Revelation 20:7-10 - Satan’s final ditch to deceive

The question we ask today as we come to these verses is the same question we asked in the previous paragraph. The question is: “Why must Satan be released again?” We must realize that John had already shown the final defeat of Satan. Here he brought Satan in to incorporate it to the defeat of Gog and Magog. On his release after the 1,000 years, the devil will go about deceiving the nations all over the four corners of the earth as well as God and Magog to go out against the saints and the beloved city. John’s source is quite obviously Ezekiel 39-40. Who are Gog and Magog? John sees Gog and Magog operating under the influence of the ultimate power of evil, symbolized by Satan. Here’s what accounts for why Satan had to be released. He is released so that he can deceive the nations into teaming up with Gog and Magog for the closing battle.

Ezekiel 38–39 tell us that “Gog, prince of Magog,” is the one God will raise up in the last days. He is the final symbol of evil that God will destroy to assert His own sovereignty and glory. During John’s day, the “Gog of Magog” had developed into “Gog and Magog.” And instead of one, we see two forces representing the ultimate enemies of God’s people and would be destroyed in the end-time battle. But we would be making a mistake to see John’s presentation of Gog and Magog as nations that are the ultimate enemies of God’s people. Here John is merely putting it into graphically to help us see the ultimate destruction of evil. Before evil can be annihilated, it must be brought into full bloom and then be forever destroyed. Hence the devil must be released to engage in his proven mischief of “deceiving the nations” into one last ditch war against the saints and the beloved city, Jerusalem. In this battle, fire came down from heaven and licked all of them. Here we see Satan finally thrown into the fiery lake of burning Sulphur and brimstone where the beast and the false prophets were thrown in earlier.

We all know that the devil’s end is drawing closer and closer. Meanwhile he is still alive. Peter tells us that he prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. There are people who claim that he can only roar but has no teeth to devour. This is a sadly mistaken misconception. While he awaits his ultimate defeat, he is still seeking to devour believers. How can he be said to have no teeth when he can devour. It behooves us to be alert to his roaring petrifying roars, so that we will not be like the prey of a lion, too frightened to draw close to God. We can move nearer to God moment by moment because He is our guarantee to victory. Let us hide under the shadow of the Almighty so that we will not be devoured!