God Speaks
The End of the Book, Eternity and Beyond
Verse of the Day: He who testifies to these things [Jesus] says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” [In response John wrote.] Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. (Revelation 22:20-21 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Revelation 19
Reflection: The scene shifts to the throne room of Heaven where the fall of the evil, rebellious Babylon is being celebrated. Almighty God, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are being praised and glorified. Words cannot capture the joy and rejoicing taking place. The 24 Elders and the four Living Creatures join in the praise and worship. It is time for the wedding banquet of the Lamb and His bride. She is now cleansed and ready to wear the pure white garments of her beautiful wedding dress. This dress was made from all the good deeds done by the people of God down through the ages. The purpose of all teaching and prophecy is to tell people about Jesus, the Bridegroom. Then we see Jesus on a white horse. He has many crowns and banners or sashes with the names and titles “Faithful and True,” “The Word of God,” and “King of kings and the Lord of lords” written on them. All the evil armies of the earth gathered in the Holy Land and were dealt with appropriately by Jesus the Christ. The beast and false prophet were captured and thrown into the lake of fire. The remains of the slain have been properly disposed of by the birds.
Prayer: Dear Lord God Almighty, all glory, honor, authority, and praise belong to You alone. You are the source of all justice and truth. Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! The evil world system that Babylon represents will be (I declare by faith has been) defeated. The killing of innocent pre-born children, martyrs who died for their faith in Christ, and all who faithfully spoke God’s word and His truth are being avenged. Words cannot capture the joy and rejoicing I am feeling. All I can say is I love You, Sovereign Lord. Thank You for allowing me to be an active participant in both Your conquest over evil and the wedding banquet of the Lamb. May the good deeds Holy Spirit has enabled me to do find their proper place in the wedding garments of the Bride. AMEN
Action: (Ask the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.
- I will use an extensive concordance or other reference materials to compile a list of at least 20 names or descriptions of God.
- I will use an extensive concordance or other reference materials to compile a list of at least 20 names or descriptions of Jesus.
- I will use an extensive concordance or other reference materials to compile a list of at least 20 names or descriptions of the Holy Spirit.
- I will use these lists and take at least fifteen minutes to praise the Almighty, Triune God for who He is.
Revelation 20
Reflection: Revelation chapter 20 reveals the final end of Satan. After the Beast and the False Prophet are thrown into the lake of fire (chapter 19), the Dragon, Satan, is bound with a heavy chain and locked in the bottomless pit for a thousand years. What a wonderful time that will be to live. During those 1,000 years, those who had been martyred (for their stand of faith in Jesus alone to save them) will serve as rulers, judges, and priests in His kingdom. They are raised in the First Resurrection at the beginning of Christ’s thousand year reign. Yet for all the seeming goodness, human hearts will still be rebellious against God. At the end of the 1,000 years under Jesus Christ’s righteous rule, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit; he will deceive many people, drawing them away from worshiping God. Satan will lead a final rebellion attempting to surround and capture Jerusalem, but they will be defeated by fire from heaven. Satan will then be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Hell), joining the Beast and the False Prophet to remain there forever. Then, all those who had died previously and whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are resurrected out of the seas or graves or wherever else (the second Resurrection). They are judged at the Great White Throne according to their deeds related in the books (the Bible and their own personal records of whether or not they had placed their faith in Jesus to save them and lived accordingly). Then all those people as well as Death and Hades (the temporary place of the dead) are thrown into the Lake of Fire: this is the Second and Final death.
Prayer: Dear Gracious and Sovereign Lord, thank You that Jesus, God the Son, came to earth as the God-man to save us so that no one needs to go to Hell and be eternally separated from You. Jesus knows what it’s like to be human and what it is to be perfectly godly. He is able to both empathize with us in our struggles and to empower us to live righteously and godly in this present world. Jesus, by faith, I declare that You died for all my sins. You paid my astronomical sin debt. Then You turned around and gave me Your infinite righteousness. I will be so eternally grateful that I want to stay so close to You that no sin can come between us. Even if anything does, I know I can come to You for cleansing, forgiveness, and moment-by-moment fellowship and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Because of this faith in You and what You have done for me, my name is now written in the Book of Life, and I don’t have to fear the First or Second death. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will spend significant time praising and thanking the Triune God for all He has done for me.
- I will speak with a believing friend about the prayer above.
- I will graciously and lovingly speak with a not-yet believing friend about how they can avoid the Second death.
- I will extend grace and forgiveness to others just as Jesus did to me.
Revelation 21
Reflection: Revelation chapter 20 reveals the final end of Satan. After the Beast and the False Prophet are thrown into the lake of fire (chapter 19), the Dragon, Satan, is bound with a heavy chain and locked in the bottomless pit for a thousand years. What a wonderful time that will be to live. During those 1,000 years, those who had been martyred (for their stand of faith in Jesus alone to save them) will serve as rulers, judges, and priests in His kingdom. They are raised in the First Resurrection at the beginning of Christ’s thousand year reign. Yet for all the seeming goodness, human hearts will still be rebellious against God. At the end of the 1,000 years under Jesus Christ’s righteous rule, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit; he will deceive many people, drawing them away from worshiping God. Satan will lead a final rebellion attempting to surround and capture Jerusalem, but they will be defeated by fire from heaven. Satan will then be thrown into the Lake of Fire (Hell), joining the Beast and the False Prophet to remain there forever. Then, all those who had died previously and whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are resurrected out of the seas or graves or wherever else (the second Resurrection). They are judged at the Great White Throne according to their deeds related in the books (the Bible and their own personal records of whether or not they had placed their faith in Jesus to save them and lived accordingly). Then all those people as well as Death and Hades (the temporary place of the dead) are thrown into the Lake of Fire: this is the Second and Final death.
Prayer: Dear Gracious and Sovereign Lord, thank You that Jesus, God the Son, came to earth as the God-man to save us so that no one needs to go to Hell and be eternally separated from You. Jesus knows what it’s like to be human and what it is to be perfectly godly. He is able to both empathize with us in our struggles and to empower us to live righteously and godly in this present world. Jesus, by faith, I declare that You died for all my sins. You paid my astronomical sin debt. Then You turned around and gave me Your infinite righteousness. I will be so eternally grateful that I want to stay so close to You that no sin can come between us. Even if anything does, I know I can come to You for cleansing, forgiveness, and moment-by-moment fellowship and empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Because of this faith in You and what You have done for me, my name is now written in the Book of Life, and I don’t have to fear the First or Second death. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will spend significant time praising and thanking the Triune God for all He has done for me.
- I will speak with a believing friend about the prayer above.
- I will graciously and lovingly speak with a not-yet believing friend about how they can avoid the Second death.
- I will extend grace and forgiveness to others just as Jesus did to me.
Revelation 22
Reflection: This is the last chapter of God’s book, yet it ends with the anticipation of a glorious and forever future. John describes what he saw inside the walls of the New Jerusalem. The river of the Water of Life flows down the main street from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The leaves of the very fruitful trees alongside the river are designed to heal the nations. The servants of the Lamb worship him and bear His name on their foreheads basking in His light and will reign with Him forever. John was not to keep quiet about what he had seen and heard, because the time of its fulfillment was near when both what is evil and what is holy and righteous will increase, become evident, and be dealt with by Jesus. Jesus, who is both King David’s ancestor and descendent, promises to come soon. Even so come, Lord Jesus, and grace Your people with Your presence forever. AMEN
Prayer: Dear Father God and Jesus the Lamb, thank You for this special book that is meant to warn us and urge us to repent (wash our garments in the blood of the Lamb) so that we can be ready and qualified to drink the Water of Life. Please help me to understand what is written here so that I do not add to or subtract from it. Please help me to worship You alone, not angels or people or ideologies or anything other than You. Please help me to recognize when I am being drawn in and stop before I do anything against You. Don’t let me keep quiet about what I have learned especially in this book of Revelation. I see the time of its fulfillment is near. Both what is evil and what is holy and righteous are increasing, becoming evident, and must be recompensed. Jesus, You are both King David’s ancestor and descendent. You promise to come soon. Even so come, Lord Jesus and grace Your people with Your presence forever. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will continue to pray for the healing of the nations and of individuals.
- I will share this message with others, being careful not to add anything to it or leave anything out of my presentation.
- I will spend some time daily worshiping the Lord alone.
- I will ask Jesus to help me to recognize and properly interpret the signs and prepare for the time of His soon return.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.