Journal Rev 20 (all references are from the ESV; changes in punctuation are mine)
Scripture: “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.” Rev 20:12
Observation: This is the Gospel as well as anything else. The End of all Things is no longer “at hand”, it is here in this section of Scripture.
Analysis: Actually, the End of All Things is a bunch of stuff: a little bit of war; a little bit of creation being shaken out; a bit of the serpent and his followers getting their just due; and, etc. Then—the Judgment of Man by God.
One of God’s attributes is his Justice—He is Just. He is Just in all his ways and his works. His Justice is objective, the measuring bar used is Himself and His Holiness. Therefore, I can determine that He does NOT have a sliding scale of Justice. Even in His Mercy, His Justice stays intact and Eternal.
Scripture indicates books are brought out for each individual, and in particular the Book of Life.
Where am I in this section of Scripture? By faith in the redeeming blood spilled on the Cross of Jesus, I am experiencing salvation. My particular conviction is that I experience salvation by faith on a daily basis, and I don’t subscribe to the “once saved, always saved” doctrine (or “once saved, I checked off that box, I don’t have to think about that anymore.”). A big influence for my position is Lam 3:21-23: “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” I think that is why Paul often refers to the “hope of my salvation” and not the “fact of my salvation.”
So why all of this? Preaching the Gospel to myself every day is a SERIOUS reminder (not just a phrase that sounds catchy). My heart needs to hear the Gospel story so that my pursuit of God stays a serious pursuit.
Prayer: Lord God, my lord. My hope is in you alone. I forget easily. I am distracted easily. And if I am, so are others.
Keep my eye single upon you, O Lord. I hope in your salvation.
Bring revival, AMEN.