Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Sorry if the title scared you, but today’s reading should make us uncomfortable. This chapter presents a profound and multifaceted picture of the future – a thousand-year reign of Christ, often referred to as the millennium, and the ultimate judgment of all humanity. This passage carries a message of hope, assurance, accountability, and the promise of God over the course of history.

The chapter commences with the binding of Satan and his imprisonment for a thousand years. This period symbolizes the reign of Christ on earth, bringing about a time of peace and justice. Believers, those who partake in the first resurrection will share in Christ's victory and reign alongside Him.

Revelation 20 also describes the release of Satan after a thousand years, leading to a final confrontation and his ultimate defeat. This confrontation emphasizes the sovereignty and triumph of Christ over evil. Subsequently, the great white throne judgment occurs, where all individuals, both small and great, stand before God to give an account of their lives.

This passage encourages believers to live with an eternal perspective. It challenges us to remain steadfast in our faith, understanding the significance of our choices and actions in light of eternity. It calls us to share the hope of salvation found in Christ and to live lives that reflect His love, grace, and truth.

Reading this also serves as a reminder of the reality of judgment and the urgency of the Gospel message. It motivates us to earnestly share the Good News, knowing that eternal destinies are at stake. Our lives should bear witness to the transforming power of Christ, compelling others to seek Him and be saved from the judgment to come. Let us, therefore, live with a sense of urgency and purpose, proclaiming the message of God's redemptive love to a world in need.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• At Venture Church, our vision is to be a church for the unchurched. There are a lot of factors that can weigh in our success of accomplishing ground for the kingdom, but we have a 4-part strategy that we created to help us achieve our vision. The first part of that strategy is Invite with intention. The start of the new year is one of the greatest invite opportunities of the year. Who can you invite to join you at Venture in 2024, and how are you being intentional with it?
• Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for the assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ. Help us to live with an eternal perspective, passionately sharing the hope found in Him. Empower us to live faithfully, bearing witness to Your love and truth in a world longing for redemption. Prepare us for the glorious return of our Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Family Devo: Revelation 20

By: Kaylee Collins

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.  

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset  

Head  

In today’s reading, John explains how he saw an angel descend from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit. This angel then bound Satan in chains and threw him into this pit for a thousand years. During these thousand years, Satan could no longer deceive the nations and all of those who lost their lives for proclaiming the word of God and for denying the beast came back to life and reigned with Christ. After these thousand years came to an end, Satan was released from the pit and he deceived the nations once again while building a very large army; however, Satan was once again captured and thrown into the fiery lake to be tormented forever and ever. After the defeat of Satan, came the final judgment. Everyone was judged according to their actions and anyone whose name was not in the Book of Life, was also thrown into the fiery lake.  

Heart  

Wow! A bottomless pit, a fiery lake, a large army, the Book of Life, these things can all sound kind of scary; however, we can have peace and comfort in knowing that we can be on God’s side of this battle. God will banish Satan to an eternity of suffering in the lake of fire for all of the evil and deception that he has caused the nations. How exciting it is to know that one day all pain and suffering will end and death will be no more!  

Hands  

Take time to reflect on your own heart and relationship with God. Think of ways that you can strengthen your walk with God.  

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for showing John what has not yet happened, but is to come so that we may prepare our hearts and minds. Help us to be more like You and to help others come to know You too so that we may be prepared for the day of the final judgment. Thank You for showing us that one day Satan will be punished for all the evil that he has done. In Jesus' name, amen.