The Sea, Death and Hell Give Up the Dead Revelation 20:13

An “angel” from heaven showed John the apostle many things which will occur in the tribulation time on the earth, and John wrote about commercial Babylon's destruction and the people who were affected by it. John wrote about great worship which occurred in heaven afterward and then shared about the birds being gathered together to eat the flesh of the bodies of the opponents of Jesus. After the “millennium where Jesus rules and reigns on the earth for a thousand years and Satan is bound during that time, “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. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 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. 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.” In Revelation chapter twenty and verse thirteen John sees, “the sea, death and hell deliver up the dead in them” where we read:

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.

The verse reads, “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:” John began with the words, “and the sea” which means “and the vast bodies of waters” “gave up” or “granted, bestowed, furnished and supplied” “the dead” which means “the lifeless, deceased, departed and ones who breathed their last” “which were in it” or “who were within the sea”; “and death” which means “that which comprises all the miseries arising from sin as well physical death as the loss of a life consecrated to God and blessed in him on earth” “and hell” or “the grave, realm of the dead and the place of departed souls” “delivered up” which means “granted, bestowed, furnished and supplied” “the dead” or “the lifeless, deceased, departed and ones who breathed their last” “which were in them” which means “who were within death and hell”. John watched as the “sea, death and hell” “gave up and delivered” all the dead people that were in them.

The verse continues, “and they were judged every man according to their works.” John added the words, “and they were judged” which means “the people within the sea, death and hell were pronounced opinion upon concerning right and wrong, ruled and governed over” “every man” which means “each, all, the whole and everyone” “according to” or “down from and throughout” “their works” or “the dead people within the sea, death and hell's business, employment and that in which they were occupied”. John shared how every person both male and female is to be “judged” for their “words, actions, activities and attitudes”.

When we meditate upon John's words in this verse, we should be “daunted” by this awing site. Each and every person shall be judged by God for everything they have ever done in their lives. Every sinful action, attitude, word and behavior shall be recorded within God's “books”, and no one shall be able to hide anything they have said or done. This should be motivation enough to have a relationship with Jesus Christ because He took all those “sinful ways” and died for them on the cross. Now all a person needs to do is to “believe and trust” in Him as a personal “Savior and Lord”, and all these things will be forgiven. God desires for each person to yield their life to His Son Jesus so their judgment will have already been paid for on the cross. Let all who read these words “yield” and take heed.

Next time John shares how, “death and hell were cast into the lake of fire”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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