Revelation 20:7-10--The Defeat of Satan

Revelation 20:7-10
English Standard Version

The Defeat of Satan
7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

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At the end of his thousand-year sentence, Satan is released from his prison that was the Abyss or Bottomless Pit.  He will once again do his work to deceive the nations--every nation of the world, even to the farthest reaches away from the Holy Land like the lands of God and Magog (See Ezekiel 38 and 39--God is a leader of a land called Magog, though Magog is also a descendent of Japheth that his land is probably named after--see Genesis 10:2).  The coalition of nations from Ezekiel 38 and 39 also included nations descended from Ham.  Remember that the whole geography of the earth has changed since the time of the bowl judgments--every low place was brought up, the mountains (with the exception of Mount Zion, which was made higher) were made low and all the islands disappeared so that the inhabitants of the earth lived on a giant plain.

They are going to try the same tactics as last time 1,000 years ago, yet, somehow they are convinced because of the delusions of Satan that this time they are going to be successful.  They gather all the armies of the earth together to march against the camp of the saints (probably at Jerusalem on Mount Zion).  The horde was too numerous to be counted--it was like the sands of the seashore (people have been having lots of kids during the 1,000-years Millennial Kingdom).

Again, no man lifts a finger to achieve this victory.  Last time, the spoken Word from the mouth of Jesus ended the battle decisively.  This time, fire comes down from heaven to consume the advancing horde of rebels (a little taste of the fiery judgment that is to come for them).  Then, the devil was captured and thrown into the Lake of Fire--a permanent change of address for him--to join the Antichrist and False Prophet who were already thrown in alive at the end of the Tribulation period before the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom.  (I have a hard time believing that the 1,000-year period is metaphorical when it is not only the term of imprisonment for Satan, but the period for which the Antichrist and False Prophet are thrown into The Lake of Fire alive before Satan or any other souls join them--they get an extra-long sentence (eternal life + 1,000 years).  There, Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet (and all who followed after them and wanted to join their rebellion throughout all generations) will suffer and be tortured and tormented day and night forever and ever without end.  This is not annihilation where those thrown into The Lake of Fire just cease to exist--that is a false teaching.  This text tells us that after 1,000 years, the Antichrist and False Prophet are still there suffering, and they will continue to suffer for all eternity.  People are eternal beings made in the image of God who is also eternal (we are like a ray that has a definite start point but extends eternally in one direction--the future., but God is like a line that extends eternally in both directions--past and future--yet, past, present, and future really don't matter to God because He is in all places at all times simultaneously.)

We'll talk a bit more about the judgment that is to come to those who burn in The Lake of Fire, and the list of people who will be thrown into The Lake of Fire might surprise you a bit, but I think the last verse of this chapter is a good summary, "And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."  There are only two options.  You are a written in the Lamb's Book of Life and are a citizen of heaven and will inherit the New Heavens and New Earth or you are a not found in the Lamb's Book of Life and are a citizen of the kingdom of this world that will pass away and you will spend eternity in The Lake of Fire that was created for the devil and his angels.  There is no third choice--there is no Purgatory or Limbo.  You either are part of the group that hears "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." (Matthew 25:21 and 23) or you will be part of the group that hears, "‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.." (Matthew 7:23).

I'll end with an "altar call" or "call to action" of sorts from Hebrews 4.  It is not sufficient to hear the truth and not act upon it.  If you want to know how you can be born again and receive the eternal life that only Jesus can offer (see John 3) and become a member of the family of God by Adoption (Ephesians 1:3-6) and how you can have this sure hope of this "eternal weight of glory" that "far outweighs" the "light and momentary afflictions" that this world has to offer (when compared the the eternal afflictions awaiting those whose end is The Lake of Fire) (see 2 Corinthians 4:17), you can go to the ChatAboutJesus.com link under the Links and Resources tab.  You may also find the resources under the Evangelism tab helpful (these tools teach others to share the gospel, but they will all contain a gospel presentation meant to share with others--maybe you are the one it was meant to be shared with).  If you still have questions, please feel free to use the "Contact Us" form.

Hebrews 4
English Standard Version
4 Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 2 For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,

“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’”

although his works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For he has somewhere spoken of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works.” 5 And again in this passage he said,

“They shall not enter my rest.”

6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”

8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. 9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jesus the Great High Priest
14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.


You may feel like this is heavy-handed, but God often does the same thing in the Scriptures and we know that God is Good and All-Loving (Omnibenevolent) so it cannot be unloving or evil to lay the choice of eternal life and eternal death before people who currently are part of the kingdom of darkness but we hope to have them become citizens of the Kingdom of His marvelous light.

Deuteronomy 30:11-20
English Standard Version

The Choice of Life and Death
11 “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.

15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. 17 But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, 20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

We'll see the same kind of choice given to all people for eternal life given to all people by Jesus and the Holy Spirit at the end of this book.  It also gives us a choice whether we want to have our inheritance be The Tree of Life or The Lake of Fire.  It is your choice.