Chapter Twenty

 

The Triumph of Christ: Victory Over Satan

 

 

 

 

20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

 

The bottomless pit is nothing more than the symbolic home of Satan.  It is the symbolic source of all things that are evil, especially Satan and his demons.  We have already seen it mentioned on three separate occasions in Revelation.  In chapter nine it was spoken of as the place of origin of the great swarm of locusts, which was the Islamic hordes that ravaged the eastern and southern thirds of the old Roman Empire.  These people followed a false religion and were therefore the workers of Satan.  This is why they are pictured as coming from the place where he lives.  In verse eleven of that chapter, he is even spoken of as the “angel of the bottomless pit,” this shows that it is his dominion.

 

In chapter eleven Satan is pictured as coming out of the bottomless pit to try to destroy the Bible.  And in chapter seventeen the beast, which was Satan’s tool, is seen to ascend out of the bottomless pit, showing that it also originated from where Satan is.  Now in chapter twenty we find the bottomless pit to be the place where Satan is to be incarcerated.  It is not as though he will be taken somewhere and locked up, he will in essence be locked up at home.

 

When Satan rebelled against God and was cast out of Heaven, he, along with the angels who sided with him, were cast down to the earth (Luke 10:18).  Another passage says God “spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (II Peter 2:4).  To angels, who once inhabited Heaven, this earth must certainly be a very terrible place to live.  After all, if Heaven is supposed to be such a great step up from the earth for man, likewise it must be just as large a step downward for the angels.  So Satan was cast to the earth and was for a time free to move about and do what he chose to do.

 

But there is to be a time in history when Satan will be chained and locked up in the bottomless pit.  Obviously this is not meant literally.  First of all, Satan is a spirit and cannot be bound by a literal chain.  The term chain has often been used in the Bible to denote symbolic bondage.  “Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment” (Psalm 73:6).  This usage was even applied to the fallen angels by two different writers, Peter and Jude.  “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (II Peter 2:4).  “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6).  Here in Revelation we see another symbolic use of the term showing bondage, albeit not in a physical way.

 

Secondly, what is a bottomless pit?  If it has no bottom then we would not call it a pit.  We talk of a piece of metal which had been eaten by rust as pitted.  We talk of dirt pits and other kinds of pits.  But when something has a hole all the way through it we no longer call it a pit.  Do donuts have pits?  Or what about beads?  If someone dug a deep hole in the ground you could call it a pit.  But what if that person was able to dig the hole so deep it went all the way through the earth?  What would you call it?  A hole perhaps, or even a tunnel.  But when you looked through it and saw the sky or stars on the other side you certainly would not call it a pit.  The bottomless pit is just a symbolic term used to describe Satan’s imprisonment.

 

Obviously the deeper a pit is the more difficult it would be to escape from.  So if anyone became very closely associated with Satan, and since he lives in a bottomless pit, they would have a very difficult, if not impossible, time getting away from him if they chose to do so.  Perhaps this is what Christ had in mind when He said “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden” (Revelation 2:24).  Anyone who is as intimate with Satan as the great whore of Rome will never escape the enormous depths of Satan’s bottomless pit.

 

If Satan cannot be bound by the items mentioned in this verse, then what can bind him?  The answer is actually quite simple.  The only way someone can escape from Satan is to submit to God.  And one submits to God by obeying His word.  Thus it is the Bible which binds or restricts Satan.  When someone respects and follows the Bible, Satan is powerless to fight against him.  This was illustrated very well when Satan tempted Christ.  Three times Satan tempted Christ to do something wrong, and three times Christ answered him with scripture (Mark 4).  Satan was powerless to do anything to Christ because He followed the word of God.  The key to the bottomless pit then, is the Bible.  When the Bible is respected by the world, Satan will be restricted and unable to operate freely.  He will be “chained up” in his bottomless pit and unable to have the effect on the world he would desire to have.

 

We also find here that an angel came “down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit.”  I believe we have already seen this very same thing occur earlier in Revelation.  Back in chapter ten we saw an angel come down from heaven to deliver the Bible to the people.  “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth.”  This started the Reformation and ultimately broke the papacy’s power.  The papacy was the most powerful weapon Satan has ever had against God’s people.  So as the Bible began to have more influence Satan began to be restricted or bound.  He was not actually locked up, far from it, he was just as active as ever.  It is just that during this time many people respected God’s word and would no longer yield to Satan’s temptations.

 

 

20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

 

“The dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan” are all terms that refer to the same being, the fallen cherub Lucifer.  We see that Satan is to be bound for a period of one-thousand years.  There is absolutely no basis for assuming that this is meant to be a period of exactly one-thousand years.  First of all, everything else in this chapter seems to be figurative, so how could we rationalize taking this one item as literal?  Nowhere in Revelation have we thus far seen a time period given literally.  Everywhere else in Revelation where a specific time period was intended we have always seen it given in terms of a day for a year.  If that were used here we would have a period of 360,000 years!  Obviously this cannot be right.  So what is intended here?

 

As we have seen previously, the Bible often uses a nice “round” number like this as a general term of indefiniteness.  In other words, it is a ballpark figure used to refer to a large quantity.  This “ballpark” figure will not be exactly the same as the actual number, but is just intended to convey the magnitude of that number.  There are literally dozens of examples in the Bible where one-thousand is used as an indefinite number.  It is used where the true value of something is large but difficult or impossible to determine exactly.

 

One good example of this is found in the book of Psalms.  God said, “every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Psalm 50:10).  Obviously there are more than one-thousand hills in the world that have cattle upon them.  Are we to believe that the cattle on hill one-thousand one are not the Lord’s?  What about hill number one-thousand two?  Certainly this verse does not intend to restrict the Lord’s ownership to just one-thousand hills.  And what happens as cattle move off a hill onto level ground, or elsewhere a herd moves onto a hill?  This number would be constantly changing.  Here the number one-thousand is merely given to indicate a very large number, the exact value of which we do not know, and do not need to know for that matter.

 

Another example can also be found in the book of Psalms.  “He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations” (Psalms 105:8).  Considering that a generation is conservatively taken to be twenty years, one-thousand generations would be twenty-thousand years.  Quite clearly this did not literally happen.

 

In the first example the number one-thousand was used to indicate a large number which happened to be greater than one-thousand but whose exact value is unknown and constantly changes.  In the second example the number one-thousand was used to represent a large number which happened to be smaller than one-thousand.  So we see that it can be used for large numbers whose actual values are larger or smaller than one-thousand.

 

Here are a few other examples where thousand is used and is almost certainly meant to simply convey magnitude and not an exact number.  “And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword” (Leviticus 26:8).  “(The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!)” (Deuteronomy 1:11).  “One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you” (Joshua 23:10).  “And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children” (Matthew 15:38).  There are, of course, many other passages where the term is used in exactly the same way.

 

The meaning of the number here in Revelation is that there is to be a long period of time throughout which Satan will be bound.  This period may be longer or shorter than one-thousand years, but will be of the same general magnitude.

 

 

20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

 

Here we are given a key to determining when this thousand year period is to be.  When Satan is shut up he will no longer be able to deceive the nations.  But we also find that he is to be released from his captivity in the bottomless pit for a little while after the thousand years is over.  In verse one, we said the Bible is the key to the bottomless pit, it is what will restrict and bind Satan.  We now have a problem.  If the Bible is the thing that binds Satan, then how is it that while the Bible exists Satanis to be loosed?  Will the Bible disappear?  Certainly that will not happen.

 

Then how can Satan be loosed with the Bible still present if it is really what binds him?  The fact that the Bible exists means nothing.  The Bible’s existence is not what binds Satan, but its people’s use of and respect for it that restricts him.  Simply owning a copy of the Bible does not make a person a Christian, nor does it hinder Satan.  In the case of someone who is following the Bible, Satan is restricted in what he can do to that person.  That person, knowing the righteousness of God, will not easily fall prey to Satan’s enticements.  So Satan will be bound in the world as long as the world respects and heeds the Bible, and will be loosed when men lose respect for the Bible and cease to heed it.

 

For Satan to be bound it is not required that every person in the world actually become Christians.  You could have the same percentage of Christians in the world regardless of whether Satan is bound or not.  The difference is in the attitudes of those who aren’t Christians.  Satan will be bound when most people respect the principles of morality and godliness found in the Bible.  They may not be Christians, but they do not allow themselves to run wild with sin.  In short, Christian values prevail even among those who are not truly Christians.  Satan is restricted by the people’s morality and respect for the Bible.  But when people lose respect for the Bible, and become immoral and ungodly, Satan is loosed on the world, and has a much easier time of enticing them to follow his sinful ways.

 

We now need to examine history and see when this period of time was, if it has already occurred.  If we go back to the first century we find that, first of all, the Bible was yet to be canonized.  Secondly, the world was far from accepting Christian values to any degree.  By the late second century the books of the New Testament had essentially been collected and were in use in a few places.  But, once again, the world was still far from accepting Christian values.

 

In the early fourth century Christianity was made the official religion of the Roman Empire.  But as Christian values began to spread so did the apostasy of the Church.  Copies of the New Testament were very hard to come by, which left most of the average people in ignorance, except for what they were taught by the clergy.  As Christian values began to spread so did Satan’s deception.  The hierarchy of the Catholic Church began to take shape, and through this evil institution Satan deceived the nations of the world for centuries.  In chapter thirteen we were given a description of two beasts, the papacy and the Holy Roman Empire.  Satan used these tools to deceive the world.  “And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live” (Revelation 13:14).  Just as the Bible was beginning to enlighten the world Satan managed to deceive them through his trickery.  A statement in chapter eighteen also serves to reinforce this point.  “For by thy sorceries were all nations deceived” (Revelation 18:23).  This obviously shows us that Satan was not bound during this period of time.  He was free and working hard to destroy true Christianity.  Satan’s church was the master of the Western world.  God’s Church was in hiding in the wilderness for 1,260 years.  So who was reigning on the earth?

 

The nations remained deceived until the time of the Reformation.  Back in chapter ten we saw an angel come down from Heaven to deliver the Bible to the common people.  The invention of the printing press made possible for the first time the printing of large quantities of Bibles at relatively cheap prices.  As people gained access to the Bible, many began to see through Satan’s deceitful scam.  This lit the fires of religious discontent that eventually embroiled all of Europe in war and revolution.  In the first half of the sixteenth century, during a six year period, four nations that had previously been devoutly Catholic, turned against the papacy.  England in 1534, Norway and Denmark in 1536, and Sweden in 1540.  This is clear evidence that the nations were beginning to see through Satan’s deception.  It is not just that a few kings became angry with the pope and decided to break away from Rome.  If there had not already been a good deal of discontent with the papacy among the citizens only a very foolhardy monarch would have dared to disturb such a unifying force among his people.

 

During this time many men throughout Europe preached strict adherence to the Bible.  Several of these men died as convicted heretics at the hands of the Catholics because of their teachings.  Teachings that opposed the official position of the Catholic Church.  By the nineteenth century the Bible was held in high esteem by the majority of men.  Morality was something to be practiced, not just talked about.  Honor meant something, and a man’s word or his handshake were as good or better than a signed contract today.  Certainly there was sin in the world, the vast majority still refused to submit to God and live as Christians.  But nevertheless, that majority now lived, for the most part, by Bible principles.  Satan no longer had the nations deceived.  His alliance between the papacy and the nations of the world had been shattered.  He lost a very powerful and important tool that he had used to dupe the nations for centuries.  He was now bound in the bottomless pit because the key to that pit, the Bible, had been loosed.

 

“And set a seal upon him.”  The Bible acted as a seal upon Satan.  As long as the seal was intact Satan was bound.  In other words, as long as the world respected the Bible, Satan would be severely limited in the success of his operations.  We will give the year 1400 as a starting point for this thousand year period.  This choice is somewhat arbitrary, because there is no specific event from which to date this period.  Certainly the roots of the Reformation reach back long before 1400, but it was about this time that the movement began to pick up a little steam.  You might say this was when the chain was slipped around Satan, and as the decades passed it was tightened up until he was firmly bound by the nineteenth century.

 

When did, or will, this period end?  The end of this period will be when Satan is loosed and allowed to once again go out and deceive the nations.  His deception will not be the same this time, however, since the papacy had been rendered useless to him.  This time he must find another way.  The seven-headed beast we have seen throughout Revelation is a depiction of the seven world powers Satan has used against God’s people for a period of nearly four-thousand years.  Since there are no more heads I think it is safe to assume that this time Satan will not use some great nation or power to oppress God’s people.  Satan was very persistent in using this tactic, but I think he has finally realized that it simply will not work.  He can afflict, but never destroy God’s people with this approach.  What will he use then?  I think it will be something very simple but effective.  Satan will not use some great power to try to annihilate God’s power and influence over men, but rather he will use widespread sin and iniquity.

 

From examining the world around us today, it appears that Satan has already been loosed.  It is quite apparent that the Bible no longer has the respect of the average person.  Premarital sex, divorce, abortion, homosexuality, and many other sinful practices are either condoned or openly embraced by most “civilized” societies today.  There are also many very evil but popular movements in the world today which seem to gain momentum every day.  Abortion, feminism, gay rights, evolution and many other ideas are reshaping the way the average person is oriented.  All of these ideas, and their corresponding movements, have caused the world to move away from God and the teachings of the Bible.  These ideas are accepted by most governments and most “intelligent” or “educated” men.  Someone is considered backward, old-fashioned or just plain stupid if he does not go along with these modern trends.  With these tools Satan has once again deceived the nations.  The Dark Ages had the papacy, the twentieth century had evolution, feminism, gay rights and abortion.

 

No longer do people respect the values of the Bible, but the values of so-called “equality” where everyone is considered equal regardless of how immoral their lives may be.  What used to be considered shameful and sinful is now just an “alternative lifestyle.”  Satan has managed to warp the minds of the general populous thereby causing great hardship for those who would live godly.  It is very clear that the world no longer pays any attention to the Bible.  And most so-called “Christian” denominations have also lost their respect for the Bible, if they ever had any.  The Bible has been replaced by creed books, manuals, councils, and conventions as the source of highest spiritual authority.  The seal has been broken, and Satan is once again free to roam about deceiving the nations at his leisure.

 

Back in the eighteenth century when the United States was founded, the framers of the constitution insured that the citizens of the new country would have freedom of religion.  They made what has turned out to be a very large mistake in their wording, however.  We saw that as the French Revolution began even the most vehement opponents of the papacy accepted the certainty of France remaining a Roman Catholic state.  Their goal was to lessen the power of the papacy in the internal affairs of France.  It seems everyone was fooled by what really happened.  Likewise, our founding fathers were fooled with what has happened with religion in this country.  Having come from a Europe still embroiled with religious persecution and controversy, their intent was to insure that whatever form of Christianity a person professed he could follow it to his heart’s desire without fear of government intervention.  The one thing they did take for granted, however, was a Christian state.  They desperately wanted to avoid any form of national religion as had been the case in the countries they came from.  That is, they did not want Catholicism, Lutheranism or any other –ism to be favored by the government.  However, they did expect the country and the government to be Christian in every aspect.  Today, unfortunately, prayer has been banned in schools, the pledge of allegiance is under attack for the phrase “One nation, under God,” even the phrase “in God we trust” on our money is being challenged.  Our founding fathers would certainly cringe to see the state of affairs today.  The phrase “separation of church and state” is not found in the constitution, nor was it ever implied.  Freedom of religion has, much to our disgrace, become freedom FROM religion.

 

Since it appears obvious that the “little season” has begun, the next question is when did the thousand year period end and the “little season” begin?  Just by looking at the way the world has changed in its respect for the Bible and in its concept of morality, we can establish a period of time when Satan was loosed.  Prior to World War II, the world seemed to still be in descent spiritual shape.  World War I and the Great Depression had left their marks on the world, and had actually caused many people to turn to God for help.  But sometime after World War II, when the world began to prosper economically as never before, something changed.  The material blessings that people enjoyed seemed to turn them away from God.  It is exactly the situation which God warned Israel about in the long ago.  “For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.  When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.  Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage” (Deuteronomy 8:7-14).

 

By the 1960’s things had changed drastically.  Drugs were very prevalent among the youth.  It was the age of “free love,” which meant nothing more than widespread fornication.  Feminism and evolution were beginning to have great impacts on society.  Abortion was soon to be legalized in America.  During a few short years Western civilization collapsed morally.  And I believe without a doubt, that we see Satan being loosed during this period.  As morality declined, so did respect for the Bible.  This allowed Satan to operate much more freely and have a much greater impact on the world.

 

I also believe we can tie this in with another prophesy which concerns this time period.  For over 1,500 years the Jews were God’s people.  He cared for and protected them for centuries.  After they had accomplished their mission, bringing the Savior into the world, God once again punished them for their sins.  After allowing forty years for those who would, to become Christians, in A.D. 70 He allowed the Romans to destroy Jerusalem and scatter the Jews across most of the known world.

 

In Acts chapter ten we find a record of the first Gentile converts.  The Jews as a whole had rejected Christ, and the Gentiles soon became the dominant group within the Church.  After the destruction of Jerusalem, the age of the Gentiles had truly begun.  From this point on, God blessed the Gentile world as He once had done for the Jews.  This is why the Western world prospered above everyone else.  But the Apostle Paul spoke of a time to come when the Jew’s fortunes would change.  “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in” (Romans 11:25).  Fullness is from the Greek word “pleroma,” which Strong’s defines as “repletion or completion, i.e. (subjectively) what fills (as contents, supplement, copiousness, multitude), or (objectively) what is filled (as container, performance, period):-which is put in to fill up, piece that filled up, fulfilling, full, fullness.”[1]  The phrase “come in” is from the Greek word “eiserchomai,” which Strong’s defines as “to enter (literally or figuratively):-X arise, come (in, into), enter in (-to), go in (through).”[2]  This is to be a period when the Gentiles are to dominate and the Jews will turn a blind eye to their Savior.  But, eventually, this period will be completed and the Jews will return to an equal footing with the Gentiles.

 

In a warning to Gentiles Paul also said, “Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith.  Be not highminded, but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee” (Romans 11:20-21).  This is exactly what we see in the twentieth century.  The Gentiles as a whole have turned away from God, and the Jews have been allowed to reform into a nation in Palestine.  All of this does not mean that the Jews will rise to supremacy over the Gentile nations.  They have yet to turn to God, so they do not deserve such an exaltation.  The only real change is that the Jews, which had been scattered for nearly 1,900 years have been allowed to return home.  The time when Gentiles would be blessed above the Jews has come to an end.  When the Church first began, most Jews rejected Christ, despite the many prophesies which foretold of His coming.  Many Gentiles, not having the benefit of these prophesies, accepted Christ.  So because the Gentiles demonstrated more faith than God’s own people, He rejected them and scattered them among the Gentile nations.  But now the Gentiles have fallen to such a low state there is no longer a significant difference between them and the Jews.  Therefore, there is no rationale for continuing to bless the Gentiles above the Jews.  Both are ungodly and have a need to repent.

 

Christ gave us an indication as to when this age of the Gentiles was to come to an end.  “And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24).  Times is from the Greek word “kairos,” which Strong’s defines as “an occasion, i.e. set or proper time:-X always, opportunity, (convenient, due) season, (due, short, while) time, a while.”[3]  Fulfilled is from the Greek word “pleroo,” which Strong’s defines as “to make replete, i.e. (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or (figuratively) to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction), etc.:-accomplish, X after, (be) complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfil, (be, make) full (come), fully preach, perfect, supply.”[4]  From these definitions we get the idea that the opportunities of the Gentiles will eventually expire.  And this is what we are looking for to identify the beginning of the little season.  It appears the two are synonymous.  As the Gentiles, for the most part, turn away from God, He will turn back to the Jews, and Satan will be loosed.

 

Christ dated the end of the time of the Gentiles by linking it with the return of the Jews to Jerusalem.  During the late 1800’s many Jews began to return to Palestine in the hopes of establishing a homeland there.  In 1948 they were strong enough to declare an independent Jewish state.  The next day after declaring independence, they were attacked by Arab forces whom they defeated.  When Israel was formed in 1948 only the western half of Jerusalem was controlled by the Jews.  There were subsequent wars with the Arabs in 1956, 1967, and 1973.  In the 1967 war, Israel captured East Jerusalem along with other territory.  This marked the end of Gentile control of Jerusalem.  Thus the age of the Gentiles has come to an end, and this is because they have turned away from God.  The reason I believe these two prophesies coincide, is because the cause which brings both of them about, is the same thing, the Gentiles turning away from God.  When the Gentiles turn away from God, this signifies the end of the thousand year period, and the beginning of the “little season.”  At the same time, the Gentile’s turn from God marks the end of the age of the Gentiles.  This allows us to get a fairly precise end point for the thousand year period.  So we have it extending from 1400 to 1948, from the beginning of the Reformation to the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel in Palestine.

 

It is easy to see why an indefinite period of time was used to describe Satan’s binding.  The beginning point was somewhat ambiguous, and could vary several decades from where we have placed it, depending on the person looking at it.  The Reformation began slowly and there is no defining event to mark its official start.  Satan was not completely bound in a day, but literally over a period of several decades, and the chains continued to be tightened for centuries.  Fortunately, the end point was not as difficult to pin down.  There was a clear cut event that marked the time when Satan was loosed.

 

There is another item we can look at that will reinforce what we have already said.  We have already found that the Bible is the key to the bottomless pit.  It is what has the power to hinder and impede Satan’s work.  We also saw previously that the Bible had basically been taken from the earth.  It was still in existence, but the Catholic Church made sure that no one but the clergy had access to it.  That way they could keep the people in ignorance and teach them whatever they chose without fear of dissension.  But we saw in chapter ten that the Bible was brought back to the earth, this was what started the Reformation.  “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: and he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth” (Revelation 10:1-2).  This reaffirms the idea that the thousand year period began around the year 1400.  It was about this time that the Bible began to have an effect on the world, and Satan began to be bound.  The angel that John saw deliver the Bible in chapter ten is the same angel who bound Satan.  In fact the two events are synonymous.  Chapters ten and twenty describe the exact same events, they just show their impact on two different things.  Chapter ten showed the impact on the papacy, whereas chapter twenty shows the impact on Satan himself.

 

The period from 1789 to 1948 is represented by the letter written to the Church at Philadelphia.  There is a part of that letter which fits very appropriately into our present discussion.  Christ speaks of the Jews in this letter, which I believe, further justifies the tying together of the two prophesies we just discussed.  “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.  Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:9-10).

 

“Them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie,” refers to the Jews.  The reason the statement is made this way, is that although they claimed to be Jews, and ethnically they actually were Jews, they denied both by the way they lived.  They did not follow the Law of Moses as a Jew should.  Thus they were actually of the “synagogue of Satan.”  They were not God’s people, but were servants of Satan.  Christ says He will make the Jews “come and worship before thy feet.”  In other words the Jews are to “worship” before the feet of the Gentiles.  Worship is from the Greek word “proskuneo,” which Strong’s defines as “(meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):-worship.”[5]  The period of Philadelphia was one of the two which had nothing bad said about it.  God was very pleased with His people, and the Gentile world as a whole, during this time.  He caused the Jews to be put into a position which forced them to “worship” the gentile nations.  Had it not been for the United Nations, and Great Britain in particular, the Arabs would have certainly destroyed Israel as soon as it was formed in 1948.  Throughout this period Israel owed its very survival to the Western world.  But soon after the end of this period, when the age of the Gentiles was over, Israel had become strong enough to protect itself from its enemies without direct intervention from the West.

 

Another important question that needs to be addressed is how long is this “little season” of Satan’s loosing supposed to last?  I do not believe the Bible answers this question for us, and probably for good reason.  Satan will no doubt be loose until the end of the world.  So if we knew how long this period of time was to be, then we would know approximately when the world was to end, and that is something we are not meant to know.  “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36).  So in this case the lack of information actually tells us a lot.  It tells us that Satan will be loose, and that sin and evil will prevail, until the end of the world.

 

 

20:4  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

 

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them.”  It is not readily apparent who “they” are who are to occupy these thrones of judgment.  It is the wording of the King James translation which makes this appear so unclear.  The Revised Standard Version renders this sentence as, “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed.”  This still does not identify the occupants of the thrones, but the sentence does make more sense.

 

Those on the thrones were likely the twenty-four elders seen several times before in Revelation.  In speaking to His apostles Christ once said, “Verily I say unto you, ‘That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel’” (Matthew 19:28).  If we know the twelve apostles are to be here, then it is safe to assume that the twelve patriarchs are with them, sine they have been seen together several times now, but never separate.

 

John also saw those who had been martyred for Christ, as well as those who had managed to escape the evil influence of the beast and his image, and had never received his mark.  These people were righteous and fit to reign with Christ for a thousand years.

 

When it speaks of these people reigning with Christ it obviously does not refer to people physically reigning with Christ on the earth.  First of all, we know that those who were beheaded are no longer alive.  Secondly, no person could live through the 500 plus year period under consideration.  This should be no surprise to us anyway, since Christ’s kingdom is spiritual and not physical.  “Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence” (John 18:36).  Those who are to reign with Christ are to do so spiritually.  Although they will all die physically they will live on with Christ and continue to reign with Him in His Kingdom.

 

Christ spoke of men who had died, and although having never been resurrected, were alive.  “But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:31-32).  These three men had all died, but yet were still alive.  Likewise, those who died in the Lord after the establishment of the Church, continue to live even after their physical deaths.

 

Christ said, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).  Thus showing that someone is made alive, or is resurrected, when he becomes a Christian.  Physically nothing changes, but the spirit of a man, which was previously dead in sin, comes alive in Christ.

 

Jesus further said, “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.  As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me” (John 6:56-57).  A Christian dwells in Christ and Christ dwells in that person.  Of course this does not happen physically, but speaks of the communion of man’s spirit with Christ’s Spirit.  This is not affected when a person dies physically.  Thus a person can continue to live and reign with Christ even after they die physically.  Much more could be said, but it should be quite apparent by now that a person need not be alive physically to “live and reign” with Christ.

 

We now need to discuss what it means for Christ to “reign” in his Kingdom.  The Kingdom is the Church and has been in existence since A.D. 30, and it will continue in existence for ever.  After the end of the world it will not end, but will simply be transplanted to Heaven.  From its inception Christ has reigned supreme in His Kingdom.  No one can threaten His position of superiority over His Church.

 

In chapter twelve we found that Christ was to “rule all nations with a rod of iron.”  It is normally assumed that this is just another reference to His reign over his Kingdom.  But allow me to suggest that Christ’s reign over His Kingdom and His reign over the nations are two completely separate things.

 

Then what is His rule over the nations?  It certainly does not refer to a literal earthly rule but rather implies a domination of the nations by Christ.  This is done throughout the influence of the Bible and the Church.  They both spread Christian ideals and principles among all nations and thereby have a tremendous impact on them.  This causes Christ’s influence to be greater than anyone else’s.  By this He is said to rule all nations.  But for a long span of time during the Dark Ages the Church was in hiding and the Bible prophesied in sackcloth.  Christ’s influence was therefore very minimal.  He cannot truly be said to have been ruling the nations at that time.  If anyone was ruling the nations at that time it was the “god of this world,” Satan (II Corinthians 4:4).  At that time his influence was greater.  He had deceived the nations with the papacy and had a strangle hold on the entire world.

 

This period of time when Christ ruled was alluded to in chapter fourteen.  “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13).  As we said back in chapter fourteen this period of time is unparalleled in the history of the Church.  After the fall of the papacy the Church experienced a period of unprecedented peace and prosperity, particularly in America.  In this sense also, those who live after the fall of spiritual Rome are blessed.  They are privileged to live in the golden age of the Lord’s Church.

 

It was not until the Reformation began that Christ’s influence started to spread and Satan’s to diminish.  There cannot be two different sovereigns at the same time.  One or the other will have the true power.  From the beginning of the Church until the Reformation Satan enjoyed the upper hand.  But from the Reformation, until the loosing of Satan, Christ had the upper hand.  Now Satan has been able to reassert himself, and will remain dominant until he is finally cast down into the lake of fire.  A very succinct way of summing it all up is this.  Christ rules when the Bible rules.  Christ is the Word of God, when it is respected, He is respected, when it is rejected He is rejected.  Thus Christ’s reign over the nations coincides with the period of time when the Bible had Satan bound in the bottomless pit.

 

There is another point we can examine that also supports this conclusion.  We have seen that Satan is to be bound for a thousand years and “after that he must be loosed a little season.”  The wording clearly shows that the little season will be AFTER the one-thousand years and not a part of it.  Verse seven confirms this idea.  It tells us that “when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.”  This leaves no possible way for the little season to be part of the thousand years.  And since it is only during the one-thousand years that Christ is to reign this allows us to see that there will be a part of the Christian era in which Christ will not reign.  This is only speaking of His reigning over the nations, however.  He will always reign over His own Kingdom.  Thus we know that the Church being in existence is not the only criterion which must be met before it can be said that Christ is reigning over the nations.  The fact is Christ is not reigning over the nations now and has not done so since 1948.  If He is not currently reigning over the nations then it should not be hard for us to believe that there was also another period when He did not reign.  And that period was from the establishment of the Church until the Reformation.

 

Now let us look back to chapter two where we read the letter to the Church at Thyatira.  We said it represented the period of time from 533 to 1400.  Let us now take a closer look at part of it in the light of what we have just learned.  “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.  And I will give him the morning star” (Revelation 2:26-28).  Here Christ clearly indicates that those who make it through this period without being corrupted, will rule or reign over the nations with a rod of iron.  It is said that Christ would rule with a rod of iron in Psalm 2:9.  So these people will be ruling or reigning with Christ.  This agrees with what we have just said.  Although Christ was reigning over His kingdom from its origin, He did not begin to really reign over the nations until the Reformation.  This reinforces the idea that the thousand year period will begin around the year 1400, as Satan will begin to be bound.

 

This brings us to the most interesting part of this passage.  Look very closely at verse twenty-eight, “I will give him the morning star.”  The question is, what is the morning star?  It turns out to be very interesting indeed.  In the book of Isaiah we find the following passage: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12).  Lucifer, is of course the name of Satan when he was an angel of God.  The name Lucifer is from the Hebrew word “heylel,” which Strong’s defines as, “(in the sense of brightness); the morning-star:—lucifer.”[6]  So in reality, when Christ says he will give them the morning star, He is saying He will give them Satan.  Obviously He will not literally give them Satan as a present.  “Give” is from the Greek word “didomi,” which Strong’s defines as “to give (used in a very wide application, properly or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection):-adventure, bestow, bring forth, commit, deliver (up), give, grant, hinder, make, minister, number, offer, have power, put, receive, set, shew, smite (+ with the hand), strike (+ with the palm of the hand), suffer, take, utter, yield.”[7]  We see one of the meanings of this word is “hinder.”  This is exactly what was done to Satan when the Bible began to have an impact on the world during the Reformation.

 

So we see in this passage Christ promising to hinder Satan, which was done through the Bible, and also to reign with His people over the nations, which was also done by virtue of the Bible.  Everything here is tied to what we saw in chapter ten.  When the Bible was delivered back to the common man it truly shook up the world.  It hindered Satan and bound him for a thousand years.  And it increased Christ’s influence tremendously.  It was during this period of time, as our present verse points out, that Christians “lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

 

 

20:5  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.  This is the first resurrection.

 

“The rest of the dead.”  We have already talked extensively in the previous verse about those who died in the Lord.  They died physically, but continued to live and reign with Christ in His Kingdom.  Now John turns to consider the “rest of the dead,” those who died and were not Christians.  Since they were never “resurrected” spiritually, by becoming Christians, they had no spiritual life in them, and as a result, when they died physically, they were considered dead.  This does not mean they ceased to exist, because they did not.  The story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke chapter sixteen reveals to us that both the righteous and unrighteous are alive and aware beyond the grave.  However, they are separated and experience vastly different circumstances.  The righteous experiencing pleasure, while the unrighteous are tormented.

 

Some would argue that this story is simply a parable and can not properly be used to reach the above conclusion.  This argument fails on two different and distinct points.  Number one, every story or parable Christ ever told at the very least could have been true.  That is, it did not involve things or places that do not exist.  Even if some of the things in His parables never actually occurred, there is no logical reason why they could not have occurred.  The second reason is that Jesus used proper names.  In every story that is clearly a parable He never referred to anyone by name.  Instead He would say things such as “a certain man” (Mathew 21:28; Luke 10:30, 13:6, 14:16, 15:11, 20:9), “a sower” (Matthew 13:3),  “a man” (Matthew 13:24, 13:31), “a woman” (Matthew 13:33), “a certain rich man” (Luke 12:16), to name just a few.  It is always very apparent when He is making up a story as an illustration and when He is relating an actual event.  The story of Lazarus and the rich man is a real event.

 

The rest of the dead “lived not again until the thousand years were finished.”  This cannot be taken to mean that the unrighteous dead will be resurrected immediately after the end of the thousand years.  They will have to wait until the “little season” is completed before the resurrection will occur.  Regardless of how you interpret the thousand years, the unrighteous dead will not be resurrected until after it is over.

 

“This is the first resurrection.”  The obvious question is, what is the first resurrection?  At first it is not apparent what he is talking about, but if we remember our discussion from the previous verse it will become clear.  The first part of our present verse was interjected to show us that not everyone will “live and reign with Christ.”  Some will be dead during this period.  The “first” resurrection which he refers to here is that of the Christians.  In our discussion of the previous verse we said that the righteous are made alive when they become Christians.  Christ further said, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).  When someone passes form death unto life what is this called?  It is a resurrection!  This is what he means by the first resurrection.  When a person becomes a Christian, they change from being a person laden with sins who has no hope, and who is destined to spend eternity in Hell, to a person who has been forgiven of his sins, and who is alive in Christ.

 

When John speaks of the “first resurrection,” this implies that there must be at least one more resurrection.  For if this were the only one, then it would be called “the” resurrection, and not the “first” resurrection.  The second resurrection will be the resurrection of all the dead, righteous and unrighteous alike, at the end of the world.  Christ clearly taught that there is to be a general resurrection of all men in the future.  “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29).  All men, regardless of how or when they lived, will be resurrected at exactly the same time.

 

So the first resurrection is what allows someone to become a Christian, it is symbolized in baptism.  A resurrection is a rebirth, which is exactly what a person must go through to become a Christian.  “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever” (I Peter 1:23).  And the Apostle Paul spoke of the spiritual resurrection in Christ as being baptism.  “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection” (Romans 6:3-5).  Man’s spiritual resurrection takes place when he symbolically repeats the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ in baptism.

 

Christ Himself spoke of the need for man to be resurrected, or as he put it, born again.  This is accomplished through baptism, which gives someone access to the blood of Christ.  “The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, ‘Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.’  Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’  Nicodemus saith unto him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old?  Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?’  Jesus answered, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again’” (John 3:2-7).  It is now quite clear that the first resurrection is baptism, and the second is the general resurrection of the dead at the end of the world.

 

 

20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

 

Verse six strengthens the conclusions just reached in verse five.  Truly those who have a part in the first resurrection are “blessed and holy,” since it makes them Christians.  “On such the second death hath no power.”  What is the second death?  What is the first death for that matter?  The first death is the death of the physical body.  “The body without the spirit is dead” (James 2:26).  Notice that this death is not a cessation of life but a separation of the body and spirit.

 

The second death concerns the eternal spirit of man.  This is shown by a statement we saw back in chapter two.  “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death” (Revelation 2:11).  At the close of each of the seven letters Christ listed eternal rewards for those who served Him.  In this case it was escape from the second death.  This must mean then that the second death concerns the spirit of man.

 

Since this spirit is eternal it can never actually die.  When the Bible speaks of the death of the spirit it is referring to the spirit being separated from God.  Just as physical death is a separation, so too is spiritual death.  The Apostle Paul spoke of what the Lord will do to those who never become Christians.  “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (II Thessalonians 1:8-9).  Their destruction will be that they will be driven “from the presence of the Lord.”  They will be separated from the source of all good things.

 

When Adam sinned he drove a wedge between God and man, that wedge was sin.  While man was separated form God he was spiritually dead.  Paul clearly taught that men who are sinners are dead, though still alive.  “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).  Christ came and took away that wedge of separation, by bearing the penalty for man’s sins.  “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:10).  Thus, when men obey the commandments of God, they regain access to God and are made alive spiritually.  Those who never become Christians will someday be eternally banished from the presence of God, which is the second death.  “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

 

So we can now see that the first death is the death of the physical body, and the second death is the banishment of man’s spirit into eternal Hell.  It clearly makes sense to say that those who have part in the first resurrection, which is baptism, will not taste of the second death, which is eternal Hell.

 

I once heard someone express this situation in a very interesting way.  He said, “If you are only born once then you will die twice.  But if you are born twice, then you will only die once.”  What he meant by this is very simple.  If someone is only born once, that is physically, it means they were never born again to become a Christian.  Therefore, they must endure, not only a physical death, but also a spiritual death.  But, on the other hand, if someone is born twice this means they were reborn and became a Christian.  Consequently, they will die physically by not spiritually.

 

“But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”  Those who have become Christians, have been made alive spiritually, and thereby live and reign with Christ during His period of triumph over Satan.

 

 

20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

 

During the thousand years Satan was restricted by the influence the Bible had on the world.  But in the twentieth century the Bible began to lose its influence.  As a consequence Satan began to enjoy more freedom.  He then used this freedom to deceive the nations once more.  He did this through widespread sin and moral corruption.

 

 

20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

 

In verse three we learned that Satan would be largely unable to deceive the nations during the thousand year period.  But once that period is over, he will again be able to weave his web of deceit and sin.  He will ensnare the nations of the world in his web, and cause them to work against God and His Church.  “The four quarters of the earth,” is simply a way of referring to the entire world.  We saw the sixth vial dry up the Euphrates River when it was poured out.  This symbolized the uniting of the world.  So the things we are reading about here, do not just apply to the Western world, as have most of the earlier portions of this book, by involves all of humanity.

 

“Gog and Magog” are a kingdom and its king found in the Old Testament.  They are discussed extensively in the thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth chapters of the book of Ezekiel.  Here in Revelation they are used as a catch-all to refer to all the heathen nations that Satan will gather to fight against God and His people.  This is really the same idea expressed in chapter sixteen.  “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.  Both expressions tell us of the great battle between the forces of good and evil.  It is an on going battle that will last until the end of the world.

 

Upon examining the story of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel, it is easy to understand why the Lord chose to use it to illustrate the circumstances surrounding this great spiritual battle.  It pictures a great godless horde descending on God’s people, but eventually meeting utter and total defeat.  We shall now examine this story and note many of the similarities.

 

“And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: and I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of amour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee” (Ezekiel 38:1-6).

 

Here we see a great force composed of many nations gathering for battle against God’s people.  Similarly, Satan will draw many nations into the battle he is fighting against God.

 

“Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them” (Ezekiel 38:7).

 

Here God almost taunts Gog telling them to make every preparation possible before they decide to come against His people.  It will matter little how they prepare since their defeat is already a forgone conclusion.  Similarly, Satan and his forces are destined to lose the final battle regardless of how large their forces are, or how well they are prepared.

 

“After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.  Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.  Thus saith the Lord God; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: and thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.  Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil?  Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey?  To carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?” (Ezekiel 38:8-13).

 

Here we see this great horde of Godless warriors descending from the north upon Israel, God’s people.  They knew that Israel was dwelling in peace in unwalled cities.  That they were not really prepared for a great invasion and would seem to be easy prey for a strong army.  So Gog thought they could come sweeping through looting and destroying without any fear of defeat.  Similarly, we see today the majority of the population has become godless and immoral and is fighting against Christian principles.  And as a consequence of this the majority of men have turned against God.  This, in turn, has led the leaders of the nations to also turn against God and accept the deceptions of Satan once again.  To the world Christians seem to be a defenseless prey who can be easily trodden upon.  This is because Christians are meek and allow themselves to be overrun trusting in God to deliver or avenge them.

 

“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?  And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: and thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.  Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?  And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my fury shall come up in my face.  For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; so that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.  And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.  Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 38:14-23).

 

The most interesting part of the above passage is the reference to how this great army will ultimately be defeated.  “Every man’s sword shall be against his brother.”  When dealing with evil and unrighteous people it is common to see bickering and fighting within the group.  The internal strife will be so severe among these people that they will begin to turn their own swords on each other.  Sin is like a cancer and will eventually destroy whatever it inhabits.  This wicked army was doomed from the start because of its vile and base nature.  The same problem is inherent in Satan’s army.  The character of his followers will prevent any cohesion or unity from developing.  And as Christ said, “And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mark 3:24).

 

The above passage also described for us the conditions that will prevail during this time.  When all is said and done God’s defeat of these heathens will be so astounding that even the fish, and birds, and animals will fear the wrath of God.  We also notice a great similarity between this passage and the pouring out of the seventh vial.  In both instances we find a time of great turmoil and chaos with the mountains, or kingdoms, being thrown down.

 

“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.  And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.  And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.  And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.  And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great” (Revelation 16:17-21).

 

The message given by both of these passages is quite clear.  A period of great chaos and upheaval throughout the world will result from God’s wrath.  Of course the brunt of these things will be borne by the wicked and unrighteous.

 

In the following verses we will see God proclaim His judgment against Gog.

 

“Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: and I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel” (Ezekiel 39:1-2).

 

The decimation of Gog will be so thorough that only one-sixth of the massive army will survive.  This is a terrible slaughter.  Its common for the losing side to suffer heavy casualties, but this is an unbelievably high percentage.  God will grant no mercy to these heathens.  Likewise, God will have no mercy in his overthrow of Satan and his accomplices in evil.  He will utterly crush and annihilate them without end.

 

“And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.  Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.  Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God” (Ezekiel 39:3-5).

 

God now tells Gog that they will end up on the menu of the fowls and wild beasts.  Their dead bodies will litter the battleground and will make easy pickings for these creatures.  This is similar to what we saw in Revelation chapter nineteen.  There the fowls were invited to feast upon the bodies of the wicked which were slain in the battle of Armageddon.

 

“And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord.  So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.  Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken” (Ezekiel 39:6-8).

 

Because of the great slaughter that will be inflicted upon Gog the world will take notice.  They will see the power and might of God.  His name will then be both respected and feared among the heathens of the world.  Then He says, “It is done.”  This is exactly what was said when the seventh vial was poured out.  It gives the impression of finality.  Just like the seventh vial meant the certain downfall of Satan, this prophesy means the certain downfall of Gog.  All God has to do is say that they will be defeated and it is more certain than if it had already happened.

 

“And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: so that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God.  And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamon‑gog.  And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.  Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God.  And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.  And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamon‑gog.  And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah.  Thus shall they cleanse the land” (Ezekiel 39:9-16).

 

This provides the most graphic evidence yet as to the magnitude of the slaughter.  It would take over seven months to bury all of the dead bodies which resulted from the battle.  The amount of death and destruction here is staggering.  Likewise, the overthrow of the wicked in the final battle will be of enormous proportions.

 

“And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.  Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.  And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of my sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.  Thus ye shall be filled at my table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God” (Ezekiel 39:17-20).

 

Once again, mention is made of the fowls and animals which will experience a feast from this battle.  This time they are not only mentioned but are actually invited to come and enjoy the plenty which God has provided for them.  This is exactly what was seen back in chapter nineteen.  God is giving these creatures advanced warning so that they can make plans to be there for the great feast.

 

“And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.  So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward.  And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity: because they trespassed against me, therefore hid I my face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies: so fell they all by the sword.  According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid my face from them.  Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name; after that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.  When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations; then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them any more there.  Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God” (Ezekiel 39:21-29).

 

As a result of all these events the heathen will learn to fear God, and His own people will be reassured at His willingness and ability to protect them.  The horrible fate that was predicted so vividly for Gog likewise awaits all who set themselves up in opposition to God.  They are destined to be utterly destroyed.  Satan knows he cannot win this battle, but it is his intention to do as much damage, and destroy as many souls as he can in the process.

 

We can certainly see why the Lord chose to use this example to describe for us this great battle.  It has many similarities to the things He has already told us about it, and adds some very colorful details to our conception of it.  But the one message that comes through loud and clear is this.  Anyone who would seek to oppose God or to hinder His people faces swift and sudden destruction the like of which man is hardly capable of imagining.

 

This verse closes with the statement “the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.”  This means nothing more than to tell us that the number of people who will enlist in Satan’s army to fight against God will be very large.  The forces of evil will vastly outnumber the forces of good, but since God is on the side of the good, they cannot help but emerge victorious.  The size of Satan’s army means only one thing.  It means more food for the vultures.

 

Again we should reiterate the point that all of this talk of struggles and battles is intended in the spiritual sense.  Christ will never lead an army onto a literal field of battle against Satan.  It is just as the Apostle Paul said.  As God’s children “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” (Ephesians 6:12).

 

 

20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

 

“They” being the nations referred to in the previous verse, encircled the “camp of the saints.”  The camp of the saints simply refers to the true Christians as though they were arrayed on the battlefield.  What this really pictures is the forces of evil prevailing throughout the world, and the world becoming a more and more difficult place for Christians to live.  Society will become such that many aspects of it will be contrary to Christian principles.  The forces of evil will nearly overwhelm the forces of good by sheer numbers.  It also pictures Christianity as being in great danger.  The Lord’s Church is surrounded and has no way out.  But then, just in the nick of time, “fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.”  God will not allow His Church to pass away.  He has cared for and nurtured it through very difficult and trying times.  Now, facing annihilation at the hands of Satan and his deceptions, God calls an end to it all.  He ends the world rather than allow His Church to be overcome.

 

All of this very closely parallels the story of Gog and Magog we just read.  Israel was seemingly overwhelmed by a much larger and superior force.  They were literally surrounded by these godless hordes on the field of battle.  But God would not allow His people to be destroyed.  Rather He brought great destruction against the ungodly heathens who were causing the threat.

 

 

20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

 

Now that the end of the world has come, it is time for Satan to receive his just desserts for all that he has done.  But I just do not know if there is enough punishment to make up for all of the damage he has caused.  He will be cast into the “lake of fire and brimstone,” which is eternal Hell.  When he arrives he will find himself with a lot of company.  His old friends, the beast and the false prophet, will be there among many others.

 

There should be no doubt that Hell is the eventual destiny of the great beast, the Roman Catholic Church, and its secular arm, the Holy Roman Empire, who is referred to here as the false prophet.  After all that they have done to harm and injure the Lord’s Church and anything else of virtue, they deserve nothing less than to spend eternity with their master, Satan, in the searing flames of Hell.  And indeed they shall be “tormented day and night for ever and ever.”  The phrase “day and night” does not mean that there will actually be days and nights in Hell as there presently are on the earth.  This is simply said to indicate to us that the punishment for those in Hell will be continual, without any intermission.  You could say it will be “around the clock,” except there will be no need for clocks in eternity.

 

The sun and moon and every other heavenly body will be destroyed at the end of the world, which will eliminate all physical light.  In Hell there will be nothing but one long eternal night.  In referring to the fate of the unrighteous Christ said, “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30).  So Hell will be a place of unending darkness and pain from which there is no escape.

 

 

20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

 

We have now arrived at the end of time.  We see a picture here of God sitting upon His throne to judge the world.  Although it is not stated here that this is God, the next verse confirms it for us.  The throne is said here to be of a white color.  We have seen several things throughout this book that were white, and this color has always denoted holiness and righteousness.  These things certainly describe the character of God, and thus His throne is pictured as being this color as He sits in judgment of the world.  It is because He is perfect and without fault that He is qualified to sit in judgment of others.

 

For the Christian the return of the Lord will be a most joyful event, as the Apostle Paul pointed out.  “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (II Timothy 4:8).  But the return of the Lord will have quite a different effect on the unrighteous.  They will seek to hide from Him and the condemnation which they know is to be theirs.  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (II Corinthians 5:10).  This is the reason for the statement we find in the verse above, “from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.”  Those who are not God’s people will desire an escape from His presence because they know what it means for them.  To say that the “earth and the heaven fled away,” simply means that everyone, regardless of where they were when they saw the Lord return, sought to flee His approach.  But of course they found no place where they could hide from the omnipresent One.

 

 

20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

 

Here at the end of the world the time has come for every man to face the consequences of His deeds.  The dead have been resurrected, and the Lord sits upon His throne as judge and king, as He said He would.  “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:25-29).

 

It is very significant to note that both the “small and great” will appear together beside God.  To God there is no difference among men.  He does not respect material possessions, education, power, knowledge, or any such thing.  The only thing the Lord regards is obedience.  Notice how the Apostle Paul spoke of Christians.  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).  All of the differences Paul mentioned are part of this physical world which will soon be destroyed.  Although men quite often have difficulty in looking beyond the present circumstances, God does not.  God sees through the physicality of the present and judges the heart of each individual.

 

“The books were opened.”  What books is he talking about here?  He mentions the book of life separately as “another book,” so it has nothing to do with the “books.”  We find that men are to be judged from these books.  Christ said, “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48).  Since He tells us His word is what will judge men in the last day, we can conclude that the books mentioned here are the Bible.  It is spoken of as books because it is composed of two separate Testaments, the Old and New.  Some men will be judged from the Old and some from the New, depending upon which dispensation they lived under.

 

The Bible is the divine guide and road map which has been given for men to follow.  Therefore, it is very reasonable to say that men will be judged according to its teachings.  Each person will be judged according to the laws in effect at the time they lived.  The life of each and every person is to be held side by side with the word of God, which is the pattern for the lives of God’s people.  If the life compares favorably with the pattern, then the person will be found faithful and rewarded.  But if the life is found to be inconsistent with the pattern, then the person will be found guilty and condemned.  The Apostle Paul summed it all up very well.  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (II Corinthians 5:10).

 

John also mentions another book that is present at this occasion, the “book of life.”  But what exactly is this book of life?  There are only two other references to this book outside of Revelation.  The Hebrew letter speaks of members of the Lord’s Church being “written in Heaven” (Hebrews 12:23).  This undoubtedly is a reference to the book of life which contains the names of all those who have found life through Jesus Christ.  And in the Philippian letter, the Apostle Paul names some who have worked with him as having their names written in the book of life (Philippians 4:3).  Both of these passages confirm the idea that the book of life is nothing more than a list of those people who have been saved from their sins by becoming members of the Lord’s Church.

 

 

20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

 

“The sea gave up the dead which were in it.”  This does not mean that people who died at sea are literally going to be resurrected and arise out of the sea.  The story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke chapter sixteen shows us where men go when they die.  Their physical bodies are destroyed through rot and decay or some other means.  But the spirits continue to live, although in a different place called Hades.  When the resurrection occurs at the end of the world, the spirits of men who have died will come forth from Hades, but their physical bodies will never come back to life.  The Apostle Paul clearly taught that the physical body of man will not be what is resurrected.  “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.  There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (I Corinthians 15:44).  When the Lord returns He will not come and physically resurrect the dead, but will bring them with Him from Hades when He comes.  “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (I Thessalonians 4:13-14).

 

“And death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them.”  Death and Hell (Hades) are mentioned to tell us that every single person that has died will be resurrected.  The spirit of every dead person is currently residing in Hades, so the statement is really redundant.  He actually includes every person twice, but this is to make sure no one misinterprets what he is saying.

 

“And they were judged every man according to their works.”  This is the same thought expressed in the previous verse.  Every single person who has ever lived a single second on God’s earth, will one day be judged by what he has and has not done with his life.  As the Hebrew letter tells us “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

 

 

20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.

 

Death and Hell, or Hades, obviously are not intelligent feeling beings which can be cast into eternal Hell to be punished.  The intent here is to show their utter destruction.  Hell is thought of as a place of no return.  When someone is sent to Hell they will be there for ever and ever.  This is the thought John is trying to convey to us.  At this point death will cease to exist.  The Apostle Paul pointed this out very clearly.  “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (I Corinthians 15:24-26).  When the Lord resurrects all who have ever died, He will have completely overthrown and conquered death.

 

The “second death,” which we discussed at length earlier in this chapter, is not truly a death in the sense that it is a cessation of life, rather, it is a banishment from the presence of God.  It is important to notice that this phrase is actually part of a separate sentence.  It really has nothing to do with death and Hell, or anyone else who is cast into Hell, but is included merely to tell us that the lake of fire is the second death.  That piece of information was invaluable to us in our earlier discussion of the two deaths and resurrections in this chapter.

 

 

20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

 

The book of life, as mentioned earlier, is nothing more than a book listing the names of all men who have lived faithful lives to God.  Those who have fervently sought to please God according to His will.  This verse tells us something that really should be very obvious to us.  Since those whose names were not written in the Book of life have obviously been unfaithful to God, we should expect that they would be cast into Hell.

 

 

 

 

                                                                             

 


[1] Ibid., s.v. “Greek #4138.”

 

[2] Ibid., s.v. “Greek #1525.”

 

[3] Ibid., s.v. “Greek #2540.”

 

[4] Ibid., s.v. “Greek #4137.”

 

[5] Ibid., s.v. “Greek #4352.”

 

[6] Ibid., s.v. “Greek #1966.”

 

[7] Ibid., s.v. “Greek #1325.”