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Earth in Ruins
355
no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo,
the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were
broken down.”
Jeremiah 4:23-26
.
Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a 1000
years. Limited to the earth, he will not have access to other worlds
to tempt and annoy those who have never fallen. In this sense he is
“bound.” None remain on whom he can exercise his power. He is
cut off from the work of deception and ruin which has been his sole
delight.
Isaiah, looking forward to Satan’s overthrow, exclaims: “How
art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how
art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
[399]
... Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will
exalt my throne above the stars of God: ... I will be like the Most
High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee,
saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake
kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the
cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?”
Isaiah
14:12-17
.
For 6000 years Satan’s prison-house has received God’s people,
but Christ has broken his bonds and set the prisoners free. Alone
with his evil angels he realizes the effect of sin: “The kings of the
nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house
[the grave]. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable
branch. ... Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because
thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people.”
Isaiah 14:18-20
.
For 1000 years, Satan will behold the results of his rebellion
against the law of God. His sufferings are intense. He is now left
to contemplate the part he has acted since he rebelled and to look
forward with terror to the dreadful future when he must be punished.
During the 1000 years between the first and second resurrections,
the judgment of the wicked takes place. Paul points to this as an event
that follows the second advent.
1 Corinthians 4:5
. The righteous
reign as kings and priests. John says: “I saw thrones, and they sat
upon them, and judgment was given unto them. ... They shall be
priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand
years.”
Revelation 20:4-6
.