Revelation
|
Predestination And Deliverance
Straight into chapter 20 we see the text describes the imprisonment of satan in the bottomless pit.
-- Click To Expand/Collapse Bible Verses -- Rev ch20:v1-8
Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
(KJV)
The angel had said to John that earlier in conclusion "these are the true sayings of God". Did he refer then to promises not yet fulfilled but certain? If the text to follow after that statement shows the use of allegory rather than concrete promise we may continue with a lesson learned from the "word of God" - we do not expect one angel to have every possible reward all at once, nor a man either to make him "as God". Rather the text starts to teach in parable. The text contains terms we may not expect.
I have said that the bottomless pit is algebraic closure within which satan is bound to recreate the missing twelve permutations of S4 on the earthy elements of the octal. In doing so he is imprisoned or bound in an impossibility that he is unable to construct spiritually on earth.
In being bound for 1000 years we must define what we mean. Aside from Peter's famous statement about a thousand years being as one day, we may state simply that with the devil bound and concerned with other things, the immediate 1000 year future of the potential believer is foreknown by God on the basis of freedom from satan. If the believer makes the attempt to be obedient in seeking God then He is given the Holy Spirit to succour and comfort him into a more favourable foreknown and obedient life. This is predestination. Those whom become more obedient in this virtual 1000 years with respite from satan are as if they were in God's presence one day (making slack but positive progress) and are saved, as is the equivalent that those in the presence of God are 365,254 times more likely to repent than when apart from Him in their own company.
When satan is released he is allowed to continue a little season - in testing of the believers. Will they be able to exit the city and obey the call to be separate from the image? They may do so without the device being completed. (they are either foolish or wise) The device fails because it (with the missing 12 permutations) was a seal set upon the binding of satan in the pit that shut him up. In causing him to deceive the nations no more untill every believer is foreknown and the election complete, the serpent is released from his prison which he will later inhabit in the second death once God gives him his eternal reward in Hell.
The thousand years is similar to a see-saw. The text would indicate from the patience of God and the number of the 144,000 that the length of the time of elected mankind as foreknown by God is linearly related to the number of believers He gets that are pleasing to Him. If He waits twice as long He gets twice as many. The thousand years is actually an arbitrary figure, but is (knowing God) pretty close to the truth. At least, it has given us much to discuss - God did not shut us up also.
The believers that dwell with Christ in heavenly places sit and reign freely in judgement over those that dwell on the earth that have not defiled their robes with the image system. As adopted sons (not servants) for that 1000 years, they all (either heavenly in judgement and on earth) enjoy the election of God without being slaves to satan. Those that could not repent or meet the standard did not "live again" until after their grace period of 1000 years is expired.
The first resurrection, or election to God is a blessing and separates the saved from the damned. The second death has no power on the elect of the first resurrection because they hear and obey the voice of the Holy Spirit to dwell within God's will. They are sure to live and reign with Christ for that 1000 years - they are indeed predestined though the gift of the Holy Spirit.
However when the 1000 years are expired as in the case of those that are spiritually not elect - (The spiritually Dead) satan is loosed from his prison and is free to deceive those with his devices. Whereas this seems unequal, note that God is not chosen by us but we by Him. He ensured we would leave the church system while we were yet dead, and into life in the sabbath of Christ in order to show us just that - that He has chosen us.
Satan is loosed to wage his war upon the damned - but it has no efficacy against the election of grace. This little season in which He is loosed upon the elect as they exit the churches is the spiritual war - it is Gog and Magog. The last end of the kingdoms of this world are described spiritually by that Gog and Magog's defeat - Gog and Magog are antichrist, the physical battle of armageddon is the clearly seen earthly shadow and the heavenly substance is as described in defeating Gog and Magog.
Continue To Next Page
Return To Section Start
Return To Previous Page |