Revelation 20:7

Revelation 20:7

In Revelation 20:7-9 the Bible says, "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 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. 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." In Revelation Chapter 20 previous to these verses, we were told that the devil will be cast into the bottomless pit for one thousand years. Now we are told what happens once the devil is loosed from his prison. He goes right back to doing what he had done before: deceiving the nations and inspiring the multitudes to resist and to oppose God. This should give those who run systems of imprisonment a little insight. Most people who are in prison will eventually get out. Therefore, if they have not changed and if they have not learned a new way to approach life, then they will commit crimes again once they are set free. The goal of a penitentiary system should not be to just warehouse, but it should also be to at least make available to the prisoners the possibility of improving themselves, looking forward to the day when they will once again be in society. Because if they have not changed, they will go right back to committing more crimes against innocent people.

Of course, the Bible makes it very clear that one thousand years of imprisonment will not change the devil. One thousand years of the reign of Christ also will not change basic human nature. After Christ has ruled the world with a rod of iron, after the knowledge the Lord has spread as never before, after all swords have been beaten into plowshares, after the devil himself will have been locked up for a thousand years; still human beings will run as fast they can to receive and to believe a lie as soon as it is told. People are so often like sheep who can easily be led astray. Do not be surprised when you see human beings so easily following a false leader, and do not be surprised when you see them so easily deceived. It has happened many times in the history of the human race, and it will happen even after the one-thousand-year reign of Christ.

Of course, all rebellion against God shall fail. This will be the last rebellion of man against God, and it will end with a very quick and final judgment. We are fortunate to live in the age of the grace of God through Jesus when God is slow to anger and plenteous in mercy; but an offer of mercy is always followed by a time of judgment for those who refuse the mercy. There are different reasons for bad things that happen to humans. One reason for some things is the just judgment of a righteous God. Sin will always end with judgment, because there is a God. That is why it is so important to do the right thing and avoid temptation, and if you do fail it is so critically important that you find mercy and forgiveness through faith in Jesus before judgment comes as a result of your sins. One of the worst of sins is rebellion against God. At the end of the one-thousand-year reign of Christ, many people will be deceived by the devil into rebelling against God, and the Bible says in Revelation 20:9 that "fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them."

At the end of the one-thousand-year reign of Christ, the devil will also receive his final punishment. Revelation 20:10 says, "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." Human beings will be held responsible for their own actions because they have the freedom of choice, but the devil that deceived them will also be held responsible. There is a hell because there are people who deserve to be there. There is a place of eternal torment because some have committed such heinous actions and caused such great sorrow and suffering that they deserve to be there. By the way, most people are much more sinful than they think they are. The devil deserves to be in the lake of fire for ever and ever, and therefore he will be there. We also know that angelic beings of whom the devil is one, who have rebelled against God, will be in the lake of fire. We also know that many human beings will be cast into the lake of fire. We are told in Revelation 20:10 that the antichrist and the false prophet will be cast there. In verse 15 we will be told about many other people who will be doomed forever and will be cast in to the lake of fire.

Some people like to ask the question of who will be in hell and who will not be there. The Bible is very clear that there is a heaven and there is a hell, and it is also very clear on how to get to heaven. But with this one exception in Revelation 20:10 the Bible does not say who has gone to hell or who has gone to heaven. Some people like to ask if Judas went to heaven or hell. But the Bible does not say directly one way or the other. When they hear God’s plan of salvation through faith in Christ, some people like to raise hypothetical situations about a certain person in a certain circumstance in life and then ask if such a person would go to heaven or hell. The Bible does not answer such questions. It simply states that the only way to heaven is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God is the judge and not man. One thing is for sure; there will be surprises when we get there. There will be some people in heaven that no one thought would be there, and there will be other people in hell that everyone was sure would be in heaven. Another thing is also sure, God is just, and anyone who is cast into the lake of fire will deserve to be there.

In reference to the final judgment when the final decision is made by God as to who will be permitted into heaven and who will be cast into the lake of fire, Revelation 20:11-15 says, "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. 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. 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. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

This is the judgment of the dead. Death is inevitable, but it is not the end. There is life, there is death, and then there is the judgment. Some people make a lot of plans for their life on this earth, but you are in big trouble if you do not also give the proper thought to the life that comes after this one. One day you will stand before God and give an answer for what you have done in your life. John said, "I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God." Everyone will stand before God. Whether black or white, rich, or poor, everyone will stand before the Judge of the whole earth.

This great truth of the judgment to come for all people should cause us all sober and serious reflection concerning our spiritual condition. It should also remind us of the great equality of mankind. There is an equality between the peoples of the earth. This truth is found everywhere in the Bible. Equality is found in the creation. We are equal because we were all given life by the same God, and because we are human beings, we have all been created in the likeness of God. If each of us traces our lineage back far enough, we all end at Adam and Eve. There is no difference between the black and the white in this regard. We are all members of the same race: the human race.

All people are also the same by the fact that we have the same human nature. Concerning the dark side of that nature, we are told in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Sometimes people make the mistake of seeing someone of a particular race commit a crime, and they conclude that the crime was committed because of the race of the person. Of course, that is a false conclusion. If someone steals or lies or commits a violent act, it is not because they are of the black race or the white race, but because they are of the human race. The black flesh is the same as the white flesh in this regard: it has the same tendency to fail in the face of temptation.

All races are equal because God loves all equally. Jesus said in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Jesus loves the black race as much as does the white race, and therefore so should we if we desire to serve this God. Jesus came into the world to die for the sins of the world. He died for all. He died for those of the white race in the same way and for the same reason that He died for those of all other races. There is no difference.

All human beings are invited by the Scriptures and by the Spirit of God to believe on Christ and to find the salvation of their souls. The same way of salvation is offered to all and open to all races equally. "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." There is no difference. Once a person receives the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her Savior, that person becomes a member of the body of Christ, with the same privileges, advantages, and opportunities as anyone else who has believed. Black and white, red and yellow, are all equal. Galatians 3:28 says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

All human beings share in the same possibility of one of the two destinies. Those who are saved, whether black or white, will live forever together in heaven with the great eternal God. Those who are not saved, whether white or black, will be judged and condemned to an eternity in outer darkness. There is no difference. Peter was a Jew who had to be taught a lesson about the equality between Jew and Gentile, and Peter said in Acts 10:34, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." Jesus does not favor one race or elevate one race above another. He favors all equally.

And God will judge all equally. That is the warning of Revelation Chapter 20. There is a judgment that must be faced. If you were to die today, are you ready to be judged by God? Whoever will face this judgment shall find no hiding place. There will be no excuses from the truth. No one will be able to say, "I cannot remember." That is the warning of Revelation 20:12 saying, "The books were opened." Evidently these books are a record of everything you have ever said or ever done. If you are at this judgment, there will be no escape from the truth of all the things that you did in your life and why you did them.

Of course, this reminds us of the importance of the grace of God. There is a difference between grace and works. The people who will be at this judgment are those who refused the grace and mercy of Jesus in this life, and therefore all that they have to stand upon at the judgment is their own works. That is why the last part of Revelation 20:12 says, "…and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works." The requirements of the law are very strict. It is much better and much safer to taste the amazing grace of God than to rely upon your works. Salvation is by grace through faith and not of works. Those who rely upon their works will be condemned because one aspect of their works that cannot be ignored is the sins that they have committed.

Revelation 20:14 says that "death and hell were cast into the lake of fire." John Donne had it right. Death shall die. One of the reasons that this judgment will be significant is because death will die. The principle of death that works in our members and in all living creatures is a temporary circumstance. The day will come when death will be no more. Death itself will be cast into the lake of fire. This will be the second death. Everyone will die physically. This is the first death. But to be a part of the second death will be far worse, because it will be a spiritual and an eternal death. Jesus taught us about a spiritual birth. He said, "You must be born again." Those who are born twice will die only once, but those who are born only once will die twice and the second death will be the worst of all because it will result in being cast into the last of fire forever and ever.

This judgment will be a judgment of the works of those who are cast into the lake of fire. Evidently there will be degrees of suffering. If you are not saved, the greater that are your sins, the greater will be your sufferings in the eternal fires of hell. The judgment according to the works will probably be to determine the degree of punishment, but notice the reason that these individuals are not allowed into heaven. Ultimately, it is not because of their evil doings, but because of what it says in Revelation 20:15, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." We are all sinners. We have all done things that we ought not to have done. The important question is this: Is your name written in the book of life? Evidently, when you repent of your sins and turn to Jesus for salvation, your name becomes kept forever in the book of life, and you will be given a free and glorious entry into the kingdom of God where you will live forever and ever.

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