The Thousand Years

Revelation 20 I saw an angel come down from heaven, carrying the key to the deep pit and a big chain. ²He chained the dragon for a thousand years. It is that old snake, who is also known as the devil and Satan. ³Then the angel threw the dragon into the pit. He locked and sealed it, so that a thousand years would go by before the dragon could fool the nations again. But after that, it would have to be set free for a little while.
⁴I saw thrones, and sitting on those thrones were the ones who had been given the right to judge. I also saw the souls of the people who had their heads cut off because they had told about Jesus and preached God's message. They were the same ones who had not worshiped the beast or the idol, and they had refused to let its mark be put on their hands or foreheads. They will come to life and rule with Christ for a thousand years.
^5-6These people are the first to be raised to life, and they are especially blessed and holy. The second death has no power over them. They will be priests for God and Christ and will rule with them for a thousand years.
No other dead people were raised to life until a thousand years later.

Satan Is Defeated

⁷At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be set free. ⁸He will fool the countries of Gog and Magog, which are at the far ends of the earth, and their people will follow him into battle. They will have as many followers as there are grains of sand along the beach, ⁹and they will march all the way across the earth. They will surround the camp of God's people and the city that his people love. But fire will come down from heaven and destroy the whole army. ¹⁰Then the devil who fooled them will be thrown into the lake of fire and burning sulfur. He will be there with the beast and the false prophet, and they will be in pain day and night forever and ever.

The Judgment at the Great White Throne

¹¹I saw a great white throne with someone sitting on it. Earth and heaven tried to run away, but there was no place for them to go. ¹²I also saw all the dead people standing in front of that throne. Every one of them was there, no matter who they had once been. Several books were opened, and then the book of life was opened. The dead were judged by what those books said they had done.
¹³The sea gave up the dead people who were in it, and death and its kingdom also gave up their dead. Then everyone was judged by what they had done. ¹⁴Afterwards, death and its kingdom were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵Anyone whose name wasn't written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Isaiah Offers Hope to King Ahaz

Isaiah 7 Ahaz, the son of Jotham and the grandson of Uzziah, was king of Judah when King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel went to attack Jerusalem. But they were not able to do what they had planned. ²When news reached the royal palace that Syria had joined forces with Israel, King Ahaz and everyone in Judah were so terrified that they shook like trees in a windstorm.
³Then the LORD said to me:

Take your son Shearjashub and go see King Ahaz. You will find him on the road near the cloth makers' shops at the end of the canal that brings water from the upper pool. ⁴Tell Ahaz to stop worrying. There's no need for him to be afraid of King Rezin and King Pekah. They are very angry, but they are nothing more than a dying fire. Ahaz doesn't need to fear ⁵their evil threats ⁶to invade and defeat Judah and Jerusalem and to let the son of Tabeel be king in his place.

⁷I, the LORD, promise that this will never happen. ^8-9Damascus is just the capital of Syria, and King Rezin rules only in Damascus. Samaria is just the capital of Israel, and King Pekah rules only in Samaria. But in less than sixty-five years, Israel will be destroyed. And if Ahaz and his officials don't trust me, they will be defeated.

A Son Named Immanuel

¹⁰Once again the LORD God spoke to King Ahaz. This time he said, ¹¹"Ask me for proof that my promise will come true. Ask for something to happen deep in the world of the dead or high in the heavens above."
¹²"No, LORD," Ahaz answered. "I won't test you!"
¹³Then I said:

Listen, every one of you in the royal family of David. You have already tried my patience. Now you are trying God's patience by refusing to ask for proof. ¹⁴But the LORD will still give you proof. A virgin is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel. ^15-16Even before the boy is old enough to know how to choose between right and wrong, he will eat yogurt and honey, and the countries of the two kings you fear will be destroyed. ¹⁷But the LORD will make more trouble for your people and your kingdom than any of you have known since Israel broke away from Judah. He will even bring the king of Assyria to attack you.

The Threat of an Invasion

¹⁸When that time comes, the LORD will whistle, and armies will come from Egypt like flies and from Assyria like bees. ¹⁹They will settle everywhere--in the deep valleys and between the rocks, on every bush and all over the pastureland.

²⁰The Lord will pay the king of Assyria to bring a razor from across the Euphrates River and shave your head and every hair on your body, including your beard.

²¹No one will have more than one young cow and two sheep, ²²but those who do will have enough milk to make yogurt. In fact, everyone left in the land will eat yogurt and honey.

²³Vineyards that had a thousand vines and were worth a thousand pieces of silver will turn into thorn patches. ²⁴You will go there to hunt with your bow and arrows, because the whole country will be covered with thornbushes. ²⁵The hills where you once planted crops will be overgrown with thorns and thistles. You will be afraid to go there, and your cattle, sheep, and goats will be turned loose on those hills.

A Warning and a Hope

Isaiah 8 The LORD said, "Isaiah, get something to write on. Then write in big clear letters the name, MAHER-SHALAL-HASH-BAZ. ²I will have Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberechiah serve as witnesses to this."
³Sometime later, my wife and I had a son, and the LORD said, "Name him Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. ⁴Because before he can say 'Mommy' or 'Daddy', the king of Assyria will attack and take everything of value from Damascus and Samaria."
⁵The LORD spoke to me again and said:

⁶These people have refused the gentle waters of Shiloah and have gladly gone over to the side of King Rezin and King Pekah. ⁷Now I will send the king of Assyria against them with his powerful army, which will attack like the mighty Euphrates River overflowing its banks. ⁸Enemy soldiers will cover Judah like a flood reaching up to your neck.

But God is with us. He will spread his wings
and protect our land.
⁹All of you foreign nations, go ahead and prepare for war,
but you will be crushed.
¹⁰Get together and make plans, but you will fail
because God is with us.
¹¹The LORD took hold of me with his powerful hand and said:

I'm warning you! Don't act like these people. ¹²Don't call something a rebellious plot, just because they do, and don't be afraid of something, just because they are. ¹³I am the one you should fear and respect. I am the holy God, the LORD All-Powerful! ^14-15Run to me for protection. I am a rock that will make both Judah and Israel stumble and break their bones. I am a trap that will catch the people of Jerusalem--they will be captured and dragged away.

Isaiah and His Followers

¹⁶My message and my teachings are to be sealed and given to my followers. ¹⁷Meanwhile, I patiently trust the LORD, even though he is no longer pleased with Israel. ¹⁸My children and I are warning signs to Israel from the LORD All-Powerful, who lives on Mount Zion.
¹⁹Someone may say to you, "Go to the fortunetellers who make soft chirping sounds or ask the spirits of the dead. After all, a nation ought to be able to ask its own gods ²⁰what it should do."
None of those who talk like that will live to see the light of day! ²¹They will go around in great pain and will become so hungry that they will angrily curse their king and their gods. And when they try to find help in heaven ²²and on earth, they will find only trouble and darkness, terrible trouble and deepest darkness.

Psalm 110
[A psalm by David.]
The LORD Gives Victory

¹The LORD said to my Lord,
"Sit at my right side,
until I make your enemies into a footstool for you."

²The LORD will let your power reach out from Zion,
and you will rule over your enemies.
³Your glorious power will be seen
on the day you begin to rule.
You will wear the sacred robes
and shine like the morning sun in all of your strength.
⁴The LORD has made a promise
that will never be broken:
"You will be a priest forever, just like Melchizedek."

⁵My Lord is at your right side,
and when he gets angry he will crush the other kings.
⁶He will judge the nations and crack their skulls,
leaving piles of dead bodies all over the earth.
⁷He will drink from any stream that he chooses,
while winning victory after victory.