In my last blog, we covered the verses in Revelation Chapter 20 that told about Satan being released from his prison. Remember, Satan was bound for a thousand years following Jesus' wrath. At the end of Jesus' thousand year reign with His saints, Satan will be released. John wrote about it this way in Revelation Chapter 20, verses 7-9;
(7)"And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his
prison,(8) and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners
of the earth, Gog and Ma-gog, to gather them together for war; the number of
them is like the sand of the seashore.(9) And they came up on the broad plain of
the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire
came down from heaven and devoured them."
The only other reference to Gog an Ma-gog, in the entire Scriptures, is in the writings of the prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel wrote this in his 38th Chapter;
(1)"And the word of the Lord came to me saying, (2)'Son of man, set your face
toward Gog of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and
prophesy against him,(3) and say, 'Thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am against
you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal.(4) And I will turn you about,
put hooks into your jaws,, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and
horsemen, all of them splendidly attired, a great company with buckler and shield,
all of them wielding swords;(4) Persia, Ethiopia, and Put with them, all of them
with shield and helmet;(6) Gomer with all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the
remote parts of the north with all its troops-many people with you.(7) Be prepared,
and prepare yourself, you and all your company that are assembled about you, and
be a guard for them."
Satan, when he is let loose, will go again to the nations to gather their armies to come against the earthly Jerusalem and the heavenly Jerusalem, Mount Zion. You might wonder why all these nations would come against Jesus after the earth has been at peace for a thousand years. One thing to note is that all these nations are out of the area around Israel. The heavenly Jerusalem will be visible to all the people living in the nations surrounding Israel. They will see the glory of God in the mist of Jerusalem. We will see in Chapter 21 of Revelation that the heavenly Jerusalem is 150 miles wide, by 150 miles long, and 150 miles high. When is says that the heavenly kingdom will be a canopy above Israel, its measurements show that it will cover the area of land promised to Israel. All the nations that Satan will entice to come against Jerusalem when he is let loose, will have been out of the sight of the kingdom for a thousand years. None of these nations that will come with Satan are from the area around Israel.
During the thousand years, Demons and evil spirits may still be active on the earth. I have not read anywhere in scripture that says where the Demons and evil spirits are during the thousand years. The only two in the lake of fire at that time, as far as I know, are the beast and the false prophet. If the Demons and the evil spirits are still active in the earth, I am sure they are hanging out as far away from the presence of Jesus as possible. This is why it might be so easy for Satan to deceive these nations to come against Jesus. These will be counties that will lay in the remote parts of the earth, away from the presence of Jerusalem, that have been under the influence of these Demons and evil spirits, that have been waiting for Satan's release.
Ezekiel continues in verse 8;
(8)"After many days you will be summoned; in the latter years you will come into
the land that is restored from the sword, whose inhabitants have been gathered from
many nations to the mountains of Israel which had been a continual waste; but its
people were brought out from the nations, and they are living securely, all of them.
(9) And you will go up, you will come like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering
the land, you and all your troops, and many peoples with you. (10) Thus says the
Lord God, 'It will come about on that day, that thoughts will come into your mind,
and you will devise an evil plan, (11) and you will say, "I will go up against the land
of unwalled villages. I will go against those who are at rest, that live securely, all
of them living without walls, and having no bars and gates, (12) to capture spoil and
to seize plunder, to turn your hand against the waste places which are now inhabited,
and against the peoples that are gathered from many nations, who have acquired
cattle and goods, who live in the center of the world."(13) Sheba, and Dedan, and the
merchants of Tarshish, with all its villagers, will say to you, 'Have you come to
capture spoil? Have you assembled your company to seize plunder, to carry away
silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to capture great spoil?'"
The areas of Sheba, and Dedan, and Tarshish have probably been interacting with Israel during the thousand years and know that Jesus and the saints have been ruling the area. When they see these people showing up from the remote parts of the earth to come against the Land, they are probably thinking that they are crazy, and know that they are doomed to be destroyed.
(14) Therefore, prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog, 'Thus says the Lord God,
"On that day when my people Israel are living securely, will you not know it.?'
(15) And you will come from your place out of the remote parts of the north, you
and many people with you, all of them riding on horses, a great assembly and a
mighty army;(16) And you will come against my people Israel like a cloud to
cover the land. It will come about in the last days that I will bring you against My
land, in order that the nations may know Me when I shall be sanctified through
you before their eyes, O Gog."................(22) And with pestilence and with blood
I shall enter into judgment with him; and I shall rain on him, and all his troops,
and with the many peoples who are with him, a torrential rain, with hailstones,
fire, and brimstone."
Ezekiel writes this about Gog in Chapter 39;
(4) "You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops, and the
peoples who are with you; I shall give you for food for every kind of predatory
bird and beast of the field......(6) I shall send fire upon Magog and those who
inhabit the coastlands in safety; and you will know that I am the Lord. (7) And
My holy name I shall make known in the mist of my people Israel; and I shall
not let My holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations will know that I am
the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.
In Revelation 20, verse 10, John wrote this about Satan's fate for deceiving the nations again;
"And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone,
where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and
night forever and ever."
Jesus' peace be with you.
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