The Twenty-Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Revelation 20:7-10

The Final Defeat of Satan

If the evil in men’s hearts is unfathomable (Jeremiah 17:9), how evil must be the arch-deceiver!  We might be surprised that Satan is granted a parole and evil allowed one last hurrah but such lies in the mysterious will of God.

So we read in this short passage that after the millennial reign on earth of our Lord and his saints—which for all we know might last aeons, the purpose being to magnify our Lord’s regal office and to teach men what a kingdom of righteousness should look like—that even this most blessed earthly kingdom must give way before the heavenly.  And how should this happen except some evil thing threaten to undo it?  And what better way to do this than the old fashioned way we already know?  We have said before, Satan, though wily, is terribly inept in the area if creativity.  He only knows to deceive, so upon his release from the pit he goes about doing that which he only knows to do.  Similarly, men being dullards when it comes to Satan’s evil schemes and whose vanity is easily enticed by baubles and charms, naturally follow in the footsteps to which they were so accustomed before that reign of justice and join themselves to Satan’s league.  We might imagine some time would elapse before all the nations would execute their plan to march on the “camp of the saints,” but the result is undeterred: No parley, no bargains and no battles—God simply sends fire down from heaven to consume them all at once.  The wretch, Satan, is cast into the lake of fire to join his comrades, the beast and false prophet, and there “they are tormented day and night forever and ever,” just as their deeds deserve.

Why would someone rebel when he lives in such a wonderful world, and against the King of kings and Lord of lords at that!  It boggles the mind but we must remember that sin and evil make no sense but at their very root are irrational.  We know within our very selves how sinful we can be, how taken with our own passions whatever they be, how demanding we are even to our own hurt—we who are created in God’s very image!  We can’t understand sin and evil in and of itself, but we do understand that it abides in us, and so likewise understand why others do the evil they do—which is to say, we know sin and evil from the inside—and we shudder.

But the promise of heaven is that there our souls will be completely healed.  We shall be unable to die because we shall be unable to sin, and we shall be unable to sin because we shall be unable to die.  We shall finally be the people we were created to be.  We will have come through—by grace alone.

Author: The Reformed Baptist

My name is Stephen Taylor, ordained Baptist minister of eighteen years pastoral experience with a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Better than that, I am married to a godly woman, Karla, who has been very patient with me since 1989. I have two daughters, both of whom I homeschooled for extended periods of time, who became godly young women, and who ran off and married godly young men, all of which is very proper. The oldest daughter has even seen fit to bless me with a grandson and a granddaughter, and my youngest daughter with a grandson, all three of whom are bundles of exceeding joy. As you can see, I am quite blessed. This website is dedicated to helping people grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through the gift of writing that the Lord has given to me. It is specifically about helping His people grow in godliness, the theme you see repeated above. I write devotions with this aim and hope that they might be of some help to God’s people. Full disclosure: I am of a Reformed bent, meaning that my understanding of Scripture is primarily informed by the Reformers and their successors of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, as a student of church history and theology, I strive to remain true to that teaching handed down once for all unto the saints through every age of the Church. I like to think of myself as a “catholic” Christian, as the Reformers thought of themselves. At any rate, feel free to read, pray, and contact me if you wish, or correct me if need be. As you can see, I tend to follow the church year. Of course, I make no special claims about these devotions. I know very well that others have written better and plumbed the depths of God’s word with greater insight. But if my musings help someone draw closer to the Lord, well then, I have my reward. Blessings to you and may the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ speak to you that word which He knows you especially need to hear. Grace & peace, Stephen Taylor

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