Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Revelation 19:5 – 20:15 and Psalm 62

As the final chapters of John’s vision unfold, the heavens resound with praise:

‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
    and his bride has made herself ready.

The heavenly anticipation of the Return of the King is reaching its crescendo. The final preparations are underway and the Lamb of God is about to turn the final pages of history.

From Revelation 19:11 – 20:15, the vision’s “magnifying glass” hovers over the King’s return, the great rebellious gathering of earth’s nations to oppose God (Revelation 16:16) and the ultimate victory of the Lamb of God. In truth, it’s an absolute whirlwind!

What is important from our devotional perspective is that Jesus returns to earth. He is still the “Word of God” (19:13) as He has been for all eternity, but this time He comes not as a vulnerable human baby but as the King of kings and Lord of lords” (19:16). He defeats the opposition of the kings and empires of the world with the “Sword coming out of His mouth”; i.e. His powerful Word. Notice the point: When all the military and economic power of the world’s kingdoms can be destroyed by a single word of command, you know you’re not on an even playing field here. The devotional point: All the bluster and bravado of human rebellion against the Lord, is actually empty and powerless in the face of His authority!

But human rebellion has even less excuse when, in John’s vision, the King establishes a 1000 year Kingdom on this physical planet earth, reigning over it with the resurrected martyrs to give the rest of humanity a vision of the perfection of human life and society when the King is truly on the throne. Even this vision of perfection, however, is somehow unable to overcome the seed of sin in the un-surrendered human heart and it ultimately persists in rebellion (v.7-10). What is our devotional point? That even when one’s life is perfect, sin is still knocking at the door. We often think that if God will only do this or that for us, we will serve Him with our whole lives. But the truth is that even when God blesses us with an absolutely perfect experience of life, our sinful self can still find a way to rise up and exalt itself against His will.

And so the final judgment (20:11-15) is absolutely just and fair. Each human being who has ever lived is judged before the Throne of God on the evidence of the way they lived their lives. This is the King separating those whose lives reveal that they have chosen to be their own king and have not surrendered to Him, from those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. They are the ones who have surrendered their lives to King Jesus and have lived as citizens of His Kingdom in this lifetime. The point? Everything for now and for eternity comes down to what we make of Jesus Christ while we live and breathe.

Life application: Surrender every waking moment of today to the Lordship of Jesus. Live to honour Him as King! Resist temptation, knowing that Jesus is worthy of obedience and that how we live is the evidence of who is truly our King!