Better Than Sci-Fi

Have you seen any good action movies lately? Or perhaps you are into Sci-fi? Either genre has the tendency to keep you on the edge of your chair in anticipation. Sometimes, your heart may begin to race. These days, even children’s movies are loaded with subliminal messages and amazing graphics.

Growing up, we would all gather in my parents’ room to watch TV. It was a fun time together. We laughed and cried and had wholesome fun (although I really liked those gladiator movies). That same fun can be found in one very interesting place, the Bible!

The Book of Revelation is just as exciting! It is the Word of God, inspired by His Holy Spirit. Revelation 20 shares a prophecy that appears as Sci-Fi as they come. Consider this:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while” Revelation 20:1-3 ESV.

The scene in Revelation 20 sounds like it is from a PG-13 movie. It sets the stage for a sequel, too. I can only imagine watching movies with the Lord. Did you ask a multitude of questions that drove your parents crazy? What might this angel from heaven look like? Is he an archangel like Michael or Gabriel? Why don’t we know his name? Why hasn’t he chained the devil already?! How much longer do we have to wait for his arrival? Does Jesus come back first? Why is the devil chained and then released? These may not be very “scholarly” questions, but surely, I am not the only one asking them. Let us keep it real: the scene described in Rev 20 is going to happen. The devil will be chained and thrown into the abyss for a season. Will we get to witness it? Are we ready to reign with Jesus?

This chapter brings great hope. I may not have all the answers, but I do see a better day coming for those who hold fast their confession of faith and wait on the Lord. This may seem strange, but the book of Revelation is a wonderful reminder that we are not only the people of God, but we are His family. Our Father, in Heaven, loves us as His very own because we are His very own. His nature is our nature. He not only holds the future, but He is our future! That is the absolute Good News of the Gospel!

Let’s pray: Lord, help our unbelief. Open our hearts to receive all You have in Your heart for us, in Jesus’s name, Amen.

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Scripture is quoted from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®). ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.