Revelation 20:7-15 Series

Revelation 20:7-15

The Defeat of Satan

Revelation 20:7-10 ~ 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.

Verse 7 starts off with Satan being released from the Bottomless Pit, but God does something interesting here, He doesn't allow the Beast or the False Prophet out along with him. God understands that the three of them being out is for sure a bad idea but Satan is allowed out.

Now keep in mind at this point there are no unbelievers, all that are with Christ are believers over this last thousand years. So what is the purpose of this?

Satan is 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.

How many grains of sand are there in the sea? A lot right? This is just a reference to a lot. A lot of Christians who have been on the earth with Christ allowed themselves to be deceived by Satan.

It seems as if God needed another cleansing of sorts. That even while being alive with Christ risen from the dead by the first resurrection they still fell victim to Satan and sin. Martyrs and believers risen from the dead to rule with Christ have fallen.

The First Resurrection (Back to 4)

4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

These that have fallen, among them were martyrs that have been beheaded, those that did not worship the Beast or its image, who had not received the mark, among these are now the fallen.

How could these believers having gone through all that they had went through for Christ now fallow Satan? So now what happens to them?

9-10 ~ 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.

God did not take long to respond to this. These fallen Christians joined forces with Satan to attack believers who were camped out and before they could kill these believers God it says sent fire down upon them to consume them. God extinguished them with fire.

Anyone as shocked as me?

Judgment Before the Great White Throne (11-15)

Back to verse ~ 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.

Well it has ended and let's what we have know.

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

God appears, and when God appears everything else flees from his presence. No no earth, no sky, no stars. When God takes the stage there is nothing else that can challenge is glory, everything leaves so He alone has 100% of the attention.

12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.

So we have books here not just one. One book is the Book of Life and in this book are all the names of those who came through it all and are still faithful believers in Christ as Lord and Savior.

The other books are the books containing all the things in the lives of the unbelievers who will be judged for their sins.

And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.