Consequences… Nobody Likes Them

The Second Death

Revelation 20:7-15

Consequences… nobody likes them

 My wife and I love college hockey, so even though we are not Buckeye fans, we’ve attended games for over ten years. During most of those years we parked in a secluded area where the handful of parking spots are marked - “Staff Only”; and of course we are not staff. But it’s never been a problem… until this year.

Following our most recent game, we discovered a parking ticket on our windshield. I was irate to say the least. For years we had parked in the same spot, along with other fans, and never got a ticket. My wife has bad knees, and this is the closest parking location not requiring a handicap sticker. On top of all this, it was 10pm on a Saturday night. How many OSU staff do you think were looking for a parking spot at that time?

 Consequences… nobody likes them

My NIV Study Bible has two sub-titles for this passage in Revelation, both involving severe consequences.

“The Judgement of Satan”

^10 “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”            NASB

“The Judgement of the Dead”

^13 “The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵ Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”       NIV

Consequences… nobody likes them

Thankfully, God through His gracious love, has provided a way for us to live without fear of condemnation. Read these words that Paul wrote to the Romans.

^24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!... There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”              ESV

1 John 5: 13-21

Assurance of Eternal Life

 John is the ultimate encourager. “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may KNOW that you have 

ETERNAL LIFE.”

Me? Really? Forever? Though we have heard and read time and again John 3:16 (Whoever believes in me will not perish but have eternal life) we continue to doubt ourselves, and hope for the miracle of salvation to happen to US. We feel as though these promises are for others, but may not hold true in our situation. Why is it we view ourselves as unworthy? What makes us doubt the word of our 

GOD?

John assures us that whoever is born of God, though he may fall into sin, will not

 commit the unpardonable sin. We should never cease to pray for our brothers and

 sisters in Christ, especially when we know of their sin. No Christian is beyond the

 reach of our prayers, and no one born of God will ever fall from grace but will be

 kept safe in the name of  

CHRIST JESUS.

Sinless perfection is beyond our reach for the time being because our old nature has

 not yet been wiped away, yet the cross has 

SET US FREE.

Being a true believer means a lifestyle change has taken place. Sin does not dominate

 us any longer. By faith, self-control, and obeying the Word, sin has become the lesser

 influence on us. 

ALLELUIA!

May we trust in the words of John breathed by our Lord and Savior and set our hearts

to rest on the lovely promise of 

ETERNITY! 

Read/Listen to 1 John 5:13-21