REVELATION 20: 7 - 15
PART 2 of 2
7) And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. King James Version (KJV) Public Domain
COMMENTARY
When the thousand years had expired: Those who had survived the tribulation and who was judged by Jesus and found with a saving faith in Him, will "inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world". They will replenish the earth, restoring each of their countries that had been destroyed and remade. The conditions favorable to human fertility and longevity will have been restored. People will be having babies when they are 500 years old, as they did prior to the Great Flood. Those who survived the tribulation will pass down to their children, grandchildren, and generations what they went through and how great and powerful our God is.
Theirs will be a world with no crime, no war, no external temptation to sin, no evil spirits. There will be resurrected saints from all ages to witness to those born during this millennium. Each person born during this millennium, will still have to personally accept salvation through Jesus Christ. They will probably even get to visit with Him in person.
Satan will be in the "bottomless pit" for a thousand years but it has not changed his heart. What would it take to change a heart? Knowing that God rules supreme and He gave everything to Jesus and he (Satan) was just a creation, still, he idolizes himself. He must overthrow God and assume His position. Repeat after me: "Thou shalt not covet." Also, know that there is no pathway to salvation for angels. Christ died for mankind.
When Satan is released after the thousand years, he will find that the people of the earth are many, as the sand of the sea. The population will be the highest number in history. He will find many willing to listen to him (and he is a very convincing liar). Their hearts are naturally "deceitful and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17: 9) They have inherited Adam and Eve's heart. This will be mankind's last and greatest test.
Gog and Magog (Russia) and other nations will be envious over the fact that Israel is over them. They will understand history and how Israel is God's chosen people, how He loved them, how He provided and protected them. They will covet Israel's position in The Kingdom. They will be quick to be used by Satan. They will devise a way to make weapons against Jerusalem and will compass the beloved city. BUT GOD. God, Himself, sends fire down upon them from heaven and devours them. Then Satan is thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where he joins the beast and the false prophet in eternal torture.
Now, John has seen some mighty things, some glorious things, but now, what he sees is even greater, so blindingly glorious that the earth and the heaven disintegrated. He sees "the unveiled glory, the pure, white-hot energy of The Creator, in all His ineffable brilliance." Peter spoke of this event in 2 Peter 3.
And John saw the dead: all those in Hades (all who had died without Christ and had been buried) , who were living in the tribulation but had no heart for God and perished in the fire (or any fire, including cremation) , those who died in the seas (whether it was the great flood or any body of water and had not been buried). All these people will be rejoined with their mortal bodies. Then they will be judged by God! The books will be opened and all their works will be displayed for all His creation to witness. I can imagine that each of us have our own book where all our "works" are written. This may not be the case, but I can imagine it. I am sure, though, about The Book of Life. If your name is not written in it, you will be cast into the lake of fire.
Let's talk about you. Have you been washed of your sins in the blood of Jesus? You really don't want to risk being judged at the Great White Throne. Now is the time to make your decision. None of us are promised tomorrow. Please visit our "Pathway to Salvation" page here: https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.
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