Revelation 20
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—and 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. Revelation 20:7-10 NIV
The final battle between God and Satan is not a typical battle where there is intense fighting on both sides, and where the outcome is in doubt during the heat of the conflict. There is absolutely no contest here. On one side you have Satan, the beast, and the kings of the earth with their armies. “In number they are like the sand on the seashore” (verse 8). Sounds intimidating. On the other side is Jesus, riding a white horse, and being accompanied by the armies of Heaven. In case we forget what our amazing King looks like, here is the description from Revelation 19:12-16: “His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns…He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of Heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen…Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations…On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”. The Bible contains just two verses to describe the final battle with the beast, the false prophet, and Satan. “The beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf…The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur” (Revelation 19:20). “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” (Revelation 20:10). For our almighty God, it is as easy as that. There will be no doubt, no worry, and no second thoughts for believers about whether they have chosen the right side. If we are with God, we will experience this tremendous victory with Christ. There are two feelings that come from studying this section of Revelation. The first is thankfulness, because our names are written in the Book of Life. We, as faithful followers of Christ, do not have to worry or be concerned about our future. The devil will be thrown far away, never to bother us again. It is laughable that this is even considered a “battle”, since God just zaps His opponents with fire and then easily picks up Satan, the beast and the false prophet and throws them into the lake of fire. But there is a serious reality for everyone who chooses not to have a relationship with God. This brings up the second thing we should feel when hearing this truth about the future: urgency. There is no time to waste in getting the message about Jesus out to those who have not heard it, or who need to hear it again. While it is true that it takes courage to talk to unbelievers about the eternal consequences of where they place their hope and faith, remember that the Holy Spirit will be right there to help and guide us. It is such a wonderful feeling and a relief to know that we are on the winning side. The unfortunate truth is that while we are waiting for this time of victory, we have to battle Satan and his demons every day. But! We can be encouraged in the fact that our loving Heavenly Father did not leave us unprepared and ill-equipped for these daily battles. Ephesians 6:11 (NLT) says, “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” The Kingdom of God that Jesus brought to Earth, with all of His power and authority, is at work in and among humanity, right now as we speak. “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4). As believers in Jesus Christ, we are able to live above our circumstances and conquer anything evil. Even though the Kingdom of God is not yet a full reality on Earth, the seeds of this future government have been planted and are growing in us daily. Let these seeds continue to grow in your life: “make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love” (2 Peter 1:5-7). In doing so, we will win our daily battles, until Jesus comes back and wins the final battle for us.