Daily Lesson for November 16, 2015

Today's Daily Lesson for November 16, 2015 comes from Revelation chapter 20 verses 7 through 12:

7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

In the wake of all the terror this world has seen in the last days in Paris and in Beirut today's lesson is a reminder that no matter how numerous or powerful the forces of darkness and evil may grow, the one who sits on the great white throne will be the final judge and ruler of this world. And though the text tells us there are many books which may tell us many things -- some deceptively so -- in the end the final book by which we will be judged is the book of life and its eternal question: did we give life or did we take it?

In recent days the Scripture has been fulfilled, Satan's forces have gathered strength, marched over the broad plain of the earth to attack the saints in the City of Love. In Yeats's words, "The blood-dimmed tide is loosed."

For now.  But in the end there is the throne -- and the one who sits upon it.