Revelation 20:7-10
Today's Passage: Revelation 20:7-10
Luke 16:27–31 reads, “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
How many of us have heard something like, “If God did _____, then I would believe”? Many people throughout the centuries have placed a condition on God before they surrender. Others, who are more honest, have simply stated that no conditions exist that would allow them to believe.
As we read our passage today in Revelation 20, I want to draw our attention to the culmination of one of the great themes in Scripture—that no matter what, some people will never surrender to the Lord under any circumstance. Their pride, arrogance, or foolishness convince them their only option is to fight back against the Lord and his people.
Consider the words of Rahab when she hid the spies in Jericho all the way back in Joshua 2, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” Rahab feared the Lord and surrendered her heart to him—and because of her great faith, her name is written in Matthew 1 in the genealogy of Jesus. Why didn’t all of Jericho surrender like Rahab if they were so afraid? Why did the resist and fight, knowing they would lose?
We see this kind of thing over and over in the biblical story—hearts so hardened, pride so inflated, fear so misplaced, that people bear witness to God’s power and still fight against it. Likewise, we see many times in Scripture, the Lord doing everything to stack the deck against himself, his plans, and his people, yet still he comes out victorious.
Revelation 20 is the grand finale. The end of the 1,000 years culminates in the Lord allowing Satan to do his worst. Every bit of his power, prestige, and influence come to bear as Satan raises up the largest international army the world as ever known. All of these people who had seen the power of Christ—first-hand witnesses to God’s power and authority, allied themselves with Satan because their hearts allowed for nothing else.
Applying this passage, let us be careful saying that if the Lord would fulfill certain conditions, then I would really believe, that I would really surrender everything I have. The Lord through Jesus has already “proven” everything needed for you to trust, surrender, and obey completely. If you’re holding out for anything before he gets all of you, be warned. If you do not hear Moses and the Prophets, will you be convinced by the One who did raise from the dead?
Written By: Tyler Short
Luke 16:27–31 reads, “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
How many of us have heard something like, “If God did _____, then I would believe”? Many people throughout the centuries have placed a condition on God before they surrender. Others, who are more honest, have simply stated that no conditions exist that would allow them to believe.
As we read our passage today in Revelation 20, I want to draw our attention to the culmination of one of the great themes in Scripture—that no matter what, some people will never surrender to the Lord under any circumstance. Their pride, arrogance, or foolishness convince them their only option is to fight back against the Lord and his people.
Consider the words of Rahab when she hid the spies in Jericho all the way back in Joshua 2, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” Rahab feared the Lord and surrendered her heart to him—and because of her great faith, her name is written in Matthew 1 in the genealogy of Jesus. Why didn’t all of Jericho surrender like Rahab if they were so afraid? Why did the resist and fight, knowing they would lose?
We see this kind of thing over and over in the biblical story—hearts so hardened, pride so inflated, fear so misplaced, that people bear witness to God’s power and still fight against it. Likewise, we see many times in Scripture, the Lord doing everything to stack the deck against himself, his plans, and his people, yet still he comes out victorious.
Revelation 20 is the grand finale. The end of the 1,000 years culminates in the Lord allowing Satan to do his worst. Every bit of his power, prestige, and influence come to bear as Satan raises up the largest international army the world as ever known. All of these people who had seen the power of Christ—first-hand witnesses to God’s power and authority, allied themselves with Satan because their hearts allowed for nothing else.
Applying this passage, let us be careful saying that if the Lord would fulfill certain conditions, then I would really believe, that I would really surrender everything I have. The Lord through Jesus has already “proven” everything needed for you to trust, surrender, and obey completely. If you’re holding out for anything before he gets all of you, be warned. If you do not hear Moses and the Prophets, will you be convinced by the One who did raise from the dead?
Written By: Tyler Short
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