ONE WAY OUT
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years… And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.” — Rev. 20:1-2, 7-9
There is an interesting phrase that often escapes our attention, which occurs three times in the Book of Revelation. In chapter 2 and v. 27 the “overcomer” is said to be given power over the nations and will “rule them with a rod of iron.” In chapter 12 and v. 5 the “manchild” was brought forth Who “was to rule the nations with a rod of iron.” And again in chapter 19 and verse 15, where we focused our attention last week, it is said of Christ that He will “smite the nations” with with the sharp sword out of His mouth and “rule them with a rod of iron.”
All of these references were to the future when written, and there is no indication throughout history from then ’til now that His rule has been exercised in the anticipated fashion. In other words, they must look forward to His millennial reign. That reign we cannot now discuss in detail, but in general it involves a thousand years of ideal government under the direct administration of Christ Himself, and will be a time of peace, prosperity and glory such as this world has never known since Adam committed his great transgression. The inference, from the passages noted above, is that some nations will survive after Christ’s return and be governed not by choice, but by the benevolent but inflexible rule of the Son of God, hence the significance of the “rod of iron.”
Under Christ’s government there will be not only an ideal administration, but an ideal environment as well. Many old testament passages spell it all out for us, but neither time nor purpose will allow us to consider them here. What is of significance for our purpose is simply to note that for one thousand years the world near and far will experience the glory of God “up close and personal,” as they say—whether they like it or not! It will be the ideal environment in every sense of the word. Satan will be bound (v.2) and all wickedness subdued. All nature will be man’s ally and friend.
Now, the amazing disclosure here is that at the end of that millennium Satan will be loosed and given, as it were, his second chance. Observe first that his heart is unchanged. He goes out “to deceive the nations,” as he deceived Adam in the beginning, and will find a ready following. He mounts an army to assault “the camp of the saints” that numbers “as the sand of the sea!” Multitudes, after generations under the manifest care of the Savior, are ready to join forces against Him. It will be a short war; “fire [will come] down from heaven and devour them.”
But what is the lesson for us? There are those who argue, some professing Christians among them, that man is a victim of his environment. Given an ideal environment, we could eliminate crime and corruption. Others argue, our present government a case in point, that with a proper education the human condition will improve, e.g. While history itself should be enough to prove otherwise, such is not the case. Men insist that humanity is perfectible, if we can just find the key. This solemn chapter is the final proof that such is not the case.
Man in his present state is incurably evil. A powerful verse illustrates the point: “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil [Eccl. 8:11, my italics].” This consummation of the millennial reign of Christ will be the final proof. If men are to be changed, it is only by death and resurrection through faith in Christ. If you have never trusted Him, the time to do so is now.
And, if you are a Christian and would see your children in heaven, you must preach the gospel to them, live it before them and pray relentlessly for their salvation. Better schools, a better neighborhood, a better government, bigger, better and costlier toys will not make them good. Only Christ can do that. Evangelize while you can!
This is the fundamental lesson of our “nugget” for today.*
For a real change of heart,
"Pastor" Frasier
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