Rev. 20:7-10 "The Final Battle"

Introduction:

We saw in Revelation 20:1-3 that Satan was bound from deceiving the nations, the ethnos, from the truth gospel of Jesus Christ.

Christ is the fulfillment of God’s eternal plan of working through His covenant grace to redeem a people for Himself from all the nations of the world.

Satan is bound from keeping this from coming to pass. But there will be a time when Satan will be released . For a little while he will be unbound and will once again be able to deceive the nations for a particular purpose. Look back at your text to verses 7-8:

I. Satan’s Deceit (7-8).

Satan’s deceit will be for the purpose of uniting the nations of the world for battle.

He will stir up hostility among the nations of the world against the covenant people of God.

The reference to Gog and Magog is from the Old Testament and represents the armies from among the nations that are aligned against the Kingdom of God.

Now the difficulty here is in determining the nature of this battle. Is it primarily a physical battle with literal weapons or is it a spiritual battle?

And as one might guess there are many interpretations of this to various degrees. The Pre-millennial types usually emphasize the literal and physical aspects of this battle.

Those who spiritualize their interpretation emphasize this battle as being intense spiritual warfare. But there is a physical manifestation of this battle being seen on the earth. Like the intensifying tribulation and persecution of Christians on the earth.

This would include Gentile Christians but also the Jewish believers that make up the remnant in fulfillment of Romans 11.

Satan is gathering his troops from the nations for the final battle of Armageddon. This paralells Revelation 16:16 and Revelation 19:11-21.

Armageddon refers to a place to the north of Jerusalem. It is referred to as the plain of Megiddo in Zechariah 12:11.

It seems to me that John in Revelation is drawing heavily upon the prophetic imagery from Zechariah. Especially in these last few chapters of the book of Revelation.

This battle is the final battle between good and evil.

But Christian know this, Satan’s deceit in the end brings Satan’s defeat. Look back at your text to verses 9-10:

II. Satan’s Defeat (9-10).

Satan is the one behind the rise of the beast and the false prophet on the earth. The “beast” is a reference to the anti-christ and the false prophet is the one who testifies to his validity upon the earth.

They represent world wide government and religious influence upon the earth. They will lead people astray in the world. This is why we need to know the word of God and not be deceived by a worldly political and religious systems.

There is no neutrality in such arenas. You can separate church and state all you want but God is still the sovereign authority over all of existence.

It makes no difference what politicians say or what they determine God’s relevance to be in the world.

Satan works through the anti-christ and false prophet to deceive the nations into making war upon the covenant people of God.

It looks like the grand climax where once and for all time the influence of the Kingdom of God on the earth will be destroyed.

“But fire came down from heaven and consumed them” I love the way these words in verse 9 is the anti-climax of the satanic attempt. Almost like we might squash a bug under our foot.

The glory of God is manifest in Satan’s defeat and it is not just in the temporal sense but in the eternal sense. Satan and his whole entourage are cast into the lake of fire for eternal torment.

III. The Application:

A. When we think of Satan’s deceit resulting in his defeat the application drives home some wonderful eternal truths for us that help bring stability to our faith in uncertain times.

Christian the eternal destruction of Satan reminds us that God ultimately triumphs over evil.

We can live through times and seasons in this world when it seems like evil too often is what triumphs.

These are the times that we need to be reminded that Satan’s deceit is in the end bringing about his final defeat.

Such tensions in the Christian life are nothing new. Saints of old had the same issue with evil in the world.

Psalm 73 tells us that the Psalmist spent some time envying the wicked. He questioned the apparent injustice of them prospering in the world when they commit so much evil. This was the thing that the Psalmist says was oppressive to ponder.

The Psalmist then concludes in verses 16-17 the answer to his delima: 16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.

The Psalmist came into the sanctuary of God and it was there that He reflected on God’s covenant fidelity and goodness. God is the strength and sovereign refuge of His people.

The eternal destruction of Satan reminds us that we are one day going to be free from his influence in the world.

The pain and suffering associated with the evils of sin will be no more.

Nothing to hinder our eternal communion with the Lord. There will be nothing that bombards us to the point that we are so easily entangled. The firey dart of the evil one will not be an issue.

Christian what ever the enemy may be assaulting you with is temporal and it is nothing compared to what he has in his future.

Christian if you are in Christ today that covenant security in grace is what sustains you in the trials and tribulations of this world.

That theological proposition of our security in grace may sound trivial if we are measuring the goodness of God on our sense of temporal vindication.

This would say that God is good when we deem Him to act in accordance to our terms and not necessarily His own terms.

In such a context our faith can get challenged just like the Psalmist expressed. I once had a man who was struggeling in the faith express to me that it seemed like Satan gets by with everything in this world.

The man was using his own self-determining principles related to himself and his perception of God’s goodness in the world.

Christian such perceptions distort the reality of ultimate meaning and purpose in this world. Christ as victor and our triumph in Him is the basis by which God’s goodness and justice is primarily measured.

And it is through this theological context that the goodness of God is to be measured and discerned.

Maybe I could say it this way in order to maintain consistency with the other propositional truths that I have referenced: The eternal destruction of Satan reminds us that we are eternally in union with Christ and nothing can seperate us from Him.

But the beauty of that truth is that it is just as true for the elect of God in Christ today as it will be a billion human years from now.

Job, in all his misery, took great comfort in this: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.” (Job 19:25)

Conclusion

Is this where you find your ultimate comfort? If not in Christ and the eternal reality of His triumph, then where ?

Unbeliever where do you find your ultimate comfort? This world in the material and temporal sense has nothing that will last for eternity. You need a savior.

Christian we gather today to worship the Lord through the celebration of our union with Christ as we feellowship with Him at this table.

This is the great reminder that we are bound to Him in a covenant of grace. In preperation we shold examine ourselves before the Lord that we come to Him in full reliance upon that grace which only he can provide.

I Cor. 11:27-31

Lets Pray!