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1:30It takes us to the very end of evil itself. I would put this verses on the same level as Genesis chapter 3 and the initial fall of humanity and the tempters' work there to destroy and murder that first couple. This is that epic of a passage of Scripture. It brings Satan to an end, the deceiver. If you think about where we are in Scripture, we're on the very end. There's only two more chapters. We have two chapters in the Bible that don't involve Satan.

2:18We had two chapters at the beginning of the Bible that didn't involve the satanic influence. In the middle, everything else, we have the existence of Satan and the power that he exerts upon the earth. But I want to ask you a question this morning before we jump into this. How would you describe your relationship with God this morning? Is it one of primary Primarily, spiritual harmony, spiritual harmony, or spiritual discord. Are you in harmony with God or discord?

3:12Maybe another question to consider this morning: what is evil? What is evil? And by this time, if you're a student of the Bible, you should have an answer because we're at the end. What is evil? As we are thinking about this, it's clear from Scripture. We'll look more into this this morning. Evil is a spiritual persona flowing out from a singular source that animates all who receive Him. You see, there are two spirits that animate humanity: good and evil.

4:00And each one originates from a source. There are those who are married to the Spirit of God, and so the Spirit of God animates their being. They're in accord with God. And when they fall out of a relationship with God through their sin, they're quick to repent, turn, and be restored. But then there are those who oppose God. They are the ones who embrace the ways of Satan. The word Satan means adversary, the one who is in opposition to God and all things that are good.

4:49And those who embrace the words of Satan, they receive the Spirit of Satan. Those who embrace the words of God receive the Spirit of God. It's that plane. Who animates you? To whom are you married this morning? It would be a disaster for you to have sat through all of the book of Revelation and to sat under the teaching of the Word of God and missed this fundamental relationship. To whom are you married? Who animates? What is the source of your life?

5:36Well, keep in mind what we've been doing, we've been looking at Christ's second advent. You remember that in chapters 19 and 20, the second advent of Christ is likened to a marriage feast, a feast or reception that follows the wedding reason. Ceremony. Remember, in chapter 19, in verses 11 through 13, as Christ comes in on that great horse, great white horse, we see the presentation of Jesus Christ to the world. And then in the following verses, we see the entrance of Jesus Christ into the world. And he takes out the armies that have gathered against him at Harmageddon. And the birds are filled with the flesh of the Antichrist's army. Antichrist, the beasts, their army.

6:42And then, right after that section, we see the reign of Jesus Christ upon the present earth, verses 1 through 6 of chapter 20. The rain. And this time is described in many sections and many parts of the Bible. The prophets speak of it. It's a glorious time. Satan is incarcerated. He is not influencing the world. The world goes back to an Eden-like paradise. Christ rules and reigns over the present earth. And all of it is like a wedding celebration.

7:26We know that the coming rain upon the earth, the Begins with the binding of Satan, verses 3, chapter 20. It ends shortly after the release of Satan. Verse 3 says, And he threw him, an angel threw Satan into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him so that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed. After these things, he must be released for a short time. So we know that reign of Jesus Christ over the present earth ends shortly after the release of Satan. We also know from verses 4 through 6 that those who participate in this period of time are of the first resurrection. They are called holy and blessed.

8:23But you know, like any wedding celebration, it comes to an end. The wedding happens, the celebration happens, and then they go off into their new life together. That's what chapters 21 and 22 are about, the new heavens and the new earth, the eternal abode of God's people. But here, in chapter 20, at the beginning, we have this wedding celebration. It comes to an end. And our text this morning shows us. What will happen at the end of this 1,000-year reign of Christ? But before the new heavens and the new earth come, there's something that takes place here that is absolutely necessary. And as the scriptures say in verse 3, he must be released, he must be incarcerated for a thousand years, he must be released because God has a purpose for doing that. And it prepares us not only for the new heavens and the new earth, one where there is no evil or people susceptible to evil.

9:40There is the new heavens, the new earth, but there's a critical thing that happens in between Christ's reign over the present earth and his reign in the new heavens and the new earth. There's something very important that happens, and that is the judgment of Satan. Of course. Before the new heavens and the new earth, we still have something to deal with. We must get rid of evil. God is going to get rid of evil, and he's going to get rid of those susceptible to evil. And that's what we're going to see this morning and next. We enter into that judgment. Between Christ's reign over the present earth and his reign in the new earth. Heavens and the new earth, there is the judgment.

10:38Well, we've already looked at the beginning of the end of Satan. Remember when the seventh trumpet blew in Revelation 11:15? Then the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven saying, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever. And the 24 elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, We give thanks to you, O Lord God the Almighty, who are and who were, because you have taken your great power and begun to reign. So with the blowing of that trumpet, that was the beginning of the end of Satan. Now we've reached the end of the end for Satan.

11:29It's monumental, epic. This event is the fulfillment of many promises made throughout Scripture to destroy evil, including the very first one, Genesis 3:15. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. At the very beginning, when Satan first deceived That first couple, it was announced that he would be crushed, that the woman's seed would come and would crush the head. This is the fulfillment of that verse.

12:17Today we look upon the end of Satan, and that will prepare us to understand the judgment upon all who belong to him. First of all, we're going to see the judgment of Satan, and then we're going to take in and understand the judgment that's to come upon everybody who is outside of Christ. You know, we've already seen judgment on the beast and the false prophet. They are the first occupants in the lake of fire. Look back at verse 19:20. And the beast was seized. This is at Armageddon. The beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark, and the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone.

13:18And now we're going to see the next occupant of the lake of fire. And next time, we're going to see the rest of humanity who join. Into this lake of fire. You see, the great author of Revelation shows us the end of evil so that you and I will embrace his ways and so that you will stand against the evil in our time. He's encouraging the churches in Asia Minor some 2,000 years ago to stand firm against the evil of their day, to embrace his ways, and to make sure that their heart embraces their ways, his ways. Because the very way of evil itself is going to perish, and all those in the way of evil will perish along with it. So, what I want to do this morning is just look at this judgment of Satan. I want to do it in two movements. First of all, I want to look at verses 7 through 9 and look at this completed picture of evil. I believe that the Bible gives us at this moment in Scripture a completed picture of evil.

14:43Then, second, I want to look at God's judgment upon it. First of all, we're going to look a little bit more on the character and nature of evil and the complete picture that's provided to us in this verse. And then that will. Prepare us for God's judgment upon it, which will then prepare us for that great white throne judgment that we will see next time. So, this completed picture of evil, it really comes in three distinct activities. Look back at verse 7. First of all, there is Satan's release. Notice verse 7: when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison. The Bible tells us he had to be locked up and he had to be released.

15:38He had to be released. Even though if you don't fully get your mind around why, it's going to tell you some things why. It's going to give you some insight into why, even if it may not get the whole picture. God has reasons. It's enough for us to know that it must happen this way. And He's telling us what will happen to strengthen our resolve to walk in the way, God's ways, and to resist the evil of our times. But notice this: Satan is going to be released.

16:17Probably by the same angel that threw him in there and bound him, the one who has authority over the abyss. He must be released. The question becomes: What is this guy going to do with his freedom? What is he going to do? What is he going to do with the short time that he has been granted? Verse 3 says he must be released for a short time. He's been locked up for a thousand years, he has been in the slammer for a thousand years. And the question to ask is: Has he changed?

16:56What is he going to do? Well, verse 8 makes it very clear that he has not changed. Before we move on, let me ask you a personal question. What are you doing with the short time that you have? I am very aware that life is going by very, very quickly. What are you doing with the short time that you have? Are you married to the spirit of good, or are you married to the spirit of evil?

17:43Notice what verse 8 shows us Satan's deception. Verse 8: After Satan is released and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners. Of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war, and the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. Notice once again, what does he do? He comes out to deceive, that is, to mislead, to get people off track, to lead them astray. That's what he does again. He goes out to the four corners of the earth, to the farthest reaches, Gog and Magog. Notice the same entities that had grouped together against God's people, same entities are still susceptible to believing Satan's lies.

18:45They've previously warred against God, and here they are again. But as you have made your way through the Bible by now, you realize that Satan has had some mighty epic falls. You can start all the way in Genesis 3. He's cursed there in the garden, put down by God in the garden. What in a contest. Remember in Luke 4, where he goes against Christ in the wilderness, and here is humanity, second Adam, Christ, in his weak form.

19:30He is tempted in every way possible, yet Satan gets absolutely no foothold. Put down the temptations of Christ. He had no jurisdiction over our Lord Jesus Christ. And then in Luke 10, he describes his fall under the preaching of the word. Satan cannot stand in the truth. He keeps going through. He comes to the cross to try to discourage, dissuade, and bring Christ off the cross, not go to the cross. And there he is. He is put down at the cross. He is put down at the resurrection. Humanity will live.

20:16Humanity will bear God's image. And it shows up in this one individual, the first fruits, Jesus Christ. As you keep reading, you know, we come to Revelation chapter 12. After the blowing of the trumpet, the seventh trumpet, there is this vicious attack against heaven. And Satan is thrown out and all of his minions. No contest, thrown out. Then in Revelation 19, he is on the earth, a short time, gathering people to war, and he falls again.

20:59Epic. Catastrophe, Revelation 19. And as you summarize all this stuff, you realize Satan holds no power over the heavenly realms, not even a little bit. And his power in the earthly realms is limited to those who believe his lie. The only thing that Satan is good at is deceiving people. And his power is in the people who are susceptible to believing his lies. You want to put Satan out of your life? Stop believing his lies. That's the picture. He holds no power over humanity or any kind of realm except in his power to deceive. That he's good at.

21:51And if you are careless with the word of God, you inevitably end up filled with Satan's lies and under his spell. How attentive are you to the words of God? How quickly are you to receive them? How quickly are you to dismiss them? Like sand on the seashore. Notice this population. There is a repopulated earth. Makes sense? Earth has gone through some Eden-like blessing. And prosperity under the reign of Christ and his saints, they have reigned, and yet it's clear that there's still something wrong.

22:43They are still prone to defect, like Adam and Eve in the garden, prone to effect, defect. It's like there's all this humanity in one large garden of Eden-like place, and they still prefer Satan's lies to Christ's truth. They prefer Satan's ways to Christ's way. You see, deep down, they have not been joined to Christ by the Holy Spirit. They have been part of this wedding celebration, but they lack the wedding clothes that the Father desires. They have failed to put on that which He desires. And they again learn war and they gather together with a satanic intention in their heart. So that's what He does. Satan, he's released, and then He deceives. And in verse 9, it gives us a picture of Satan's intention. Intention. Look back at verse 9.

24:03And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. It's clear that Satan's intention is to harm them. Notice he comes up on the broad plain. You remember when Christ comes, right, his second advent, there's all kinds of earthquake and topographical changes, earthquakes and changes. You remember when Jesus steps foot upon the Mount of Olives, there is a great earthquake, a plain, and Jerusalem is elevated, surrounding area elevated.

24:46And so it's probably upon this broad plain of the earth that they come up on. And they surround the camp of the saints. It's a word for barracks. It's the word for headquarters. It's the word for encampment. They surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. So you get this plain, you get this Jerusalem, and you get this plain, this encampment of the saints. And notice what happened. And fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

25:28They went up and Fire came down. Why? Well, it's clear what their intentions were. They surrounded the camp and the beloved city. They surrounded with the intention to harm. It's the same expression used many times throughout the Bible to surround with the intention to harm. And this was Satan's intention from the very beginning. You remember what he did to Adam and Eve? Jesus would call him the murderer from the very beginning. He killed Adam and Eve in the garden, spiritually killed them. And then, of course, they would physically die later. Death is about separation from God. And that is what he did. Cain, you see the hostility that Cain had towards Abel. You have the same hostility.

26:25But notice, fire came down, and what does fire do? It consumes. And it consumed then. So, once again, Satan's intention is thwarted. There's not much emphasis upon this battle or of it even being a battle. It's not the same event as described in 19 for several reasons. Number one, the details are very different. One in 19 happens before the thousand years. This one happens after the thousand years. It's clearly very two different events. In chapter 19, it is through the sword of the mouth.

27:00That comes out of the mouth of our Lord that destroys. And here it's fire from heaven. And to blend these twos is to end up confused over what Revelation says. No, there's a sequence happening here. He is unfolding the events all the way from the seventh trumpet, I mean, seventh bowl. There is a progression in the narrative taking us from those events to the new heavens and the new earth. The emphasis isn't upon the conflict, but the nature of evil, the nature upon this satanic persona, person who once again leads the nations to their destruction. That is what he does. It's the Lord who makes wars cease. It is Satan who makes wars increase. And you see that vividly in his nature.

28:09So now that we've looked at this last biblical installment about the picture and character and nature of evil, we're ready to make a few observations about the nature of evil. I mean, think about this. Evil is, number one, evil is proud. After all the glory of the millennial kingdom, after the golden age of humanity has come, after all the justice and after all the wisdom of God's laws have been seen, felt, and experienced by humanity, Satan still thinks his way is better.

28:56He gives no consideration that God's way just might happen to be better than his. That's the nature of evil. It is proud. What about you this morning? Do you think it's possible that God's ways might just be better than your ways? If so, why do you continue to walk in your own ways? Whose persona are you joined to? There's one lesson that we need to get from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and that's the difference between good and evil. And we need to know the difference from the sight of good. We need to get God's perspective on the difference between good and evil.

29:47And those, that's only for those who are humble. Second thing we can say about evil is that it is unteachable. It is unteachable. It's irrational. Think about it. After the catastrophic losses of Armageddon in chapter 19, Satan and all the people allied with him, I'm sorry, Satan still has not learned that it's futile to war with God. Hasn't he learned? But there again, he is unteachable. What about you? Have you learned one of the basic fundamental realities of life that war with God is futile? Give up.

30:44Be still and know that he is God. Third element that we can say about the nature of evil is that it is cruel. Think about, after all the kindnesses of the saints, think about all that they have done. Think about what Christ has done. Think about this time period on earth, a golden age. After all the kindnesses, Satan and the people allied with him still want to harm them. They want to pay, repay. The good with evil.

31:35What about you? Do you repay good with evil? If somebody has been good to you, do you repay with evil? If someone is nice to you, do you slander them? Do you want to bring them down? Evil is cruel. Fourth thing we can note about evil is that it is bent on destruction. Satan is bent on destroying the one who embraces him. Satan preys on the naive. He takes advantage of innocence. He perverts God's ways. And he is bent on destroying everything that is good.

32:26Listen, every vice and every temptation that comes your way has an ultimate aim to destroy you. That's what evil does. It destroys. It is bent on destruction. Now, I know, if you've read your Bibles, you're probably saying, yeah, we've already had that picture. We get that. These we already know from the rest of Scripture. And much more can be said about evil and the nature of evil from the rest of Scripture. But it's this next observation that I want to make that I think completes the picture. And number five, that is, evil is unrepentant.

33:14It is hopelessly unrepentant. There is no remorse. There is no regret, only rage against God. It is not teachable because it is unrepentance. So think about it. When you add this last one into it, evil is unrepentant, look what we can say about the others. Evil is persistently proud. Evil is relentlessly unteachable. Evil is ceaselessly cruel. Evil is permanently bent on destruction. And you know why? Because it is hopelessly unrepentant. That is the nature of evil.

34:14And that's why over and over you are called to repent. Be a repenter, because if you learn the way of repentance, guess what? It goes right against, it flies right in the face of the Person of evil. Because if you repent, that means you're humble. That means you're open to say, yeah, God, your ways are better than mine. And so you go from being proud to being humble. That's where repentance takes you. And guess what? It also takes you from being unteachable to teachable. Yes, God, your ways are better. My ways are not. You are God. I am not. And not only do I humble myself before you, but I learn from you.

35:08The way of repentance will take you from being cruel to being kind and grateful. It will take you from destruction and being bent on destruction to life. But this is remarkable. You think about what has happened here. Satan has undergone punishment for a thousand years, and no degree of punishment changed him. But also, no amount of prosperity changed the heart of those on that join in this rebellion. So, think about it. If no degree of punishment or prosperity can change the human heart, then what does what changes the human heart?

36:16Only a work of grace. You must be born again. Because no amount of punishment is going to whip you there, and no amount of prosperity is going to spoil you into it. No, look at the cross. That is why over and over you are called to repent, to be good at repenting, be good at dying to yourself, humble yourself before learning his ways, because that flies directly in the face of evil. And you're called to come out of the evil way and into the glorious way of life.

37:02And only those who are willing to repent of their own ways and embrace God's ways will be saved. So, if you think about this, this is what prepares us for the judgment. Now that we have this complete picture of evil, think about this: evil is horrible. Horrible. And we just got a little insight from this verse about evil. The Bible gives you a whole lot more. But the one thing that's evident is that when you couple the horrible nature of evil with its unrepentant character and its hopeless intention to keep on being proud, to keep on being irrational, to keep on being cruel, keep on being destroying people and lives, it prepares us for understanding why judgment is necessary. It prepares us for what happens next in the text.

38:20We've looked at this completed picture of evil. Now we're ready to understand God's judgment upon it. He's released Satan. He has revealed something about the persona of evil and something about the human heart. Look back at verse 10. We'll look at God's judgment. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also. And they will be tormented. Day and night, forever and ever.

39:04Finally, the one who deceived them, the one who deceived way back in Genesis 3, the spirit inspiring evil is dealt with. And we understand why. And we can see through human history, through the lens of biblical revelation, we can understand why the judgment upon him comes. But notice the name change. He's gone from Satan to the devil. The devil, that word highlights that the adversary's deception, not just his deception, but his slander. His deception is about slandering God, slandering the saints, and making them odious in the eyes of the population. And that's what he does. He's a slanderer. He's done that at the very beginning. He is Satan. That means adversary. He has been the adversary. He is your adversary and has been and will always will be. And he has no regret, no remorse, and he is never going to change. That is evil.

40:21He slanders. He slanders God and he slanders God's people. But we also know from Scripture that sin has a limit. We've learned that throughout. You remember when God meets up with Abraham and says, Your descendants are going to go down in Egypt for 400 years. And then he says in Genesis 15, 16, they are going to return, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete. They're going to return when the iniquity of the Amorite is complete, has reached its limit, and then God is going to bring in Abraham's descendants because of the wickedness in the land has reached its limit. You go on in Genesis 18 verse 20, the Lord said, The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. The sin had reached its limit.

41:34And it stands this day buried under God's judgment. You remember when Jesus was in a conflict with the religious leaders of his day, he says this in Matthew 23, 32, Fill up then the measure of the guilt of your father. Fill it up. Take your sin to its limit. Go ahead, fill it up. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? There's a limit. This is also true in Satan's case. Satan's evil will reach its limit, and he will be judged.

42:24And it's not just that he is judged, he is exposed for why he is judged. And we need to know that. Notice he is thrown. It is, he is cast, he is hurled into the lake of fire. He has no power to resist the heavenly authorities. He goes ballistic. As he went ballistic into the abyss, he is going to go ballistic and be thrown like a missile into the lake of fire. And notice that it is a place of continual punishment, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. There never will be a release again. This is the end of the road for him.

43:21Notice that God's judgment upon him leaves him absolutely no strength, no opportunity, and no territory to ever harm a Again, evil will always be evil. That's its nature. So there is no compassion because evil will always be evil. It must be condemned. It must be confined. It must be punished. It must be removed from the realm of heaven and earth. And that is why, in the new heavens and the new earth, there will be no evil and none susceptible to evil.

44:05You see, God's judgment is right, and that's what's coming next. All the mass of humanity that have died outside of Christ are going to suffer the very same fate. God's judgment is right. Evil needs to be given absolutely no opportunity to assert its influence anywhere, at any time, any longer. This is what the new heavens and the new earth is all about. And it's going to be an eternal punishment day and night forever. Notice that the beast and the prophet are still, the false prophet are still there. I know if you have the ESV, it says, Were there. A better translation is are there.

45:05But the tense is the same because it's speaking of they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. In other words, after a thousand years, the beast and the false prophet are still there suffering torment, and they're going to be tormented there forever and ever. You see, Satan's punishment and destruction is never going to be complete. So there will never be an opportunity for him to be paroled or anyone else who goes into the lake of fire.

45:49So this punishment upon Satan prepares us to understand the judgment that's coming upon all unbelievers. So that is why you have, you think about what's happening in our passage this morning. You have the first two occupants in hell, the lake of fire, the false prophet and the beast. And then you're going to have, in the next coming passage, the judgment upon everyone throughout history who is outside of Christ. They too will go into this lake of fire. And a thought might Be, is such judgment too harsh?

46:34After all, they were deceived. Why doesn't God forgive them? Why doesn't he give them another chance? This is not just. By the way, that charge comes from the slanderer because it is just and it is right. You see, here's the bottom line: sandwiched between these two judgments is this judgment upon Satan, this exposure of his character. And then it becomes evident that those who are joined to Satan are like him. Be careful who you're married to.

47:18They prefer him to God. Give them opportunity, and they will do just as he has done. They too are unrepentant. That's why it comes down to us. This message is for us. What about you? Look, we have seen what the culmination of doing what God forbids does. We have seen what eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil when we were not supposed to, we see what that brings upon us. There is a trajectory here. Of sin.

48:02And even seemingly little sins are on that same trajectory because it's of the same nature. That which is opposed to God. So you may say, well, God, that seems kind of harsh to throw a child into hell because he lies. Because he lies to his parents or because he lies. You might think that may be harsh. But let me tell you something. If you are a liar and if you are content to lie and at peace to lie, guess whose persona you are married to? You are married to God's adversary, and that is why you are called to repent and agree with God. Look to the cross. Ask God to forgive you. Come out of the evil way because the evil way is going to perish. And everyone in that way is going to perish along with it. That is why you're to come out from it.

49:16The way of evil is going to perish along with its author and those on the way. There's going to be no strength, no opportunity, and no territory needs to be given to evil at all whatsoever. However, it's right. God's punishment is right. So we've looked today at this completed picture of evil. We've looked at God's judgment upon it, and Revelation has given this to us. The great author gives this so that to show us the end of evil's way, so that you will embrace God's way because it is better, it is good, it leads to life, it is based on truth.

50:08And for you to not be enticed to join the evil of our day, but to stand against it. What is evil? It's a persona who is anti-God. It's a spiritual persona, traced back to an individual, Satan. And it is associated with everything that is anti-God. I think as we look at this text, we need to do some self-inventory. What are you like on the inside? What is anti-God in you that you need to confess and get rid of this morning?

50:56Deal with the evil on the inside. And then stand firm against the evil on the outside. It's in the promise to crush the head of the serpent that God has promised a limit to sin. Listen to what Proverbs 10:25 says: When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation. You see, your sin has a limit. You're only given time for a little while. Don't be like Satan, who uses it to rage against God, to continue to be proud, cruel, unteachable, and bent on destruction.

51:49The good news is that God's ways are better. In fact, He is good, and God's ways are His good gifts to us. Walk in them, walk triumphantly in them. His way is given to you, and no power of hell can keep you out of it. Learn from the Bible: He has no power over those who walk in truth. Walk in the way that God has put before us, and then walk in the specific ways. That God has uniquely set out for you. Generally, we all are to live by the same principles, the way that He has given us. But then there's the unique, specific ways and life and course that He has set us in, and we are to walk in those, even though we are different.

52:50And there are specific things that God uniquely sets before us. We are to walk triumphantly in the way. Oh, they're so good. His ways are good. Evil has a shelf life. And I hope this view of Satan's final end will encourage you to stand fast against the evil of our day and motivate you to embrace all the more God's ways. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you just recognizing that you have set a limit, that you will expose evil for what it is unrepentantly, unashamedly proud, cruel, irrational, death-bound, hell-bound, hostile to everything good. And it is good that you bring it to an end and a permanent end. It's good, Father, that you have. Ordained a new heavens and a new earth where those and only those who love your Son and love your ways will be part of.

54:11Father, that is good, that is right. We thank you that heaven isn't about keeping evil in check, but it's about putting evil away forever and joining in the celebration with those who love you deeply from the heart, who have been born by your Spirit. Father, we look forward to heaven. We look forward to it. Fit us now. Help us to be repenting. Help us to get good at repenting, turning away from our sin. Help us to be good at walking in your ways and celebrating your ways. Help us to get good at standing against the evil in our times and dealing with the evil that is within our hearts and bringing all of it before the truth and laying it down.

55:01Go with us now. In Jesus' name, amen.