| THE FINAL DECEPTION |
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| 7 And after the thousand years, Satan will be freed out of his prison, |
| Rev 20:7 after 1,000 years – after the Kingdom of heaven has been cleansed, and Christ’s prayer for the saints to be united by the truth has been fulfilled! This may be the greatest moment of the Church, and mankind for as Jesus prayed “the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:21). This is also a time of peace, when “the mountain of the house of the LORD is established” (Isa 2:2) and the nations will “hammer their swords into plowshares” (Isa 2:4). However, as Paul said, “while they are saying: ‘Peace and safety’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly” (1 Thess 5:3). And for those who remain outside the sanctified Church, it will be a very difficult time, as was saw in the 5th bowl of wrath. released from his prison – the abyss. |
| 8 and will come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. |
| Rev 20:8 deceive the nations – this is described in Rev 16:13-14. In the fifth trumpet, we learn that the nations are plagued by demons for 150 years, before they are gathered together to battle. Gog and Magog – from Ezek 38:2, “Gog in the land of Magog.” Gog is the Ruler, who Daniel called “the King of the North” (Dan 11:40-45). Magog is one of the children of Japheth, a son of Noah, and is identified by most as one of the European people. like the sand of the seashore – 200 million men, as per Rev 9:16. |
| 9 They went up over the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them. |
| Rev 20:9 surrounded the camp of the saints – this literally reads, the camp of the “holy ones,” and bears the same meaning as Zech 14:5, “Yihvah, my ELOHIM shall come and all His holy ones (Angels).” This is the camp of the Yihvah, described in the Day of the LORD, in Joel 2:11, “Yihvah gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great.” The Camp of the Angel of Yihvah was first seen in Gen 32:2, the Camp of Angels that protected Jacob (Israel) from his brother Esau. and the beloved City – the idea that “the beloved City,” refers to the spiritual New Jerusalem was promoted by theologians before Israel was reestablished as a nation in 1948. The expression “beloved City” is never applied to the Church, anywhere else in the Bible, but it is similar to the expression “beautiful land” that describes Israel in the attack of the King of the North in Dan 11:41. There are several reasons why we can believe that the actual City of Jerusalem is the target of Satan’s attack. ① Satan’s attack comes after the repentance of “the inhabitants of Jerusalem,” described in Zech 12. The “inhabitants of Jerusalem” are the last people who will be saved before the Lord returns. As Paul said, “all Israel will be saved,” after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, (Rom 11:26). At that time, Jerusalem will be the center of Christianity, “living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the Eastern Sea, and half of them toward the Western Sea” (Zech 14:8). Zech 12 describes three groups who are delivered in the Day of the Lord: the House of David (the Church), Judah (Israel), and “the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” The House of David is clearly distinguished as a subset of the “inhabitants of Jerusalem” in Zech 12:12. In Zech 12:8, we read, “in that Day, Yihvah will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem” – therefore we can safely say the “the beloved City” in Rev 20:9 refers to the literal City of Jerusalem. ② The Bible lists the nations that attack Israel, in Ezek 38, and Dan 11:40-45. There are also great descriptions of the attack in Rev 9:13-19, and Rev 16:12-16. It is very difficult to find a symbolic spiritual meaning for all these descriptions. Daniel lists Egypt, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Libya and Ethiopia as other victims of the King of the North. How could these be included along with the Church, if Jerusalem is the New Jerusalem? ③ Rev 16:18 describes “a great earthquake” that follows this attack. The “earth” has the meaning of the people of the world, and “quake” has the meaning of war, as can be historically proven of the Reformation “earthquake” described in Rev 11:13, “there was a great earthquake and a tenth of the City fell.” and fire came down – this is the conclusion of man’s existence on this earth. God will send fire down to protect “the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” |
| 10 The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where are also the beast and the false prophet. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever. |
| Rev 20:10 and the devil was thrown into the lake of fire – the final death. |
