Satan Shall Be Loosed!

If you have ever heard the saying, "Out of the frying pan and into the fire," then you know exactly how this article unfolds. God gives Satan a get out of jail free card and Satan rounds up his crew to lead a worldwide rebellion. As they situated themselves to attach The Lord Jesus' headquarters in Jerusalem, God rains down fire and brimstone and destroys them all. As a result the unsaved dead and Satan end up in the Lake of Fire! Incredible right! Oops...maybe I am getting a little ahead of myself!
This is a continuation of two other posts, "Christ's Kingdom Will Come," and "Reigning With King Jesus Christ." This is part three in the continuing exposition of Revelation chapter twenty.

III. Satan Leads a Rebellion After the Millennial Age (Rev. 20:7-10).

Satan will revolt after his release from the bottomless pit.

A.  THE MASTER OF THE REBELLION (REV. 20:7).  “Satan shall be loosed”

     1.  At the Close of the Millennium, Satan Will Be Released from the Pit.

But, why Satan specifically?

         A.  He will be permitted to lead one last revolt against the Lord. 

         B.  He is loosed to bring cohesive leadership to the world of rebels born to the believers who entered the kingdom at the beginning.

         C.  He is loosed to reveal the character of Christ-rejecting sinners who are brought into judgment for the last time ever.

     2.  This Action Demonstrates That Satan Will Not Repent.

After the Millennium, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit and will make one final desperate attempt to dethrone God but will be utterly defeated and thrown forever into the lake of fire.

B.  THE MANIPULATION OF THE REBELS (REV. 20:8).  “Shall go out to deceive the nations”

     1.  Immediately, Satan Will Deceive the Nations at the Four Corners of the Earth. (Rev. 20:8)

The children born during the kingdom age and after the battle of Armageddon lived throughout the thousand-year reign of Christ, but as soon as Satan is set free, they will be deceived and ready to gather for battle.

         A.  He Will Use Deception to Manipulate Them.

                1.  Deception is Satan’s primary mission and method (Rev. 12 to 18, in particular Rev. 12:9; 13:14; 19:20; 20:3, 10).  No sooner is Satan let loose, than he again begins deceiving the nations, and stirring them up to make war with the saints and servants of God.

John 8:44, Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

               2.  It would be good if the servants and ministers of Christ were as active and persevering in doing good, as his enemies in doing mischief.

         B.  He Will Use Temptations to Manipulate Them. (Rev. 20:8)

The popular phrase, “The devil made me do it” is not actually true.  Actually this excuse has been around since Eve.

              1.  The truth of God's Word is that the devil has never made any person do anything contrary to his or her will.

              2.  The devil is a deceiver and the father of lies. But the devil's only power over people is through manipulation and deceit.

              3.  If he could actually make us do things, he wouldn't need to go to the trouble of deceiving us!

              4.  If Satan could make us sin, the temptation process would be unnecessary.  Let it suffice that we conclude that the devil cannot make us do anything.

2 Cor. 11:3,  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

     2.  This Shows That People Will Rebel Against God If Given Opportunity.  (Rev. 20:8)

No matter how long or how many chances they are given to repent, it makes no difference at all.

          A.  QUOTE: “Imagine the tragedy of this revolt: people who have been living in a perfect environment, under the perfect government of God's Son, will finally admit the truth and rebel against the King!”   — W. W. Wiersbe

          B.  QUOTE: “A thousand years of confinement does not alter Satan's plans, nor does a thousand years of freedom from the influence of wickedness change man's basic tendency to rebel against his Creator. . . . Neither the designs of Satan nor the waywardness of the human heart will be altered by the mere passing of time.” — Robert Mounce 

     3.  Why? As Final Proof That the Heart of Man Is Desperately Wicked. (Rev. 20:8)

Mankind can only be changed by God's grace.

           — QUOTE: “The phrase total depravity . . . declares that no part of us is untouched by sin, and therefore no action of ours is as good as it should be, and consequently nothing in us or about us ever appears meritorious in God’s eyes. We cannot earn God’s favor, no matter what we do; unless grace saves us, we are lost.

Total depravity entails total inability, that is, the state of not having it in oneself to respond to God and his Word in a sincere and wholehearted way (John 6:44; Rom. 8:7-8). Paul calls this unresponsiveness of the fallen heart a state of death (Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13)”.  ^— Packer, J. I.

                — QUOTE:   “The understanding is darkened (Eph. 4:18; 1 Cor. 2:14); the heart is deceitful and wicked (Jer. 17:9, 10); the mind and conscience are defiled (Gen. 6:5; Titus 1:15); the flesh and spirit are defiled (2 Cor. 7:5); the will is enfeebled (Rom. 7:18); and we are utterly destitute of any Godlike qualities which meet the requirements of God’s holiness (Rom. 7:18).”   —William Evans

     4.  Rules, Regulation, Religion, Nor Environment Can Change the Human Heart. (Rev. 20:8)

This rebellion proves that a rule of perfect law cannot change the human heart; sinners would rather follow Satan.  The source of rebellion against God comes not from the environment or even from Satan himself but from within the human heart.

         A.  Sin Against God Is Going Beyond the Boundaries Established by God.

               — It is not only a behavioral problem, however—one rooted in attitudes, motives, actions, and patterns of conduct. It is a “nature” problem, an identity or “state of being” problem.

                — Man's sin nature is one of pride, greed, and total self-centeredness and self-will. Every person is born with this sin nature. Behavior is learned; our natural tendency to sin is not.

                — A sin nature is inherent, and it is inherent regardless of the spiritual condition of our parents. It is part of our inheritance as fallen human beings, the descendants of Adam and Eve.

         B.  Now, a Person Might Change His or Her Behavior as an Act of the Will.

But a person cannot change his or her basic sin nature, regardless of how much “willpower” is exerted. We are incapable of transforming our spirits or of altering the core of our spiritual being. We are born with a “sin condition” that only God can correct.

         C.  The Good News Is That While We Were in this Helpless, Ungodly State, God Sent His Son, Jesus!  He came to die for us so that we do not have to experience the consequence of our sin nature—which is separation and alienation from God. We can be transformed and made new in spirit.  (See Eph. 2:1–3; Rom. 5:6, 8, 10).

     5.  The Work of Satan and the Reaction of the Rebellious Nations Prove That Eternal Judgment is Necessary.  (See Rev. 20:11-15).

         A.  It Is No Coincidence That Satan and Fallen Unrepentant Mankind Around the World Rebel Before There Is a Final Judgment of Humanity.  Before mankind appears at the Great White Throne Judgment and is cast into an eternal Lake of Fire, God shows why it is necessary. 

         B.  Satan and Sinners Alike Prove That They Are Rebels to the Core and must Be Rejected from God’s Eternal Kingdom and Reign. (Rev. 20:8)

                    

C.  THE MULTITUDES OF THE REBELLION (REV. 20:8) “four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog . . . the number of whom is as the sands of the sea.”

   1.  The People.  (Rev. 20:8)  “The Nations”

Who are these who will follow Satan?

    

      A.  Those Believers’ Children Who Survive the Tribulation.

These believers will enter the Millennium in their natural bodies, and they will bear children and repopulate the earth (Isa. 65:18-25).

      B.  They Will Live in Ideal Circumstances in Which All Know about Jesus Christ (Jer. 31:33-34). 

Though many will outwardly profess faith in Christ without actually placing faith in Him for salvation.

      C.  Their Shallow Professions Will Become Apparent When Satan Is Released.

The multitudes who follow Satan are evidently those who have never been born again during the millennial kingdom.  

      D.  Rebellion is a matter of choice. The people had to decide whether they would obey the Lord, who had proven his trustworthiness, believe in Christ and be saved, or obey the devil, with his fail coup attempt. 

            — Truthfully the times will come for each of us to choose who or what will control us.

            — The choice is yours. Will it be God, your own limited personality, or Satan?

            — Once you have chosen to be controlled by God's Spirit, reaffirm your choice every day.

   2.  The Populations.   (Rev. 20:8) “in the four quarters of the earth . . . the number of whom is as the sand of the sea”

Satan’s release will produce a worldwide rebellion against the millennial reign of Christ. The armies will be so vast in numbers that they are said to be like the sand on the seashore.  Clearly we are referring to billions and billions of people.

   3. The Portrayal.    (Rev. 20:8) “Gog and Magog, to gather then together to battle”

Who are they?  The question has been raised as to whether this war is the same one discussed in Ezekiel 38-39, where Gog and Magog are also mentioned (Ezek. 38:2).

      

       A.  Whom They Are Not.

            1.  QUOTE: “This is not the battle of Gog and Magog, for that battle takes place about the end of the first half of the Tribulation (Ezek 38-39) and results in the Beast defeating both Russia and Egypt. Rather, this battle involves perhaps Russia (Gog and Magog) as the leading force . . . These armies will attack the millennial Jerusalem, but fire from heaven will devour them.”  —W. W. Wiersbe

            2.  QUOTE: “The naming of "Gog and Magog" (Rev 20:8) does not equate this battle with the one described in Ezek 38-39; for that army invades from the north, while this one comes from the four comers of the earth. This is only the name given to the army of rebels and its leader at the end of the Millennium.”  — John MacArthur

            3.  QUOTE: “These are two different battles, for in the war of Ezekiel 38-39 the armies come primarily from the north and involve only a few nations of the earth. But the battle in Revelation 20:7-9 will involve all nations, so armies will come from all directions.

Furthermore nothing in the context of Ezekiel 38-39 is similar to the battle in Revelation, as there is no mention of Satan or of millennial conditions. In Revelation 20:7 the context clearly places the battle at the end of the Millennium, whereas the Ezekiel battle takes place in connection with end-time events.” — Walvoord

       B.  Whom Are They.

            1.  QUOTE: “They were names of ancient enemies of the Lord. Magog was the grandson of Noah (Gen. 10:2) and founder of a kingdom located N of the Black and Caspian Seas. Gog is apparently the leader of a rebel army known collectively as Magog.”  — John MacArthur

            2.  QUOTE: “Why then is the expression “Gog and Magog” used by John? ... In Ezekiel 38 Gog was the ruler and Magog was the people, and both were in rebellion against God and were enemies of Israel. It may be that the terms have taken on a symbolic meaning much as one speaks of a person’s “Waterloo,” which historically refers to the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, Belgium, but has come to represent any great disaster. Certainly the armies here come in the same spirit of antagonism against God that is found in Ezekiel 38. ” — Walvoord

   4.  The Place.  (Rev. 20:9).  These two events are related, however, inasmuch as in both battles, Israel is the focal point.

        A.  Jerusalem the Capital City. 

In this case, Jerusalem will be the target ("beloved city," Ps 78:68; 87:2). Jerusalem  will be the capital city during Christ’s millennial reign.

Jeremiah 3:17, At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

        B.  This is not the New Jerusalem. 

Which is commonly called “the city of My God” (Rev. 3:12) and “the holy city” (Rev. 21:2). This city is clearly the renewed earthly Jerusalem.

        C. Jerusalem is the Home of the Saints. 

“The beloved city” symbolically refer to the home of God’s people. The saints will be living around the city where Christ reigns.

Isaiah 24:23, Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

Zech. 14:9-11, And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. [10] All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. [11] And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.

D.  THE MAULING OF THE REBELLION (REV. 20:9).  “Fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.”

God will fight this last and decisive battle for his people, that the victory may be complete, and the glory be to himself.

    1.  God Will Deal with this Revolt Very Quickly and Efficiently! 

The result is immediate judgment. “Fire” will come down from heaven and devour them.

    2.  In Contrast with Ezekiel 38, There Is No Mention of Earthquake, Hail, or Other Disasters.

The only similarity is that in both cases there is fire from heaven, a frequent method of divine judgment on the earth (Gen. 19:24; Ex. 9:23-24; Lev. 9:24; 10:2; Num. 11:1; 16:35; 26:10; 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Kings 1:10, 12, 14; 1 Chron. 21:26).

    3.  Rebellion Will Ultimately Lead to Judgment.

Jude 1:5-8, I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. [6] 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. [7] Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. [8] Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

        A.  Jude Gave Three Examples of Rebellion:

             (1) The children of Israel -- who, although they were delivered from Egypt, refused to trust God and enter the Promised Land (Num 14:26-39);

             (2) The angels -- although they were once pure, holy, and living in God's presence, some gave in to pride and joined Satan to rebel against God (2 Peter 2:4); and

             (3) The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah -- the inhabitants were so full of sin that God wiped them off the face of the earth (Gen 19:1-29).

        B.  If the chosen people, angels, and sinful cities were punished, how much more would these rebels be severely judged?

E.  THE MISERY OF THE REBEL (REV. 20:10).  “The devil that deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire”

   1.  Satan Will Be Cast into “The Lake of Fire.”  (Rev. 20:10)

 After Satan’s followers will be destroyed, he will be thrown into the lake burning with sulfuric fires. Being cast into the lake that was prepared for him and his angels is the final judgment on Satan.  The Lake of Fire is the place of punishment God has prepared for rebellious angels and unsaved men (Mt. 25:41; Re. 20:10,15).

   2.  Note That "The Beast" and “False Prophet” Will Still Be Suffering in the Lake of Fire.  (Rev. 20:10) This is after 1,000 years!

      A.  This Is a Significant Support of the Doctrine of Eternal Punishment!

This concluding statement is key, “shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.” This includes the devil, the beast, and the false prophet.

Matthew 25:41, Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Matthew 25:46, And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

2 Thes. 1:9,  Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

      B.  The Lake of Fire Is Not Annihilation!  (Rev. 20:10)

Are the wicked annihilated in hell? No, because the beast and false prophet “are” still there a thousand years after they experienced their final judgment (Rev. 19:20).  

            1.  This proves the punishment is not annihilation, but is eternal torment. the Lord Jesus actually said it would have been better if Judas had never been born (Mt. 26:24).

            2.  Jesus' words make no sense if Judas was only going to be annihilated.

QUOTE: “In one sense, the millennial kingdom will sum up" all that God has said about the heart of man during the various periods of history. It will be a reign of law, and yet law will not change man's sinful heart. Man will still revolt against God. The Millennium will be a period of peace and perfect environment, a time when disobedience will be judged swiftly and with justice; and yet in the end the subjects of the King will follow Satan and rebel against the Lord. A perfect environment cannot produce a perfect heart.

God is now about to "wrap up" human history One great event remains.”  — W. W. Wiersbe

Be sure to look for the next article in this series based on Revelation chapter twenty!