A Devotional Thought From Revelation

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.    

Revelation 20:15

The book of life or the lake of fire, if you are not in one you are in the other.

Being listed in the book of life comes from being rightly related to the Savior, Jesus, who saves those who cast themselves upon Him by faith. It means, of course, that all who trust Jesus for salvation are given eternal life to be with Jesus eternally. This is the good half of this verse, especially if you realize we all live with eternity and view.

The negative side of the verse is that through lack of faith those not listed in the book of life are consigned to the lake of fire, or hell. Yes, according to the Bible’s teaching, hell is real. It was prepared as a terrifying, painful, punishment for the devil (Rev. 20:10) and the wicked angels that followed him in rebelling against the God of the Bible, Who is the one and only living God of the universe. Sadly, for those who will not believe the gospel of salvation, thus rejecting God, because unbelief is rejecting, the lake of fire also will receive them.

The lake of fire is real. Eternal separation from God is real. The torment of hell is real. No human mind is big enough in intellect to imagine how beyond awful this is.

Not everybody is in the book of life, and not everybody goes to hell. Your destination is determined about your faith.

Devotional Thought From Revelation

And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.     Rev. 10:11

          Fantastic things are happening in the book of Revelation. No matter what theological point of view and interpretation a reader is coming from the pictures given in John's vision are earth shaking, mind blowing, and heart rending. Here in one of the great periods described by the book, John is told that despite all that has happened he must prophesy, or preach again, and that his message is for every people group, every nation even those where Christian faith is a minority faith, a message that should be shared in every language, and ought to be shared before kings and governments. In other words, it is a message that should go into all the world, still a great commission. John, I think, can be thought to represent the church, the witness(es) to the truth of Christ's gospel, and as such this statement in Rev. 10:11 is a clear indication that the church, the believers who make up the church, are called upon to the setting forth of the message of the cross and resurrection, which is God's message of salvation, before the world.

          All people groups no matter ethnicity, or skin color, location in the world, or any other qualifying characteristics need to know that God sent His Son into the world to save them, and there is no other name under heaven by which they must be saved. "Must" because there is no other way but through receiving Jesus into one's heart as savior. That is true for every nation no matter it's religious background, and for their governments as well, which God declares are to be executors of judgement on behalf of God and His righteousness (cf. Rom. 13:1-5). It is a message that should be spoken to all people no matter the language those people may speak.

          Summing up: the truth of the One God of the Universe, the God of the Bible, is for all persons everywhere. There are not many ways to God, there is Jesus. There are not many doors to heaven, there is Jesus. There are not many saviors, so take your pick, there is Jesus. That's the Bible's message. That's John's message. That's the Christian church's message, in all the church's various forms and styles of worship and evangelism. That's my message as a Christian believer, and witness, and preacher.