So
very long ago, as we in humanity see time, Satan threw a challenge at God in a
garden spot on the earth known as Eden. “I
could have all men worship me,” Satan
said, “as if I were God.”
Isa
14:14
I
will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most
High." NIV
People
ask why didn’t God just destroy Satan, along with Adam and Eve at the time,
and start over? Well Satan’s end
was scheduled the moment Satan threw the challenge but there are two very good
reasons why Satan was not destroyed immediately along with Adam and Eve.
Reason 1.
If
God had started over it would have meant that there was something wrong with His
plan to begin with. This is not true, for if you recall the tree of knowledge of
good and evil, along with the tree of life, were part of the Garden of Eden from
the very start.
Reason 2
Had
God destroyed Satan, at that time so long ago, the question Satan posed would
never have been answered. That
question was, could Satan have all men worship him as if he were the Creator?
Now Satan may have won many battles, but he has, long ago, lost the war.
By the way it was
never a contest. Satan was allotted
so much time to attempt to prove his claim.
When that time is up, he along with all he built will be destroyed.
This chapter verifies
that the destruction of Satan was, and is, in the works from long ago.
20:1 And
I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and
holding in his hand a great chain.
Why
is this angel coming down out of heaven? Because
he is coming to restrain Satan, and the earth is where Satan had been cast to
when he was thrown out of heaven.
The
great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan,
who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels
with him. NIV
Now
in Revelation the time has come for Satan to be dealt with, so the angel sent by
God does the following.
He
seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound
him for a thousand years.
NIV
Notice Satan is tied, or locked up and the next verse tells us he is thrown into the abyss and the angel does this for a very explicit reason.
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Dear
children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
NIV
However, up to now we have been told what will happen to those
that are part of the family of God? Those,
in the family of God, which have been judged to be part of the first
resurrection because they have already passed the test and are now, as Christ
promised, being given the prize they sought while here on the earth.
This is why
James has told us that faith without works is dead.
In
the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
In
fact James repeats this in the same chapter:
As
the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
NIV
Matthew
said the same thing in a different way.
Make
a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be
bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.
NIV
Take
note that none of this has anything to do with salvation.
That had already been bought and paid for with the ransom from death of
all mankind by Christ. However, it
is by your actions, the way you conduct your life in all things, which allows
others to recognize you as a true Christian.
It is by your actions that God recognizes you as a true Christian and
therefore as a member of His family. It
is by the double edge sword of truth that Christ can read the sincerity of your
actions as a Christian. In short
God cannot be fooled.
Nonetheless, that does not mean that men cannot deceive themselves either willfully or out of ignorance. Well, one might say, if they are doing something wrong without knowing it are they really responsible for that action? Oh yes they most certainly are! For that wrong action has being clearly marked as wrong in the word of God and God holds us all responsible for knowing that word as He has given it, not as anyone else has spoken it through various religions. We have been warned in God’s word of these men.
13
For such
men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
14
And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an
angel of light.
15
It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade
as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
NIV
We
have put the three scriptures above together because they are really one thought
and therefore belong together. They
do not need an explanation other than to point out that they are confirming what
was said just before them. As
Christ said…
Each
tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes,
or grapes from briers.
NIV
We now come to a verse in chapter 20 of Revelation that the NIV puts in brackets. They do so because it requires an explanation. It is not in brackets in other versions but nonetheless it needs and explanation.
(The
rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This
is the first resurrection.
NIV
It is in brackets because the sentence “This is the first resurrection.” Is referring to those that came to life in verse four of this chapter. “…They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
Notice the same
kind of language, “Came to life” is
used… and it is used that way with good reason.
The creator has already promised those that came to life in this first
resurrection that death would never again be something for them to be concerned
with. This is why they are told
they are exempt from the second death.
Rev 2:11
He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt
at all by the second death. NIV
The act of resurrection means to restore life to a person who is dead.
However, the words coming to life as used in these verses means that you
are no longer subject to death, which is what the following verse is saying.
Rev 2:7
He
who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who
overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the
paradise of God. NIV
The
meaning in this promise is that the Creator will sustain life for any and all
who overcome, and He will do so eternally.
Can we be sure this
is the meaning of the verses presented? Well,
lets look at the next verse and see.
Blessed
and holy are those who have part 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. NIV
Shortly
we will learn that Satan is to be released for a short time to go out and
deceive the nations again and take many with him to the destruction of death.
But who are these people he is causing to die? They can’t be any from those that are in the first
resurrection for we have just been told that is not possible. “Blessed
and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has
no power over them…”
Who then are these that this verse is
referring to? They are those that
verse 5 of this chapter in Revelation is speaking of, “(The
rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)
This makes it fairly obvious why the NIV has
put those words in brackets. (The Bible Probe does not believe nor is not trying to say
that the NIV is superior to any other version of the Bible, it is simply
pointing out a fact of recognition by those that rendered the translation for
the NIV.)
Now,
those that comprise “The
rest of the dead”
are just
that…the rest of the dead. Those
that are dead are not part of the family of God and are therefore considered
dead by the creator. This is why
they do not come to life unless and until they accept Christ as their salvation. And this is what the thousand-year reign of Christ is all
about.
21
For since death came through a man, the
resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.
22
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
NIV
Notice
“ALL” will be made alive and being made alive is the result of the general
resurrection. However, coming to
life is the result of accepting Christ and following his commands for coming to
life means gaining eternal life.
This is the purpose of the thousand-year reign of Christ, to give
all mankind a chance to accept “The
Only Begotten Son of God”
without Satan around to confuse or mislead.
This also explains “but
they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand
years.”
It becomes self evident that they will be priests over the rest of the dead for
there would be no reason for those who are part of the first resurrection to be
priests over each other. They have
already gained the prize of eternal life but the rest of the dead need that
priestly guidance from God so that they also might join the family of God.
23
But each in
his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to
him.
24
Then the
end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has
destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
25
For he must
reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
He
will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with
his ears;
4 but
with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions
for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The
wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf
and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
7
The cow
will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will
eat straw like the ox.
8 The
infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand
into the viper's nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. NIV
We will hear more on the wonders of the kingdom of God during the thousand-year reign of Christ and all those resurrected both to it and over it. But this chapter in Revelation is giving us a synopsis of all these events here, and it is now, in the narrative, time to hear about what happens when that reign of Christ concludes.
Rev 20:7
When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison. NIV
Even so we know from other versions of the Bible that
Satan is to be let lose only for a short time.
Well why let him loose at all? He
is let loose for God to use. So
that God can now test all those that were considered by the Creator to be part
of “The rest of the dead.”
So Satan is released…
and
will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth-Gog and
Magog-to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the
seashore. NIV
Is there a place such as Gog or Magog on this earth? For it is clearly stating that it is the earth that Satan attacks for he has been cast out of heaven and is no longer allowed there.
Again, Revelation is symbolic, but what are Gog and Magog symbolic of? They symbolize enemies of God that He has clearly slated to be destroyed from ancient times. Now there is nothing mystical about all this. Symbolism is representative of something else and God and Magog represent those that oppose God.
1 The
word of the LORD came to me:
2 "Son
of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of
Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him
3
and say: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I
am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
4
I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and
bring you out with your whole army-your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a
great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords.
NIV
7
Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes
gathered about you, and take command of them.
8
After many days you will be called to arms. In
future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people
were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been
desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live
in safety.
9 You
and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a
storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land. NIV
10 This
is what the Sovereign LORD says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind
and you will devise an evil scheme.
11
You will say, "I will invade a land of
unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people-all of them
living without walls and without gates and bars.
12 I
will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the
people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the
center of the land. NIV
14 Therefore,
son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In
that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice
of it?
15 You
will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all
of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army.
16 You
will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days
to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know
me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. NIV
1 Son of man, prophesy
against Gog and say: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O
Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
2 I
will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and
send you against the mountains of Israel.
3 Then
I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your
right hand.
4 On
the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations
with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild
animals.
5 You
will fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.
6 I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they will know that I am the LORD.
7 I
will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my
holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the LORD am the Holy One
in Israel.
8 It
is coming! It will surely take place, declares the Sovereign LORD. This is the
day I have spoken of. NIV
Notice
in Ezek 38:14 that God is saying “In that day when my
people of Israel dwelleth safely,” KJV This is referring to the time Isaiah is speaking of when God says
nothing shall hurt nor harm in all my holy mountain. Of course, the holy
mountain will include the whole earth at that time but Israel here is being used
to symbolize the good that the evil of Gog and Magog come against.
They
will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be
full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
NIV
So
now that Satan is let loose, and he knows he is about to be destroyed, he tries
to take all he can with him. What I
find surprising about all this is that he gets anyone at all to follow him.
Yet according to what we are being told there is a tremendous amount that
is fooled again, for we are informed in Rev 20:8 that, “In
number they are like the sand on the seashore.”
They
marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people,
the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
NIV
Again all this is not going to happen over night for
we were told in:
After
many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land
that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the
mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out
from the nations, and now all of them live in safety.
Notice
the phrase in the scripture above ”…IN
FUTURE YEARS.” The Bible
is referring to this period of time as years, plural.
And the opening statement of “After many
days…” the scripture is referring to the thousand-year reign of
Christ.
Here is a good point to again bring out that Revelation is symbolic. The inference here, if one were to take what is being said in Rev 20:9 literally, is that fire came down to burn and destroy these people that follow Satan at this time. BUT that cannot be and for good solid reasons. Number 1 God has told us that nothing could hurt nor harm in His entire holy mountain at that time. Well then what is this fire spoken of that came from heaven. It is the same fire spoken of by Christ when he said
Everyone
will be salted with fire. NIV
Everyone…
would include the family of God, and so it does. The fire mentioned above is the fire of refinement.
When you refine metals such as gold or silver it is melted down until all
the impurities can be skimmed off leaving nothing but the pure metal desired.
And so it will be at the time mentioned in Rev 20:9. God allowing Satan
to be released at the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ means that He
uses Satan to melt out whatever impurities are left so that His kingdom is
finally restored to the righteousness it had from the beginning.
As we have been told before our efforts to battle Satan by ourselves is
futile.
11
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles
of the devil.
12
For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness
in high places. KJV
So
if you are not using the armor of God you leave yourself open to defeat by Satan
and his minions. Even so the next
verse does not apply to any but Satan, his beast, and his false prophet.
And
the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where
the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and
night for ever and ever.
NIV
Notice
that it is the devil and his organization that is tormented day and night.
How this will be done is not for us to be concerned with for they are
spiritual beings and not physical but obviously their punishment will fit their
crimes. What has been described
here is also known as the results of the battle of Armageddon. We were told all
this in chapter 16 of Revelation; lets take a quick review of that.
14 They
are spirits of demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings
of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God
Almighty.
15 "Behold,
I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with
him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed."
16 Then
they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called
Armageddon. NIV
Therefore
it is these “Demons performing miraculous signs,”
that attract such a large amount of people at
that time near the end of the thousand- year reign of Christ. But the fire of refinement or truth devours them or makes
them see the light we might say. Now
again our old friend time must be looked at here.
Because since they have had time to form kingdoms and gather these kings
under one banner at what is called Armageddon something now occurs that no one
past, present, or future will ever forget.
THE SEVENTH TRUMPET SOUNDS.
Rev
20:11
Then
I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from
his presence, and there was no place for them.
NIV
What
the verse above means is, in the sudden appearance and presence of the Almighty
Creator we serve, what was going on in heaven and earth took a back seat.
Everything came to a halt as God’s only begotten Son steps forward to
conduct the rendering of judgment.
And
I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were
opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged
according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
NIV
The
verse above is referring to the “rest of the dead…”
spoken of in verse 8 of this chapter in Revelation.
That
the above verse is also saying books, plural, means we are judged on many things
we were personally responsible for. Then
our names were checked against the book of life.
Verse 13 below is reiterating the fact that all men would have been
resurrected by this time and is speaking of them as subjects facing their king
for an accounting.
The
sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that
were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.
NIV
Remember what is being said above is symbolic.
This heavenly court never convened and has never happened.
There will never be a date such as a Monday or a Tuesday that we could
point to on a calendar and say that was when the entire population of the world
we inhabit stood before the bench of Gods justice as described above.
Nonetheless, each and every one of us will stand before our Creator and we
better have Christ in our corner.
This is why the seventh trumpet was described in early chapters as the
worst of all the trumpets. Because
when you hear that trumpet you will be on trial for your life.
If you don’t have God’s only begotten Son saying “Father he is
mine” then it would have been better for you if you had never known life at
all.
As the notes of the seventh trumpet fade into the past we find God calls
for the cancellation of his penalty to man.
Then
death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the
second death.
NIV
The last enemy of man, death, is itself destroyed or made dead.
That is what the lake of fire represents, complete and total destruction.
The
ancient pagan idea of a God that tortures people forever and ever in a burning
hell is used by religions that take these scriptures out of context to keep that
doctrine of hellfire going. Satan
wants you to believe that God is a monster.
This is why Christ when talking in parables of hellfire said repeatedly
THEIR worms never die. Who is the
“THEIR” Christ is referring to. He
is speaking of those that foster this imbecilic doctrine on men.
God
does not insist that you accept eternal life as a gift. If you do not want it,
which would be proven by your actions, then your life force would simply cease
to exist just as described in the final verse of this chapter in Revelation.
Rev 20:15
If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. NIV
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