authority over all things in Heaven and on earth to His Son and so when Jesus returns, He will come as the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. Every single worldly leader is subordinate to Him.

And so Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords comes to earth to “rule...with an iorn scepter” along with the “armies of Heaven” who followed Him while “riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen” that was “white and clean”, washed by the blood of their Savior Jesus. Bringing the “fury of the wrath of God Almighty”, He goes to war against the evil forces on earth who were gathered against Him and as we see, it was a lopsided battle. For the scriptures tell us that “the beast was captured” along with the “the false prophet” and the “two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur”, never to return again.

As for the “rest” who had gathered to fight alongside the beast, they “were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse”, Jesus, and the “all the birds” who were summoned by “an angel standing in the sun” gorged themselves” on the flesh of the defeated, all the “kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small”. It was what the angel called “the great supper of God”.

So Satan’s evil forces, the beast and the false prophet, along with those who associated with them, were soundly defeated. Good once again triumphed over evil and as we’ll see as we move to chapter 20, the triumphant Jesus will set up His rule on earth for one thousand years.

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.

WHERE TRUE LOVE IS FOUND

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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.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. 1 John 3:16

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

Today is Valentine’s Day, the one day out of the year (minus wedding anniversaries) where we celebrate our love for others. There will be many expressions of love exchanged this day like flowers, candies, and jewelry. Many couples will flock to nice restaurants for romantic meals together, sometimes accented by candlelight.

Yes, love is in the air and yet I wonder if we’re celebrating true love on this day centered on it. This thought was prompted by a post that I read once from someone who had just attended an Ash Wednesday service, a solemn service meant to acknowledge that it was our sin that led Jesus to be crucified. The observance reminds the Christian believer that short of God’s grace, all are worthy of death and the grave.

To symbolize this during typical Ash Wednesday services, an ashen cross is typically applied to the forehead to remind one that it was the cross that rescued him or her from the dust of death as new life is breathed into them through the resurrection of Jesus and the grace and forgiveness God, His Father and ours.

After Ash Wednesday, the days leading up to Easter (a time called Lent) are intended to be a time of reflection, a time when we consider our wrongs and seek to repent, turning anew toward righteousness and seeking to improve our Christian walk. At times, this reflection may also involve fasting.  

Reflecting on all this, the aforementioned person who posted was unsure how to respond to Valentine’s Day and all the revelry when they had just entered into Lent and the somber introduction that is Ash Wednesday and minus the clarity found in God’s word, this is a legitimate emotional quandary.

So how do we resolve this? How do we look at Valentine’s Day in light of reflection on Jesus and His crucifixion and subsequent resurrection?

The answer comes when we look to the cross.

Examine the two scripture passages for today’s special Valentine’s Day message. We’re all very familiar with John 3:16 but look at 1 John 3:16 and be amazed at the awesome nature of God’s perfect Word as it tells us about perfect love:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. 1 John 3:16

In sum, when we look to the cross, we will see love in its purest and truest form. We find an agape love, the kind of self sacrificing love that led Jesus to say:

“I am willing to die for you. I am willing to allow my life to be taken so you might live.”

It’s the kind of unselfish love that led God to say:

“I am willing to give up My only child so everyone else can live. That’s how much I love you.”

The scriptures are clear. We only know how to love because Jesus laid down His life for us. And we only know love because God expressed it to us through sacrificing His Son Jesus so we might live, not just in the here and now but forever.

Friends, if you know a love outside of this, a love that is void of God the Father and Jesus, His Son, then be wary of it because it is a counterfeit love, a love the world has fabricated and seduced the Lord’s people with. It’s the kind of love that leads someone to think love is lust and sex. It’s the kind of love that proved to be the downfall of many people in the Bible who chose to place their affection in the wrong places and it continues to be the downfall of people today as we show over and over again that we have yet to learn from the mistakes of the past.

Today, on this Valentine’s Day and on every day from this point forward, my prayer is that you will join me in staying focused on the only true love that exists, the love of God as expressed through the living sin-sacrifice of His Son Jesus, the perfect unblemished Lamb who shed His blood as a final atonement for our sins. It was His death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb that gave us the chance for salvation and ensured that our best life ever is still yet to come. So on this day, I encourage you to push aside all the flowers and candy and jewelry and look to the cross so you can truly see what true love looks like.  

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.

PROPER WORSHIP LEADS TO PROPER TESTIMONY

 Can I pray for you in any way?

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 knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, “Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit.”

Revelation 19:10 CEV

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

The angel talking with John had just delivered incredible news about a coming wedding supper that all Christian believers would be invited to in order to share a meal and fellowship with Him, the Lamb. This would happen before Jesus returned to judge the world and usher His bride, the church made up of all His followers, into the new heaven earth to take up residence in the New Jerusalem.

Indeed, all those who would be allowed to participate in this feast with Jesus would be richly blessed and it’s obvious John was feeling this as we see his response to the “true words of God” spoken by the angel (19:9). Look again at today’s text drawn from Revelation 19, verse 10:

I knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, “Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit.”

Here we see where the marvelous news about the coming divine supper with His Savior drove John to a spirit of worship as he “knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him”. Quickly, we find the angel sharply rebuking John, saying:

“Don't do that!”

Why?

Because the worship was misdirected and the angel wouldn’t take the praise and honor that was to be given to God and God alone. With this, his instruction to John not only is intended for him but all Christian believers.

“I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit.”

Don’t worship anyone but God. Period.

Not an angel. Not another human being. Not anything inanimate like a possession or money.

All proper worship is directed to the One who is most worthy of it.

Note further where the angel tells John that they share the responsibility to serve the Lord by telling others “about Jesus”, something that all Christians do “by the power of the Spirit”. Yes, he was a heavenly dispatch while John was in the flesh but both served out of the same motivation: an obedience and devotion to do the will of God.

It was this willful obedience and devotion that led them to bring the good news of salvation through Jesus to others. Proper worship leads to proper testimony and so it still is for us today. Let us join with John and the angel by giving our fullest dedication and affection to God first and then go to tell others that they have a Savior who can rescue them from the penalty of Hell, led fully by the directing and guiding of the Holy Spirit.

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.