And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever. Revelation 20:10
New English Translation
In Revelation 20, we learn that the devil, the beast, and the false prophets will be thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur. The one who caused suffering, the one who tormented, he will then suffer and be tormented, and not for a day, but eternity.
The great encouragement here is that our suffering here on earth is temporary. It only lasts so long. Yet, when the one who puts us through the wringer gets a taste of punishment, the pain will never end. God not only rescues us from those who cause us pain, but He makes the punishment greater than what we ever experienced.
I find this so encouraging because when I’m going through it, when I feel down, I can remind myself that though this may be for a time here on earth, I know that, in the end, I will be vindicated for eternity. It can be so easy to see the temporary as eternal and assume that life is ending because of what we are going through; however, we need to realize the difference between a moment and eternity. When we see that difference, we’re able to rejoice in how God is protecting us and fighting on our behalf.
When we have this right perspective, it’s also easier to get past the hard times. If we understand that what may seem like forever is only a season, a moment in time, then we’re able to see past what we’re going through and focus back on the goodness God has placed in our life because we realize that in the end God is going to win the battle, and we will be vindicated.
I feel like we really struggle in this area for a number of reasons. For one thing, we get hyper focused on the here and now and assume that what life looks like in this moment will be how life looks for all the rest of our lives. Also, we easily lose sight of the fact that just because life is hard doesn’t mean God isn’t fighting for us. Think of it this way: How many soldiers died in WWII before the war was won? I seriously doubt that any of them believed the war would not be won, yet, they never saw the victory. They knew that, though they suffered in that moment, in the long run, the suffering could not take away the goodness to come after the war.
Here’s my question to you: Are you focusing on the suffering in life and losing sight of how God is with you and fighting on your behalf? If you are, now’s a great time to re-evaluate your perspective and begin reminding yourself that the pain is temporary but God’s victory is eternal!