God’s Devil - Points to Ponder, Part 12
THE END TIMES / BE READY
God has not left us in the dark concerning the future. Scripture contains many prophecies about the end of days, most of which come from Christ Himself.
The first truth of faith on this subject is that it will conclude human history as we know it. It will begin with the rapture of the church and after that event, we are taught that the second coming of Jesus will follow. Matt 25:31 teaches us of the judgment of all men before the Lord. It is crucial that we as saved believers understand that for the elect, the last judgment is only a reward moment. Romans 8:1 is clear in teaching that there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. What we do not know is when these moments will happen. Jesus was strongly clear that we are not to know, therefore each generation must be ready and watchful. All of human time before these events requires that we prepare as the enemies are alive and working (the world, the flesh, and the devil).
The first coming of Christ, in the likeness of our flesh marked the beginning of the kingdom without, however, ending the rule of Satan as prince of this world. Until his final defeat, he still spreads his evil discord among us. We should always remember that we have been saved from the penalty of sin, but we are not yet saved from the presence of sin.
The Lord has allowed us to look slightly behind the curtain of the end of times when He gave John the Revelation. In that bookend to all scripture, He allows us a full understanding of the end of Satan and his demons. After the final rebellion at the end of the 1,000 year reign, Satan and all who are his will be removed from creation forever, as we see in Rev 20:9&15:
“fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet were, and they were tormented day and night for ever and ever … and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
The book of Revelation does not tell us how many were thrown in with Satan but it does tell us of the vast numbers of saved who will reside in heaven. Rev 7:9 speaks of a great multitude that no man could number … standing before the throne... .”
Freedom was the risk God decided to take before the foundation of all things. Hell is not a failure of divine work in creation but rather a testimony to the wisdom of God in giving life and free will to His people. Satan served the purpose God had for him and as soon as the purpose ends, he will be removed forever.
HE WAS GOD'S DEVIL FROM CREATION ONWARD AND WAS NEVER FREE