Satan's Final Rebellion and Doom )

Introduction: By nature, people are rebellious.

Would you agree with that assessment? Think about these examples:

· Wet paint. People touch it.

· Stay off the grass. People walk on the grass.

· Private property. People cross the fence unto private property.

· Speed limit 55. People will drive 60.

· No talking. People will talk.

· Don’t eat the cookies. People eat the cookies.

Where does this rebellion come from? I would submit to you that we inherited our rebellion from our parents, who inherited it from their parents, who if we go back far enough inherited it from Satan (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28). Satan rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. One-third of the angels followed his rebellion against God (Ephesians 2:2; Revelation 12:1-12).

If you want to see the depth of man’s rebellion stop at a rest stop along Interstate 90. See what the heart of man scribbles on the bathroom stalls, the walls, or the mirrors.

Listen to what God said to the prophet Ezekiel about the house of Israel. In Ezekiel 12:2 we read,

“Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are rebellious people.

Whether we want to admit it or not people by nature are rebellious!

Now, in our previous message on the Millennium (Revelation 20:1-6), we saw that Satan was bound for 1,000 years. As we come to our text today (Revelation 20:7-10), we discover that the 1,000 years have ended and that Satan will be released for a short time.

Let’s dive into our study on Satan’s final rebellion and doom. What do we find in our text?

I. Satan’s will be released – 20:7

7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison

At the end of the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ, we read that Satan will be released from his prison.

Question: Why would God allow Satan another opportunity to be released? After all, the story from Genesis 3 to Revelation 20:7 has been all about the evil one and the troubles that he has brought into God’s creation. Satan has been God’s greatest nemesis.

Make sure that you understand that Satan is not being released from prison (the bottomless pit) because he has served his time and that he has become a model citizen. He did not have a change of heart, nor was he rehabilitated. Satan has not paid his debt to God, to humanity, or creation.

Satan is released from prison as the same evil one that the Bible pictures him. He has NOT changed! He is pure evil.

II. Satan will seek to deceive – 20:9

8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

What do we have in this verse?

A. His tool – is deception (deceive).

Thomas Blackburn Baines writes, “Such is man, and such is Satan. A thousand years of confinement in the bottomless pit has not changed the character of the deceiver. A thousand years’ blessedness under Christ’s rule has not changed the nature which greedily listens to the deceiver’s voice.” (Bible Truth).

Deception is the greatest arrow the devil has in his quiver. And he has used it successfully throughout the ages. In Genesis 3:13 we read,

And the LordGod said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

The Greek word “deceive” means “to cause to wander, lead astray, cause to err, mistake, wrong judgment, to seduce.”

We are told in this verse that Satan will be released from prison and that he will immediately go back to his hellish tactics – he will seek to deceive the nations.

B. His reach – Worldwide.

Our text reads,

which are in the four corners of the earth,

Satan will seek to turn the hearts of all those born during the Millennium from God. The word used in our text is “nations”. The Greek word for nations is “ethnous” which speaks of a multitude, people, race, belonging, and living together.

The people that Satan seeks to turn are those people who were born during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. These are those that Satan will seek to deceive.

C. His results – were Gog and Magog.

These two words “Gog and Magog” are the words that God choose to use to represent the people that Satan will deceive after the millennium. These people will come together to form a massive army to go up against King Jesus and His people in the city of Jerusalem Ezekiel 38:11-12).

I have read that “Gog and Magog” are symbolic of all the enemies of God in general. I have also read that Magog was the grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:2) and founder of a kingdom located on in the Black Sea and that Gog was a leader of a rebel army known collectively as Magog. (Bible Knowledge Commentary).

Grant Richison writes, “John calls this worldwide conglomerate and revolt of nations “Gog and Magog.” This is the Devil’s last stand.

How is it possible that such a worldwide rebellion can occur against Christ’s millennial reign? Survivors of the Tribulation will enter the Millennium without their resurrection bodies. They enter the Millennium with their natural bodies, and although they are believers, children born to them during the Millennium may not be. These non-Christian children will revolt against Christ at the end of the Millennium. Again, how is this possible? Satan will deceive them!

Something else we need to bear in mind is that the Gog and Magog mentioned here in Revelation 20 are not the same Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38-39. There are several reasons why:

1. In Ezekiel 38-39 the army comes from the North.

2. In Revelation 20 the army comes from the four corners of the world (from all nations of people).

3. Nothing in the context of Ezekiel 38-39 is similar to the battle in Revelation.

4. In Ezekiel 38-39 there is no mention of Satan or the Millennial conditions.

5. Revelation 20 is a battle that occurs at the end of 1,000 years.

6. The Ezekiel 38-39 battle is somewhere in the end times.

Here is the point – The Gog and Magog mentioned in Revelation 20 will have the same characteristics of evilness as the God and Magog of Ezekiel 38-39.

D. His army – Large!

Look at the words,

“whose number is as the sand of the sea.”

What is this telling us? It is telling us that Satan’s army will be vast. He will have deceived a whole lot of people.

Remember that 1,000 years have passed and that children have been born to those living in the Millennium from those that came out of the Tribulation.

Remember that people during the Millennium were now living longer again (see Isaiah 65:18-25 – it speaks of people living as long as trees), and thus, they were having very large families. Lots and lots of people are alive on earth during the Millennium.

Think about this: The world population increased from 1 billion in 1800 to 7.9 billion today. That’s in 222 years! Think of population growth in 1,000 years.

Satan will deceive those born during the millennium, and they will turn against God, and his beloved city, Jerusalem. He will assemble a massive army of rebellious people.

III. Satan will surround the camp – 20:9

9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.

A. They went up on the breadth of the earth

Who are the “They” in this verse?

1. Gog and Magog, represent all those who have been deceived by Satan, and who have turned against God.

2. Satan himself. He is the leader of this massive army against God.

B. They surround the camp of the saints and its beloved city.

Gog and Magog and Satan despise those who are on God’s side and hate Jerusalem, the city of God. They want to seek to destroy God’s people and God’s holy city.

Understand this – Satan and his minions are doing today, right now, what he will do in the future following the Millennium. Today he seeks to surround the saints of God and he desires to defeat you. And he has continued to surround the holy city of Jerusalem with enemies, and he wants nothing more than to see Jerusalem driven out into the sea.

C. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.

Here we discover that Satan’s army will be immediately destroyed. They will be toast and smoked at the same time. God will devour them with fire that falls from heaven. No one goes up against God and wins!

Throughout the Scripture, one of the methods of God’s judgment has been fire. At your leisure look up the following Scripture passages:

· Genesis 19:24

· Exodus 9:23-24

· Leviticus 9:24, 10:2

· Numbers 11:1; 16:35; 26:10

· 1 Kings 18:38

· 2 Kings 1:10-14

· 1 Chronicle 7:13; Psalm 11:6

God will purge Satan’s army from the earth. In an instant!

IV. Satan will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone – 20:10

10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Let’s walk through this verse, line by line…

A. The devil

In Revelation 20:2, the devil is called,

· The dragon – Revelation 12:9, 20:2

· Serpent of old – Genesis 3:1-2; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9, 20:2

· Devil – Matthew 4:1,5; Luke 4:2-3; Ephesians 6:1.

· Satan – The Hebrew word means “adversary.”

Throughout the Bible, he has other names as well, such as:

· The prince and the power of the air – Ephesians 2:2

· The god of this age – 2 Corinthians 4:4

· The evil one – Matthew 13:19,38; John 17:15; Ephesians 6:16

· The prince of demons – Matthew 9:34; 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15

· The accuser – Revelation 12:10

· The tempter – Matthew 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5

But here in Revelation 20:10, he is simply referred to as “The devil”. The word “devil” means “to accuse, a false accuser, slanderer.” The one who has from the beginning been bringing slander against God will get his just reward. The one who constantly brings railing accusations about God’s people will now receive his due penalty.

Just so we don’t miss it. God wants us to know exactly who He is about to judge for eternity! The devil.

B. Who deceived them

Here we have his CRIME. He has been the one to deceive throughout time. The prince and the power of the air. Isn’t that how deception spreads – through the air?

Every individual on planet earth who had refused to acknowledge Almighty God, His Son, Jesus Christ, or the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit has and is being deceived by the devil.

Deception is the devil’s greatest tool, and he knows how to use it. And most of us at one point, have bought hook, line, and sinker the devil’s deception. Here are some of the various ways he has deceived people:

· Did God say that?

· There is no God.

· God is holding out on you.

· You can be like God.

· It’s okay, you won’t get hurt.

· You don’t have to decide today, wait until tomorrow.

· Indulge yourself you only live once.

· God wants you happy.

And the devil will use deception again following the Millennium. And many people will receive it, and they will rebel against God and His kingdom.

C. Was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone

Here we have the devil’s final un-resting place. He will never find rest in the lake of fire and brimstone. This place is not the prison he was in earlier, that was the “bottomless pit”. No, here we find that God Almighty casts the devil into the lake of fire and brimstone. This place in our English language is HELL.

You need to know that presently there is no one in HELL today. But this will not always be the case. There will be a day of final judgment for the devil. God will grab him by the cuff of his collar, and He will hurl him into HELL.

D. Where the beasts and false prophet are

Are you aware that the devil is the third individual to enter HELL? Previously we read in Revelation 19:20,

Then the beast was captured and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Here we discover that the unholy trinity, the three deceivers have been judged. They have all received from God what they so rightfully deserve – eternal punishment.

E. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever

The “They” in this verse refers to the devil, the beast, and the false prophet.

The Greek word for “torment” here in our text means to torture, to cause pain.

Pastor Rob Bell in his book Love Wins does away with Hell. He teaches the devil’s deception that all people will go to heaven. No need to receive Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. God loves everyone and He would never send people to Hell.

Well, contrary to Pastor Bell’s teaching, HELLis a very real place of pain and torment. Here is what Jesus taught,

· Matthew 13:50 - and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Verse 10 reads that they will be tormented “day and night forever and ever.” They will be cast into HELL and never have the chance to escape. It will be endless suffering. Jesus depicted HELL as “everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:41, 46).

The devil will get his just punishment for crimes against God and crimes against humanity.

Conclusion: Allow me to review quickly what we have looked at in these four verses:

1. The 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ will conclude.

2. Satan will be released from prison, and he will go out to deceive the nations; those people born during the Millennium.

3. The devil will gather an army for battle called Gog and Magog, whose number is as the sand of the sea. It will be an impressive army.

4. His army will cover the earth and surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city of Jerusalem.

5. God will send fire down from heaven to devour them. They will be forever gone!

6. God will pick up the devil, who deceived the people, and He will cast him into the lake of fire and brimstone where he will be reunited with the beast and the false prophet.

7. Satan, the beast, and the false prophet will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Praise God our enemy the devil has finally been dealt with.