I have often been surprised when a child tries to get away with something they have already attempted before, only to face severe consequences over and over. For instance, one kid snuck candy several times and faced steep consequences afterwards. Somehow it wasn’t enough to deter him from sneaking candy again or he thought the next time he might get away with it.
Similarly, I’m surprised
Satan continues to try to thwart God’s plans and people, despite knowing he
will ultimately lose. All of God’s promises and plans have come to fruition. Satan
didn’t defeat Jesus on the cross and certainly won’t defeat Jesus at the end of
time.
Revelation 20:7-10 When the
thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and
will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog
and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand
on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth
of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he
loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And
the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning
sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.
They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Last week we read about
Satan being bound for the millennium. This week, we see his final judgment
where he’ll face continual burning torment. Satan will deceive nations worldwide
to fight against God’s people, but they will be consumed by fire. Satan’s reign
will come to an end, but Jesus will reign eternally. How does this truth
encourage you, especially considering current events?
In our recent Bible study on
the book of Zechariah, which also contains numerous end-times prophecies, our
memory verse from the final chapter stood out: Zechariah 14:9 The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On
that day, there will be one LORD and His name the only name. I’m so thankful to know the end of the story. It’s
comforting to know Jesus triumphs over Satan!
Alice
