Daily Manna 17 April
KEY VERSE: “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.” – (Revelation 20:1,2)
READ: Revelation 20:1-15 (KJV)
1. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8. And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works.
14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Read yesterday’s Daily Manna here
Prof. Carl Armerding once wrote a story about his experience at the zoo. “As I stood there,” he said, “an attendant entered the cage of a wildcat through a door on the opposite side. He had nothing in his hands but a broom. Carefully closing the door, he proceeded to sweep the floor of the cage.” He observed that the worker had no weapon to ward off an attack by the beast. In fact, when he got to the corner of the cage where the wildcat was lying, he poked the animal with the broom. The wildcat hissed at him and then lay down in another corner of the enclosure.
Armerding said to the attendant, “You certainly are a brave man.” “No, I ain’t brave,” he replied as he continued to sweep. “Well, then, that cat must be tame.” “No,” came the reply, “he ain’t tame.” “If you aren’t brave and the wildcat isn’t tame, then I can’t understand why he doesn’t attack you.” Armerding said. The man chuckled, then replied with an air of confidence, “Mister, he’s old and he ain’t got no teeth.” To the believer, Satan is like the wildcat. Defeated by Christ at Calvary, He lost his fangs!
Since Satan fell by rebellion, his activities on earth and in heaven have been restricted. Our passage shows that during the Millennial reign, Satan will be completely bound and he would not be able to influence governance or people. After that, he would be released for a while to lead a rebellion which will end in his eternal banishment to hell.
It is important for Christians to know that God has made a “hedge” around us so that we can be safe from every onslaught of Satan.
Satan is fallen before you today (Luke 10:18). This truth should make you to go out with confidence, knowing that the grace of God is sufficient for you as you endeavour to make the right choices and honour Him.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Satan is the fallen foe incapable of hindering our work for the Lord.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Acts 20-21
Thank you for studying today’s Daily Manna – Toothless Bulldog – by Pastor Enoch A.
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Daily Manna 17 April 2021
