Revelation 20:7 - 10

Satanic Rebellion Crushed

7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The thousand years are an indefinite amount because it is determined by how long it takes for the leaders and mankind to ignore and scorn the word of God. (My opinion is he was freed by man's ignorance of God's word by 1918 at the latest.

Man still has the Bible, there is no reason for him to be deceived but when he ignores the word of God, he is susceptible to the deceptions of Satan.

The easiest way for Satan to effect the world is for him to start with the governments of the world. Satan will go out to the four corners of the earth to attempt to destroy what is good. His objective is to destroy the word of God or the people's faith in it.

This long conflict or war is called Armageddon, one of the terms which Thayer uses to define the Hebrew word is “destruction.” Satan's strategy in this war is to use any means he can to destroy man's confidence in the Bible, or God's word.

Gog and Magog are used figuratively but they were ancient people and countries who were numerous and savage, they were always against civilization. Symbolically it means Satan will use forces who will be numerous and savage in their battle against the Bible.

It can be noted Satan uses many different issues which conflict with Biblical history and teaching, one is the Theory of Evolution, which is just a theory, meaning it has not been proven. But the public attack against the Genesis account of the beginning uses evolution which is taught in public schools and chartered and endorsed by the state and federal departments of education. We can see the projection of women's rights which has its main focus on telling us it is a woman's right to do with her body what she wants, even if it means killing the baby within her. God calls it murder, Satan says it is freedom and a woman's right.

Verse nine tells us that Satan's army will surround the church. In this army is the beast, Roman-Catholic church which tells us that man's conduct must be regulated by the pope and his college of cardinals. But the Christ tells us our lives need to be regulated by the Bible. (1 Peter 4:11; If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. )(1 John 1:7; But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. ) And the only institution which has the authority to make the Bible known is the true church. (Ephesians 3:10; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, )(Ephesians 3:21;  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. ) (1 Timothy 3:15;  but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. ) Thus the army of Satan is is surrounding the true church, the church is a group of individuals, live saints, aligned together with one motive to spread God's word, encamped like an army, the army of Christ.

Christ's church is on one side and everything regarding all controversies which involve moral and religious interests are on the other side and where belief in or opposition to the Bible is battled.

This one short verse covers the entire passage of the war of Armageddon, beginning from the time Satan is released from his imprisonment to the time of the coming of Christ.

The last sentence marks the end of the war or battle of Armageddon, it does not tell us when, and no verse in the Bible does. But it does tell us the event which will end the war, the consuming fire out of heaven falls on the evil. We are told (2 Thessalonians 2:8; And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. ) the pope will be destroyed at the coming of Christ.

It is appropriate that the pope, Satan, and the battle of good versus evil will all end with the fire brought forth by Christ when He returns since Satan and the pope have been allies fighting against the forces of Christ for centuries.

This verse concludes the time preceding the judgment day, several times we have come to this point in our study of Revelation, but this time we do not go backward.

The Devil in verse 10 is singular but refers to the entire army of Satan who deceived the masses. The beast is the Roman-Catholic church and the false prophet is the pope, they will be sent to the lake of fire, the final Hell, it lasts forever and there is no respite, no relief, no recess for good behavior, the punishment is continual and for eternity.