End Times #11 The Return of the King (Rev 19-20)
We are living in the end times!
In our presentation today John will reveal Jesus to us fully.
The great battle of Armageddon will be fought
And John will tell us of the demise of evil.
When you leave here today you will know how to defeat your greatest enemy.
In the vision of the Bowls, when the 6th event occurs,
we find the Dragon, the Anti-Christ, the False Prophet and their demons
rallying the kings of the world for one final battle
to re-exert Satan’s influence in human history.
Revelation 16:16 (MSG)
The frog-demons gathered the kings together at the place called in Hebrew Armageddon.
Now in Chapter 19 the stage is set for the great battle of Armageddon.
Revelation 19:19 (MSG)
I saw the Beast and, assembled with him, earth's kings and their armies, ready to make war against the One on the horse and his army.
Armageddon, hailed as
“Earth’s final battle” http://www.battle-of-armageddon.org/
The final decisive climax of “the age long war between Christ and Satan.”
(http://www.battleofarmageddon.net/)
Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls,
The title fight for world domination.
The clash of titans,
The battle of the ages,
A death match, one fall, no time limit.
The mother of all battles.
World war 3.
Are you ready to rumble?
But first a word from our sponsor.
Revelation 19:11-16 (MSG)
Then I saw Heaven open wide—and oh! a white horse and its Rider. The Rider, named Faithful and True, judges and makes war in pure righteousness. His eyes are a blaze of fire, on his head many crowns. He has a Name inscribed that's known only to himself. He is dressed in a robe soaked with blood, and he is addressed as "Word of God." The armies of Heaven, mounted on white horses and dressed in dazzling white linen, follow him. A sharp sword comes out of his mouth so he can subdue the nations, then rule them with a rod of iron. He treads the winepress of the raging wrath of God, the Sovereign-Strong. On his robe and thigh is written, King of kings, Lord of lords.
Revelation is a book about who Jesus is.
Jesus is the rider on a white horse.
Symbolizing him as the victorious warrior.
[
We see the victorious white horse rider in other Jewish apocalyptic writing. Most note worthy is the Psalms of Solomon 17: 23-27. He rides forth to destroy the enemies of God’s people.
But do we have a problem? Is Jesus the Savior also Jesus the Slayer?
Richard Dawkins, one of our more well known atheists comments:
“The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.
(http://dwindlinginunbelief.blogspot.com/2008/12/richard-dawkins-god-of-old-testament.html)
{Sounds a lot like Revelation 12:5} When one lives on the side of the wrath of God I am sure this is a very apt description except for the part of the God of the Old Testament being fictional. Of course you have to ask yourself why does this seem to be the case?
Josh McDowell poses the question this way: “Isn’t the God of the Old Testament a God of hate while the God of the New Testament is one of love?
What McDowell argues is that God is holy and just. He cites Ezekiel 18:23
“Do you think I take any pleasure in the death of wicked men and women? Isn't it my pleasure that they turn around, no longer living wrong but living right—really living?” “Do you think I take any pleasure in the death of wicked men and women? Isn't it my pleasure that they turn around, no longer living wrong but living right—really living?” (Ezek 18:23 (MSG).
In the New Testament the verse the comes to mind is John 3:16 “…that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Another like it: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 (NIV).
God is always the one who seeks the redemption of humanity. The universe has been created with certain inviolable moral laws. These laws are like a dividing barrier, on one side is death the other side is life. So it is a matter of ones perspective, Jesus is either Savior or Slayer depending upon which side of the dividing line you choose to live. “Therefore, when the two testaments are read the way they were intended, they reveal the same holy God who is rich in mercy, but who will not let sin go unpunished.” (McDowell, Answers to Tough Questions, p. 70)
There are spiritual consequences already in play just as there are consequences for breaking traffic laws. Is the police officer who pulls you over for speeding and running a red light a monster? Is that same officer who saves you from a mugging a hero? Which one is the officer, monster or hero? “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well” (2 Thess 1:6-7 (NIV).
]
Jesus is named Faithful and True.
Which in Hebrew thought means The Reliable One (Ladd, p.253)
Jesus is the one you can count on,
He will make good on all of His promises and then some.
Jesus makes war in pure righteousness.
He is neither vengeful nor vindictive,
Jesus comes to set things right,
To answer the cry’s of the afflicted and oppressed
the disenfranchised and the martyrs.
He fights to bring justice. (Morris, p 229)
Jesus eyes are ablaze with fire.
This speaks of Jesus omniscience,
He sees all, He knows all. (Rev 4:5)
A heart is not hidden from Him.
Every story is known.
Jesus wears many crowns.
Crowns are symbolic for sovereignty.
Jesus has the right to rule and the authority to rule.
Jesus has a name inscribed upon Himself that only He knows the meaning
of.
This is a picture of how much of Jesus is hidden to us.
Even in this great Revelation of who He is,
There is so much that is beyond our understanding.
So many more wonderful things to discover
about him
Jesus wears a robe soaked in blood.
What a minute, there hasn’t been a battle yet.
Whose blood is splattered on His robe?
Where did it come from?
Hold those questions and answer will be forth
coming.
Jesus is called, addressed as, the Word of God.
This title speaks of His Deity.
Jesus is one with the Father,
He is the Divine message to the world.
He is that message in action.
So here we have a picture of Jesus as the Conquering Messiah leading the Armies
of heaven to do battle at Armageddon.
His troops are dressed in white, also riding white horses.
I am of the opinion that these riders are those who have not
given up the faith.
They are God’s people.
The Lamb’s Redeemed who follow Him
where ever He goes.
Some scholars argue that these riders are angels.
(Matthew 25:53; 2 Thessalonians 1:7)
Regardless if the riders are believers or angels,
John does not describe weapons or armor.
I wonder why?
For the next verse John speaks of the weapon Jesus
carries.
Jesus is armed with a sharp sword.
“The sharp sword symbolizes the lethal power of” the judgment He
brings. (Mounce, p. 346)
That this sword is in His mouth tells us that this weapon is spoken
Truth. (Hebrews 4:12)
Can you handle the truth?
Let us all live our lives so that we can in deed handle the Truth
of God.
Jesus with Truth will rule the nations. (Isaiah 11:4; Psalms 2:9)
Jesus will rule with an iron rod, one that is strong and will not break.
Jesus will not be able to be resisted.
Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV)
For to us a
child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David's throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
Jesus is the treader of the winepress of God’s wrath.
This tells us of the seriousness of sin.
Too often we think the notion of sin as being outdated,
and old fashioned.
We fall into the trap of comparing ourselves with
others and determining that we’re not so bad
after all.
Sin is anything that deters or damages or destroys right
relationships.
And God is deadly serious about the issue.
That Jesus is the treader means that He will overcome any one
opposed God. (Isaiah 63:3)
And how is all this possible?
Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
(Rev 17:14; 1 Timothy 6:15; Daniel 2:27, Deuteronomy 10:17)
Which declares Jesus to be the supreme ruler.
The armies of God with Jesus leading them are making their arrival to face off with
the Beast and his armies.
Armageddon, the final show down.
Revelation 19:17-18 (MSG)
I saw an Angel standing in the sun, shouting to all flying birds in Middle-Heaven, "Come to the Great Supper of God! Feast on the flesh of kings and captains and champions, horses and their riders. Eat your fill of them all—free and slave, small and great!"
There has already been one dinner invitation sent out earlier in this chapter.
Revelation 19:9 (NIV)
'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'"
Now another invitation is being sent, for another kind of super.
“You have your choice;
You can go the Lamb’s supper as guests … or you can go to this …
other supper as part of the menu…” (Eller, p. 171)
Eat or be eaten—seems like a really easy choice to me.
What about you?
To go to the Feast you abide in Christ.
To be feasted upon you do your own thing.
I suggest you get about the business of abiding in Christ
Because Jesus is coming soon.
Now the Battle to end all Battles.
I am ready to see how this war is waged.
I want to see Jesus’ strategy for defeating the Beast.
Ready?
Revelation 19:19-21 (MSG)
I saw the Beast and, assembled with him, earth's kings and their armies, ready to make war against the One on the horse and his army. The Beast was taken, and with him, his puppet, the False Prophet, who used signs to dazzle and deceive those who had taken the mark of the Beast and worshiped his image. They were thrown alive, those two, into Lake Fire and Brimstone. The rest were killed by the sword of the One on the horse, the sword that comes from his mouth. All the birds held a feast on their flesh.
(Ezekiel 39:17-19)
That wasn’t much of a fight.
In fact there wasn’t a great battle at Armageddon at all.
Jesus shows up and its all over.
The Truth is unequivocally revealed and that’s all she wrote.
We’ve already seen that the civilization that men build apart from God has been
destroyed by the very evil it was founded on. Egoism.
Now “The Beast a personification of secular power in its opposition to the church.
The other Beast a personification of the role of false religion” (Mounce, p. 347) in support of the state.
The Kings of the Earth, all those who bore the mark of the Beast, which is conformity to the ways of this world.
And their armies, those they rallied with them to defy
God
Are all are destroyed by the Truth.
We have to ask ourselves why there wasn’t a battle.
Ah. But there was a battle.
It just isn’t going to be fought at the second coming of Jesus.
The decisive battle of domination of humanity has already
taken place.
You have enough information to put the clues together.
First, Jesus’ army arrives not in armor but in robes and carries no weapons.
Second Jesus’ robe is splattered in blood before the engagement even
begins.
Think back to Revelation Chapter 5
Revelation 5:6 (MSG)
I looked, and there, surrounded by Throne, Animals, and Elders, was a Lamb, slaughtered but standing tall. Seven horns he had, and seven eyes, the Seven Spirits of God sent into all the earth.
“The Lamb, slaughtered but standing tall”
The blood soaked on the robe of Jesus is his own.
There is no need to fight.
The decisive battle for the human race was won
on Calvary and validated by the resurrection.
At the second coming of Jesus the kingdom rule he inaugurated with his
incarnation, becomes consummated with his return.
No battle, just the Truth.
No argument, no struggle, Just the way it is.
The Beast and the False Prophet are thrown into the lake of fire.
For me the lake of fire is a symbol not of annihilation,
Not even of execution,
Rather it is a picture of separation and isolation.
If you think about the irony it may make sense to you.
Egoism’s objective is to be God.
Egoism wants to rule.
So God grants that desire.
In the form of solitary confinement for eternity.
Egoism becomes the ruler of its kingdom.
And John describes it as being thrown alive into a lake of fire.
That at least is my speculation on what Hell really is.
[
The lake of fire: “Gehenna (an abbreviation for the ‘valley of the son of Hinnom’) was the name given to the valley lying to the south and west of Jerusalem (the modern Wadi er Rahabi). As the site of the cultic shrine where human sacrifices where offered (2 Kings 16:3; 23:10; Jeremiah 7:32). It acquired an unholy reputation. …It came to be equated with the hell of final judgment in apocalyptic literature. … The abode of the wicked dead.” (Mounce, p. 350)
]
Let’s turn our thoughts to the Millennial reign of Christ.
One of the more controversial concepts in the Book.
[
Different positions on this topic include: pre-millennialism, post-millennialism, a- millennialism, no-millennialism and my personal favorite pan-millennialism where we just have faith that it will all “pan” out in the end.
]
We have witnessed the fail of Babylon (human culture apart from God) and the defeat of the Anti-Christ (egoism) and his False Prophet (religion)
There is one more enemy that needs to be dealt with.
Revelation 20:1-3 (MSG)
I saw an Angel descending out of Heaven. He carried the key to the Abyss and a chain—a huge chain. He grabbed the Dragon, that old Snake—the very Devil, Satan himself!—chained him up for a thousand years, dumped him into the Abyss, slammed it shut and sealed it tight. No more trouble out of him, deceiving the nations—until the thousand years are up. After that he has to be let loose briefly.
The Abyss is the same place we read about in Rev 9:1.
When the fifth trumpet sounded John tells us that “a star that had fallen from
the sky to the earth is given a key to unlock the Abyss.”
In Chapter 12 John tells us that the great dragon, the ancient serpent, the
devil, Satan is hurled from heaven to the earth. (12:7-9)
In the Gospel according to Luke, Jesus says, that He saw Satan fall like
lightning from heaven. (Luke 10:18)
So the very place Satan unlocked, the Abyss, is now the place he is
imprisoned.
His accusations and deceptions, his prowling comes to an end.
Satan is locked up for 1000 years.
Having taken a figurative interpretative stance it would be inconsistent to now
switch to a literal stance.
So this thousand years is symbolic.
But symbolic of what?
Where is John drawing his imagery from?
We will have to consult some writings not found in our Bibles to help us answer
our questions.
Recently I encouraged you to read William Young’s book “The
Shack.”
It’s a story of encouragement and comfort.
But I don’t think you would want me to use it as source material to
preach.
It a writing dealing with spiritual issues,
But it is in no way authoritative
It doesn’t measure up to the standard of scripture
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Yet even though “The Shack” is not authoritative,
It influences your thoughts.
So what books might John have been reading?
The Book of Watchers (1 Enoch 1-36, written about 175 BC)
Parables of Enoch (1 Enoch 37-71, written about early 1st cent AD)
The Book of Astronomy (1 Enoch 72-82, written about 250 BC)
The Book of Dream Visions (1 Enoch 83-90, written about 160 BC)
Testament of Moses (some parts as early as 160 BC)
Jubilees (written about 164 BC)
Sybilline Oracles, Book 3 (early parts around 150 BC)
And then we have
The Book of the Epistle of Enoch
(1 Enoch 92-105, written about 150-50 BC)
which urges readers remain steadfast in their faith because the
Messiah will soon arrive.
We even have mention of Enoch in the Book of Jude (Jude 1:14)
and in Hebrews (11:5)
The writer of Enoch sees
human history as divided into “ten weeks” leading up to final
judgment where all evil will be defeated.
“There are seven weeks of past history.
The eighth is the week of the righteous,
when a sword is given to the righteous and
sinners are delivered into their hands,
and the house of God is built.
In the ninth week the evil [is totally subjected],
and righteousness will flourish.
In the tenth week comes judgment; and only then comes the eternal
time of goodness and of God
(Enoch 93:3-10). “
—Barclay's
Daily Study Bible (NT)
The stories of Enoch are influencing the popular beliefs of John’s
original audiences.
Even though today Enoch is not authoritative,
In John’s day it was informative.
[
Derek Leman is the source of the list of Jewish Apocalyptic Lit
http://derek4messiah.wordpress.com/2008/10/29/jewish-apocalyptic-literature-a-survey/
You can read the book of Enoch on this site:
http://www.truehebrewisraelites.com/BookofEnoch92-105.html
Mike Blume is not a recognized scholar but he has some interesting things to say about Revelation, e.g.:
“The Jewish theory is that the present condition of the world is to last six thousand years from the creation, that at the beginning of the Sabbath (the seventh millennium) the Son of God appears, to put an end to the time of the unjust one, to judge the ungodly and renew the earth. It is not the end, however; it is followed by an eighth day of eternal duration the beginning of another world.”
(http://mikeblume.com/chiliasm.htm)
Psalms 90:4 (NIV) For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. This Psalm is often cited to reinforce the argument that a thousand years is symbolic.
It might also be helpful to recall that in Jewish thought the Messiah is just human. God’s anointed for sure, but just a man. So what we see is that the Messiah is the great conquering king who rescues Israel from its oppressors and reestablishes an empire more glorious than the time of David and Solomon. His dynasty lasts 1000 years.
“The commonest form of Millennarianism teaches that for a thousand years before the end Christ will reign upon this earth in a kingdom of his saints; and after that will come the final struggle, the general resurrection, the last judgment and the final consummation.” —Barclay's Daily Study Bible
Daniel chapter 7 is also a source that John could have drawn from.
]
Now would it surprise you if Enoch weeks can be understood as periods of time,
Maybe even approximately 1000 years?
I think this is the source material for John’s Millennial reign of Christ.
We should also consider John’s symmetry.
The rule of the Beast is a short time.
The rule of Christ is a long time.
[
“The Lamb and his people deserve a thousand years (a large, full, complete number as over against the broken “3 ½”) of reign on earth, to put that end-time nightmare into proper perspective…” (Eller, p.185) 2 Corinthians 2:17
]
Then keeping with the numerology that was suggested ,
10 and its multiples represent completeness.
1000 can refer to the complete reign of Christ.
The Millenium is symbolic the period of time that Jesus will bodily return to earth
and rule the nations.
That thought is consistent with Jewish apocalyptic and early Christian
expectations.
So what we have is a picture of evil’s demise,
And the triumph of Christ.
It’s that message of hope,
Jesus wins.
And the victory won on Calvary and that first Easter
Sunday morning is now fully revealed to everyone.
And not only is the Lamb victorious
But all who ferociously loved like the Lamb are victorious
Revelation 20:4-6 (MSG)
I saw thrones. Those put in charge of judgment sat on the thrones. I also saw the souls of those beheaded because of their witness to Jesus and the Word of God, who refused to worship either the Beast or his image, refused to take his mark on forehead or hand—they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years! The rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years were up. This is the first resurrection— and those involved most blessed, most holy. No second death for them! They're priests of God and Christ; they'll reign with him a thousand years.
There are two resurrections in Revelation.
The first of the followers of Christ
The second of the followers of the Anti-Christ.
[
Others (Mounce, Barclay) suggest that this first resurrection is the resurrection of those who have been martyred for their faith; a special reward for paying the ultimate price for loyalty to Jesus. John “feels that the martyr-saints do deserve some special recognition and honor; and the millennium affords as opportunity for this” (Eller, p. 186).
But I can’t see the Church, that John has united, again divided. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 indicates a unity. At the parousia all the faithful are with Jesus. Rev 13:15 suggests that all those who opposed the Beast were slaughtered. Also consider Rev. 2:26; 3:21; 5:9-10 which can be seen to include all believers not just the martyrs reign with Christ. Ladd writes: “Some commentators see three groups in this passage: the saints in general (those who sat in the thrones), the martyrs (those beheaded), and the rest of the living saints (those who had not worshiped the beast nor received its mark)” (Ladd, p. 265)
Regardless this is a bodily resurrection.
]
Remember the fluidity in which John writes.
We can not put this resurrection on a time line,
Because John doesn’t write with a strict chronology.
We have said that just prior to Jesus return,
There is the call to the Church, to come up (Rev 11:12);
There is the harvest of the Grain (Rev 12:15-16);
One could even include God’s summons to come out of Babylon (Rev
18:4);
All portraying what people popularly refer to as the Rapture.
So here again John tells us that the faithful will live and
reign with Jesus.
[
What would this position be? Recall that the various interpretive stances people bring to the Book. We have those committed to pre-millennialism, post-millennialism and a-millennialism. We have those committed to a “rapture” before the tribulation and those committed to a rapture after the tribulation. Post-millennialism has fallen out of fashion. It basically teaches that Church will be triumphant at bringing the World to faith and there will be a golden era of prosperity for a thousand years and then Christ will return. Pre-millennialism is much more popular today. It basically teaches that the “rapture” of the Church will occur and then Christ will return and rule the earth for a thousand years. Accompanying pre-millennialism is usually a teaching that the “rapture” occurs before the tribulation. Just before things get really bad, God rescues His people from the disasters envisioned in the Revelation. A-Millennialism understands the entire teaching symbolically—following this stance we spiritualize the entire vision and conceive of it occurring right now, the millennium is the Church Age.
Recall that the word “rapture” does not occur in the scripture. Dr. Robert Jewett has written an insightful little book called “Jesus Against the Rapture,” in which he argues against the concept that believers are rescued from the great tribulation.
What I’ve tried to do is just stay true to what John reveals, listening in on what he was trying to tell his original readers. From just allowing what John has written to stand what we see is the “rapture” of the Church occurs during the later part of the tribulation (after the 6th event but before the 7th), followed by the return of Christ, the overthrow of evil, and the beginning of a physical reign on earth. I guess you could categorize the position as “tribulational rapture pre-millennialism.”
I must confess that I’m a pan-millennialist—it will all pan out in the end. What I know for sure is that I am to follow Jesus, “sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead”
Phil 3:10-11 (NIV).
]
The rest of the dead is a reference to every one but believers.
The second death is joining the unholy trinity in the lake of burning sulfur.
Well consider this later on.
Revelation 20:7-10 (NIV)
When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 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. 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. 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.
Ezekiel chapter 36-39 is likely candidate for John’s source material for what he has
written. (Also the Sibylline Oracles 3:662-701)
In Ezekiel the prophet says that after Israel is returned to the land,
There is one final assault upon her,
But this time God intervenes and destroys all her
enemies.
The accounts are strikingly similar. (Also 2 Esdras 13:1-12)
Satan is released.
This is very curious.
Why should it be?
We need to do some speculation.
First this release of Satan occurs before what is commonly referred to
as the Great White Throne judgment, which we will read about
in verse 11.
Second who or what is Gog and Magog?
In Genesis 10 Magog is the name of one of Japheth descendants.
Japheth is the son of Noah.
[
“Gog and Magog are biblical names for the nations who are rebellious against God and hostile to his people” (Ezekiel 38:1) (Ladd, p, 269).
“The immediate descendants of Japheth were seven in number, and are represented by the nations designated Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Mesech, and Tiras; or, roughly, the Armenians, Lydians, Medes, Greeks, Tibarenians, and Moschians, the last, Tiras, remaining still obscure. The sons of Gomer (Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah) were all settled in the West Asian tract; while the sons of Javan (Elisah, Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim or Rodanim) occupied the Mediterranean coast and the adjacent islands.
Magog (Scythians, Slavs, Russians, Bulgarians, Bohemians, Poles, Slovaks, Croatians)” http://www.freemaninstitute.com/RTGham.htm
This is the reason the futurists see Russia playing such an important role in the end times. Gog the leader of Magog is seen to be the forces of Russia. I think that is an incorrect interpretation.
“As time went on, in Jewish thought Gog and Magog came to stand for everything that is against God. The rabbis taught that Gog and Magog would assemble themselves and their forces against Jerusalem, and would fall by the hand of the Messiah.” —Barclay's Daily Study Bible
]
In Ezekiel 38 Gog is the leader of the people of Magog.
And the Prophet speaks of Gog leading a vast and awesome
army against an unprotected Israel.
We have previously seen how John has reinterpreted Israel, and
Jerusalem to all be references to the Church.
Drawing from Ezekiel and this picture of the utter destruction
of Gog and his great horde
this is exactly what happens here when God
destroys this last remnant of evil
“In Jewish thought Gog and Magog came to stand for everything that
is against God. (Barclay's Daily Study Bible)
Third, were did all these people come from?
This again is pure speculation on my part.
From the internal evidence present in Revelation I’m forced to
conclude that not all of unrepentant humanity is killed in
the Armageddon event.
No where in Revelation do we have John telling us all of
humanity is annihilated.
A large number are killed
A third of mankind is reported to have died
in Rev 9:15
In Rev 11:13 7,000 perish, and we read the
survivors gave glory to God.
This suggest that portion but not all of humanity
perishes.
So these would be the offspring of the
survivors.
Back to the question why is Satan released after a long period of time.
George Eldon Ladd offers what I consider the best explanation.
He writes.
“Even after Christ himself has reigned over men during the millennium, when the deceiver is set free from his prison, he finds the hearts of men still responsive to his seductions, This makes it plain that the ultimate root of sin is not poverty or inadequate social conditions or an unfortunate environment: it is the rebelliousness of the human heart. The millennium and the subsequent rebellion of man will prove that men cannot blame their sinfulness on their environment or unfortunate circumstances; in the final judgment, the decrees of God will be shown to be just and righteous.” (Ladd, 269) Romans 1:20 & 3:19
Once again egoism is the culprit.
Even with the physical presence of Jesus,
Egoism still battles to rule.
Accepting no authority but itself.
Then egged on by Satan one final time rebels again Christ and His
followers.
Egoism’s uprising at the encouragement of Satan is utterly destroyed and Satan is
cast into the Lake of Fire with the Anti-Christ and False prophet.
[
“The beloved city {Jerusalem} should surely be understood in opposition to the ‘the great city’ {Babylon} (Morris, p.238).
]
The imprisonment of Satan and the permanent exile of Satan are the book
ends to the Millennium. (Eller)
And now we come to the end of evil.
Revelation 20:11-15 (MSG)
I saw a Great White Throne and the One Enthroned. Nothing could stand before or against the Presence, nothing in Heaven, nothing on earth. And then I saw all the dead, great and small, standing there—before the Throne! And books were opened. Then another book was opened: the Book of Life. The dead were judged by what was written in the books, by the way they had lived. Sea released its dead, Death and Hell turned in their dead. Each man and woman was judged by the way he or she had lived. Then Death and Hell were hurled into Lake Fire. This is the second death—Lake Fire. Anyone whose name was not found inscribed in the Book of Life was hurled into Lake Fire.
Created in the likeness of God I believe that whatever it is that makes us human is
immortal.
Call it a soul if you like, I find that term misleading.
We have already seen a first resurrection,
The resurrection of those you abide in Christ.
Now we have a second resurrection,
This one of all those who followed the Anti-Christ.
Egoism is found wanting.
The first death is the death of the earthly body.
John describes the second death,
A death of the ones eternal body, (1 Cor 15:35-58)
As being hurled into the Lake Fire.
Lake Fire—the lake of fire, I think is a fascinating, a horrifying, symbol.
We all can imagine what it would be like to be thrown into a burning lake.
Burning to death is just a horrible way to die.
I think this is what total separation from God is like.
For that is what the second death represents.
Separation and isolation.
Egoism has its kingdom to rule, a kingdom of one,
Cut off from every one and everything else,
Isolated for all eternity.
Solitary confinement,
Full of desire, but nothing to
satisfy.
It feels like burning.
(Matthew 8:12; 13:42; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Mark 9:47-48)
Evil,
Satan, the Dragon,
The Anti-Christ,
The False Prophet,
Babylon,
And all those who reject God,
Are gone.
And now we are ready for the end.
That’s right the best is yet to come as we will see next time.
Today Jesus has been fully revealed to you.
You have seen his might and his power.
You have seen the justice He brings.
Today you have witnessed the demise of evil.
It’s utter and complete destruction.
A day which we all await.
Finally this is what I want you to walk away with—
You have a personal Armageddon.
It’s a battle between Jesus and Egoism.
Christ verse Anti-Christ.
Think about it a moment will you?
Dinner arrangements are settled with your decision on who wins your
personal Armageddon.
Subject yourself to the total Lordship of Jesus Christ and
you get to be a wedding guest at the marriage feast
of the Lamb.
Continue in your conformity to the patterns of this world.
Do your own thing and you get to be on the menu
for the beasts of the fields and the birds of
the air.
You are either a guest for dinner, or a dinner for guests.
1 Kings 18:21 (NIV)
Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him."