His Perfect Love

Guest (Male): A final battle that takes place near the end of the 1,000-year reign of Christ. Hear all about it next on His Perfect Love.

Welcome again to His Perfect Love, online at hisperfectlove.org. As believers, we may wonder at times why God doesn't put an end to Satan and the demons. But today, we turn to Revelation chapter 20 and see that there is a time coming when he will. At the end of the 1,000-year rule and reign of Christ, Satan is released one last time, and he'll lead a charge against the Jewish people. Then, the satanic rebellion will be crushed once and for all. We'll get all the details here today as Pastor Matt VanderVen picks up what we left off in Revelation 20.

Matt VanderVen: I mentioned Gog and Magog, and I told you if you underline that or circle—I like to make notes in my Bible—12 times in the Bible, the name and the location is listed. The only other place we see Gog and Magog listed is Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. Again, this should sound familiar if you've read those chapters. This is talking about Israel's prophetic enemies. Who are these surrounding nations? First of all, three-quarters of them are Muslim. We know that they are believers of Islam currently as it presently is on the record.

Gog, for example, would be the president or leader of Magog. Magog is a physical place. According to the scripture, I'll use the modern locations for these areas. Magog would be today—anybody know? Russia. That's right, some of you know Russia. Turkey is another nation if you're keeping a list. Iran is another one of the nations. Sudan is another one of the nations. Ethiopia is the last nation that we see. So, what they're going to do—and we're not told the specific time—is they're going to coalesce and form an army that's going to come against Israel.

They're going to come against Israel. Now, they're not going just to come against Israel, but specifically, they're also going to come against Magog. Russia's going to turn around—I should say, Magog's going to come against Israel. They're going to turn around and they're going to come from a physical locale and they're specifically going to attack the people that are living in Jerusalem. This is important because look in the scriptures at how it's referred to or how he references Jerusalem in this very passage. As you keep reading down, he's going to talk about it as that blessed place, the place where the Jews are.

Why would God draw our attention today, or even those that are alive at that time, back to Russia, Turkey, Iran, Sudan, and Ethiopia? Unless he's describing a battle that's going to occur, hasn't occurred, with these limited nations. He can't be talking about the same battle that he's mentioning right now, that the people are going to be more than the grains of sand. It can't be that because even with those four or five that are going to gather in that area, that's not from the four corners of the earth. So, he's not telling us it's the same people that are going to come to battle.

What he's talking about is the motive. Who are the most pursued people on the entire face of the earth since the beginning of creation? The Jewish people. The Jewish people. And why? Was it because of something they did of themselves? No. As a matter of fact, when God chose them, he says, "There's nothing quite frankly unique about you in that regard. You're not the grandest as far as location and stature. You don't have the most amount of number of people." But you know what? "I love you and you're my chosen people. And I've made you my chosen people. I've loved you and I've called you my own."

The minute he did that, Satan heard that, and he said, "I can't stand it. I'm going to destroy them all." If you want to go back and look at this, go back all the way to the beginning of Genesis. Look at how capital S for Seed—many people, even scholars, don't catch this—go back, he capitalizes Seed. Always the female was looking, Eve initially, for the Seed that would one day restore what they had lost, which was relationship with God. This has been going on since the beginning of creation.

Why I'm bringing this up is because when humanity was created and God said, "It is very good," and humans were there, Satan got jealous and came right down to earth. What did he do? He went in and tried to deceive Eve and cause Adam simply to disobey. It was because of jealousy and envy. Original sin entered because of jealousy and envy because man and woman wanted to be like God, to know the things of God, to eat of a tree that would give them the knowledge of good and evil. Who inspired that kind of thinking but Satan himself? It was the pride he had in his heart that caused him to fall.

Fast forward and you play that through the Old Testament, you see that the attack against Israel, the Jewish people—and it's the same tactics, the same attacks vector, the same sin of idolatry, the same sin of pride. Then you come to Ezekiel's time, which looks to the future, I believe, because obviously, we haven't seen these four or five surrounding nations—Russia, Turkey, Iran, Sudan, and Ethiopia—come together and form an army that are going to go against Israel. We haven't seen a new temple built yet that comes in chapter 41. So, we know these things are future.

We know they're going to happen before the end of the 1,000-year millennial reign, and we know it's going to happen even before the middle of the Great Tribulation because there has to be a rebuilt temple for the Antichrist to go in and desecrate the temple, the abomination of desolation, which kicks off the whole attempt at what again? Destroying the Jewish people. Which is why Jesus even told them in Matthew 24 and 25, "I want you to don't grab your stuff, but flee to the rocks, the mountains, Petra, the wilderness. Get out of there." Because why? What is Antichrist going to do again? Try to exterminate them.

Do you see this? This is the whole point. So, he's drawing our attention back in this passage to the same old theme that's been going on since the beginning of time. What he's drawing our attention back to here with the illustration and symbolism of the Gog and Magog idea is that there are going to be nations—the four corners. It's not going to be just these five like we see in Ezekiel, which will be a real battle, but it's going to be from all parts of the earth, the idea of the breadth of the earth.

Do you see that here? You can even underline it when he says that in verse nine. "They went up on the breadth of the earth." The idea behind that means a global conquest. It's talking about a global conquest. And what are they going to do? They're describing a battle that's going to happen. Why again? Because the Jewish people have been at the center of God's eye and the center of the attack of humanity against God, sort of that piece that everybody looks at and says, "We want to destroy you." Because ultimately, is their problem really with the Jewish people? No. It's because who does the Jewish people stand for and represent but one God, Yahweh?

That is the whole point. And so, what the Lord is trying to help us understand is he's pointing to the motive all the way from the beginning of time of what Satan, when he's released and how he deceives the nations—he's going to do it the same way, just like he did it in the garden. He's going to convince them that there's something that they can have that they don't have, the very same thing he tries to do to you and me today, and is doing for the same lost and dying world to convince them that there's something out there that you can have that God doesn't want you to know about, but if you take it, you can be like God.

It's the same idea. He's giving this illustration to us, and he just tells us exactly what's really in the heart of man and how depraved he is because it literally becomes a global conquest, doesn't it? I mean, it's literally a global conquest. Now, again, John, the inspired writer here, is borrowing some of the terms used in Ezekiel because, oh, by the way, that breadth of earth is the same term that's used in Ezekiel 38 and 39 as well. So, John is clearly being told by the Holy Spirit to use this very same term that was used in chapter 38 and 39. Why? To connect for you and me today and all those that have come before us and those who will be after us to understand exactly what is really happening during that end of the millennial reign.

It's an uprising of idolatry because they want to be like God. That's exactly why they're going against God's chosen people. Because who is the tribulation for predominantly? The Jews. Why do you say that, Pastor Matt? Why are you saying the Great Tribulation's about the Jews? Because what ends the Great Tribulation? Nothing but the Jewish people saying, "Blessed be the name of the Lord," calling out to Messiah Jesus. And then, as we read in scripture just a couple weeks ago, it ends the Great Tribulation. Jesus Christ comes back, establishes his throne, begins the millennial reign.

Why did it take a Great Tribulation? The same way as it took something very devastating for you and me to have that broken heart to believe and call upon the name of Jesus for help. It takes the Great Tribulation to get the Jewish people out in the wilderness to literally be crying out to Messiah Jesus and saying, "Lord, please, blessed be the name of the Lord. You are God, Yeshua. You are God, Jesus. Save us. Save our souls." So, he's connecting it. It's kind of like this really cool place in chapter 20 where he brings it together, almost in this climactic way where he brings it all together for us if we understand all 66 books of the Bible.

He brings it in a way and he foreshadows the victory that he's going to give. In Ezekiel 38 and 39, he gives us the theme of why it's happening. Just think, we have all just learned about it, and when we're there for the 1,000 years, we're going to see this play out just like he said, because we'll be with him. I just think it's really interesting. This is the final battle that clearly takes place at the end of the 1,000-year reign. Look at verse nine. He says, "Then they went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints, the Hagios, and the beloved city." There it is. That's how it's referred to, Jerusalem the beloved city. You can underline that.

"And the fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them." So, we don't know exactly if this is the Old Testament saints, New Testament saints—I like to just call it the glorified saints at this point who reign with Jesus—or the earth's inhabitants who came to faith in Jesus during the millennial. We really don't know, but either way, the satanic army is going to get destroyed not by God's people, not by the angels; it's going to get destroyed in Jerusalem, the beloved city, and God is going to do it himself.

He's simply going to speak a word or he's simply going to make a command and say, "Fire come down." And it comes out of heaven, and as we read it, devours them. Do we even call this a final battle? I mean, there's no battle. The fight is over even before it begins. Do you see that here? Fire comes down from God, the Godhead, not from us, not, again, the bride, the angels, but God himself, the Holy Spirit. You see, God finally deals with the devil and his followers forever. Isn't that awesome?

For me, it makes me want to—I take moments like this throughout passages like we read here in scripture, and it's just a constant reminder for me that the devil, the principalities and powers, are always on a leash to which God controls. It's such a great reminder because sometimes we can really feel defeated. We can really feel overwhelmed. It's passages like this that remind me that God is in control. There is no such thing as the world is out of control and this person got elected and it should have been this. No. God is allowing all of it to play out because it needs to be, because he is giving choice for decision.

What's it ultimately about? Is it really about who rules and reigns in our elections and different things like that? No. God puts every one of them in power, the good and the bad. But he requires from us a choice. We've always been requested and required to give a choice. Just like in our salvation, it's a decision you make with eternal consequences. When we vote—I hope you all went out and voted—that's something we get in this country, a way to exercise our liberty. We run these candidates through the breadth of scripture, and whoever's the closest that aligns with scripture, we vote with the Holy Spirit. And that's the person we elect, or should be doing that.

It's not a matter of opinion. It's not a matter of that because we know that emotions and opinions can be deceptive. Well, look what he says here as we continue on in verse 10. It says that, again, heaven—I love this—fire came down from God out of heaven and just devours them all. Over. Done with. No more evil, no more wickedness, no more Satan, nothing that we ever have to deal with again. And what that's going to be like. Can you imagine you and me when we're going to be there? We're going to see this. Have you ever wondered what it's going to look like? I mean, how's the fire going to—and it says that they're more numbered, this army's really large because it's like the grains of sand.

So, it's going to be a very large army, and it's just going to be like—gone. I mean, I wonder what we'll do. We're going to see this army, Lord, and we're wait a minute, we know already because we have scripture. Oh, yeah, that's right, Lord. And—okay. We're just going to go right back to ministry. I think all of the earth is going to break out in worship. I think all of the earth is going to say, "Hosanna, Hosanna. Save now. God saves." You did it, Lord. "Hosanna" in the Hebrew, "Hosanna, save Lord, you saved." All the people on the earth that are alive at that time that didn't get consumed, we know they're all going to be believers.

Everybody that's left alive at that point henceforth, at this portion in scripture, will be a believer or they'll be under the age of decision and accountability, which ultimately what happens then? They're ultimately counted and they will be brought in because we're going to see that even the heavens and the earth are going to melt away. And he uses a Greek term to tell us that it's going to be in an instant. It's interesting because when we read in Peter—and we'll get this in a minute, get a little ahead of myself—but Peter, it talks about a fire that's going to turn around and burn.

Now, when you think of something in a fire burning and it melting, it kind of takes a little time, right? You put something in a fire, you watch it get red hot, it begins to melt down and burn, and you can watch it and it's kind of even captivating watching the flames as they dance. But the Greek term that God uses here to tell us that it's going to be in an instant when he does this, okay. So, where are they going? Verse 10 tells us the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are.

And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. This is really important. There's no such thing as annihilationism. There's no such thing where, you know—I know that teaching came into the church years ago—oh, you know, eventually you'll just die and go to hell anyway and you'll cease to exist. Oh, no. No, you will live in that state forever and ever and be tormented in that state. That is why I, when anybody's even thinking about harming themselves, I always remind them. Suicide is a very serious thing. You don't have a problem with your body.

I've never met anybody that is struggling or even talking—and I've done counseling over 11 years—where I sit down with somebody and they want to take or harm themselves, and I look at them and I say, "What is the problem?" So often it's emotional, it's spiritual things going on, certainly mental things and struggles going on, and real, real heavy things going on in these individuals' lives. I'm not minimizing it at all. But I have yet to meet somebody that says, "The reason I'm doing this is because I don't like my physical body. I don't like this about me." Maybe they don't like the way they look, okay, fair. That's more on the emotional, spiritual.

But never because they think that the problem is this. And I explain to them, "Do you not understand that when we do things to harm, the enemy's deceiving you? He's making you think that it's about a physical problem when really what we're talking about is a mental, spiritual problem, and we have God and we can go to Jesus and Jesus can deliver us from those things." We're looking in the wrong area trying to solve or trying to fix it with our hands or with our attempt, and really we're trying to solve the wrong problem. It is the ultimate bait and switch by Satan.

It is the ultimate bait and switch because so many young people, so many people believe that by harming themselves, they're going to escape that. Meanwhile, the Bible is very clear to tell us there's torment forever and ever and ever. That's if you're not born again. Somebody says, "Well, wait a minute. Are you saying that born-again believers who commit suicide, which should not happen, are you telling me you think that they can be in heaven or be with God?" And I would tell you yes, I can, yes, I do. And I'll tell you why I believe that's very clear in the scripture.

The only reason that you and me as a born-again believer would ever or could ever lose our salvation is what? That's right, some of you know the passage. It's Hebrews six. It's only walking away from Jesus and rejecting him. That's the only passage. There's nothing that ever says that the devil, the principalities, the powers, no one can take you out of the hand of Jesus Christ. Your salvation is secure. It wasn't based on your works; it was based on his blood and his atonement on the cross, not on you.

So, if you're here this morning and you know somebody, you lost somebody that way, I want to encourage you. If they were a born-again believer, they're with Jesus right now. I want to encourage you. But if you know somebody that's struggling with that, don't turn around and be like, "Well, it's going to be okay because I know they're born again." No. Tell them, "Hey, there's a deception going on right now. There is a huge lie that the enemy is trying to convince our young people to think that the problems are with the body, and if we destroy the body, the problem goes away."

And if they're not a believer, as we just saw, the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet are and they're tormented day and night forever and ever. Do you know there's also passages in this scripture that teach us that when people see Satan for the first time in hell, they go to him and they look upon him and they go, "You're it? You're it?" It's not the guy with the red pitchfork and the whole red costume. I don't have anything else. Whatever you say in that moment. Scary. Sorry, that's the best I got. I'm embarrassed. But anyway, whatever, you know what I was trying to do there.

Scary, it's not a scary moment where you're like, "Oh my God." Do you realize that he is the most beautiful of angels? He's a cherubim, the most beautiful of cherubim. People are going to look upon him and go, "You?" That's why it says in scripture that he appears as an angel of what? Light. Do we forget the word of God? We know it's in the full harmony. He's not what people think. Now, certainly don't align with any of those people, "Oh, I'm going to go kick the devil in the teeth." You do you, then. I'm going to—because even the archangel Michael was like, "We ain't doing that," right? And he's over Israel. He's like, "I don't want none of that. Yeah, that's not me. Jesus will handle you."

But we don't need to fear that way. We don't need to fear that way. He's going to be tormented day and night forever and ever, and he will never be able to harm any of us or even persecute us, afflict us ever, ever again. And then you look at part of also here verse 11. It says, "Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away, and there was found no place for them." So, now we hear and we see this awesome throne, right? Again, then I saw a great white throne.

What does he mean? Great in status, right? Power and authority. White, purity and holiness. A throne fit for a king, the King of Kings. And it says him who sat on it. Who's the him? Do we have to guess? We say Jesus, but how do you know it's Jesus in context? How do you know it's not the Father, the Godhead, or the Holy Spirit? How do you know that you know? You need to know that you know. How do you know that you know? Turn into John chapter five, verse 22. It's okay to say the scripture said so. It's okay. It's good to say that. That should be our normal talk track.

Why do you feel this way? Why do you think this way? Because the scripture says so. Because the word of God says so. Chapter five, John chapter five, verse 22. Look at what Jesus said when he's trying to help the religious leaders and others learn about when you've seen the Father, you've seen the Son, to understand the miraculous aspect that God is the image bearer of the Godhead, the Jesus is the image bearer of the Godhead. Look at what it says in verse 22. "For the Father judges no one." So, it's not the Godhead. It says very clearly here, "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son."

That's how you know, because your Bible tells you. The Son is Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, of the Triune God, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment." Do you believe those words? If you believe those words and you are one of those that have claimed that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior and you believed upon him, you believe the work he's done on the cross, then you are saved.

It says it right here, "Most assuredly." He doesn't say, "And I think, maybe." This is a very convicting, convincing statement in the Greek. "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word, the word of God, believes in Jesus or believes in the Godhead, the Father, who sent me, Jesus, has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." Why does that make so much sense? Because that's exactly what Jesus said when he was on the cross.

Guest (Male): That is Pastor Matt VanderVen on His Perfect Love. We're going through Revelation at the present time, and I'll remind you that you can hear the program again when you visit hisperfectlove.org. That's hisperfectlove.org. We're also at oneplace.com and look for us wherever you get your podcasts. We also offer a mobile app. This is a great way to take Pastor Matt's teachings with you on the go. You can learn more about the mobile app and start your download when you visit our website, hisperfectlove.org.

We can't thank you enough for your prayers for this ministry. Please pray that as God's word goes forth, that lives will be greatly impacted for the glory of God and people would grow by his grace and love or even enter into a relationship with him. And if you have a prayer request, please send that our way. You can email that to us through our website at hisperfectlove.org.

If you live in the Mechanicsburg, PA area, we hope you'll stop by for a visit. Just like you hear on the radio, Pastor Matt teaches verse by verse through the Bible here at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore. Sunday morning services begin at 8:30 and 10:30. We have a midweek gathering on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM. We're located at 28 North Locust Point Road in Mechanicsburg, PA. Go to ccharrisburg.org for more information. And then join us next time when Pastor Matt will pick up where we left off in Revelation here on His Perfect Love.