A Thousand Year Sentence!

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) In these verses we see that the very devil himself will be locked up for 1,000 years. But even after all that time he is still the same devil, deceiving all those who will follow him. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 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. (Revelation 20:7-8) Then, after this, he is finally cast into the lake of fire forever and ever! 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. (Revelation 20:10) Through these verses, we learn that not even a thousand-year prison sentence can change a devil. In a similar way, just locking a person up will not guarantee a change of their heart either. One person may look at the mistakes that led them to prison, while another will look at the mistakes that led them to getting caught.  It takes more than shackles and chains to change a sinful heart; it takes a heart that is willing to repent.  The transformation of the heart is only possible through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. The willingness to receive change is displayed through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance toward God.  Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:21) This is a personal choice and decision that one must make for themselves.  If not, they too will one day stand trial before Almighty God, the Great Judge of the universe! There will be no fancy lawyers to plead their case and no loopholes in God’s law to set them free.  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. 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. 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. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (Revelation 20:11-14) Then in verse 15 we see those who refused to trust in Jesus Christ and were not found in God’s book of forgiveness.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15) But in Romans we see those who did call upon Him for forgiveness and salvation.  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13) The choice then becomes your own. Will you become a “whosoever” who will, or a “whosoever” who won’t?  Because Jesus died for all, all have both a chance and a choice. Others may offer their advice, but the ultimate plea is up to you.  I urge you today to call out to Jesus for His love and forgiveness before it’s too late.  If the warden of some horrible prison offered to set you free today, you wouldn’t wait for one last hoorah, you would hit the gate running. Through His salvation, God is offering you freedom like you have never had before. Don’t wait another minute. If God is speaking to your heart, bow your head right now and call out to Him for the change that only He can give!  I said, Lord, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee. (Psalm 41:4) For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 8:12)