THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Part 43
The War of Armageddon
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When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from
his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the Earth
— Gog and Magog — to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand
on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the Earth and surrounded
the camp of God's people, the city He Loves. But fire came down from heaven and
devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of
burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They
will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rev 20:7-10 NIV
When the thousand years of satan's imprisonment are
expired, he will be let out of his prison, then, he will go out to deceive the
nations in “the four corners [quarters] of the Earth.” A quarter is one of four
equal or approximately equal parts into which something is or may be divided.
The four corners of the Earth are located in the north, south, east and west.
In Revelation 20, an angel comes down out of Heaven,
having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized
the dragon, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss,
and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations
anymore until the thousand years were ended. “One who has Power to bind a
strong man, to cast him out, and to spoil his goods; must therefore be stronger
than he.
Christ is the One Who has “the keys of hell and
death.” He alone possesses the Power over death and Hades (the realm of the
dead). See Revelation 1:18.
Michael, the angelic prince of Heaven’s army, who
together with his angels defeated the dragon and his angels, casting them out
of their place in the heavenlies, will at this time capture the dragon, and
bind him, and imprison him in the Abyss.
An account of “the Millennial Reign” on Earth for
the same space of time in which Satan continued bound in the bottomless pit is
seen in chapter 20.
After the thousand years of Christ’s Reign over the
nations, the devil will be loosed and he’ll deceive the nations, who will
assemble to fight against Christ and the saints in Jerusalem.
Satan the devil who led rebellion against God, with
a third of the angels against Arch-Angel Michael and his angels (12:7-9), will
go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the Earth, and raise a
mighty army, the number of which are as the sand of the sea, to muster them for
war against Christ.
The principal commander in this army under the
dragon—Gog and Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal—the prince of Rosh (Ezek
38:2) will gather all his troops and the many nations with him, advancing like
a storm; they will be like a cloud covering the land (v. 9) — (we read in
Genesis 10:2 that Magog, Tubal and Meshech were sons of Japheth. Magog peopled
the country called Syria, from which his descendants spread into many other
parts. We only read of Gog and Magog together in Ezekiel 38:2).
This event will be satan's final rebellion against
God, as prophesied in the Scripture. And as to the issue: they expect to be
successful, but are sure to lose the day.
Behold, it shall result in the ultimate and final
defeat of satan!
Satan will go out to deceive the nations in the four
corners of the Earth—they will match to besiege the beloved city of Jerusalem
on every side, but fire will come down from God out of Heaven, and devour them.
I will execute Judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I
will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on
his troops and on the many nations with him.
Ezek 38:22 NIV
The “king of the North” is Russia (Ezek. 38:2);
“king of the South,” Iran (Dan. 11); “king of the east”—China.
‘The kings from the east’ includes: China, Iran,
Libya and Ethiopia (Rev. 16:12; Ezek. 38:5).
And, America is “king of the west.”
The doom and punishment of the Adversary, the devil:
he will be cast into the lake of fire, with his two chief officers, the beast
and the false prophet. With this, tyranny and idolatry comes to an end.
Christ will bestow honor upon His victorious saints.
They shall be raised to life; thrones, and power of government and judgment will
be given to them; they shall possess great honor, and authority. They shall reign
with Christ a thousand years.
Those who suffer with Christ shall reign with
Christ.
They will be secured from the power of the second
death.