We come at last to the climax of the Tribulation Period, and the end of the Battle of Armageddon. Jesus Christ will literally, physically, and visibly, return to the Earth as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The last two segments of the previous chapter were devoted to the Signs in the Sun, Moon and Stars, and the Great Earthquake. These events happen virtually at the same time dramatically punctuating Christ's glorious appearing. Now, when we gaze at the Lord Himself, all the wondrous events in the heavens and on the Earth are suddenly not important!
The Glorious Return of Christ
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. (Revelation 19:11-13)
Jesus Himself spoke of this magnificent event. As stated earlier, Jesus did not mention the Rapture in His Olivet Discourse, but He spoke plainly of His return in glory.
At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, [probably a reference to the Shekinah glory of the Old Testament] with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. (Matthew 24:30-31--See also Luke 21:27)
Jesus also said that angels would come with Him in Matthew 16:27; and Matthew 25. In the context of those passages, especially Matthew 25, the angels will be employed to gather the nations for the judgment of Sheep and Goats which will be discussed later.
The Church Returns With her Lord
The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. (Revelation 19:14)
In the Bible, angels are sometimes dressed in white. But these
riders are mentioned as a separate group from the angels. Like
the Lord Jesus, they are sitting on white horses.
Earlier in Revelation there are strong clues about who these people
might be:
Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (Revelation 3:4-5)
In this passage, the message to the Church at Sardis, those dressed in white are true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. They are those whose names will not be blotted out of the Book of Life!
I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. (Revelation 3:18)
These are self-righteous members of the apostate church. They do not realize that spiritually they are "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." What they need is salvation, which is expressed as gold, as white clothes, and as salve for their eyes. This is the church to which Jesus needed to say:
"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)
The white linen is symbolic of righteousness. It is not self-righteousness,
because Isaiah 64:6 says, "All of us have become like one
who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep
us away."
The Apostle Paul spoke of a righteousness, not of our own, "but
that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that
comes from God and is by faith." (Philippians 3:9)
Righteousness is a gift of God for those who have put their faith
in Christ. It is seen as part of the "Armor of God"
in Ephesians 6: "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth
buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness
in place" (v. 14).
The white clothing of this heavenly army is not the only evidence
that believers of the church age will return with Christ. In Colossians
3:4, the Apostle Paul confidently asserted that, "When Christ,
who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with
Him in glory."
A similar thought was expressed by Paul to the believers at Thessalonica.
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes (parousia) with all his holy ones. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)
The expression "holy ones" is the Greek word hagios
or "saints," which is Paul's normal description of believers
in Christ. (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1,
etc.) Notice that it cannot refer to the martyred Saints of the
Tribulation, because their resurrection is specifically stated
to be at Christ's coming, at the beginning of the Millennium,
or thousand year reign of Christ. (Revelation 20:5)
It should also be noted that there is a specific purpose in our
coming with Christ at His Glorious Return. Revelation 20:6 explains
it this way: "Blessed and holy is the one who has a part
in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no
power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will
reign with Him for a thousand years." The "holy ones"
who return with Christ from Heaven, and the resurrected martyrs
from the Tribulation period will assist Christ the King of Kings.
The Objects of His Wrath
Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. (Revelation 19:15)
This passage should be correlated with Revelation 14:14-20.
In that passage two metaphors portray Christ's conquering activities.
Both of these are compared to the harvesting of crops. The first
metaphor is that of harvesting wheat ("a sharp sword").
The second is that of harvesting grapes ("He treads the winepress").
These harvests are final, concluding judgments since a very large
fraction of the total population of the earth has already been
destroyed by cascades of civil war, famine, plagues and cosmic
disasters that hit earth like trip-hammer blows in the second
half of the tribulation period.
It has been proposed by some Bible scholars that two different
groups are in view in these two harvest events. It is not a matter
about which we can be dogmatic, but there are interesting possibilities
in this theory. From this point of view, the first harvest (of
wheat) is that of the nations of the world, while the second harvest
(of grapes) relates to Israel.
Harvest of Wheat
Returning to the descriptions of Revelation 14, we read first about the harvest of wheat.
I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.
Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe."
So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested. (Revelation 14:14-16)
Destruction of Gentile Unbelievers
The first sickle and the references to the reaping of the harvest of the earth indicates the reaping of the wheat and the tares from the nations. Jesus foretold this in Matthew 13.
Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. "The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' "'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up? "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" (Matthew 13:24-30)
This is a final separation of unbelievers from believers outside
of Israel.
The tares or weeds are "harvested" first, and tied in
bundles to be burned. When Christ comes in His glory, He will
first annihilate His enemies who are gathered against Him at the
Battle of Armageddon. Then He will gather and eliminate the rest
of these non-believers to prevent them from entering into the
Millennial Kingdom which He will immediately install. Physically,
all unbelievers of that time will then be dead. But what of their
spirits? They are gathered "to be burned." This implies
a still-future event of "burning." This will be fulfilled
at the time of The Great White Throne Judgment which is discussed
later. (Revelation 20:11-15)
The wheat is then gathered into a barn. This is descriptive of
collecting the scattered remnant of believers from their hiding
places. Perhaps they will be brought to Jerusalem and other key
locations to fulfill their role of occupying and replenishing
the Millennial Kingdom.
Some modern commentators have tried to equate this gathering into
a barn with the Rapture. But, in addition to the many problems
associated with placing the Rapture at the end of the Tribulation,
the imagery and timing of this gathering just do not fit the Rapture.
The image of gathering believers into a barn is meaningful for
living survivors of the Tribulation who are being prepared to
inhabit the Millennium, but it is not an adequate picture of the
glorious eternal place promised by Jesus to His believers in John
14:2-3.
In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
The timing of this parable is another strong argument against this gathering being a reference to the Rapture. The unbelievers (the weeds or tares) are gathered first! Then the believers (wheat) are gathered.
This series of events is also foretold by the prophet Joel. First Joel discusses the judgment of the nations on the basis of their treatment of God's people the Jews.
'In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning my inheritance, my people Israel, for they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land. They cast lots for my people and traded boys for prostitutes; they sold girls for wine that they might drink. (Joel 3:1-3)
This is the same judgment we know as the "Judgment of the Sheep and the Goats" from Matthew 25. This will be a final evaluation by Jesus of the survivors of the last great terrible war, and they fall into two classes:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)
Joel relates the assembly of the nations to the Battle of Armageddon. It is God who draws these armies into His land.
Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weakling say, 'I am strong!' Come quickly, all you nations from every side, and assemble there. Bring down your warriors, O LORD!
'Let the nations be roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the nations on every side. (Joel 3:9-12)
The Valley of Jehoshaphat is most probably the Kidron Valley
between the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives. This, of course,
is not the place where the battle is fought, but the place where
this judgment takes place after the battle.
In Revelation this great event is called "the great supper
of God" when it is announced ahead of time by an angel. It
is so-called because of the hordes of vultures and other carrion
eaters who come to devour the corpses littering the land.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great." (Revelation 19:17-18)
The Harvest of Grapes
Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.
Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe."
The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath.
They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia. (Revelation 14:17-20)
Destruction of the non-believers Remaining in Israel
Likewise, Israel is to be judged:
Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the winepress is full and the vats overflow--so great is their wickedness!'
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. (Joel 13:13-14)
The judgment of Jewish people alive at the time of this future battle was also foretold by Zechariah. Of that time, he said that one-third of Israel would believe, but two thirds would still be unbelievers. He used a different metaphor to describe the same judgment.
"Two Thirds" and "One Third" of All Israel
In the whole land," declares the LORD, "two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'" (Zechariah 13:8-9)
The conversion of one third of the Jews in Israel (if it happened
today) would mean well over a million and a half converts to the
true and living God. Zechariah says the new converts will be called
on to undergo a terrible trial of their faith during the final
days of the great military campaign of Armageddon involving as
it will as many as 200 million soldiers from the armies of the
nations. While the believing remnant in Edom "passes under
the rod" of God's merciful, evaluating judgment, the eleventh-hour
converts in Israel must "pass through the fire."
Though our own nation, the United States, contains a professing
Christian population that appears to number many tens of millions
of believers, it is more realistic to say that the "believing
remnant" in America today is perhaps only 5 to 10% of those
professing faith in Jesus Christ.
Thus the future large-scale conversion of Jews to belief in Yeshua
at the close of the age will represent a very great and marvelous
work of grace by the God of Israel. The end result of Yeshua's
work in Israel at the end of the age will be a completely righteous
nation of believers chosen to be the head of all the nations.
The Return of the Remnant from Edom
What happens to the believing remnant which had fled to Petra earlier? One vivid Old Testament picture is that of Messiah coming from Bozra (near Petra) with the remnant. Isaiah foretells this event. (Isaiah 63). The imagery is that of Yeshua as the greater Moses nurturing the flock of Israel at Petra and bringing them back into the land for the last time. (Micah 2:12-13)
God's Dialogs with the Messiah
The latter chapters of Isaiah contain a remarkable series of dialogs between God the Father and His servant the Messiah, or between the prophet and Messiah. In Chapter 42, Messiah is God's humble servant who will not only save Israel but aid the Gentiles and bring world-wide justice:
"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope." (Isaiah 42:1-4)
In Isaiah 43-44, Messiah is seen as restoring Israel by forgiving
them of all their sins and delivering Jacob from all his enemies.
In Chapter 44, Cyrus the Mede is designated and called by name
(!) many decades before he was born. God chose him to aid in the
restoration of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon. Messiah
gives a personal description of his commission from the Father and
contains an intimate discussion between God and His Messiah which
reveals much about the content of the prayers of Jesus with His
Father during his time on earth which would come 700 years later.
In Isaiah 50, Messiah is the true Israel who fulfills all that
the nation had failed to attain because of persistent rebellion
and disobedience. In Isaiah 52:13 through 53. Messiah is the suffering
servant of the Lord whose death and resurrection are vividly foretold.
In Chapter 59, Messiah is Israel's goel, or kinsman-redeemer:
Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.
According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.
From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along.
"The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD.
"As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD. "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever," says the LORD. (Isaiah 59:15-21)
In Isaiah Chapter 63, the dialog takes the following form. Isaiah as the observer appears to be standing on the Mt. of Olives in Jerusalem in the midst of the final battles there:
ISAIAH:
Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? (Isaiah 63:1)
MESSIAH, THE WARRIOR KING AND KINSMAN-REDEEMER:
"It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save."
Isaiah 63:1 (cont.)
ISAIAH:
Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? (Isaiah 63:2)
MESSIAH:
"I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come." (Isaiah 63:3-4)
The blood spattering His garments is not the blood of His crucifixion,
for that work on the cross was completely finished and ended 2000
years earlier. The blood is that of His enemies, slain in battle,
and especially the blood of apostate Jews who have joined the armies
of Antichrist to oppose Him.
Micah foretold the same thing.
"I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will surely bring together the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture; the place will throng with people.
One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the LORD at their head." (Micah 2:12-13)
The Final Conversion of Israel
Israel's national prayer for their Messiah to come and to forgive them is found in Hosea Chapters 5 and 6. Reputable scholars believe this prayer must be prayed by the nation as a precondition for their national salvation in the coming of Yeshua the Messiah to save them:
Then I [Yahweh] will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me."
"Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him.
As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." (Hosea 5:15-6:3)
Earlier we traced the escape of a remnant of some thousands--perhaps
tens of thousands--of believing Jews from Jerusalem to Petra which
will take at the time of the desecration of the Third Temple at
the mid-point of the tribulation period.
Yet as the age comes to a full close many passages of Scripture
speak of the national conversion of Israel. We have seen that
the imagery of the trampling out of the vineyard and the blood
like grape juice flowing as high as a horse's bridle up and down
the length of Israel will be Jewish blood as God judges the apostate
majority of Jews in the land of Israel. In this terrible time
for Israel, during the campaign of Armageddon, millions of men
from invading Gentile armies in Israel will also meet their violent
end. Many unbelieving Jews in Israel will undoubtedly die during
this struggle as well. All the while the terrible judgments from
God depicted in the Book of the Revelation will devastate the
entire earth. Most of mankind will perish and the great infrastructures
of the past thousand of years of civilization will be destroyed.
The earth will be devastated and wasted.
Jeremiah's words at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians have a double fulfillment at the time of the end. Here is the beginning of chapter 4:
"If you will return, O Israel, return to me," declares the LORD. "If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, `As surely as the LORD lives,' then the nations will be blessed by him and in him they will glory." (Jeremiah 40:1-2)
Yet Paul argues in Romans 11 that in spite of all this, "all Israel will be saved."
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins."
As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:25-36)
Paul is careful to make clear that he is not speaking of each and every Jew being converted, but true Israel is limited to those who ultimately believe in Yeshua within the nation. Just how many Jews will be saved at the very end of the age? Zechariah seems to give the clue:
Israel's National Mourning for Yeshua
"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn, each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, and all the rest of the clans and their wives. (Zechariah 12:10-14)
The Final Outcome of Christ's Glorious Return
Returning to the key passage about the return of Christ in glory, we see that He will come back for the purpose of literally reigning on the Earth. As seen above, in the Harvest Judgments, He will first annihilate all the ungodly so that He may begin His reign with people who trust in Him.
His Authority To Reign
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:16)
In His first coming to earth as Suffering Savior, His right to the Throne of David was thoroughly established, even though, to the disappointment of some like Judas, He did not come to reign, but to die. When He comes the second time in power and great glory, He will not be entitled merely to the Davidic kingship over Israel, but to the sovereign control of all of the kings and lords (other rulers) of the entire planet which He created, and for which He died. We will briefly discuss this golden period in the next section of the book.
The Death of His Enemies
And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great."
Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. (Revelation 19:17-19, 21)
This has already been discussed at length, but we should notice
once again that all of the carnage of this dreadful battle will
be done by Christ Himself, using the incomprehensible power of
His word (the sword that came out of his mouth). His words, which
were sufficient to instantly bring the worlds into being , will
be more than adequate to make an instant end of this ugly war.
According to Hebrews 9:27, "it is appointed unto men once
to die, but after this the judgment:" (KJV) The death of
these rebels is not the end of their story. They will still face
the Great White Throne Judgment which will be discussed in the
next section.
By contrast, two humans, though they are totally controlled by
evil spirits, are judged immediately. They are Antichrist ("the
first Beast") and his False Prophet, (the "second beast"
--Rev. 13).
The Fate of The Unholy Trinity
But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. (Revelation 19:20)
The two Beasts of Revelation 13 - Antichrist and the False
Prophet will be immediately dispatched to the Lake of Fire. This
is the same place where the ungodly will be sent for eternal punishment
at the White Throne judgment which takes place later (Revelation
20:11-15 - see the next chapter).
The Apostle Paul foretold Antichrist's doom in 2 Thessalonians
2:8 where it is said that the Lord Jesus will overthrow him "with
the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming"
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. (Revelation 20:1-3)
Satan's fate is different than that of his pawns, Antichrist and the False Prophet. He will be cast into the Abyss (the "Bottomless Pit") for a thousand years. He has one last episode of rebellion left to play out at the end of The Millennium. He will instigate one last war--it will be discussed in the next section also.
What an incredible scene is presented to the student of prophecy
at the end of the Battle of Armageddon. It is a scene of mind-numbing
destruction after man's battles against man, supernatural plagues
on the Earth, the greatest earthquake of all time, and the sudden
death of all of Christ's enemies! But it is also a scene of breathtaking
glory: the glory of God the Son, standing in all His holiness
and righteousness, demonstrating His everlasting love to the faithful
who have survived these seven dreadful years. He is poised-- ready
to rebuild a new perfect environment for those who have remained
true to Him. He is surrounded by the holy angels, and all the
saints of the Church Age who will help Him.
This is not the "End of the World," but the beginning
of new and better things! There is much more to come, and for
those who trust in Christ, it is all good!