Rev. 20:7-10 (ESV)
And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison [8] and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. [9] And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, [10] 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.
Gog and Magog, it just sounds insidious. I’m trying to picture a scenario though, where all the saints from all over the world some how gather in Jerusalem for the armies of Gog and Magog, their number like the sand of the sea to go besiege the beloved city. This has to be figurative. There really isn’t anyway it can’t be figurative. In any case this passage is the source of much consternation for many, but it need not be. Sure Satan is unleashed, unbound and he comes to deceive the nations, a term that often doubles for gentiles or unbelievers, and lead them against the saints of God. However, before they are able to lay siege, well the battle is over before it starts as God rains down fire and consumes the hordes of the nations. And the devil and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night.
And that is the interesting thing about this passage. Who is they? The hordes of unbelievers? Or the devil and the prophet who deceived them? Or all the above? I am no universalist, though my heart wants me to be. I stick to scripture. But the love of Christ that loves in me because he first loved me, wants to believe all are saved. It isn’t that I believe that. I don’t. I don’t think ignorance saves. But I do believe Christ died for all, and I want all to be saved, just as he wants all to be saved. So part of me likes to think it is Satan that is tortured in hell with the prophet, but other texts preclude this interpretation for me. And for that I morn. But Satan definitely doesn’t escape torment here. He is tormented in Hell more than anyone else if you ask me. He is not the one tormenting in hell, but one being tormented.
1 comment:
You remind me of an interesting point I often bring up to my Calvinist friends. When I was a Calvinist the “tone” upon which the bell sounds as to God’s glory is always this: “If God didn’t choose to save a single person it would be to His glory”. Playing mostly off of what they perceive to be His sovereignty. But sovereignty so nakedly played without Christ, Who is God’s revelation, can play both ways! Alright, fair enough. But that’s no more true, as far as Scripture reveals, than rank universalism. So I often counter them, not because I believe it, like you say I don’t see it in Scripture, but to show how they wrongly emphasis God – i.e. as if His glory and sovereignty is MORE shown by saying, “if He hadn’t saved anyone…” – so I’ll say to them, “If God chose to save every single human being without exception utter and rank universalism, the universalist sovereignty ying to the Calvinist sovereignty yang, then it follows that it would be to His glory just as perfectly.”
They generally don’t like that but its at least getting closer to the Cross than “no one at all”, in either case Scripture says that CHRIST is the revelation of God’s glory not that “if He had chosen to save no one His glory is revealed”. In fact to foist the later ahead of Christ is blaspheme since He is declared the revelation of God’s glory, everywhere in Scripture and that “no man has seen God except He Who sent, He has revealed Him” (paraphrasing St. John).
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