Revelation 19-22
January 8, 2015


For some reason this morning my eye catches the fact that the saint are beheaded when they don't take the mark of the beast.   They are the only ones who come back to life and reign with God for 1,000 years during the millennium.   Being tortured in that way would certainly be unsavory, but consider the long term benefit.  1,000 years with Jesus!  1,000 years on the earth without the influence of satan, and all this before the judgement, before the resurrection of the dead.  It seems like a special privilege to me.   If I am forced on the matter, I will certainly be looking forward to the reward while I reassure myself through the Spirit that God is still in control.

On a little less fatalistic note:  The new city of Jerusalem is measured at 1,400 miles square.   Miles.  Wow.   I used Google earth to calculate how large that is, and a 1,400 mile square will not fit inside the United States.   It goes from Florida to West Texas on the southern border, and on the west it goes along the Rocky Mountains (near Wyoming) all the way into Canada.  The northern border takes up most of southern Ontario and Quebec, all the way to James Bay.   The eastern side is the eastern shores of the United States, back down to Florida.    That's enormous.    There's no way that fits in the middle east unless there is a major topographical change.   That is all of Iraq and Iran, all the way to the current border of Afghanistan.   There cannot be any Red Sea or Persian Gulf, both of them would be gone.    I don't know if John is saying that the Sea of Galilee is gone, or the Mediterranean, but it seems to be that both of them could disappear in order to have a city this size in the area.

Looking at the big picture, what a fantastic time to be alive!   To see the glory of God displayed in power in the defeat of all His enemies, to be part of the linen clad army of God, to participate in the angelic choir of the bride of the Lamb, and witness firsthand the final defeat of satan!   Surely it would be worth any human price to be able to be present for that.   This isn't a once in a lifetime opportunity, it's a once in an eternity opportunity!

I also wanted to mention something I read in Chapter 20 verse 14 a year or so ago.   It says there "death and hades are thrown into the lake of fire".   That means that Hades, or Sheol (as the Hebrews knew it) are different places than the lake of fire.  It seems that there is a place we go after death that is temporary until we enter our permanent destination.   For those who die in Christ, it's called "Paradise" and for those who die without Him, it's called "Hell".   We associate the word Hell with the lake of fire, and that's accurate in the long view, because anyone who is in hell eventually ends up in the lake of fire.    We differ from some other parts of the faith about what happens in this "holding station".   Some believe that you can "earn, buy or pray" your way out of Sheol.  But there isn't anything in the Bible that would lead us to believe that.   As far as we know, once you die your fate is set, and cannot be changed.    It is far better to accept Christ in this life and live for Him now than to be caught unaware and cast into hell, because you didn't repent of your sins before death.

Revelation has been a quick read, but that only serves to help understand the larger picture.  Too often we get caught up in the imagery, and lose the big picture.  Revelation is telling us that "Yes, it does get bad at the end, but in the end satan loses all authority and the saints of Jesus Christ reign forever".     Reading Revelation should give us hope and encouragement!


PR