Tag Archives: Revelation 20-22

Daily Bible Study

December 31, 2023 Bible Study — Those Whose Names Are Not Written in the Book of Life Will Be Cast Into the Lake of Fire

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Revelation 20-22.

I spent a fair amount of time today thinking about the thousand year reign and Satan deceiving the nations at the end of it.  However, I was unable to get my thoughts to come together into something I could write.  Then I came to John’s vision of God’s judgement over mankind.  He writes that he saw the dead gathered before God’s throne, where the books were opened.   All of everyone’s actions were recorded in the books which were opened before God’s throne.  Further John writes that the dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.  This passage probably provides the primary source for the idea that in Christianity if your good deeds outweigh your evil deeds, you to heaven and to hell if the reverse is true.  However, that misreads what John says here, because John tells us that there is another book besides the books which record what people have done.  That other book is the Book of Life.  Each person will indeed by judged by what they had done, but only those whose name was recorded in the Book of Life will escape the lake of fire.  So, while we will all be judged by our deeds, it will not be our deeds which will spare us from damnation.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

December 31, 2022 Bible Study — The Last Day Will Come Soon

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Revelation 20-22.

I can never quite figure out how the thousand year reign described here fits with the other prophecies about Jesus’ Second Coming in other New Testament books (that does not mean I think it is in contradiction with them, just that I cannot understand how they fit together).  However, one part makes sense to me: the resurrection of those who were martyred for their faith in Christ.  These were those who had not worshiped the beast or received its mark.  The passage says that they will be blessed above and beyond those who are also faithful but do not suffer death for their faith.  Then John writes about the second resurrection when all of the remaining dead shall rise in order to come before God for judgement.  On that day the books which record the deeds of everyone will be opened and all will be judged based on what they have done, except those whose names appear in the book of life.  Ultimately, those whose names are not written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire, along with devil, and suffer the second death.

Then God will create a new universe, one which will not experience any of the flaws which the current universe has as a result of sin.  The new universe will have no death, nor mourning, nor pain of any sort.  Those who have truly given themselves to God will live in this new universe in the presence of God, walking with God as Adam and Eve walked with Him before they disobeyed.  On the last day of 2022 it is time to remember that the last day of this earth will come soon.  Let us serve God here while we still have the opportunity to do so.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

December 31, 2021 Bible Study — The Day Of Judgement Is Coming Soon

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Revelation 20-22.

Today is perhaps the first time I realized how utterly appropriate this passage is for the last day of the year.

I do not fully understand the meaning of the first part of today’s passage.  It seems to predict that there will be a thousand year period, before Judgement Day, where there will be no sin on earth, followed by a short period where sin returns and the nations of earth unite to make war against God.  That is inconsistent with what I understand other parts of the Bible to say about sin on this earth.  However, my understanding of those other parts could be flawed (and probably is), and the wording here is ambiguous enough that its proper interpretation is probably different than that straightforward understanding.  Fortunately, the next part is unambiguous and entirely consistent with what other parts of the Bible have to say about the end of the world.  In due time, all will stand before God to be judged.  Everyone will be judged according to what they have done.  Those who have not accepted reconciliation with God will suffer for the evil they have done.  Then the original heaven and earth will pass away (or perhaps it will pass away before the judgement, the time sequence is not particularly important here) and God will create a new heaven and earth, a heaven and earth without the imprint of sin.  There will be no mourning, or crying, or pain in this new earth.  Those who are impure, deceitful, or do that which is shameful will not be able to enter there.  This day will be coming soon, so let us cleanse ourselves so that we may enter into that glorious place.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

December 31, 2020 Bible Study It Is Finished

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 20-22.

The first thing which struck me was what the One sitting on the throne said to John after the new Jerusalem came down upon the new earth.  It was the phrase, “It is finished”.  This is the same thing which Jesus said upon the cross just before He died.  Perhaps I am mistaken, but I believe that John intended for us to make the connection of Jesus’ death bringing about the new heaven and the new earth.  I find it hard to fully express the comforting thought which this gives me.  It is finished.  Satan fights on, but he has already been defeated, and he knows it.  In the face of the trials and tribulations which we face let us remain faithful and never forget that it is finished.  For those who faithfully serve God there will be no more death, or suffering, or sorrow, or pain. It is finished and the promise is fulfilled, even if we do not yet experience the fulness of that promise.

Daily Bible Study

December 31, 2019 Bible Study — Perhaps Revelation Is a Vision About Now

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 20-22.

As I read this passage, it is unclear to me how literally we should take where it says that those who receive the first resurrection are those beheaded for their testimony about Jesus.  I am quite confident that the first resurrection is not limited to only those beheaded because of their faith in Christ.  I believe that the first resurrection includes all of those who were killed for their faith in Jesus.  However, I am not sure that the first resurrection does not include all who died while putting their faith in Christ.  Having said that I come to my main point on the description of those who experience the first resurrection.  The wording implies to me that everything which came before does not apply to a singular set of events future to when this was written.  Instead, all of the vision before this represents a picture of what each and every person faces throughout life (with perhaps some representation of the cycles which we see in history).  In particular, the Mark of Beast does not represent a particular time in the future when people will have literal marks in order to buy and sell things (although, I would still be very wary of things which fit that description).  Instead, it represents compromises of following our faith which everyone of us faces throughout our lives.  Do we compromise with evil in order to put food on the table?

Daily Bible Study

December 31, 2018 Bible Study — There Is a Lake of Fire, Faith In Christ Is the Only Way to Avoid It

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 20-22.

So, we end the year with the last portion of the Book of Revelation, where John writes that the day will soon come when Jesus will rule over all the earth.  Those who suffered for their faith in Him will rule with Him.  Then Satan and all who have joined him in rejecting God’s salvation will be cast into the fiery lake.  Everyone will come before God to be judged according to their actions and thrown into the lake of fire, unless their names are written in the Book of Life.  Death and the grave, which I take to mean entropy, will be cast into the lake of fire as well.  Those whose names were written in the Book of Life will never experience disease or decay again for the curse of sin will be removed.

John writes that Jesus is coming soon and that there is an open invitation to anyone who desires to come to Him.   The Holy Spirit issues an open invitation to each one of use to drink from the water of life which is faith in Jesus.  Each of us who have accepted that invitation should extend it to everyone we encounter.  The end of the Book of Revelation contains two requests which those who follow Christ should also request.  The first is a request to all to come to Jesus and put their faith in Him.  The second is a request that Jesus return.  It is my deepest desire that all put their faith in Jesus and that He return as soon as all who will possibly do so have done so.

Daily Bible Study

December 31, 2017 Bible Study — The River Of Life

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 20-22.

    After the beast and his false prophet have been defeated, Satan will be chained and Christ will rule over the earth for “a thousand years”. (I put quotes around that because I am not sure if the thousand years which John writes about is literal or figurative). Those who refused to accept the mark of the beast will reign with Him for that time period. At the end of that time Satan will be released and gather the nations to attack God’s people. This is another place where it is unclear whether the term “God’s people” refers to the Church or to the Jews. The phrasing seems to suggest that Satan will inspire the nations of the world to attack Jerusalem. Whatever the meaning, the armies will gather and appear to be on the verge of victory when fire will come down from heaven and destroy them. At that point Satan will be cast into the lake of fire to suffer torment for the rest of his existence. Then all who have ever lived will come before God for judgement. The earth and skies will be destroyed and God will create a new earth and a new heaven. Those who have not accepted through faith God’s free gift of grace will be cast into the lake of fire along with Satan.

    Then John describes the new Jerusalem which will exist after all of this is over. A city where nothing evil will be allowed to enter. No temples or places of worship will be necessary because the people living within it will continually be in God’s presence. There will be no pain, or death, or suffering for those who dwell within that city. The curse of entropy (and all other curses which came from that one) which came to be because of Adam’s sin will not be on this new city, nor on the new earth in which it will be placed. In that city there will be a river of life…a river of life to which everyone is invited to drink. And this is where it gets interesting, despite the fact that this city does not yet exist, we are all invited to drink now from the river of life which flows through it. Will you join with me in drinking from the River?

Daily Bible Study

December 31, 2016 Bible Study — The Day Of Final Judgment and The Invitation

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 20-22.

    John describes the Final Judgment that will happen when history truly does come to an end. When that happens all people will stand before God and be judged. On that day each and every one of us will be judged on what we have done (and have not done). Those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Now the interesting thing here is that the Book of Life is a separate book from the rest of the books which record our actions. When that day comes, all that we have ever done will be laid out for everyone to see. On that day, none of us will be able to say, “I was good enough to get into Heaven.” However, we will be judged on what we have done. It may be that our faith in Christ will allow us into Heaven, but if we have not done the works which God called us to do we will be subject to judgment for that failure. We are given a list of those who will not be allowed into Heaven. If we choose to continue in those behaviors after we have been washed clean by Jesus’ blood, we will not inherit God’s Kingdom.

    But for those who do remain faithful to the end, there is a promise. When that day comes, God will personally comfort each and every one of us. He will wipe away our tears and in that place there will be no more death, or sorrow, or crying, or pain. All of that will pass away along with this world and we will be in the presence of God forever. When I think of this scene I think of those times when we have been at an event where everybody (or almost everybody) there was there to spend time with the same person. They all (or most of them, any way) felt that that person was the one who made this particular event fun. The problem is always that that person is there to have fun and, even if they want to make sure that everyone has a good time, they only have so much time and cannot be with everyone there. Heaven is like that, except that God does have the time and ability to be with everyone there and make sure that they have a good time. And the wonderful thing about it is that if you desire to be with God he invites you to join Him, no matter what you have done in the past, no matter how you have been hurt in the past. God has one word for those who have suffered (and we have all suffered to one degree or another), that word is “Come.” Then when we have come to Him, He sends us back out into the world to tell those who are still suffering that He is inviting them. He sends us out to say to others what He said to us, “Come.” Let us do our best to show them what Heaven will be like by wiping the tears from their eyes and comforting them in the same way that God comforts us.