Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

Devotion based on Revelation 20:6

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Where am I STARTING?

That is an important question if you want to get to your destination. If you are heading to Topeka, Kansas you might know that you need to take Interstate 70. But it makes a difference where you are starting from as to whether you’ll drive east or west on I-70. If you are in Denver, you’d go east. If you are in St. Louis, you’d head west.

It’s an important question to ask as we hear today’s word of God. If we have the wrong starting place, we might end up with some confusion about what is being told to us here. So, where are we starting?

The Bible teaches us that at the start of life, we are born alive but spiritually dead in sin. The Bible says that when a person hears the good news of Jesus and believes in him as their Savior, the Spirit of God has raised that person to a new life. That’s faith. This is what John refers to as the first resurrection. It means YOU are part of the first resurrection! It also means you get to live and rule with Christ for a “1,000 years.” Wow, that sounds like a really long time! Doesn’t it? And it’s true, the time between Jesus’ ascension into heaven and when he finally returns to take his people home to heaven has already been a long time—that’s about 2,020 years and counting.

That’s why it’s important to ask, “Where am I starting?” Each of us has already started our lives on earth. Every start of life has an end to life. We will all die physically. Nobody likes to talk about death, but the Bible talks a lot about it because God doesn’t want you to be afraid of it. We’ll cease to breathe, and our souls will separate from our bodies. We could call that the first death. But don’t be afraid because Jesus will raise our bodies in the second resurrection. And we need not ever fear the second death either. We’ll never be separated from God because we’ve been made fully and eternally alive in Jesus, over whom death no longer has any power.

But now, “Where are we going?” Here’s the cool thing—believer in Jesus. By faith, you are part of what’s called the “communion of saints”—those who get to go and live and reign with Jesus in the palace of heaven, in a life that knows only joy, peace, and no end.

Lord Jesus, thank you for making me alive in you. Help me take great comfort and joy in knowing that I live and reign with you, now and forever. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

Questions for Elementary Age Children

Questions for Middle School and Above