Final Battle • Devotion 1: What Were You Thinking?

Joe Wilson

So I have to admit, I can be hyper-focused on the news when something major is happening or is just about to happen. I will watch for hours just waiting for a new piece of information, no matter how small it is. I am not sure if it is the excitement of the unknown or the curiosity about how it will affect me and my family. At times I am shocked at what I am witnessing, but more often than not, if I have paid attention, I just think, “What did you think would happen?”

When looking at the final battle in Revelation, I go to the same place in my head, “What did you think would happen?” Better yet, “Did you think He was not being truthful? He told us, did He not?”

Revelation 20:11-15 says, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

I am not sure where you sit on this, but verse 15 specifically should be a call to wake up and take a hard look at where our trust truly lies. It literally scares me to even think about my name not being written in the Book of Life.

Revelation 3:5 states, “The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.”

So I ask you today, ponder and meditate, “Where is my trust?”

Do not be the one who looks after the fact and asks, “What did I think would happen?”