By Shirley Rosemarie Evans and Christopher Dryden
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.
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. 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. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:10-15 NLT
After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.
1 Corinthians 15:24-28 NLT
Death. The mention of it has a chilling effect. It is inevitable, and yet people in various cultures fear it, avoid thinking about it, and see it as a taboo subject. When someone valued dies, there’s a great outpouring of emotion at what is rightly seen as a loss. These emotions and other responses display why death should be seen as an enemy.
As someone imprisoned on an island for refusing to submit to Roman authority, John might have had reason also to have thoughts about death. As he is privileged to get a revelation of Jesus Christ, he is greeted with a profound vision of ultimate judgement. This is like a scene from an epic movie – it’s so dramatic. That final fiery lake should give readers a clear indication that ultimate judgement will see all God’s enemies dealt with. There are the evident enemies – the demonic hosts led by Satan, and then there’s that final enemy – Death itself.
Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth does remarkable work with a glimpse of the bigger picture. He instructs and encourages his readers with the insight that all enemies – all of them – will be under the feet of Jesus Christ. The rule of Jesus will deal with all the enemies with a great that shows them rendered powerless. The imagery of being under the feet of the ruler is shown throughout scripture and history – it highlights who is in charge.
There is One who rules on the throne and has authority over death itself. The glorious endgame we’re presented with is one in which all these enemies to righteousness and the rule of God are dealt with in an act of finality that will eliminate everything evil forever.
Some are in search of the elixir of life – they’ll put their bodies in a frozen state to trust that somehow humans will unlock something to grant immortality. Yet, the rule of God guarantees that the only way to experience life is to put our trust in the one who conquered death after the Cross and who will conquer death with finality.
All Hail King Jesus! He reigns. That rule goes over everything – including the grim nature of death. Those who trust this King won’t have to worry about death. They won’t have to worry about any legacy that will outlive them. Indeed, they don’t have to worry at all. Their hope and knowledge is this profound truth: In Christ, they will live forever.
Ask: What key things is the reader supposed to take from the epic scene described in Revelation 20:10-15?
Seek: How does knowing the fate of Satan, demons, evil, and death affect the way you live? What can you do today to celebrate this truth and share it with someone else?
Knock: Sing out loud this song and prayerfully reflect on its lyrical content: All hail King Jesus.
