CHAPTER 20
And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the Abyss (Abusso) and a big chain, in his hand. 2 and he grabbed the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the Abyss, and closed and sealed it over him, in order that he would no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years were fulfilled,
After these things, he will inevitably be released for a small (micro) time.
v. 4 and I saw thrones and those that sat on them, and they were given to judge, and the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and because of the word of God, and those who did not worship the beast, nor his image, and did not take the mark of on their forehead, and on their hand, and they lived and reigned (kinged) with Christ a thousand years.
v. 5 the others among the dead did not live again until the end/fulfillment of the thousand years. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy are those having part in the first resurrection! Upon these the second death has no authority, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign (do the king thing) with him a thousand years.
What would happen if you fell into a hole with no bottom?
Do you ever wonder about such things? The Bible seems to encourage us to. You would pass the center of the planet after a number of hours (we’ll talk more about the center in a moment). You would fall several thousand miles. You would, in fact, fall almost to the other side of the planet. And just before you get to the opposite side, gravity would overcome your momentum, and you’d start falling back toward the hole you fell into. Assuming there is air in the hole, so you could breathe while falling, there would be wind resistance, so this would slow you down, therefore you would fall a little less far each time, never reaching even to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You would fall back and forth past the center of the earth, until, finally, you’d come to rest in the center, where, since you are at the center of the mass of the earth, there would be no gravitational pull in any direction (or the same pull in all directions) and you would float for eternity, or at least as long as the Earth lasts. The center of the earth is an interesting place. The pressure there is roughly 300 Gigapascals, or about 45,000,000 pounds of pressure per square inch. The pressure at sea level on the surface of the earth is about 14 lbs psi, to give you a frame of reference. The temperature is roughly 6,000 degrees Celsius, or about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That is roughly the temperature on the surface of the sun. The brightness of that environment might surprise you. Matter at that heat glows brightly enough to blind you in a moment. If satan can handle the pressure and likes his habitation hot, he’ll be happy as a hamster on a hill, otherwise not so much. The fate of those who endured suffering for their faith under satan’s rule, however, have a different destiny.
What would you do if you were king (or queen)?
This is another of those mind experiments that might be a bit of a challenge. First you have to imagine a world in which kings and queens have real power. Though England recently announced which prince will take the current queen’s place when she dies, he will be just as impotent as she. The political teeth of the Tudor dynasty all fell out long ago. But imagine what it might have been like for a Nebuchadnezzar, or king David. Now, if you are really human the thought of being an absolute monarch might scare you. Your decisions and actions may have real consequences, either blessing or cursing individuals, families, communities, even entire nations. Your word could bring life, or your word could bring death. Such consequences are mind-boggling if you consider them seriously. The good news is, on the throne next to yours, Jesus sits. Any time you’re not quite sure what to do you just lean over and say “Lord, um, what would you do in this situation?” He, of course, would provide wise counsel, and every decision you made together would result in good outcomes. Nice. Absolute power that blesses absolutely.
So,
Where would you rather spend a thousand years? In a paradise kingdom ruled by you & our Lord, or with the god of this world, falling forever in blinding, crushing, burning light?
Prayer for Today
Father,
I know where I want to spend eternity-wherever You are.
I’m not worthy to be royalty in Your kingdom. But let me be a servant, sweeping any corner of Your house.
Let me see Your glory.
Let me hear Your voice.
Let me do Your bidding
Let me make Your choice.
In the name of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus
Amen.
