Revelation 20:7 -10 “When the thousand years are complete, 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 assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore. And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. “
Again, we are left wondering how this story fits into the rest of the vision. It’s possible that these are simply more details being given about the time when King Jesus rides forth leading the host of heaven to battle. Satan is still trying his best to overcome the hosts of heaven and moves all those left on the earth to a final battle. Here, it is understood that “the beloved city” mentioned is Jerusalem. Evidently, the camp of the saints is outside Jerusalem.
But the time for rebellion has run out. Fire comes down from heaven and consumes the entire army! In an instant, all these warriors are vaporized. And the devil joins the beast and the false prophet in the lake of fire and sulfur, where they will suffer eternal torment.
Judgment before the Great White Throne
v 11: “Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.”
In the beginning, God spoke a word and created the universe. Now God has come and earth and the galaxies and solar systems disappear forever. The time has come for final judgment. Is it God the Father or God the Son, Jesus Christ, who judges? The mystery of the Holy Trinity is such that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are actually united, rooted deeply in each other. Barclay explains: In Romans 14:10 he (Paul) writes: “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.” But in 2 Corinthians 5:10 he writes: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” For Jewish believers, they anticipated that God would be the judge.
The old heavens and earth vanish. God foretold this many times throughout Scripture. “None the less it is still true that “they will perish … they will all wear out like a garment; thou changest them like raiment, and they pass away” (Psalms 102:25-27). “The heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment” (Isaiah 51:6). “Heaven and earth will pass away” (Mark 13:31). “The heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). Barclay states, “The new man in Christ must have a new world in Christ.”
THE FINAL JUDGMENT
v. 12 – 15 “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Everyone who has ever lived is now standing before the throne waiting to be judged. There are two sets of books: the book listing people’s deeds and the Book of Life. Nobody is to be left out of this final judgment. Even those who have drowned at sea and whose bodies could not be recovered are summoned to stand before the throne of God. But what about our deeds? Isaiah 64:6 says, ”…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.” Nothing any of us can do is good enough for us to earn our way into heaven! Even when we are trying to be noble, somewhere in the back of our minds, we are admiring ourselves! And this is why Jesus had to come to live as a man, to die for the sins of the world, and to conquer death, hell, and the grave. NONE OF US COULD DO IT EVEN FOR OURSELVES, LET ALONE FOR ANYONE ELSE!
That is where the second book comes in, the Book of Life. In the time of John, rulers kept record books with the names of their citizens. Whenever someone died, his name was removed from the record of the living, so in a very real sense, these record books were books of life, books of the living. Notice that it is not those who have done wonderful deeds who are saved from the lake of fire; instead, it is those whose names are in the Book of Life. “ And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Those whose names are in the Book of Life are those who have chosen to follow Christ Jesus, to make Him Lord of their lives, and to live for Him instead of for themselves. Nobody becomes a citizen of heaven apart from the Blood of Jesus!
These verses are not a fairy tale! One day, all of us will stand before the throne of God and every scummy thought, every bit of our shriveled souls will be on display. Nothing any of us can do is good enough to deserve heaven. On that day, will your name be found in the Book of Life? God doesn’t send anyone to hell; people choose to go there. How will you choose?
PRAYER: Father God, we tremble when we read these verses, and yet, we thank you for sending Jesus to deliver us from our sins and to save us. Lord, let everyone who reads these words turn to you! In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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