Meet Paul Rutherford

British literature, while fun for me, may be torturous for you, I realize. If so, it might remind you of something this passage deals with: Hell. This passage has changed the way I view and respond to Hell.

I may have watched too much Looney Tunes growing up, but I used to conceive of Hell as this awful place of flames, chains, and racks holding people while Satan tortured them. In this portrait, Satan oversees the activity as a twisted warden.

Revelation 20:10 changed that perception. Satan is not in charge of Hell. He is its chief prisoner! In fact, Satan has no authority in Hell. He's the one being held captive. Considering man was created good and bears God's image, Hell was created for Satan, not for us.

This relieves me of my fear of Satan and Hell. Artwork of Hell is often intended to elicit fear from us. But the eternal truth we learn from Scripture is that we need not fear Hell. If anything, we learn that Satan is weak. He peddles lies. His domain is darkness. His subjects die. There's nothing compelling about him. In order to recruit, he has to lie. There's no strength in that.

I am not saying Satan is without power. Clearly, he has much power. "But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one." (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

I am encouraged, even though walking in Christ is tough. We struggle against the world (Genesis 3:17-19), against attacks from an enemy who seeks to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8), and against our own flesh (Romans 3:9-18). But our struggle will end. The tempter will be locked up where he can't touch us. That encourages me tremendously. The good news is Jesus Christ wins, and we fight for the winning side.

I struggle consistently to perceive myself as an eternal citizen of heaven -- as God sees me. This passage reminds me that, at the end of this epic historical drama, God wins. It is my pleasure to walk confidently today by faith in Christ as His ambassador.