7 And when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released from his prison,

8 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.

9 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.

10 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.

— Revelation 20:7-10

Since Jehovah your God walks in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to give your enemies over to you, therefore your camp must be holy; and He must not see anything indecent among you, or He will turn away from you.

— Deuteronomy 23:14

Now to Him [the only God our Savior] who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy

— Jude 24

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

In God’s perfect plan, Satan will be released from his prison at the end of the 1000 years. In a futile, final attempt to overthrow God’s purposes, Satan will lead unbelievers living at that time to defy Jesus. Those whose hearts have become hostile to the Lord Jesus will rally with the arch-deceiver. As with the beast, nations will gather under Satan’s leadership to fight against God. This innumerable company of rebels gathered from around the globe will surround the “camp of God’s people, the city He loves.”

What a confirmation of the necessity of eternal punishment! Even with Satan bound in the Abyss for 1000 years, the allegiance of unbelievers to his deception and rebellion remains. True believers, whether resurrected or born again, do not defect but remain eternally safe, held firmly in God’s grace. They will reign with Christ forever in a place where evil is no more. God’s great love protects them through their faith in His Son. After a sad but brief rebellion, God will overthrow Satan forever, and all will witness God’s unrivaled authority over evil.