Bible Studies
Satan’s Final End (Rev. 20:7-10)
Series: The Reality of SatanIntroduction:
1. The people of God are victorious by means of the work of the Lamb. Satan is defeated and thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone; while the people of God go on to enjoy the new heavens and new earth because they have their robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb. 2. And that is my sermon on Satan’s final reward. 3. But there are many things leading up to this end and many evidences in Scripture of Satan being defeated and it is to those evidences that we turn our attention.Discussion:
I. The gospel accounts present a uniform picture of the fall of Satan.A. One of the earliest evidences of this is found in Matt. 8:28-34 and its parallels in Mk. 5:1-17; Lk. 8:26-37.
1. The demons acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and ask, “Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
2. The statement necessarily implies
a. That the Son of God has power over them.
b. That there is some time limitation that they recognize. Apparently it is a time of judgment.
3. The rest of the account does indeed testify that Jesus had power over them and what happened is suggestive of judgment against them and relief for the men whom they had possessed.
B. This casting out of demons continues as the 12 are sent out (Matt. 10:5ff; Mk. 6:7ff; Lk. 9:1ff).
C. The same continues in Lk. 10:1ff with the sending out of the seventy.
1. The seventy marveled that the demons were subject to them (17).
2. Jesus said, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightening.”
3. They were preaching, “The kingdom of God has come near.”
4. The preaching of the kingdom is associated with the fall of Satan.
D. In Matt. 12:22ff Jesus continues to describe the kingdom of God as against the kingdom of Satan as he is charged with casting out demons by the power of the ruler of demons.
1. “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
2. “How can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property unless he first binds the strong man?”
a. Jesus presents Satan as “the strong man.”
b. He presents himself as the one who “binds the strong man.”
c. All of this in association with the coming of the kingdom of God.
E. Matt. 25:31ff presents the judgment.
1. There is a separation made when the Son of Man comes.
2. Between the sheep and the goats.
3. To the accursed ones He says, “Depart from Me into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (41).
F. The gospel accounts present a uniform picture from the beginning of the preaching of the kingdom that it is opposition to the kingdom of Satan and that he will ultimately be defeated finding his final end in eternal fire.
II. Not so much is said in the Book of Acts about Satan.A. Satan fills the heart of Ananias to lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5).
B. Paul describes his mission as an apostle in the words given him by Jesus, “I am sending you to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God” (Acts 26:17-18).
C. But the whole of the Book is a description of their preaching of the kingdom.
1. They continued healing the sick and carrying on the mission of battling the kingdom of Satan.
2. In Acts 10:38 Peter tells Cornelius about Jesus, “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
3. So he sees what he is doing as continuing the mission begun by Jesus.
4. Paul identified Elymas the magician as “you son of the devil” (Acts 13:9).
5. It is evident that they saw themselves as advancing the kingdom of God in opposition to Satan.
III. The epistles present the same picture.A. Rom. 16:20: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”
B. 1 Jn. 3:8: “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
1. His works are destroyed when people are born of God and stop practicing sin and practice righteousness (1 Jn. 3:9-10).
2. Jesus rendered powerless the devil by becoming flesh and blood and helping us who were subject to the fear of death (Heb. 2:14ff).
C. Of course there are many other texts in the epistles that we have already given consideration to that continue to present a spiritual battle between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of Christ (ex. Col. 1:13-14; Eph. 6:10ff).
IV. The Book of Revelation closes with the ultimate defeat of Satan and his being cast into the lake of fire and brimstone (20:7-10).A. There is an interesting similarity between Ezek. 37 and Rev. 20.
1. Israel is in captivity in Ezekiel. They see themselves as a valley of dead bones.
2. God causes them to live.
3. They come together “an exceeding great army.”
4. I believe this represents God’s kingdom brought together by the preaching of the kingdom. Indeed, Ezek. 37:24ff identifies it with the Davidic kingdom. Cf. Acts 2:29-36.
B. It is in this context that Gog and Magog are introduced into the Ezekiel text.
1. I believe they represent all the forces opposed to the kingdom of God.
2. Ultimately they are defeated by God.
3. And God’s people are restored from their exile and He pours out His Spirit on them.
C. The imagery is the same in Rev. 20.
1. Satan, with his allies, Gog and Magog, all who oppose the kingdom of God come up in opposition to the saints and the city of God.
2. Fire comes down from heaven and devours them.
3. The devil is defeated and thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone.
4. His final end means victory for the Lord and His people.
5. None can stand before the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Rev. 19:11-16).
Conclusion:
1. To the people of God belong the new heaven and new earth, the new Jerusalem, the water of life and the tree of life (Rev. 21-22). 2. They are blessed as “those who have washed their robes, so they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter into the city” (Rev. 22:14). 3. “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Rev. 22:17).
