17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. 18 Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.” 19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies. 20 The Thousand Years Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. 3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while. 4 Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years. The Defeat of Satan 7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. 10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. The Final Judgment 11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. 14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
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We could say that "loving my neighbor" means to look out and seek the good of those within my reach in ways that are both concrete and sacrificial. It's a workable definition, but what does this look like? I read a story about a young father who sold his 1967 Chevy Camaro for diaper money, and I see love. I remember the way my wife cared for our 90-year-old friend who lived alone next door, and I see love. She bought her raspberries almost every week for years and was the first one to respond when she fell and was taken off in an ambulance. Love can even look like bringing hard words to someone who needs to hear them. Parents with teenage kids know the risk that comes with loving correction. This is all simple to understand but hard to do. How can we gain the capacity to love like this? The truth is: We can’t give away what we don’t have. We all need to receive love before we can offer it. And for this, we must go to the source. Jesus’ friend John said, “ We love because he first loved us ” (1 John 4:19). There is a reservoir available to all of us. We have access to the infinite resources of God’s love. It’s not just an idea. His love is an actual force with substance and power. It revives weak hearts and brings dead things back to life. We should also remember that Jesus included an important qualifier when he told us to love our neighbor. He said, “ Love your neighbor as yourself ” (Mark 12:31). Sacrificial love does not mean self-neglect. We aren't supposed to become depleted in offering love to others. We need to care for ourselves enough to let God’s love in. Then we can love from a full heart. In addition to loving ourselves, God’s love often comes through other people. Jesus gave this instruction to all of us. In a community of Christ followers, I should be aiming to love my neighbor as my neighbor loves me. There is a reciprocal nature to this. And though none of us love perfectly, together we are moving closer to the restoration of all things and the kingdom that is coming. And the ethic of that kingdom is perfect love. Leaning into that kind of love gives us just a glimpse of heaven—and the New Heaven and New Earth— here and now.
When my wife and I bought our first house, I didn’t think we could afford a "real" lawnmower (like...the kind with an engine). Instead, I bought a push reel. Unfortunately, it couldn’t handle the crabgrass. The coarse grass just bent under the revolving blade and then sprung back up in defiance. I tried using a Weed Eater, but that effort was also futile. Finally, I caved and asked my new neighbor if I could borrow his Honda. In the first couple minutes, I ran into the lightning rod partially buried in the tall shade grass next to the house. The blade locked up, and the air filter shot across the yard. Somehow, that neighbor still became my friend, but it was a rough start. Jesus put a strong emphasis on loving our neighbors. When asked about the most important commandment, this was second next to loving God. So...it feels like something we should focus on, right? I’ve found it helpful to break this idea into two parts. Let's start by asking what it means to love. Dallas Willard once said, “ We may say we love chocolate cake, but we don’t. Rather, we want to eat it. ” He was showing the contrast between love and desire. Desire can be good. God puts desires in our hearts (check out Psalm 37:4-5). It's when desire becomes misdirected that problems roll in. But love is something different. Love seeks the good of the other. It chooses to look outward. And there's more. Jesus said, “ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends ” (John 15:13). These weren’t just words. He followed through, dying not only for his friends but for those who marked him as an enemy (Luke 23:34). This means that love requires both action AND risk. Jesus’ model could be summarized using the four simple words adopted by the Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers: “So others may live.” With this framework, we can take on the second part and ask, “Who is my neighbor?” When Jesus was asked this question, he told a story of a man who was beaten, looted, and left for dead. Two leaders in the community ignored the man. But then an outsider came by and picked him up, took him to the doctor, and paid the bill (Luke 10:25-37). I take this to mean: My "neighbor" isn't just my neighbor, it's anyone God puts in my path.
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Sign of the Times: A Study of Revelation
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Week 6
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