Revelation 20:15

Verse of the Day Devotion: Revelation 20:15 

“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”  Revelation 20:15             

Today, my wife, son and I were going through True Devotion Ministries doctrinal statement to make some minor adjustments where needed.  When we finally got to the eschatology section, this verse stood out in a major way to me.  It speaks of those who never accepted the work Jesus did on the cross; His death, burial and resurrection that paid the penalty for their sins. 

Here is the basic order of what will take place as written in Revelation 20.  First, Satan will be thrown into an abyss for a thousand years.  Then those who were killed because of their testimony of Christ and had not received the mark on their hand or forehead will come to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. .  (Revelation 20:1-6).

After the thousand years have been completed, Satan will be released, and he will gather together an army.  With them, Satan will surround the saints and Jerusalem, but will be defeated.  After this, he will be thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet already are. Then the dead are to be judged, every one of them are to be judged, after which  death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire.  (Revelation 20:7-14).

Next, we see our focus verse.  “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15.  The final verdict will be decided based on whether our name is found in the book of life or not.  Those whose names are written in the book of life are those who are saved.  Those who are destined for eternal life.  They believe that Jesus is the Christ. As Jesus put it, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:14-16. 

Now, there is one important idea I want to bring out.  Those who do not believe, their names are not written in the Lambs book of Life.  We all know many people who are not saved.  Family, friends and acquaintances.  We see many people all over who are not saved.  Do we desire all our family members to have their names in the book?  Do we desire all our friends to have their names in the book?  It is up to us to make sure the names of everyone we know, and meet are found in the book of life.  We as Christians have a responsibility to share the gospel to as many as we have the opportunity to speak with.  Most unsaved have no idea what their future holds for them.  Make it a point to introduce them to the saving knowledge of Jesus.  God loves them and has called us to go out where He takes us and present the gospel.  “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20.  And since no one can be a disciple unless they are saved, we are called to share the gospel.  Let us do what we can to introduce as many people as we can to Jesus, praying to get their names in the most important book in all of history.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Deuteronomy 30:15

Verse of the Day Devotion: Deuteronomy 30:15 

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;” – Deuteronomy 30:15       

This is a great verse that shows the free will of mankind.  Moses is speaking to Israel informing them that he will not be crossing the Jordan river into the promised land.  “So Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them,  I am a hundred and twenty years old today; I am no longer able to come and go, and the LORD has said to me, You shall not cross this Jordan.” Deuteronomy 32:2.  He then  tells them that Joshua will lead them over the Jordan. 

He also has reminded them what the Lord had done for them in Egypt and during their forty years in the wilderness.  He reminds them of the covenant God established with them, that they would be His people here on the earth.  He reminds them of the nations they encountered and what happened to them on account of their sins and abominations.   He then brings forth this promise. “Then the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.” Deuteronomy 30:9-10 

He then adds that this commandment is not difficult.  “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach.” Deuteronomy 30:11.  It is not impossible to keep His commands.  It is not even that difficult.  The reason for this is, at the end of verse ten above, ‘if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.’ If they did this, then they would naturally keep His commands.  If they did not, then they would not keep them.    

So, based on the above, Israel was given a choice and we read this in our focus verse and the next.  “if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul. in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it.” Deuteronomy 30:15-16.  The choice was either life and prosperity or death and adversity.  Life and prosperity if they follow His ways, or death and adversity if they do not. 

Today, we have, in essence, the same choice.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16.  And also, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:5  We can either love God with all we have and because of this love obey Him in all ways and receive eternal life, or we can choose not to love Him with everything we have and because of this not obey Him and receive eternal damnation.  He loves us so much He gave us this choice.  And this is the message we must tell the world just as Moses told the Israelites.  Our eternal future depends on how we respond to this choice.   

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries. 

Psalm 27:4

Verse of the Day Devotion: Psalm 27:4 

“One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.” – Psalm 27:4    

David here is speaking about what he considers most important in his life.  Remember as we go through this verse that he is king over Judah, essentially having access to anything he desires.  However, as we go through these verses, we see what his focus truly is.  First, let us look at the three verses prior to our focus verse.  “The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?” Psalm 27:1.  He starts here by saying that the Lord is the source of his light and his salvation.  The Word of the Lord is his light, it is what helps him understand and be at peace.  He is also the source of his salvation and deliverance.  And because of this, he does not afraid of anyone or anything.  God is the one who goes before him and protects him. 

Then he declares, “When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident.” Psalm 27:2-3.  He has confidence that whoever or whatever comes against him, it will fail.  His adversaries will stumble and be defeated by the God who protects him.  And though an army would come against him, attacking him in order to defeat him, he has complete confidence that God is on his side and will fight the battles for him.  His confidence is in God.  He trusts Him completely such that he can stay at peace. 

And because of the above, he desires to be where God is at all times.  He seeks this by asking God to allow him to always remain in His presence.  This is the great desire of David’s heart.  First, that he would always be where God is, that God would never leave or forsake him, and that he would be in a place where he would hear His words, that his mind and thoughts would ever be on the Lord.  But also, that he could behold the beauty of the Lord.  This is not necessarily speaking of seeing Him.  The idea of beauty in this verse is referring to pleasantness and splendor, then His grace and favor; essentially His beautiful attributes that describe and show how truly wonderful He is.  Then, after he leaves this life, David desires to live for eternity in His presence there as well, to enjoy the favor and beauty of God.  From the moment where he is, David desires to, going forward,  be where God is, to enjoy and be in fellowship with Him that never ends. 

After looking at this verse more closely, this is how I feel.  I never want to experience being where God is not.  I want to be in constant fellowship with Him, and to enjoy His beauty and splendor forever; both here and in the life to come.  I pray this is your desire as well.  For there is nothing better than being in the presence of God no matter what. 

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Verse of the Day – 1 Corinthians 10:13

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)

It’s me again, Christiaan, if you missed yesterday’s study, you can reference it here: Ecclesiastes 3:1 as I want to build on some of the things I covered yesterday.

If you grew up in church, ever had a sunday school, been to youth group, or if you’re a guy been to any sort of men’s group, you’re familiar with this verse. It’s almost exclusively used in terms of temptation. And that’s not surprising. Almost every translation (28/31) uses the term temptation.

But what if temptation isn’t really the best term? The bible that we have is largely translated into our native language from either Hebrew or Greek. Tools like the Mounce Reverse-Interlinear New Testament (MOUNCE) give us a better idea of what was really intended because it’s the most literal translation out there. It takes the individual words in Greek, factors in the tenses, and gives us an exact English phrasing. The biggest problem is that it’s not always readable.

“No trial has overtaken you that is not distinctively human; and God is faithful; he will not let you be tested beyond what you can bear, but with the trial [He] will also provide the way through, so that you will be able to endure it.” – 1st Corinthians 10:13 (MOUNCE)

The word that’s translated in Trial/Test/Temptation is the Greek word, Peirasmos, which when used in scripture can mean anything from “direct temptation to sin,” being put on trial or suffering a “trial, calamity, and affliction.”

This is much deeper than just a temptation to sin, which while true isn’t the complete and total truth. Paul is telling us that nothing we go through is ultimately unique, and this can provide comfort in the fact that we know we’re not alone. It also tells us that that no matter what trial, calamity, or affliction we face, God will provide us a way to get through it so we can endure.

When paired with the two translations of Ecclesiastes 3:1 from yesterday: “Everything has a season, and a time for every matter under the heavens.” (Alter) and “Everything that happens in the world happens at a time God chooses.” GNT we can agree upon the following truths:

  • Trials, calamities, afflictions, temptations and everything we go through has a season. Just as they began at one point, they’ll end.
  • You’re not alone in your suffering, others have and will go through suffering like you are at some point.
  • God won’t prevent you from going through these seasons, but he will ensure that you can endure them and one of the ways that God does this is by his choosing the time to have you go through it.

And that is an encouraging thought.

Christiaan.