Satan Bruised Under Our Feet

by R.B. Fullarton, Innerleithen | Category: Satan And His Kingdom | Oct 1981

In every sphere in heaven and on earth the Lord Jesus Christ will have supremacy. This has been the divine intention throughout the ages. In the present declining world situation the dream of universal turning to God as the result of faithful and sustained Christian preaching and testimony is not destined to realization. The totality of political chaos and religious apostasy in future times will only be removed by the intervention and judgement of Almighty God.

Satan is the worst rebel in the universe, prime instigator of all evil both in heavenly places and on earth. His insolent opposition has been tolerated in divine forbearance. But the end of that forbearance is in sight. The career of this exalted transgressor and great disturber of the nations is nearing its finale' as the first prophetic utterance given in Eden (Gen. 3:15) nears fulfilment. He who at one time was the chief executive and custodian of the rights of the throne of deity will have as his permanent dwelling the lake of fire. The principal offender of the created universe will be the greatest sufferer eternally. The contemplation of descent from his former residence in inconceivable majesty (Ezek. 28 and Isa. 14) to his final place in unimaginable degradation is fearful. Romans 16:20 assures us that "the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly".

A Pre-millennium Judgement

The events of the opening verses in Rev. 20 are the natural and expected consequences of the momentous descent of the King of kings to earth, so graphically described in the previous chapter. The great political and religious leaders of Satan's doomed world empire, the Beast and the False Prophet, are smitten by one stroke and transported alive to their place of eternal punishment (Rev. 19:20). These two henchmen of Satan had wielded their power autocratically. Men and women in the world who had at first been grateful for their strong-handed dealings in government now prove by bitter experience that they committed themselves to a more galling tyranny than ever known before. The reign of terror of the Beast and the False Prophet will be abruptly terminated by the Lord's appearing from heaven. Two Old Testament men, Elijah and Enoch were taken to heaven without dying, to share in eternal glory and joy. Here two men are summarily consigned to share torment for ever without death or resurrection.

The preparatory step to the establishing of Christ's millennial kingdom is the apprehending and committal of the Dragon - the evil genius and master criminal - to 'the abyss'. This period of imposed isolation will last for a thousand years. It is virtually impossible to visualize a world, exempt from Satan's policies and cruelties, enjoying the benign and righteous administration of God's Son. John the apostle states precisely his vision of the arch foe; 'laid hold on', 'bound', 'cast', "that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished".

Three symbols of divine authority - a key, a chain and a seal - ensure that the devil will have no access or influence upon earth. His fiendish plans and diabolical deeds stain the annals of human history. The climax of his work was revealed in the murder of the Prince of Life. With the removal of the Church at Christ's coming, and consequently much of the Holy Spirit's activity, Satan will infiltrate every region of human society with great success. Now he is captive. 'The key' opens and closes the abyss; 'the chain' fetters Satan. No longer will his intelligence and malignity have free rein. 'The abyss' is a term used of a defined abode distinct from the 'lake of fire'. The word occurs nine times in the New Testament (Luke 8:31; Rom. 10:7; Rev. 9:1,2&1 1; 1 l:7;17:8; 20:1&3). It is not figurative language. Inmost passages it signifies the place of captivity of demon spirits though in others it identifies the place of the departed.

The term 'dragon' depicts Satan controlling earth's political empires. He seduces men from God in his character as the 'old serpent'. He is also the devil, the father of lies, and as Satan he is the malignant and implacable adversary of God and man. World-wide peace will be the product of his imprisonment or 'binding' (Rev. 20:2). A binding of Satan took place at Golgotha. There is a clear reference to the triumphant victory of the cross in the words of Matt. 12:29. That binding was relative in the sense that Satan's house was spoiled, his power to hurt through the fear of death those who belong to Christ was dissipated and his fate was sealed. But he was not shut up from activity. While at present he cannot touch the eternal security of believers in the Lord Jesus he can wreck their spiritual lives. In the coming time he will be powerless to stupefy and afflict the nations. The strong angel, by divine command, shuts and seals the only entrance and exit of the abyss. He who once caused a seal to be placed upon the tomb of the Son of God has now a seal affixed upon his own domain.

The Millennium Period

No longer can Satan's evil deceptions drug the nations of earth. Whatever pockets of rebellion and outbreaks of immorality occur during the devil's incarceration will certainly not be directly attributable to him. Christ's reign

with His own for a thousand years is a prelude to His everlasting kingdom (Rev. 22:5). The whole scene lies plainly across the page of Scripture of which Rev. 20:4-6 is a small part. This era of peace and prosperity was anticipated by Old Testament prophets and foreshadowed in the transfiguration of the Son of Man (Matt. 16:27, 28; 17:1-8).

The view that the Millennium will be a perfect state is based on supposition. Certainly rebellion will be dealt with summarily (Isa. 65:20), but man on his final probation even under the most favourable conditions will demonstrate the irremediable corruption of the flesh. At the end of the thousand years Satan is released and stages a last but short-lived coup only to meet his final doom - the lake of fire - from which there is no reemergence. This will be the precursor of the time described in 1 Cor. 15:24.

A Last-ditch Effort

During the final rebellion the mastermind of deceit will again manipulate those who flock to his standard. He will have world-wide support - "the four corners of the earth" (Rev. 20:8). The words 'God and Magog' represent the nations. They are not to be confused with references in Ezekiel 38 and 39 where events take place prior to the thousand-year reign in the invasion of Israel's territory by confederate powers. Satan's imprisonment had not made the slightest change in his implacable hatred of God.

This vast conspiracy gathers momentum. It is earth's final revolt against the Lord and His Christ. Gigantic effort it may be, against the "camp of the saints" (20:9) that is, the millennial saints, and "the beloved city" Jerusalem, but retribution is swift and decisive. Man's vaunted strength when directed against the Omnipotent is futile, even when planned by the skill and power-play of the devil. Animosity towards 'the land' has been consistent through the centuries. Pogrom-minded nations have been, are, and will be ignorant of God's purposes centred there.

The final means of judgement upon men who choose eternal death rather than life will be conflagration from heaven. "Fire from the Lord" consumed two companies of fifty men on a misguided mission, two hundred and fifty presumptuous rulers in Israel and two priests, the sons of Aaron. Those who have participated in the final affront to heaven after the millennium will be among the dead, the great and the small of Rev. 20:12 with the triumvirate of evil sharing the same end - the eternal fire spoken of by the Lord in Matt.

25:41.

The Abode of Eternal Suffering

The lake of fire is synonymous with Gehenna (Luke 12:5). It is the place of

eternal suffering and endless remorse. Somewhere in God's universe a restricted area is prepared for sin's last judgement. No sin will take place in the lake of fire even though the hearts of the sufferers, having chosen their own destruction, remain sinful. Neither repentance nor new birth are possible there. Total subjection will be divinely enforced (1 Cor. 15:25). Eternal punishment is solemnly mentioned by the Lord Jesus in Mark 9. Their worm does not die (the unceasing existence of the personality) and "fire is not quenched" (the unceasing inflicting of torture by fire as the instrument of judgement).

How different Satan's path has been from that of his Conqueror! The Self-Existent Son of God willingly took the lowest place and has been awarded the highest honour. Satan, the most wretched being of all God's creation, will suffer most in that place of absolute and eternal separation from the God of unchangeable holiness. He has successfully deceived the unbelieving into accepting the theory of non-eternal punishment and implanting doubts as to the eternal security of those who trust in the Christ. "Day and night" (Rev. 20:10) describes perennial perdition. There is no doctrine of annihilation in the Bible.

In view of these things how important it is to have a right understanding of Christ's eternal Sonship, His present Lordship and future Kingship. For the advent of Him "Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords" we earnestly wait.

R.B. Fullarton, Innerleithen | Oct 1981
Satan And His Kingdom