The Kingdom of Darkness is Thrown into the Lake of Fire
Intro: Well Good Morning friends and visitors. My name is Matt Johnson and today we are looking at the death of Satan, the death of sinful humanity and the death of death itself. So lets pray as we begin…
Prayer: Well friends we have now spent 4 WEEKS examining Jesus’ Millennial reign in Revelation 20:1-6 (Slide 2) and we are now at the yellow arrow on the cusp of the New Creation. As we have seen 1) Jesus returns with the church, 2) he defeats the antichrist, 3) he binds Satan and 4)then Jesus reigns with his resurrected people for a thousand years. Jesus’ resurrected people seem to include all Christians and all the Jews who accept Jesus as their Messiah at the 11th hour and 59th minute of world history. Then Jesus and his resurrected people seem to reign for a thousand years over all the non-Christians in the world – who were not killed in Armageddon.
Now last week I explained that AFTER JESUS RETURNS – no one else will be saved in the Millennium. There are a number of Scriptural reasons I believe this to be true. But let me show you again Romans 11:25-27 (Slide 2; Rom.11:25-27). Now please notice Isaiah 59:20 makes it clear Jesus is returning TO Zion (he is not coming from Zion). And what Paul tells us is that when 1) all the Gentiles in Gods “Book of Life” are saved, then 2) ALL Israel will be saved as Jesus comes to Zion. SO IF all the Gentiles in Gods book of Life are saved this means there is no more Gentiles to be saved after Jesus returns. AND IF ALL Israel is saved as Jesus returns, then that means there are no Jews left to be saved. So, given Paul’s simple words in Romans I reach the logical conclusion that no one will be saved in the Millennium.
So we are then forced to ask the question – why have a Millennial kingdom? Why not just take us all to heaven the minute Jesus defeats antichrist? Well, I’m going to present a hypothesis, while admitting the Bible doesn’t explicitly tell us and acknowledging that last week I said that we should not go beyond Scripture. So I am out on a limb.
But I wonder if the Millennium itself may be a REVELATION of 1)God’s grace and 2) man’s depravity. You see we are going to witness Gods Sovereign Grace and Man’s total depravity in the Millennium.
First, the Church is going to witness all Israel suddenly being saved in an INSTANT. (At that point all debates about God’s Sovereignty and mans free will – go out the window). It’s not like ALL ISRAEL wakes up on the last day of human history and decides – I think I’m going to accept Jesus as my Messiah today. WHAT? ALL ISRAEL IN ONE DAY? No way! If Israel is suddenly saved as an entire nation – it’s not because they ALL choose Jesus. It’s because God (in His Sovereign Grace) chooses them and pours out a spirit of irresistible grace and supplication upon them so they recognize their Messiah (Zech.12:10). And perhaps the Millennium will be A REVELATION that none of us are saved because we chose God, but because God chose us (exactly like Israel). Now that idea is profoundly humbling AND it dethrones our pride and self-autonomy once and for all. But I think that is what we will see.
Then we will also witness THE EXACT OPPOSITE of what happens when God withholds His grace. For a thousand years ALL THE NON-CHRISTIANS in the Millennium will have witnessed Jesus’ perfect rule. They will have seen his glory with their own eyes. And they can’t blame Satan for the hardness of their hearts because he’s been in the Abyss for 1000 years. Yet the moment Satan is released and they all have to make a choice between Jesus and Satan – they all choose Satan? (PAUSE). All of them. And in that moment Gods right to judge and condemn such hard-hearted people is vindicated. Man in his “free-will” chooses Satan. And in that same moment every Christian, every Messianic Jew will be forced to admit – but for the grace of God, there goes me. Apart from God’s Sovereign, irresistible grace – that chose Israel (and ultimately chose us) – we would ALL be headed for the lake of fire. But praise be to God for HIS SOVEREIGN GRACE that saves hard-hearted, stubborn, wilful Jews and sinners like us.
Point 1: Jesus Reigns in the Millennium until Satan is Released
Show: Rev.20:7-10 (Slide 4)
Explain: Now at the end of the 1000 years Satan is released from his prison. The question is – has Satan been REHABILITATED by his time in lock-up? (PAUSE). Well, sadly no. Satan is straight back to business – deceiving the nations. So it’s now obvious Satan has to go – bye bye’s. Despite 1000 years in prison – he hasn’t been REHABILITATED as an angel.
But that’s not the main point. The MAIN POINT is that despite Satan being locked up and 1000 years of Jesus’ perfect rule – all the non-Christians are NOT rehabilitated either. So given a choice between Jesus and Satan – all these people choose Satan and join his army. Isn’t it tragic? NEITHER 1) the absence of Satan, 2) the glory of Jesus revealed or 3) the passage of time – can fix man’s unregenerate heart. APART FROM GODS SOVEREIGN GRACE – unregenerate man is sinful through and through. Although God does not delight in 1) the death of sinners and 2) he wants all people to be saved – there comes a point – that if God lets such UNREPENTANT, UNREGENERATE people into his new creation – it’s all going to go to poop again. So those who of their own free-will choose Satan, must depart with Satan.
So the glories of the Millennium are now going to GIVE WAY to the final judgment and then the new creation. But before we get there – let me show you what all these NON-CHRISTIANS have witnessed in the Millennium and yet they still choose Satan instead of Jesus. I’m going to show you some OT passages that seem to be speaking of the Millennium.
First Isaiah 2 says (Slide 3; Isa.2:2-4). So the non-Christians will have heard Jesus’ teaching and even experienced his justice as he settles disputes between nations. They have even experienced WORLD PEACE because all the weapons of war have been turned into agricultural equipment. So they’ve personally witnessed Jesus reign as Prince of Peace on earth and still choose Satan.
(Slide 4; Isa.65:22 & 25) This means the nations will have witnessed Jesus removing the curse of sin from his resurrected people. They will have seen changes in the animal kingdom – a kind of return to Eden and yet they still choose Satan.
(Slide 5 – Zech.14). This passage in Zechariah speaks of events after Jesus’ return. It seems to be after Armageddon. So it appears that in the Millennium the nations have even participated in some sort of worship of Jesus each year at Tabernacles – (as they acknowledge God really is tabernacling amongst them). They have even experienced the negative consequences of non-worship – NO RAIN. But, like Israel for many years, their worship is just EMPTY LIP SERVICE. So the minute Satan is released, the true state of man heart is revealed to both them and us. God’s judgment of such people is just and fair.
After seeing Jesus in ALL his resurrected glory for 1000 years – HUMANITY is given the free choice between Jesus and Satan and they choose Satan. I THINK THIS HAS ALWAYS been the choice of sinful man. This is our HEART. This is our FALLEN NATURE. But if this is still the heart and nature of man (after 1000 years of Jesus’ perfect rule) – then Jesus’ righteous judgment is VINDICATED. Such people cannot be allowed into the new creation
Now some of you may say; “but Matt, I noticed some of these passages speak of a temple and last week you said there would be no temple in the Millennium.” PLEASE NOTE, I specifically said that I do not believe the Ezekiel 40-47 temple (which includes animal sacrifices and priests marrying) – will be in the Millennium. I believe there will still be a WORSHIPPING COMMUNITY in the Millennium. But I do not believe there will be a return to Jewish law or animal sacrifices. Again, I say this for a host of reasons. But let me show you Isaiah 66 (Slide 6; Isa.66:1-3). Now please note this comes straight after the wolf and the lamb lying down together in Isaiah 65. Isaiah 65 and 66 are often regarded as Millennial passages.
But as you can see – God is not interested in animal sacrifices. In the age of true worship of Jesus – animal sacrifices and grain offerings are like murder and idolatry. In other words sacrifices will be sinful. So I’d say those pastors who are promoting animal sacrifices in the Millennium are actually setting up Christians for gross apostasy in a third temple. I think this Dispensational teaching is very, very dangerous. IN THE MILLENNIUM – the non-Christian world will witness the true unadulterated worship of Jesus in the spiritual temple of his people and yet they are still not rehabilitated; still they choose Satan.
Apply: So when Satan is released they all join an army called Gog and Magog. Ezekiel 38-39 (written about 600BC) foretells this battle in detail. In Ezekiel the army of Gog says to itself; “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people – all of them living without walls, gates or bars.” BUT THEN, (exactly like Revelation 20), God pours down burning sulfur upon Gog’s entire army from heaven and it is destroyed. But why does God do this?
Ezekiel 38 & 39 tell us that the final battle of Gog & Magog is all about Gods’ holiness. (Slide 10; Ezek.38 & 39). Friends, I don’t think the Millennium is really about us or our salvation. I think most of the events in the Millennium are to vindicate God’s holiness. People often accuse God of not being good or holy or just. They say things like; how can God create people – only to ultimately condemn them and send them to hell? That’s not fair! Well I think the Millennium will reveal the true state of the human heart AND Gods rightness and holiness in bringing the final judgment…
Point 2: Jesus Reigns over His Enemies in Fiery Judgment
Show: Rev.20:9-12 (Slide 11)
Explain: Well friends, I now want to focus on ALL the FIRE. In Ezekiel 38 – THE FIRE that falls on Gog and Magog (in verse 9) is called BURNING SULPHUR. In verse 10 – the devil is thrown into a lake of BURNING SULPHUR. Then a little later people who are found guilty in Jesus’ judgment are also thrown into THE LAKE OF FIRE.
Now fire in the Bible can be both REFINING and also DESTROYING. The Bible speaks of Christians being placed in the refiners fire to burn off all the impurities in our life. In this sense fire is cleansing. But fire can also represent judgment as per the burning sulphur that fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah. So I suspect that THE FIRE in Revelation 20 is both judgment and purification. I don’t believe the “new creation” will be a completely new and different creation to this one. I think resurrection life is the pattern by which we should conceive the new creation. And just as Christians are brought back to life (through resurrection), so I believe this creation brought back to life through cleansing fire.
You know when you drive through the Blue Mountains – 12-18 months after a major bushfire – you find LIFE re-emerging in all its beauty. New leaves on the branches. Plants germinating after many years of dormancy. Animals move back. It’s the same bush. But its like the bush is cleaner, healthier and even more beautiful. Well, this is how I conceive God’s new creation. I believe this world, this very world, will be resurrected through fire like a PHOENIX rising from the ashes.
Let me show you what the apostle Peter says (2Pet.3:5-12; Slide 12). Friends, I take this passage to be very literal. Just as the world in Noah’s day was destroyed and reborn through water and so this world will be destroyed and reborn through fire. I believe that JESUS’ RESURRECTION is the framework and lens through which we should understand the new creation. Its going to be this very world reborn, but without a snake in the garden.
Now the only place that 2 Peter 3 can really fit in the book of Revelation is these verses right here. The apostle John sees earth and sky FLEEING from Jesus who is seated upon the throne. The apostle Peter (in 2 Peter 3) sees the heavens DISAPPEAR with a roar; the elements DESTROYED by fire, and the earth and everything in it laid bare. I suspect they are seeing the same things and the fire falling from heaven on Gog is NOT JUST JUDGMENT, it is CLEANSING FIRE burning up all the dross and stubble…
But for Satan and those who reject Jesus the fire is God’s punishment. Revelation 20:10 says that Satan will be tormented day and night and forever in the lake of fire. This means Satan’s judgment is not just annihilation or non-existence. It is eternal torment. Now I know some Christians prefer to believe that hell is annihilation and non-existence. (I get this – because imagining our family and friends in eternal torment is hard to process). So some Christians claim that Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:28 teach annihilation. Jesus says do not fear man, but fear God, “who can destroy both soul and body in hell”. The word destroy can mean annihilation. BUT TRADITIONALLY Christians have understood hell as eternal conscious torment. Now whether hell is an actual LAKE OF FIRE or not, I am not certain. Like many things in Revelation the lake of fire may be symbolic. I say this because the Bible also speaks of hell as a place of utter darkness. So how you reconcile fire and utter darkness I do not know?
Apply: But I do know that the lake of fire and utter darkness communicates the absolute horrors of hell. In absolute biblical terms hell is being ETERNALLY SEPARATED from the goodness of God. If people in this life decide God is evil and they don’t want to have anything to do with God, then in the end God will honour your choice. God will separate Himself from you. BUT THAT WAS YOUR CHOICE and you are choosing to cut yourself off from everything good, beautiful and noble in this world forever – because God is the source of everything good, beautiful and noble in this world.
So whether hell is fire or darkness, I know it is the absence of Gods goodness. It is God forsakenness. And sadly, I do believe it is ETERNAL CONSCIOUS TORMENT. I say this because 1) Jesus’ people coming back to life at the beginning of the Millennium was called the first resurrection. 2) This means those coming back to life at the end of the Millennium (to face Jesus’ judgment) must be the second resurrection. But 1 Corinthians 15 says THE RESURRECTED BODY is an immortal, imperishable body (1Cor.15:54). So if non-Christians are rising from the dead in resurrection bodies – the second death is going to be eternal. Eternal conscious separation from God.
(GOSPEL). Now if you are here today and you are not yet a Christian – please understand you can avoid all this simply by accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. Deep in your heart, you know there is a Creator God. Deep in your heart – you know this world did not just come into existence by chance. Nothing in this physical world comes from nothing. That means there is a God. But deep in your heart you also know you’ve done things that are WRONG. Maybe not murder. Maybe not rape. Yet nonetheless some really bad stuff. So if you’ve disobeyed any of God’s laws and you’ve rejected God’s Son – the Lord Jesus Christ that’s going to get messy for you.
But when Jesus died on the cross – he took the punishment for ALL His people’s sin. JESUS DIED and experienced God forsakenness to save you. And Jesus did this because HE LOVES YOU. He loves you enough to die for you. SO EITHER A) you pay for your sins on judgment day or B) Jesus pays for your sins at the cross of calvary. Now how many people love you that much they’d die for you? Well that’s how much God loves you. So please recognize God’s love for you in Jesus, ask for forgiveness and receive resurrection life. God is preparing a new creation for those who love him. It will be this world (in all its glory) renewed, reborn, without sin, suffering, toil or death – for us to enjoy with God – forever. You don’t need to travel the world before you die – because you will have eternity to explore it all – BECAUSE:
Point 3: Jesus Reigns (over our Final Enemy) in the Death of Death.
Show: Slide 14 – Rev.20:14-15 (READ)
Explain: Well THE FUNERAL to end all funerals is going to be a celebration – of THE DEATH of death. Just think about that. The death of death. When Jesus finishes judging the world, he takes Death and Hades and throws them into the lake of fire. Now when death dies what do you have left? (PAUSE) That’s right – LIFE, and not just LIFE – eternal life because there is no more death.
Now this is the pursuit of sinful man. We ALL want to be able to eat the forbidden fruit and not die. We want resurrection life. This week ELON MUSK claimed that his company Neuralink was one step closer to the goal. Yes, Musk claimed he now has the power to heal paralytics and give sight to the blind. He said; these are kind of Jesus-level things. When technologies are hitting like Jesus-level miracles, that’s pretty good. Friends, the false miracles to deceive even the elect are beginning. And Musk says this in the context of Neuralink that openly admits that it is AIMING for a kind of immortality through transhumanism. (Slide 15). That’s why I created this image for Revelation 20-22 because 1) there is real resurrection life in Jesus that is free for everyone who believes AND 2) there will soon be poor, pale imitations and mimics of resurrection life, with a dark underbelly that will cost you, your soul. So do not be deceived this world is in SPIRITUAL BATTLE between good and evil, Jesus and Satan. It is a battle for your soul and Gods glory. So who will you choose – Jesus or Satan.
As we finish I want to show you THE APOSTLE PAUL’S words about resurrection life in 1 Corinthians 15 – because it kind of follows what we see Jesus doing in the Millennium. Have a look with me (1Cor.15:22-26, 28). But that’s next week – when we see resurrected bodies, in a resurrected creation that is truly immortal in a beautiful way…
