November 20, 2020

A Christian's Mission, Should We Choose to Accept It

Revelation 20:1–10

Ruthie Grant
Friday's Devo

November 20, 2020

Friday's Devo

November 20, 2020

Central Truth

The walk of a Christian is not always easy; it hardly ever is. But with God leading your every step, you will be able to stand against any temptation, trial, or persecution this world will throw your way.

Key Verse | Revelation 20:4

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:1–10

The Thousand Years

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit 1 20:1 Greek the abyss; also verse 3 and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

The Defeat of Satan

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven 2 20:9 Some manuscripts from God, out of heaven, or out of heaven from God and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Footnotes

[1] 20:1 Greek the abyss; also verse 3
[2] 20:9 Some manuscripts from God, out of heaven, or out of heaven from God

Dive Deeper | Revelation 20:1–10

"Beheaded for the testimony of Jesus." That's pretty heavy. As Christians, we should be certain that we would give up anything (including our heads) for our faith in Christ. Looking back through history, we can see the mockery, rejection, public humiliation, and other horrible punishments and even deaths that people have faced as a result of their faith in Christ.

Hebrews 11 is sometimes described as the "Hall of Faith." It starts with Cain and Abel and the faith that Abel had. What happened to him because of his unwavering devotion to God? Spoiler alert! Cain kills him—his own brother (Genesis 4:1-15). Next in our "Hall" is Noah, the old guy with the boat. Noah was the only one of his time who found favor in the eyes of the Lord (Genesis 6:8). In the midst of sinful people around him, he still chose to follow God. Would you?

With a horrible death staring you in the face, would you still choose God? Even if it meant leaving all that you had known? It's nice to think of dying quietly in your sleep, right? In Philippians 1:21, though, Paul says, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." It is gain to die for Christ.

Let's talk about the second part of our key verse, "those who had not worshiped the beast." The Enemy has many different forms and distractions. But once you bow down to one of them (like work, school, sports, family, relationships), it's hard to find your way back to God. Stay in His will—He knows what's best for you. If it's hard for you to wrap your mind around everything in this book, I'm right there with you. Take a step back and remember that, if you have trusted Christ, the God of Revelation is the same God who is alive inside of you. You have the One living in your heart who has the power to defeat the dragon and the beast and to help you withstand any trial or persecution. Take His hand and allow Him to lead you today.

Discussion Questions

1. What's your biggest fear? Cliché, I know. But I am asking about a fear so big that you would decide not to follow God if this thing happened. Think hard. Pray about it. We can't just give part of our trust to God; we have to trust Him with every relationship, every situation, every persecution we could go through and hand it over to Him.

2. Do you have any fear that's holding you back from going ALL IN with Jesus? Don't be afraid to voice that fear in a safe place. Deep down, we all have a fear whether we realize it or not, whether it's holding us back from even acknowledging God or fully committing to Him. Whatever it is, fear of the unknown holds us back from what we could be with God.

3. Is there any aspect of your life where a form of the Defeated One (the Devil) is leading you, without your consent? This may come as a shocker, but you can pray about it! If there is a part of your life in which you are questioning God's leadership, pray through it. Make sure that He is the One you look to before you do anything.

4. How can YOU focus on this truth today? That God is bigger than your fears, that He is bigger than your disguised devil. What can you do to remind yourself of this truth throughout the day?

5. Who can you share this truth with? Who close to you needs to hear the truth that God is the secret to getting you through hard trials? Someone at school, work, or in your family? This truth needs to be screamed from the top of the mountains, but start with your community, the people you see every day.