“Then I
saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and
a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is
the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into
the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should
deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after
these things he must be released for a little while.” Revelation 20:1-3 NKJV
Why? I confess I have often read this account of
what occurs at the end of the millennium and wondered why is Satan let loose
again? Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder of
Dallas Theological Seminary was once asked this question and his answer was “you tell me why God loosed him the first
time and I'll tell you why God loosed him the second time.” When I first read this I laughed, but after
thinking about it for awhile it occurred to me that this is exactly the answer
we need for it is apparent that the reasons for God allowing Satan to have free
rein to deceive are the same in both instances.
“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and
judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been
beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped
the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on
their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
But the rest of the
dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the
first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first
resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be
priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6 NKJV
If
you recall the story of Adam and Eve in the garden, when questioned as to why
she disobeyed God’s instructions Eve blamed Satan, in the form of the serpent,
for the reason she sinned. If you were
to take a poll now and question people as to why they sin, they would probably
blame this corrupt world, and the temptations within it as the reason for
sin. Thirdly, I am certain that many
would also claim that it would be so much easier to choose not to sin if we
could actually see God, and He lived among us and talked with us much like He
did in the garden of Eden. Then of
course, it would be impossible to sin, and we could live a perfect life.
In
the coming millennium, for one thousand years we will see an earth that
resembles what the Garden of Eden might have been like in many ways. All humans who enter the millennium will be believers,
and they will live extended life spans which will result in a population
explosion much like in Adam’s time. Conditions
on earth will reflect the perfection seen in the garden in the form of weather,
fruitfulness, peace and harmony, and above all, a temple in Jerusalem where
Jesus will rule and reign along with His saints from the ages before. So why release Satan? Although many will proclaim to love God, and
claim to be believers, just like in the garden the truth is never really known
until you are given a choice.
“Now
when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 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. 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. 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.”
Revelation 20:7-10 NKJV
Does
it really surprise you that so many will choose to join Satan after a thousand
years of peace and prosperity such as this world has never seen since the
Garden of Eden? What we find here is
simply irrefutable proof that man is by nature, sinful, and even when presented
with a life of seeming perfection, many will still reject God and choose to
follow Satan. This is why I and many others
believe that one of the greatest gifts we receive when we are finally taken
into the presence of God, when we are “changed” as we enter Heaven, is that as
a result of choosing to follow Jesus and accept His sacrifice for our sins, our
sin nature is removed.
“Then I
saw a great white throne and Him who 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, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book
was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to
their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the
dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in
them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found
written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:11-15 NKJV
As
funny as this may sound, God is pro-choice.
Man chooses his own destiny, and the Word of God is clear that everyone
who has ever lived will be given the opportunity to choose. God does not choose to send anyone to Hell;
we make that choice for Him. God
designed Hell for Satan, and designed Heaven for us. The trouble is, all too many will choose to
follow Satan into eternal torment in “the lake of fire and brimstone”. Thankfully we are given the ability and
opportunity to choose, and if you have made the choice to give your life to God
and accept His invitation to spend eternity with Him, your future is
secured. If you haven’t made that
choice, what better time than right now to do it, before it’s too late.
Simply
pray a prayer like this; Jesus I know
that I am a sinner, and have sinned against you. I believe you loved me enough to send your
Son Jesus to die for my sins, and that He rose from the dead so that I can
live. Forgive me of my sins and come
into my life and help me to live for you.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Keep
watching.
