Today, I am reading and commenting on Revelation 20-22.

I have trouble understanding the first part of today’s passage, where Satan will be bound in the Abyss for a thousand years while Christ rules over the earth.  At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released and gather the people of the earth for battle against God’s people.  That’s the part I have trouble understanding, how does Satan fool people into following him after a thousand years of Christ’s reign?  I suppose it speaks a bit to the foolishness of mankind.  Of course, if those who have experienced a thousand years of Christ’s reign over the earth might rise up in rebellion against God, then we should not be surprised by those today who refuse to accept Christ despite having His existence, death, and resurrection clearly shown to them.

Having said that, the short description of God’s judgement given here is a quite eloquent presentation of God’s grace.  On that final day, the books which record all of everyone’s actions will be opened and people will be judged on the basis of those actions.  But alongside of those books another book will be opened, the Book of Life.  The Book of Life does not record anyone’s actions.  It only records the names of those who accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on their behalf.  And everyone whose name does not appear in that Book will be judged, according to their actions, as deserving of the second death.  Those whose names DO appear in the Book of Life will inhabit the new earth which God will cause to come forth to replace the currently existing earth.  They will be comforted and their will be no more death, pain, or suffering for those who reside there with God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.