When The Door Slams
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. (Revelation 20:1-3 NKJV)
We have seen that the fallen cherub Lucifer is waging war against mankind in general and against you as an individual. He and his helpers--known as demons--continually stir up evil in our world. But what will the end of these things be? What will be the outcome of our struggling--our striving, our ongoing battle to bring our lives under the One who died and now lives for us--versus the one who would bring us nothing but pain, suffering ,and eternal destruction? And, beyond our own lives, what will be the end of these things for the rest of the world?
But this is not the end of the story, for we read that "after these things he must be released for a little while" (Revelation 20:3). And what happens next? "Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth" (vv. 7-8).
That will be one last test for mankind. Those who follow Satan will have taken God's living kindness for granted--the released Satan will convince them that God is unfair and that they ought to choose for themselves right and wrong. But after the dust settles from that final battle, Satan will be banished forever (vv. 8-10).
With Satan removed and all of humanity brought into the family of God--except for the incorrigibly wicked who refuse to repent, who will be burned up in the Lake of Fire and become ashes under the feet of the righteous (Malachi 4:3)--what is the reward of the warrior who can finally lay down his weapons at the end of the conflict?
John 3:16 reveals that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." But that eternal existence does not mean that we will become angels or some kind of "super-humans," as so many professing Christians mistakenly believe. The Bible reveals that all who have been called to follow Christ have been called to become sons and daughters of God, the very children of the living God--brothers, sisters, and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:14-21; Hebrews 2:10-18; 2 Corinthians 6:18). To those who overcome in this life, the reward is very simply everything. As John was inspired by God to write in the last book of the Bible, "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son" Revelation 21:7).
Think about this: You must never forget who is on your side in your battle against the one who directs the course of this world. On the night when He was betrayed, Jesus encouraged His disciples--including those who are His disciples today--with these comforting words: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
Ask the Holy Spirit to search you heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.
Never Rest Ministries
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