Art by Pat Marvenko Smith, RevelationIllustrated.com When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the 4 corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. They came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Revelation 20:7-10 (GOG is thought by some to be RUSSIA) INTRODUCTION The destruction of the Babylonian world system and the Antichrist and his armies is not all that is necessary before Christ can bring in the millennial kingdom with all its glory, peace, and blessing. Satan must be bound. Chapter 20: 1-10 deals with the judgment of Satan, which takes place in two stages: First a thousand year imprisonment, then, after a short time of release, his eternal judgment in the lake of fire. In between these two stages the saints reign with Christ for the thousand years of His millennial kingdom. The emphasize is that this is an actual number of years and should be taken literally. Verse 1-2 The first stage of satan's judgment is initiated by an angel from heaven who comes down with the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. So we see an angel from heaven removing satan from the earth. Chapter 20 shows us that our chief enemy has been satan all along. He was behind the antichrists and his false prophet, was the original tempter of Eve, and is identified "that serpent of old. He has spread lies and false charges about God's people. He opposes believers in all their battles for the Lord and for truth and right. The earth can not know the blessings of Christ's millennial kingdom until satan is out of the way. After Christ's victory over the antichrist and his armies, satan himself will be bound a thousand years. Verse 3 After satan is bound, he is cast into the "bottomless pit" where he is shut up or locked up and a seal is set upon him. The seal shows that God's authority is the assurance that satan will remain imprisoned for the thousand years. This does not allow him any activity on earth until the Millennium, or the thousand years if fulfilled. During that time he is unable to influence the nations or anything else in the world. The Millennium will be a time very different from the present age. God will restore Israel to her land and give her a spiritual restoration as well. The desert will be restored to fertility and beauty. Isaiah 54:11-14 Even the animals will be changed. Isaiah 35:1-2 The Holy Spirit will do a transforming work, and even the atmosphere will be cleansed from all pollution. Isaiah 11:6-9 "Nations" is a word often used in the Bible for the Gentiles, who were outside of God's people. The nations here seem to be those who follow Jesus and accept His teachings as proclaimed by the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers. After the thousand years are over satan will be released from the pit for "a little season." Once again he will be able to practice his deception, deceiving those who desire to against God's divine will and authority. Since those who are raptured shall ever be with the Lord, these rebels will be unbelievers who remained after the Tribulation or who were born during the Millennium. The bottomless pit is capable of being sealed so that satan cannot leave it during the thousand years of the Millennium. Verse 4 This verse deals with two groups of people. John see's thrones and people sitting upon them with authority to judge and rule. He also see's the millions of believers who were martyred during the tribulation, those who were killed for their witness for Christ and their stand for the Word of God, and the second group is those who refused to worship and receive the mark of the antichrist. Who are the people sitting on the thrones? They are believers who have died, the dead believers of all time. Those who rule and reign with Christ in the Millennium will be the believers whose bodies have come back to life again, those who took part in the first resurrection. Though the outpouring of God's wrath during the Great Tribulation will bring death to many, the final destruction seems to apply primarily to the armies of the antichrist. There will probably be millions of unbelievers still left alive. Just how many will be permitted to remain during the Millennium we are not told. But there will probably be many for the saints to rule as agents of Christ During the Millennial reign believers will be given their duties and responsibilities, their assignments and service for eternity. The millennial is also where Christ dethrones satan and his heavenly host. Those born during the millennial reign of Christ on earth to unbelievers who survived the tribulation will still find it necessary to make their choice to follow Christ in faith and obedience, and some even under ideal conditions will still rebel and disobey. They will be sent to the lake of fire, along with the rest of the wicked dead after the millennium is over. Not until after the thousand years are over will the kingdom be delivered up by Jesus to the Father. Then the eternal kingdom of God and Christ will carry on forever.
Revelation Chapter 20 Verses 5 and 6 The rest of the dead are the wicked dead who died in their sins without ever accepting the saving grace of God. They will not live again that is be resurrected until after Christ's millennial reign. Then they will be brought before the Great White Throne for their final sentencing to the lake of fire. "This is the first resurrection" means that those mentioned in verse 4 complete the resurrection. In John 5:29 Jesus speaks of 2 resurrections. He identified the first as the resurrection of life. It is for those who have done good, those who have done what God meant for them to do in accepting Christ and living for him. The second is a resurrection of judgment for those who have done evil, through unbelief. Those who have a part in the first resurrection the "resurrection of the just are identified as "blessed," they will enjoy the fullness of God's blessing. They are also identified as holy, dedicated to God and His will, for the worship and serve Him in spirit and in truth. Verses 7 and 8 At the end of the Millennium satan is going to be set loose from hell and allowed to deceive people again. Why? Satan will be loosed for the same reason that he is allowed to tempt us now: to show man what is in his heart to show man that he must turn to Christ or else face destruction. People during the millennium will be no different from any other generation of people, they will have a free will and they will still need to turn to Christ for salvation. As with other generations, most people will reject Christ and choose to go their own way in life and choose to follow Satan. When satan is loosed he will immediately go out to deceive the nations. Who are these nations? Were not all the nations destroyed at Armageddon? There will be the nations that were in existence when Christ returned to earth. There will be survivors in most, if not all of the nations. There will be those who did not take the mark of the beast during the tribulation. There may be babies that were born during the tribulation, and those who just did not believe in the antichrist and his control. It will be the people of these nations and the future generations born during the Millennium that Christ will rule with a rod of iron. As the great deceiver satan will be allowed to go out and successfully deceive those who still want to exalt themselves against Christ and his righteous rule and reign. This will be satan's final attempt to deceive, and those who follow him willtake part in his final defeat. Never again will there be any rebellion against God and his love. Gog and Magog are symbolic of the nations that came from the North to fight against God's people.
Verses 9 and 10 The armies of satan will surround the camp or(headquarters) of the saints, and the "beloved city" (another name for the millennial Jerusalem). How and why the saints of all ages will gathered in the area of Jerusalem, the Bible does not explain. But God sends "fire" out of heaven, devouring the armies of satan, stopping him from attempting to end Christ's reign of peace. Satan's power and his deceptions come to their final end, as he is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. He will never be able to escape from its torment. He will never again be able to accuse, deceive, and tempt, or be an adversary to anyone. In the lake of fire satan joins the beast (the antichrist) and the false prophet. They have been there for over a thousand years. And they are still in torment. This just shows us that being in the lake of fire has not cleansed, purified or changed them. It also is clear that after the thousand years they are still in existence. And will continue in torment, along with satan, forever and ever throughout eternity. Verse 11 With satan gone, the time comes for the final judgment of the wicked and unbelievers. This is the day when all unbelievers will stand before God and give an account to God. This is the "Great White Throne Judgment." Many today deny a final judgment. They smile and scoff at the idea that there is to be a future punishment for sins. They laugh at the preaching and teaching of hell, and judgment for unbelievers. This is the day that they will know that they should not have rejected Christ, they will know that they should not have cursed God or Christ, that they should not have lived for the pleasures and possessions of this world. But it is too late. John see's a huge white throne, which stands for purity, holiness, and righteousness. So great is the glory at the Great White Throne and so great is the fire of divine judgment that even the physical universe cannot stand before the presence of God. "From whose face the earth and the heaven fled) speaks of both the heavens and the earth being destroyed by God, and destroyed by fire. (2 Peter 3:7 & 10 The phrase "there was no place found for them (the unbelievers). They had lived for the world and now their world is gone. The destruction of earth has taken place. They don't belong in heaven therefore, there is no place for them. They will be sent to the lake of fire also. Verses 12 and 13 Standing before the throne are all "the dead" which here must mean all the lost of all the past ages of history, including those who may have died during the Millennium. The dead area made up of great and small regardless of their status in life. Remember this judgment is for unbelievers of all ages only. The wicked dead also receive some sort of body in this second resurrection, the resurrection to judgment and to shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:2, John 5:29 Though the wicked dead stand before God, their judgment is still committed to Jesus. The "books" are opened and the dead are judged according to the written record of their works.
Is YOUR NAME ERASED from the BOOK of LIFE? What is this "book of records"? This book records all the works of unbelievers. When a person's name is found erased from the book of life, then the book of records are opened, which are divinely kept records, and he or she is judged out of them. The books are not opened to see if a person is doomed to hell. The book of life tells that. The book of records shows the degree of punishment a person will receive. The book of records means that the judgment will be exact and fair. There will be a record of exactly what he or she has or has not done. Even their secret sins, which they thought no one knew about, will be there on the books. (Luke 8:17) Sins committed in the dark and behind closed doors, ill feeling within the heart, evil thoughts of the mind, all the works of the unbeliever. He will be judged and punished for exactly what he has done, no more or no less. Also the unbeliever will be judged for all the good things he did as well as the bad. But he will still be doomed for hell. Why? Because he refused to accept Jesus Christ as his Savior while alive. Now it is completely too late. Doing good works and doing the best we could is not enough. Some question why the "book of life" is opened. Most likely it is necessary as a witness to the fact that their names are not in it. You ask the question "What about those who are saved during the Millennium? In( Isaiah 11:6-11) it tells us of the tranquility even of the animals during the Millennium. But as for people being saved I could not find any specific verse that tells that any would be saved. But we do know that at the end of the Millennium satan will be loosed again and most will follow him. To further emphasize that none of the wicked shall escape this last judgment verse 13 says and the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. In other words God will call back together whatever is necessary for a person to have a bodily resurrection and to appear before his throne to receive his sentence of judgment. It is clear that all the wicked dead of all past ages will be brought up before the Great White Throne also. There will be a difference in the degree of punishment, but not in the length of time of their punishment. The fire of the lake of fire is unquenchable, and their torment will last forever and ever. Verses 14 and 15 When all the wicked and satan are put in the lake of fire there will be no further sin or death. Death and hell (hades) are cast into the lake of fire. Hades is the place where all unbelievers go after their death. The lake of fire is the only place in the universe where death will exist, a place of eternal torment. The Bible is very careful to let us know that the final destiny of the lost is terrible beyond imagination. There will be tribulation, anguish, weeping, and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 8:12, Matthew 13:41-50, Matthew 24:50-51, Matthew 25:30 The New Testament encourages us to live with a conscious and continuing concern for the lost who are living in sin and doomed to eternal loss and torment in the lake of fire if they do not repent. This is the greatest reason why we must take the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ to every one that we can. Jesus died so that they might have eternal life. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
HELL IS REAL, FOLKS! By the time you know it, it will be TOO LATE
