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Then
I saw an angel come down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and
a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon--that old serpent, the
Devil, Satan--and bound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw
him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could
not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished.
Afterward he would be released again for a little while. Then I saw thrones,
and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I
saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about
Jesus, for proclaiming the word of God. And I saw the souls of those who had
not worshipped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their
forehead or their hands. They came to life again, and they reigned with
Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. (The rest of
the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.)
Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the
second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ
and will reign with him a thousand years.
(Revelation 20:1-6 NLV). I read the following story
recently. While it purports to be true, it may only be another urban legend
that has come to carry a significant truth. Darrell Loomis was a truck driver.
Each week he hauled goods from Cincinnati to Atlanta. Joe's Diner was his
favorite eating spot on the route. Darrell always stopped for meals at
Joe's. One summer afternoon, Darrell parked his truck and walked into the
diner. Sitting down in his favorite seat--the third counter stool--he
ordered the usual--hot meat loaf sandwich, mashed potatoes, and iced tea. In
the distance came a roar and a cloud of dust, followed by the arrival into
the parking lot of twelve members of a motorcycle gang, riding Harley
Davidsons with extended forks. These were fine bikes, quite a sight to see
as the gang parked them next to Darrell's Peterbilt truck and set down the
kickstands. As the gang stomped into the diner, the leader immediately
spotted Darrell. "Well, who is this little sissy at the counter?"
he sneered. Darrell merely remained silent and continued eating his lunch.
Forming a semicircle around Darrell, the gang members started snapping their
fingers in rhythmic cadence. Unperturbed, Darrell just sat and ate his
lunch. One of the gang members picked up Darrell's iced tea and poured it
over his head. The others watched, still snapping their fingers in unison.
With his napkin Darrell quietly dried his face, but said nothing. Another
gang member picked up Darrell's mashed potatoes and stuck a handful into
Darrell's ear, wiping his hand on Darrell's back. Darrell remained calm and
didn't respond. He simply continued to eat his lunch. Although the gang
continued to harass and taunt Darrell, he never responded to any of it. Even
when Darrell finished his lunch, he only stood up, turned to Joe, and
silently paid his bill. He left the diner without saying a word. The leader
of the gang laughed and said to Joe, "What a wimp! That guy sure ain't
much of a man!" Joe, looking out the window of the diner said,
"And he ain't much of a driver either. He just ran over twelve
Harleys." When
Jesus came as the Messiah, He wasn't at all what people expected. Many
looked at Jesus and said, "What a sissy! He sure ain't much of a man!
What kind of a Messiah is this?" Jesus never said a word, though. He
took all the abuse that the world could throw at Him. He was ridiculed,
humiliated, spat upon, whipped, crowned with thorns, and hung on a cruel
cross. Satan did everything he could to destroy Jesus and to make Him the
laughing stock of the world. Some still ridicule Him and His followers
today. But Jesus never opened His mouth. He willingly accepted it because He
knew that in the end, Satan and all of his followers would be defeated.
Which side are you on?
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