Saturday, May 07, 2016
SATAN—THE GOD OF THIS WORLD, Chapter 5
“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).
SATAN—THE GOD OF THIS WORLD, Chapter 5
“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).
When the Lord Jesus Christ returns,
“the kingdom of the world [will] become the kingdom of our Lord and of his
Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15, NIV). Satan’s
world, built on a foundation of lies and deception, will come crashing down,
replaced by the Kingdom of truth and light.
To grasp the magnitude of the
transformation that will take place at the coming and implementing of the
Kingdom of God, we need to understand the magnitude of Satan’s centuries-long
deception. It’s difficult even to begin to see how great, how pervasive, that
deception has been when we have been immersed in it since our birth. After all,
a deceived person doesn’t know he is deceived. To him the deception is what
appears normal—it’s the truth that seems odd!
We need to grasp the fact that Satan
has constantly deceived and manipulated mankind on every conceivable level. The
prophecies of the book of Revelation only begin to scratch the surface of what
must take place for the Kingdom of God to be established. One message that
comes through loud and clear is that Christ will have to tear virtually
everything down and start over. It will be the only way to root out the last
vestiges of Satan’s system.
Tearing Down And Starting Over
When you read through the book of
Revelation you learn that it isn’t only the obvious areas of deception—such as
Satan’s end-time political and religious systems—that must be rooted out and
destroyed.
At Christ’s return everything will come
crashing down and be swept away. He will start over afresh. Everything that
Satan had a hand in building—governments, political systems, economic systems,
educational systems, entertainment, media and information systems, every form
of society and civilization that we have invented and established over the
course of man’s history—must be replaced with something far superior.
Why? Because everything in this
present world has been built on a wrong foundation. It is all founded on
Satan’s deceptions and outright lies. It has been built on his
values—constructed to his specifications, you might say. Almost without
exception this world’s systems have all been constructed with no guidance or
direction from God.
This is not God’s world. It is not
His society. It is not His civilization. It is not built on His values, laws or
way of life. Satan has deceived the world for centuries and organized it
according to his values rather than God’s.
Satan’s deception is an active,
continuing process. At every turn he has taken mankind farther and farther away
from God and His instructions for us. Each generation has built on layer after
layer of previously established deception. Just as Satan deceived the whole
world in the past, he is deceiving it now and will continue to delude it until
He is put away at Christ’s return. Then everything he has built must be
completely crushed and swept away.
It’s not pleasant to contemplate,
but much of the horrendous destruction and devastation poured out on the earth
as described in the book of Revelation is God’s judgment on mankind and
civilization. As noted earlier, Satan will embark on a frenzy of destruction as
the end of his rule draws near and he wages a desperate war to thwart the
returning Lord Jesus Christ. But what is left of Satan’s empire will be
annihilated by the Lord Jesus as He assumes the role of King of Kings.
Just as a new building cannot
successfully be built on the rotting foundation of a destroyed structure, God
must raze the remnants of Satan’s edifice before He can build a new foundation.
A New Kind Of Government
At the Lord’s return those who have
been God’s faithful followers over the centuries—who have successfully resisted
Satan’s deceit and rebellion—will be resurrected to immortality (1 Corinthians
15:50-54; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). God’s Word says of these people: “Blessed and
holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death
has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with Him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6).
Christ, as we have seen, will return
to reign on the earth (Zechariah 14:4-9). Revelation 5:10 says of those
resurrected to be with Christ, “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests
to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (NIV). God has in mind an
awesome purpose for His faithful servants. They are not destined for a life of
idleness and ease in heaven for eternity. God has called and is training them
for a great responsibility —to reign with Christ as rulers and priests to build
a perfect, just and godly civilization on earth!
Christ’s Kingdom, the Kingdom of
God, will be a literal kingdom ruling over the nations of the earth. Daniel
7:27, referring to the establishment of this Kingdom, tells us that “the
sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be
handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an
everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him” (NIV).
Daniel 7:14 tells us even more
clearly that this will be a literal, world-ruling government. Daniel describes
God the Father giving to the Lord Jesus the Messiah authority and
responsibility over the earth: “To Him was given dominion and glory and a
kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him. His dominion
is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one
which shall not be destroyed”.
The governmental systems of mankind
for centuries have proven their inherent inability to solve our many problems.
Now they will be replaced by a ruler and form of government that can at last
solve those problems. The Lord Jesus Christ will personally rule the peoples of
the earth!
This central truth is at the heart
of the gospel—the good news—that the Lord Jesus taught. The focus of His
message is the announcement of a coming world government (Luke 21:31) that will
not be administered by blinded people who have been duped by Satan. It will not
be ruled by selfishly motivated people but by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself
(Luke 21:27).
Building A God-centered Civilization
The Hebrew prophets give us dozens
of prophecies throughout the Old Testament about this exciting time. One that
perhaps best describes the differences between the world tomorrow and today’s
world is found in Isaiah 11:9: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy
mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the
waters cover the sea”.
Isaiah’s prophecy describes how
during that time even the nature of animals will be changed: “The wolf also
shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the
calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead
them” (Isaiah 11:6).
Today’s world is full of hurting and
destruction. It is blinded to the knowledge of God we so desperately need. Once
Satan is removed, along with his attitude of vanity, jealousy, greed,
selfishness and hostility, humanity can begin to learn and then experience
peace.
Satan will no longer be around to blind
the world and enshroud it in spiritual darkness. The world will at last
experience freedom from Satan’s spiritual enslavement (John 8:32). People will
at last learn godly values and the right way to live—the way to prevent and
eliminate pain and misery.
The prophet Micah describes this
time of unprecedented peace:
“Now it shall come to pass in the
latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the
top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall
flow to it. Many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the
mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His
ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’
“For out of Zion the law shall go
forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many
peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But everyone shall sit
under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid”
(Micah 4:1-4).
With Satan-induced blindness
removed, men, women, boys and girls everywhere will at last begin to recognize
the blessings that come from following God’s way. They will eagerly stream to
Jerusalem, Christ’s capital city, to learn His way of life.
Prophecies Of Christ’s Rule
In one of the Bible’s best-known
(but least-understood) passages, the prophet Isaiah describes the kind of ruler
the Lord Jesus will be:
“The government will be upon His
shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and
peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to
order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward,
even forever” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
In contrast to the injustice,
incompetence and oppression that so often characterize governments today,
“judgment and justice” will be hallmarks of Christ’s coming reign. A new,
vastly different kind of epidemic will break out throughout the world,
affecting marriages, families, communities and nations. It will be an epidemic
of peace. As Isaiah prophesied, “there will be no end” to peace under Jesus
Christ’s reign (verse 7). The Prince of Peace will bring calm and goodwill to a
world that has never known lasting peace.
Under Christ’s righteous rule,
mankind will at last learn God’s ways and experience a wonderful peace.
Educational institutions will teach people how to live, not just how to make a
living. Biblical principles for healthy and lasting relationships will be
thoroughly explained. The multiple millions of people who will populate the
earth will have access to that wonderful, saving knowledge that was rejected by
a world blinded by Satan for thousands of years.
The Millennial Kingdom And Beyond
The Lord Jesus Christ will usher in
a literal kingdom, the Kingdom of God on earth. But this is not the end of the
story. Notice again Revelation 11:15, which was quoted in part earlier: “The
seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which
said: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his
Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever’ ”
(NIV).
The Lord Jesus Christ will reign
over the nations in a literal kingdom for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:3-7). Yet
we are also told in the passage just quoted that He will reign forever. In
other words, the 1,000-year reign (commonly called the Millennium, from the
Latin for “thousand years”) is only the beginning of the Lord Jesus’ eternal
reign in the Kingdom of God.
Indeed, the reign that Christ will
share with the resurrected saints during this time will be for the very purpose
of offering entry into the eternal Kingdom of God to all mankind. Thousands
(perhaps) of physical human beings alive at Christ’s return will live through
the devastation of the prophesied end-time events into the Millennium, after
which many more generations will be born and live. They will all be given an
opportunity for eternal life, to be changed from their physical lives and
bodies to glorified human beings in order to enter into the eternal Kingdom of
God.
When He taught about the Kingdom of
God, the Lord Jesus made it clear that ultimately it is an eternal kingdom, not
one that lasts only 1,000 years. In Matthew 19:16 we read of a wealthy young
man who asked Jesus a fundamental question: “Good Teacher, what good thing
shall I do that I may have eternal life?” Jesus explained to him that he needed
to keep God’s commandments and “be perfect” (Matthew 19:21). When it became
clear that the young man was not willing to do all that would be required,
Jesus went on to say in Matthew 19:24 that “it is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God”. Here, entry into the Kingdom of God is equated with eternal life.
Yes, the millennial reign of Christ
will open the door for thousands of human beings to be saved and enter the
eternal Kingdom of God. The Millennium, a time of unparalleled peace, happiness
and prosperity, will be just a foretaste of the even greater eternal Kingdom.
Satan’s Final Role
The Bible reveals that Satan plays
one final role after Christ’s return and the establishment of the Kingdom of
God. Earlier we read that Satan will be bound “so that he should deceive the
nations no more till the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:3). But,
then, “after these things he must be released for a little while”
(same verse).
During the Millennium many will be
born who will not be exposed to Satan’s influence. God’s way will be the only
way they will have ever known. Yet the Scriptures reveal that God tests people
to see if their obedience is from the heart (Deuteronomy 8:2; Revelation 2:10).
One way He does this is to allow them to choose between good and evil
(Deuteronomy 30:19). The book of Revelation describes one such way this choice
will be presented at the end of the Millennium.
Notice how it will occur:
“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” (Revelation 20:7-9, NIV).
God does not reveal whether this is
the only test He will give then to separate those who sincerely want to obey
and follow Him from those who don’t. But it will certainly be the final and
most significant test. It will be a vital part of the judgment process, to
determine once and for all where any root of the devil’s attitudes and thinking
remain on earth. Here, at the end of the Millennium, those who have chosen to
follow Satan will be gathered together at once and destroyed.
Then comes the time for Satan’s
permanent removal:
“And the devil who had deceived them
was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false
prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”
(Revelation 20:10, ESV). At last, he will not be able to deceive anyone ever
again.
Following Satan’s final rebellion,
there will be a general resurrection of the lost or unbelievers—all those who
lived in Satan’s world and rejected their opportunity for salvation (Revelation
20:5; Revelation 20:11-12).
The great white throne judgment is
described in Revelation 20:11-15 and is the final judgment prior to the lost
being cast into the lake of fire. We know from Revelation 20:7-15 that this
judgment will take place after the millennium and after Satan, the beast, and
the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10). The
books that are opened (Revelation 20:12) contain records of everyone’s deeds,
whether they are good or evil, because God knows everything that has ever been
said, done, or even thought, and He will reward or punish each one accordingly (Psalm
28:4; 62:12; Romans 2:6; Revelation 2:23; 18:6; 22:12).
Also at this time, another book is
opened, called the “book of life” (Revelation 20:12). It is this book that
determines whether a person will inherit eternal life with God or receive
everlasting punishment in the lake of fire. Although Christians are held
accountable for their actions, they are forgiven in Christ and their names were
written in the “book of life from the creation of the world” (Revelation 17:8).
We also know from Scripture that it is at this judgment when the dead will be
“judged according to what they had done” (Revelation 20:12) and that “anyone’s
name” that is not “found written in the book of life” will be “thrown into the
lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).
The fact that there is going to be a
final judgment for all men, both believers and unbelievers, is clearly
confirmed in many passages of Scripture. Every person will one day stand before
Christ and be judged for his or her deeds.
The Scriptures reveal three
different judgments to come. The first is the judgment of the sheep and the
goats or a judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-36). This takes place after
the tribulation period but prior to the millennium; its purpose is to determine
who will enter the millennial kingdom. The second is a judgment of believers’
works, often referred to as the “judgment seat [bema] of Christ” (2 Corinthians
5:10). At this judgment, Christians will receive degrees of reward for their
works or service to God. The third is the great white throne judgment at the
end of the millennium (Revelation 20:11-15). This is the judgment of
unbelievers in which they are judged according to their works and sentenced to
everlasting punishment in the lake of fire.
It is important to never lose sight
of the facts concerning the coming judgment(s). First, the Lord Jesus Christ
will be the judge, all unbelievers will be judged by Christ, and they will be
punished according to the works they have done. The Bible is very clear that
unbelievers are storing up wrath against themselves (Romans 2:5) and that God
will “give to each person according to what he has done” (Romans 2:6).
Believers will also be judged by Christ, but since Christ’s righteousness has
been imputed to us and our names are written in the book of life, we will be
rewarded, but not punished, according to our deeds. Romans 14:10-12 says that
we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and that each one of us
will give an account to God.
A Wonderfully Transformed Heaven And Earth
In the end there will be only God
and those who have chosen His way rather than Satan’s. Continuing further in
the book of Revelation, John describes another incredible vision: “Then I saw a
new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed
away” (Revelation 21:1, NIV).
In this new world “the dwelling of
God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God
himself will be with them and be their God” (verse 3, NIV). Satan’s rule as
“god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV) will be but a vanishing memory.
Revelation 21:4 tells us what the
world will be like when Satan’s influence is no more: “[God] will wipe every
tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or
pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (NIV).
(To learn more about the new heaven
and earth, the reader is referred to these articles: New Heaven & Earth,Part I and New Heaven & Earth, Part II.)
Is there really a devil? Yes. Absolutely. And other demons besides. But God assures us the time is coming when Satan, his demons and their works—the physical suffering, misery, mental anguish and mourning they bring—will be no more. May you have the wisdom, strength and love for truth to resist Satan’s deceptions and be there to see that wonderful day!
Is there really a devil? Yes. Absolutely. And other demons besides. But God assures us the time is coming when Satan, his demons and their works—the physical suffering, misery, mental anguish and mourning they bring—will be no more. May you have the wisdom, strength and love for truth to resist Satan’s deceptions and be there to see that wonderful day!