End Game
Read This Week: Revelation 20
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. When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations and gather them for battle. 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 20:1-3 and 7-10 NIV
There is something so satisfying and fulfilling about the moment at the end of a novel, short story, long-running show, or movie when the villain is defeated. We all feel a sense of relief and atonement when the antagonist finally meets their end and when they collide with their inevitable and permanent failure. Throughout a narrative, we can develop more of a vested interest in seeing how the enemy goes down than how the hero comes out on top.
Revelation 20 describes the end of Satan, the ultimate villain, in great detail. He is the adversary at the top of the heap of sinister, menacing, and horrifying opponents, the bad guy from which all other bad guys spawn. And we learn in this chapter how his seemingly endless regime of terror finally concludes for all time. John shows us the end game, the two final stages of the devil’s fate, and we anticipate it more than any other evildoer in the annals of history or literature.
The first stage involves Satan being bound and chained in a bottomless pit or abyss. This chasm is not hell but a place of outer darkness where the devil is banished for a thousand years. It is something of a cosmic prison or holding place that God has reserved for him while Jesus enacts his thousand-year reign on earth. The Lord establishes His righteous and glorious kingdom for a millennium with the enemy and his cohorts exiled and neutralized. Verse 3 tells us:
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.
The second stage is akin to the sequence in a movie where we think the villain is dead but inexplicably rises back up to pose one final threat to the protagonist. God will release Satan from the darkness of the pit to have one last go at Him and mankind. Verses 7-8 explain this dreadful moment: 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 and gather them for battle.
But just like the bad guy in a film, the devil is quickly put down, never to get up again. The Bible goes on to say that fire comes down and consumes the enemy and his dark armies. And he is thrown into a lake of fire, where he will experience the torment he inflicted on all men and embodied forever. This is God’s end game for the devil. This awful demise is the culmination of his evil rebellion in heaven from ages past that resulted in unfathomable chaos, pain, and destruction on earth by his hands.
Yet, Christ prevails once again and for all eternity. He is the hero. He is the conquering champion, redeemer, and savior that we are more interested in rooting for than we are in rooting against his enemies. All eyes are on Him and his power and authority to execute his perfect end game for us.
God gave me Revelation 20 verses 1 and 2:
1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
God explained it to me this way:
“Dispelling evil fully from the world would negate even ITS purpose. Evil will always be in the world, but it is there as a stepping stone; a hurdle, for you to overcome with Me. Removing it completely would not be helpful for you here. Trust Me my son that any pain you suffer here will be repaid an infinite amount to you with My love which is infinite and pure.”
To me this further reinforces the fact that God gives us challenges here on earth but not blockades. The challenges and pain we can sometimes endure is not the focus to stop us, but a step to give us muscle and make us stronger. God gave me this a long while back “View obstacles as exciting rather than dreadful. Perceive them as fun and necessary rather than frustrating. Know they were put there by Me for your benefit.”
Thank you God.
Awe that’s beautiful
This song is perfect for us to remember that Father Gid gave us His Holy Spirit to help us through every thing we go through!
It’s up to us to turn to Him, to help us to stay in the Spirit and not let anyone or anything get us going the other way!
Thank you Father God Your right here to help us, lead us the right way and when we don’t Your right hear to help us to get back on track for what’s next ❤️
Hymn Of The Holy Spirit
By Pat Barrett
Holy Spirit, guide my vision
Help me see the way You see
Always Jesus, ever Jesus
Christ in all is Christ in me
Holy Spirit, guide my speaking
Words of grace in truth abound
Let my lips be filled with stories
Of the mercy that I’ve found
You’re the light
You’re my path
You’re the shepherd of my soul
All I am
All I have
Holy Spirit, lead me on
Holy Spirit, guide my hearing
Wake my ears to words You speak
In the thunder and the stillness
Let Your voice be clear in me
Let Your voice be clear in me
You’re the light
You’re my path
You’re the shepherd of my soul
All I am
All I have
Holy Spirit, lead me on
Oh, You’re the light
You’re my path
You’re the shepherd of my soul
All I am
All I have
Holy Spirit, lead me on
Holy Spirit, lead me onward
Walking through the great unknown
Trusting, leaning, holding, clinging
Till the day You lead me home
Oh, guide my feet
Oh, guide my feet
Lead me on
Lead me on, Lord
Holy Spirit, open up my eyes
Holy Spirit, open up my heart
Open up my ears
Onwards You show me where You lead me
I will follow
You’re the light
You’re my path
You’re the shepherd of my soul
All I am
All I have
Holy Spirit, lead me on
Holy Spirit, lead me on
Revelation 20:6 Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) and holy is the person who takes part in the first resurrection; over these the second death [which is eternal separation from God, the lake of fire] has no power or authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and they will reign with Him a thousand years.
God was showing me how blessed we are as His children❤️
He is saying I permit everything in order to bring to light the hidden works of darkness in peoples heart.
Your blessed because your apart of what’s to come in the future.
You are and will continue to minister to others, it is important to stay close and be listening for voice as you go throughout your day. Yes it’s a new day with Me so continue to look for the good in others and be a good helper just like I have sent people in Your life to love you where you were at, so you be the light for the family!
People want to ruin your testimony, they will try to influence you that’s how evil works!
Walk in the Spirit with love in your heart!
Look for the good that’s your job the rest I will take care of! The more you respond to My Love for you by loving others the more you walk in the Spirit and and you’ll be trusting Me more and more ❤️
I give opportunities to for My light to shine through you!
Love you
What that means to me is like it says in 1John 3
Children of God Love one another
I am a daughter of Father God and I get to minister until I go home to be with Him!
I belong to Him and I want to please Him!
To help others as God leads us!
He doesn’t want anyone to perish so let’s get in it and bring more people into the family with joy in our hearts ❤️
Love you FatherGod thank you for having so much patience with us all love you so much
Revelation Chapter 20 Verse 6
Blessed (happy, to be envied) and holy (spiritually whole, of unimpaired innocence and proved virtue) Is the person who takes part (shares) in the first resurrection! Over them the second death exerts no power and authority, but they shall be ministers of God and of Christ (the Messiah), and they shall rule along with Him a thousand years.
~The Homecoming~
What God Is Saying To Me:
My child, you have proven your love and adoration for me and the kingdom. However, I have more work for you to do. Under my authority, you and the saints are equipped to live in total peace and harmony during this first resurrection. You are to continue to love me, put me first in all that you do and say and rule with me. You’re innocence is restored, your body has been made whole and your soul reigns with me and victory. There is nothing that evil can further tempt you or take from you.
What This Means To Me:
As sobering as it is to realize that those that continually deny Christ will be denied entrance into the gate of heaven. We can rejoice in knowing that during this time, physical death is made whole and righteous becomes our soul for a total resurrection through Christ! Satan and evil are truly under God’s feet because total authority is His and belongs to Christ and His followers. We will rain in perfect peace and pure harmony for the next 1000 years. Everything, including evil, will succumb to God’s authority. The saints will walk among the beast of the world taming the shrew because we reign with the highest authority and walk with the glorious grace of God. For now, before that time, it’s important to remain faithful, deny, evil, and walk with righteousness sharing the gospel with all that God leads us to until it’s our time to go home for this sacred reunion.
I love you God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit for winning over sin and my glorious reunion in the future! ❤️❤️❤️
This is what I got from Revelation 20. In the beginning of this chapter I allowed Satan to continue his activity, because even in his evil, he indirectly serves My purposes. Satan is a deceiver, and the most effective defense and weapon against him is the truth of My word. I want you to stay in My word. Remember what you know to be a lie can not command your respect. My word shows you what the truth is. During the Millennium, there will be some people left on earth. The unworthy will be sent into eternal damnation eventually, and the worthy will be allowed in Jesus’s Millennial Kingdom. This will be a time, that the citizen’s on earth will need to acknowledge and submit to the Lordship of Jesus. These citizen’s will still need to trust in Jesus and in His work on their behalf for their personal salvation during the Millennium. The Millennium is a time of purity and devotion to Me. This time is important, because it displays and demonstrates Jesus’s victory and worthiness to rule the nations. At the judgement seat of Jesus Christ, what you have done will be judged. Your motives for what you have done, will also be judged. This is a sentencing and not a trial; those who stand before the throne, will not have anything to say. The facts have already been proven. This is the sentencing. You need to be listed in the Book of Life..
What this said to me is I need to let God lead me. I need to trust God is always working in my life. I need to guard my heart, and see what He is telling me to do in situations. I want my name to be in the Book of Life, and I need to show others how important this is, and encourage them to open their hearts to Jesus.
oops sorry, this is Revelation 21