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.
At the coming of Christ the wicked are blotted from the face of the whole earth—consumed with the spirit of His mouth, and destroyed by the brightness of His glory. Christ takes His people to the city of God, and the earth is emptied of its inhabitants….
The whole earth appears like a desolate wilderness. The ruins of cities and villages destroyed by the earthquake, uprooted trees, ragged rocks thrown out by the sea or torn out of the earth itself, are scattered over its surface, while vast caverns mark the spot where the mountains have been rent from their foundations.
Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a thousand years. Here he will be confined, to wander up and down over the broken surface of the earth and see the effects of his rebellion against God’s law. For a thousand years he can enjoy the fruit of the curse which he has caused. Limited alone to the earth, he will not have the privilege of ranging to other planets, to tempt and annoy those who have not fallen. During this time, Satan suffers extremely. Since his fall his evil traits have been in constant exercise. But he is then to be deprived of his power, and left to reflect upon the part which he has acted since his fall, and to look forward with trembling and terror to the dreadful future, when he must suffer for all the evil that he has done and be punished for all the sins that he has caused to be committed.
I heard shouts of triumph from the angels and from the redeemed saints, which sounded like ten thousand musical instruments, because they were to be no more annoyed and tempted by Satan and because the inhabitants of other worlds were delivered from his presence and his temptations.
The Faith I Live By p. 353
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for M who has expressed the desire to become a Christian in a country of persecution. R
—-Kindly pray for Aaron, he has been admitted in hospital in intensive care unit(ICU) since 17th May. He went trough a major surgery which lasted for 5 hours, he is still unconscious. he is on ventilation, most of his organs are infected and also undergoing dialysis. Please pray for his recovery. Roy
—-Please pray for my husband Stephen. He hurt his back and he is in extreme pain. Valerie
—-My Mother is in need of healing. She is 86 and is in afib. She has had her heart shocked 3 times and they do not want to do it again. So she is still in afib and we will try and control it with medication. Also she has dementia and she has been hallucinating which has been causing problems too. Please pray for Gods will in her life. I am asking for a miracle of complete healing. Carla
—-Please pray for my brother-in-law as he undergoes heart surgery on May 29th! Heidi
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Dear Friends,
When I first began going to church, a group of us would go to a nursing home in the afternoon to sing for the elderly residents there. The odor of stale urine hung thickly in the air, the residents were dirty and unkempt. It was an awful place.
Years later, Ron and I worked in an extended care facility that was somewhat better, yet our heart went out to the patients there. They really wanted to go home, yet it seemed their family had largely abandoned them. The CNA’s often made fun of the patients or sadly neglected them. We felt very sorry for their plight.
Over the years, I have had little patience with anyone who put their loved one in a nursing home (even a good nursing home). I felt that they were selfish and inconsiderate of their dear one’s desires and needs. I declared loud and long that I would never do such a thing. Caring for family at home was the right thing to do and I would do what was right. I would never allow my loved one to be placed in the care of others.
How careful we need to be in our judgement of others. Many times He Who said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again,” places us in a situation where we must do that very thing for which we had criticized others. Matt 7:1,2 After trying to care for my ailing mother at home for over a year while still working full time, she had come to the point where she could not stay by herself while I worked because she had stopped walking or being cooperative in even the smallest matters. We could not afford to bring in a full-time caregiver. Finally, I had to make the agonizing decision to place her in a nursing facility.
Although Ron and I looked for the best place we could find, it still went against every thing we believed in. It was overwhelming and stressful beyond anything I had imagined. I shed many tears. I said many prayers for God’s leading.
Each evening, as I visited my mother, I had the opportunity to see family members of some of the residents there and their interaction with them. Faithfully, each evening they too would help their dear one in various ways. Tenderly, they too did what they could to make them comfortable.
Suddenly, I realized that there were some others who have had to put their loved ones in such a place and had not wanted to do it any more than I had. They also had agonized over their decision. They also had been in a situation where caring for their family member at home became too difficult or as impossible as it had been for us. It must had been a heart-wrenching decision for them as well.
This experience taught me much about how I view the things others do and say. It showed me many things about myself that I had not realized was even there. It taught me to be much kinder in my estimation of those around me and how they react to their unique situation.
May we never wrap our “self-righteous robes” about ourselves looking “down our noses” at others for the decisions they make. May we be kind and loving to those around us, helping them bear their burdens as Paul says, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Phil 2:3, 4 May we be as our Dear Saviour Who “went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil” is my prayer. Acts 10:38
Rose