Revelation 20:9 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Revelation 20:9

Comments

This is the last battle, called in Revelation 16:16 Armageddon. In the vision of the sixth bowl, the nations are gathered by the working of three unclean spirits coming from the mouth of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. Here we see the effect of that gathering. A vast army is mobilised under the leadership of the antichrist. The ungodly leaders of the nations of the world cooperate with him and put their forces at his disposal. Their purpose is to finally destroy the church and to thoroughly purge the earth of all trace of Christ or his people. Again the question is where does this take place? In the symbolism of this vision, the battle is localised. It is centred on Jerusalem itself. This is to represent a New Testament situation in terms of Old Testament types and shadows as the Book of Revelation often does. Will the reality that corresponds to John’s vision take place in a single locality? Surely the battle will occur wherever Christians are found throughout all the tribes of the earth. The church is ‘a holy nation, his own special people’ (1 Peter 2:9). It will be a time when Christians will have to be faithful unto death. Satan has attempted time and again to annihilate Christians from off the face of the earth, but never till now will he come so close to actually doing so. Satan knows the difference between the false church and the true church; the false church is after all the product of his own making. It is against the true people of God that this assault is launched and the intent is precisely to obliterate faith from the earth. Yet he will not succeed. There will still be some alive on the earth when the Lord returns. These will be changed in the twinkling of an eye. The Lord will come to the defence of his people as they have so long prayed him to do. When he comes it will be with overwhelming and decisive force. As Elijah commanded fire to come down on his enemies (2 Kings 1:10) so the armies of the world shall all be destroyed. Christ will appear and the unbelieving world will be compelled to believe and will hide themselves in the caves and rocks of the mountains as an earlier parallel passage has described (6:15), but they will not escape.

Application

Questions

We should not listen to the interpreters who have created two judgements: one for the lost, and another for believers just to allocate rewards. That is completely artificial, and poor exegesis of Scripture. There is only one judgement. Will believers go through it? ‘Yes,’ is one answer, ‘they will. We’ll all stand in judgement.’ You will stand in the Day of Judgement, but you will stand just to see what you have been forgiven. We will all catch a comprehensive glimpse of all our sin and iniquity, but the effect that it will have upon us is not so much crushing shame, but such meltedness and gratitude to Christ and wonder at the price he paid for us. We shall just be lost in tears of utmost gratitude and wonder. That will be our experience of judgement.

Outline

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Introduction

Revelation 20:9 Commentary and Bible Study