Revelation 20--Revelation 20:7

Day 7

I’m always thankful for short and very clear Scripture verses.

But I’m not really happy about the substance of Revelation 20:7, because like most Christians, I don’t like to dwell on or even look at the parts of The Word that are unpleasant.

Revelation 20:7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison

So AFTER the millennium, (which we are either symbolically working our way through now or if the thousand years reign of Christ is yet to come), Satan will be released from the Abyss.

My first reaction is WHY?

Satan is imprisoned!  There’s peace on earth!

Why screw this up?

But God is nothing if not intentional with HIs plans.

Francois Moller writes In A Hermeneutical Commentary on Revelation 20:1–10,::

“According to verse 3, this release will be for a short period as determined by God. This short period is not unintentional, but speaks of a very intense satanic attack on the church that could not be tolerated for a long period. The short period also stands in contrast to the long period of 1000 years when the Satan is bound.”

Intense satanic attack?

You mean there is worse than the Gaza/Israel war to get through?

Actually, I need to check myself.

The horror of Hamas and the terrible vengeance Israel is exacting is real–but I only know about it from the media..

I’m not fending off terror attacks.  I’m not dodging bombs.  The Gaza/Israel war is real–but not to me.

What’s real to me was the 2:25 AM anxiety attack that I had as my body continues to adjust to laying off Oxycodone.

My body wants the Oxy and I know this.  I know from past usage that I WILL get addicted to Oxy if I don’t stop taking it.

It’s almost a satanic choice–ride through the constant pain of post-op surgery without anything stronger than acetaminophen or tamp down my knee pain with Oxy, knowing my body will crave it and will react violently when I stop using it.

Either way–there will be a struggle–and I have to accept this struggle as my battle against Satan and how he wants to tear me down.

Gerald Neufeld writes about accepting God’s plan in verse 7:

“After the thousand year reign, Satan is again set free. In fact, as verse 3 states, he “must” be set free. The outcome of his freedom is to deceive the world and to battle “God’s people.” Why this is we are not told. God, in his wisdom and sovereignty accomplishes his will. God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). We are simply to accept that what he does is perfect. One thing we may learn is that evil is not diminished by time. As soon as Satan is released he is back to his old ways of deception – which is his main activity – and people are willing to follow him.

The Millennium, as far as I can tell, is a period of peace and plenty with Satan imprisoned in the Abyss.

So why would that amazing time be insufficient for people to follow Christ?

Chuck Swindoll describes in Insights On Revelation how the people–even after a thousand years of PEACE–will still rebel against Jesus:

“At the end of the thousand years, the descendants of the Tribulation survivors will be tested.  After his thousand-year imprisonment in the abyss, Satan will be released for a short time, during which he will be successful in rapidly recruiting a massive force of rebels willing to march against the King of kings and Lord of lords.”

Massive forces?

Is all of this still to come?

Or is the continuing massive secularization of our country part of this rebelling?

Yes and yes?

I’m going to keep it small today.

I’m going to work hard at PT today.  I’m going to continue to lay off Oxy and just use ice and Tylenol.

I’m not going to rebel against Jesus.

That would be dumb.  🙂

Lord, we acknowledge the mystery and complexity of Your divine plan–even with Your release of Satan.  We trust Your sovereignty and wisdom even though we don’t understand.

Lord, we pray to be able to discern the wicked strategies of our enemies and to be victorious in our very personal struggles against Satan’s attacks.

Amen.