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Bible Question: Why
is Satan going to be let loose for a short time at the end of the
Millennium?
Bible Answer: The
passage you are referring to is found in Revelation 20.
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When
the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released
from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations
which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog,
to gather them together for the war; the number of them is
like the sand of the seashore. (NASB) Rev. 20:7-8 |
The
Release. Satan rebelled
against God either before the creation of the world or shortly
after Adam and Eve were created. He is now god of this world (2 Cor.
4:4), and he prowls about after us like a lion (1 Pet. 5:8). He is
the ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30) and the prince of the
air (Eph. 2:2). When the Tribulation arrives, he will attempt to
defeat God in a battle which he will lose. As a result, God will
put him into a prison called the abyss. Satan will be released from
the abyss after being bound in prison for 1,000 years. When he is
released, he will not repent and seek God's forgiveness. This wicked
angel will have no sorrow, no remorse, and no regrets after 1,000
years in a place where he did not want to be. Yet, he will try it
all over again. He
will deceive the non-Christians of the world, and bring them to Jerusalem
in an attempt to defeat God. God
will destroy the armies of the world with fire.
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And
they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded
the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came
down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived
them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where
the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be
tormented day and night forever and ever. (NASB) Rev. 20:9-10 |
Why? Why
did God allow Satan to be released? To prove to every created being
that Satan would not repent of his wickedness even after 1,000 years
in prison. The release of Satan will also motivate those on the earth
to reveal their true sinful hearts. The bigger question is, "Why
will the people of the world reject God?" There was peace in
the kingdom. Life was wonderful, but they did not like God’s
moral law because they did not love Him. It appears that God will
allow this to occur in order to prove how evil men and women really
are. Men and women love their sin, and they hate God. This rebellion
after the wonderful kingdom will be just one more justification for
God sending everyone who rejects Jesus to the Lake of Fire.
Conclusion: We
must not forget that God loves all of His created beings. But a holy
God must eventually punish self-centered beings who will not repent
of their sins. Yes, God loves us, but He is also holy and just.
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