“If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
~ Revelation 20:15
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever become confused by something that you read in the Bible? Have you ever wondered why God was not more clear-cut in the songs, poems, letters, books that He – as God the Spirit, divinely breathed on guys to write and which became a canon of inspired writings that would be called the Bible? Have you ever wished that the Bible was more explicit about what is going to take place tomorrow, more lucid about what will go down over the next week, more plain about what the next year is going to bring and less vague about what planet Earth will be like when God – as God the Son, makes His promised return to planet Earth? The ambiguity of the six references of a thousand years that are found in Revelations 20 has led to some church denominations of Christ-follower guys and gals to use these thousand years references to frame identities that makes them unique from other denominations of Christ-follower guys and gals. There are large denominations of Christ-follower guys and gals who sincerely believe that the thousand years that are mentioned in this chapter is a literal thousand years epoch. There are still other large denominations of Christ-follower guys and gals who genuinely believe that the thousand years that are mentioned in this chapter are to be interpreted metaphorically to be an indeterminate length or period of time. The thousand years that are mentioned in this chapter has been interpreted by other church denominations of Christ-follower guys and gals in another way. The Christian Reformed and Orthodox Presbyterian church denominations of Christ-follower guys and gals are two denominations of Christ-follower guys and gals that have taken amillennial positions. When your grandpaa was a kid, your grandpaa’s dad and ma would take your grandpaa – and his siblings, to the church where they were members – which was to the Christian Reformed Church that in Volga, South Dakota. When your grandmaa was a kid, your grandmaa’s dad and ma would take your grandmaa – and her siblings, to the church where they were members – which was to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware. A Christ-follower guy or gal who is an amillennialist devotee believes that Christ-follower guys, gals and kids – as they pass through death’s door, will go directly to heaven where they will join Jesus in heaven. A Christ-follower guy or gal who is an amillennialist believes that Jesus will return one day to planet Earth for a final judgment so that the promise of a perfect, eternal kingdom on a new earth might begin. The Christian and Missionary Alliance church denomination has taken a premillennial position. Your grandmaa and grandpaa – when they lived in Aberdeen, South Dakota for two years with your dad and Aunt Lynn, went to the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Aberdeen. A Christ-follower guy or gal who is a premillennialist devotee believes that Jesus’s return to planet Earth is imminent. A Christ-follower guy or gal who is a premillennialist believes that what is taking place moment by moment each and every day on planet Earth and in the cosmos is leading to an unbelievable and incomparable crescendo with Jesus returning to planet Earth where He will establish a righteous, holy peace for a prearranged period of time after which there will be a final judgment day with Jesus beginning an eternal reign on a new earth. Christ-follower guys and gals in denominations of churches that have taken a postmillennial position believe that as spirituality evolves, that guys, gals and kids will tend towards being and/or doing good which will lead to more and more guys, gals and kids becoming Christ-followers will result in a long age of tranquility and prosperity. A Christ-follower guy or gal who is a postmillennialist devotee believes that this future period of bliss will end when Jesus returns to planet Earth to resurrect the dead and to bring a final judgment. Do you think that guys, gals and kids who are Christ-followers should all believe exactly the same?
As Apostle John is envisioning on the Isle of Patmos the thousand year vision, Apostle John sees an angel descend from heaven with the key to the Abyss or hell in his hand. Apostle John sees the angel seize the author of evil – who was known as the dragon or ancient serpent but who is in reality the devil or Satan, and he sees the angel bind for a thousand years the sin designer and implementer. Apostle John sees the angel – after the angel has thrown the deceiving nemesis into the Abyss, locking the Abyss’ door using the key that he has in his hand and putting a seal over the Abyss’ door. Apostle John envisioned the Abyss’ door remaining closed for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand year period, Apostle John sees the enemy of peace being released from his confinement in the Abyss so that he can have more one attempt to try to deceive the guys, gals and kids who God – as God the Father, specially elected to be his adopted kids before He created planet Earth, to follow him. Apostle John sees the arrogant enemy – who is the devil or Satan, being defeated on God’s judgment day and thrown into the lake of burning sulfur where tormenting spirits will reside. Any guy, gal or kid who doubts that there is a hell will wish that . . .
As Apostle John is envisioning on the Isle of Patmos the thousand year period in a vision, Apostle John sees a judgment throne with beheaded guys and gals – who did not have a mark on their foreheads or hands, standing before the throne – where they are reigning with Jesus over the thousand year period. Apostle John then sees a great white throne with the guys, gals and kids who have died standing before the throne to be judged and an open book. Verse 15 states, “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Revelations 20 (939)