“And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them” (Revelation 20:9).

The city of Zion, the gathering place of the saints, is always under attack by the forces of Gog and Magog.  In the end, the wickedness of the world will be consumed by fire, that is, destroyed.  Do not be deceived.  Know that the way of the Lord will prevail.  The wickedness of this age is just for a season and fully in God’s purview.  He is the Sovereign Lord and His will is going to be done.

Whom will you follow?  Will you follow the Lord, or chase after the emptiness of this age.  Know that only in the Lord is there true hope.  Know that the way of the Lord is the only way that works out in the end.  There can only be One who is God.  You cannot be Him, nor can your neighbor be Him, but that is what many seem to be pretending to be able to do.  All the rebellious evil will be consumed and removed.

Lord Jesus, You are the Savior and You have come to save us from sin, death, and the devil.  Guide me, Lord, so that I walk humbly with You, my Lord and God.  You know all these things from the beginning, and I need not tell You of them, but I do need Your instruction.  Guide me in the way of Zion, the holy way of righteousness.  Lead me to do what is right and fitting in Your eyes, for this age and the age to come.  Amen.

“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore” (Revelation 20:7-8).

We have been consistently reading about people who are in rebellion against the Lord versus the saints.  It is no different here.  Gog and Magog are the people gathered against Zion, the people of God.  Of course, the devil relishes in identity politics.  There are only two kinds of people, those who will come into the salvation of Christ and those who will not.  But the devil entices those in rebellion to accuse and curse those who follow Christ.

Are you aware of what is happening around you?  Do you fall for the oft-repeated things that are believed to be true because they are said enough times?  The word of the Lord is consistent and has been telling us all along that the ways of the Lord are true.  Those in rebellion break God’s law.  You are called to obey Him.  Do you seek to fulfill the law, or desire ways around the law?

Lord Jesus, is it really all about faithfulness to You?  In this age, I will sin.  I will break the law, but that is not the measure of faithfulness.  Seeking to follow You and do what is right is at the heart of faithfulness.  Lead me out of the horde of Gog and Magog so that even if I am in the middle of them physically, I stand with You in every other way.  Help me, Lord. to follow the path of faithfulness.  Amen.

“Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6).

What is the first resurrection?  Is it the new life Christ gives in baptism to those who believe?  Though you die, yet shall you live.  Do you believe?  He will make you a priest.  That is not some high position; what it means is that You have the ability to draw near to Him and speak to others of the wonder of His love.  Having faith like a child is keeping these things simple and not being filled with pride as the world tends to do things.

Lord, my pride sees the word first and that is what I want to be a part of. Then it sees the word priest and I think of power and glory.  Finally, I see reign and I once again think of myself and power.  But none of these are true.  You have called me to draw near to You in the promised new life which You have given me.  We will be children of God, as will be true of You and all others who have faith.  I will be in fellowship with them too.

Lord, Sovereign Judge, You who know all things, guide me in the goodness and mercy of Your grace to live in the reality which You have created, doing what is befitting all righteousness, and being content with whom You are making me to be.  Lead me in the way of righteousness this day.  Do not let me become caught up in the speculation of all these things, but instead, live humbly with You, my Lord and God.  Amen.

“The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection” (Revelation 20:5).

The Lord will do what the Lord does.  Whether you are awakened now or later, does it really matter?  Everything has always been in the Lord’s hands.  I know the world laments at death, and yes, there is sadness, but what will your lament do to change the reality that the Lord has put into motion?  The Lord is Sovereign, and the peace He gives, in part, is accepting this fully in your heart.

Lord, there are many mysteries, and I would like to know the answers.  Equally, there are many places in my heart where I am more conditional than I would like to admit.  I need to learn how to trust You more and trust myself less.  Compared to You, what do I know?  All things really are in Your hands, and everything will turn out according to the Father’s will.  When my time is complete, then You will do as You have always intended.

Lord God, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  I have no real power over anyone, except perhaps over myself.  Teach me to humbly submit to You so that it is Your will that is done in my life.  Help me understand that even if I do not like the outcome or circumstances, everything is in Your hands.  Of course, Your will is going to be done.  Teach me to trust You above all things knowing that You are the Sovereign Lord.  Amen.

“Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4).

There are those in the world who go along to get along.  Willing to accommodate just about anything, they compromise and join in the rebellion against the Lord.  With their minds, they check out and do not think.  With their hands, they willingly do whatever the wickedness of the day requires them to do.  The mark of the beast has always been unwillingness to look to the Lord and follow Him in all His ways.

You know on the one hand, Lord, that I am unable to follow You in all of Your ways.  It does not mean that I do not want to, it is just that I often find that I do the things I do not want to do and do not do what I ought.  Surely this is not what You mean for me to do.  But I have been castigated for being Christian.  People do treat me differently, but so what.  Your kingdom is forever.  Lead me to be a part of Your kingdom and not be overly concerned about what others may think of me.

Jesus, Lord and Master, You came the first time to provide salvation for as many as believe.  You are coming the second time to separate out those who chose to walk with You as opposed to those who ignored You and adopted the way of this wicked world.  Guide me Lord Jesus to walk humbly with You, my Lord and Savior, and live according to all the directions You give, doing so as best I can in this wicked world.  Teach me how to increase my faithfulness to You.  Amen.

“And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time” (Revelation 20:2-3).

I confess to you that I do not fully understand what the Lord is saying here.  I am skeptical of anyone who tells you they do.  What this does tell me is that Satan, the devil, is under the power of our Lord.  Never believe the lie that tells you otherwise.  God has a purpose for everything and even if we cannot yet comprehend what He is doing, know that all power and authority belong to the Lord.

Lord, I do want to know what this means.  But will knowing all that this means change who I am or what I need to do?  No, it will not.  Rather, help me to focus upon the life You have given me knowing that there is much work to be done in me if I am to be like Christ.  Guide me always in the way of eternal life so that I may now and always walk in Your presence.

My Lord and Savior, You are the One who binds and loosens.  You have given some delegated authority such that they may, in Your name and by Your authority, bind and loose, but it is by Your power and authority.  Lead me by Your power and authority, in the baptism by which You brought me into Your promise and to be Your disciple and teach me how to obey all that You have commanded.  Lord, guide me where I need to go.  Amen.

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand” (Revelation 20:1).

We live in a mixed-up world.  Literally!  The unrepentant sinner lives alongside the one who seeks to be a saint.  We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against powers, forces, and principalities in this age.  But this age is bound in time.  Eternity is with the Lord forever.  We are called into eternity with the Lord, and the wicked one and all the unrepentant will be bound in the abyss forever.

Lord, there is a choice before me.  You have called me to repent of that which drives me into rebellion against You to learn how to live as Your child, like Christ, with You now and forever.   I do not know how to do this.  Take my hand and lead me from where I am to where I need to be.  You are coming to judge the living and the dead.  Come. Lord Jesus. and sift through our hearts so that we learn to obey You.

Lord Jesus, You who are the judge of the living and the dead, sift my heart and find those things which need to be removed lest I too be one who joins with those chained in perdition.  Let me not fear, for You alone are my Savior, but teach me to rely upon You wholly so that I may be guided in Your goodness and mercy.  Lead me today, Lord, in acting with righteousness so that I may live knowing that You alone are the One who leads me.  Amen.

“And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:21).

The devil has mocked the Lord since the beginning, but the truth is that everything that exists came into being with His Word.  The LORD speaks and it is so.  The sword of the Word both saves and kills.  It kills the sinner and raises the saint.  It slays the sinner and condemns the wicked.  The Word of the Lord gives promise and the promise of salvation is for those who believe and obey.

What is belief Lord, that I should do this and though I die, live?  Is not my belief what I do?  Is this why Your Word keeps reminding me that my actions really do matter, for they reflect what I actually believe?  Lord, I may not know many things, but I hear Your voice which has called me through the water of my baptism into faith.  You have given me faith, but I need Your Word to cut through my heart so that I may live.

Lord Jesus, where there is unbelief, slay it.  Where there is hesitance, spur me on.  Where I am not acting when, where, and how I should, lead me, Lord, according to Your goodness and mercy.  Guide me always, Lord, so that I may now and always walk humbly with You, whose Word holds true and stands forever.  You are the author of my faith.  Speak into me all that is needed to lead me into eternal life with You.  Amen.

“And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20).

The day is coming when all the wicked will be judged.  Those who seem to rule with authority and power will fall too.  All who defy the Lord will wind up with the wicked one.  You know these things.  Why do you freely ignore the sin in you when the cure is already available?  This is the question we ask of others, but it is also the question we each must ask ourselves.

Lord, why do I ignore You when I know what is right.  Before I do something contrary to Your Word, I must first ignore the Holy Spirit telling me not to.  I do not do the things I ought but do the very things I hate.  I do need to be saved.  Prick my conscience so that I see these things and do not act upon them.  Help me not just to react, but to willingly act according to Your will.  Help me to see clearly so that I walk the right way and do those things which are good in Your sight.

Lord Jesus, this is the moment from which You alone can save me.  I live in the paradox of life where I do not do what I should, but do the things I know are wrong.  Lead me, Lord, so that, following You, I am quick to repent, slow to give into temptation, and always willing to confess.  Help me understand more and more each day how to live this new life that You have given me.  Lord, save me from myself.  Amen.

“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse, and against His army” (Revelation 19:19).

Even knowing that all is lost, wickedness would rather fight to the end rather than confess the truth.  We have seen this with nations who act wickedly.  They would not stop until all was lost.  This sinful rebellion is in us all.  We would rather be destroyed than to admit that we were wrong.  Many of the troubles in our world, even amongst those who call themselves Christians begins at this point.

Lord, I do have a stubborn streak that runs deep in me.  I do resist simply repenting, confessing, and moving on in the right direction.  Guide me Lord so that I may not live the way of this world but clearly see the Gospel way which leads me in repentance to live as You have directed us to live.  I do not want to be with the armies of the wicked, but on the narrow path that leads to righteousness.

Come, Holy Spirit, and set me to the task of living out my Christianity this day.  You are within me, and I ask that You lead me.  You know where my stubbornness gets in the way.  You know where I need to repent.  Lead me, Lord, so that I may humbly submit to what is right and good.  Guide me to be led by You where You will lead me this day.  Help me to willingly go where You lead and do what You ask.  Amen.