Revelation 19-20 -- What Awaits Those Who Don't Believe

A lot happens in these chapters.  The Tribulation is past.  It’s time for the marriage of the Lamb.  The church will not be simply His bride any longer, but His wife.

Jesus comes from Heaven riding a white war horse.  He brings His armies with Him, but they never have to fight.  He handles it all Himself.  The saints return to earth with Him.

The beast and the false prophet are captured and hurled alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.  Then an angel comes down from heaven, seizes Satan, and locks him in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years.  He cannot go out and deceive the nations.

Once Satan is released, he rebels against God for the last time.  Fire comes down from heaven and consumes his troops.  The devil is cast into the lake of fire, joining the beast and the false prophet, who’ve been there for the thousand years.  (My commentary said this disproves the idea that we are annihilated when we die.)

Those whose names are not listed in the Book of Life are judged, with all of them headed to hell.  The judgment is not to decide heaven or hell – that’s a foregone conclusion.  Instead, it determines the degree of punishment each will receive in hell.

With the unbelievers and Satan – their boss – taken care of, the rest of Revelation can tell about Who wins.

Father, hearing what awaits the unsaved, I am all the more thankful that You reached out and saved me.  It also makes me keenly aware of the importance of telling others about Your Son’s sacrificial death on their behalf, for only through accepting His death for our sins can we have any hope of eternity in heaven with You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford