December 18, 2022—A prince of peace will one day come to this earth and will reign. His kingdom will consist of people from all walks of life and nations, and they will contain the same paradigm of moral conduct and civility. His reign will last for one thousand years, but the beloved city will be surrounded by armies from all corners of the earth at the end of His one thousand years. Will this Prince of Peace be victorious, or not?
Beloved, this may sound like an introduction to a novel that you may read, but it is actually a true story. However, it is a true story into the future, and it will happen. So, who is this Prince of Peace, what is His beloved City and who will attack His kingdom?
The Attacker
Someone so evil, that he hungers to murder and lie and seeks to destroy you. For he has been this way from the beginning. And because of his actions, he will be permanently bounded and cast down to hell. Yes, it is the devil (Satan). The gospel of John speaks of Satan like this, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” (John 8:44). As you noticed, the quote is in red font showing you that these words were spoken by Jesus Christ of Nazareth, your savior. How did Jesus know that Satan was a sinner in the beginning? This is because Jesus Christ was present in the beginning, “Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:48 a reference to Exodus 3:14). In addition, Jesus Christ testifies to witnessing Satan’s fall from heaven in Luke 10:18. Satan was cast out of Heaven when he rebelled against God wanting to be above God:
How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!
For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
(Isaiah 14:12-14)
This caused a war in heaven, where Satan and those on his side (now called fallen angels) fought against Michael (archangel) and the angels. Satan lost and when deciding what to do with him, Satan and the fallen angels were cast down to earth (Revelation 7-9). Since Satan would go out deceiving nations and people, Jesus Christ was necessary not only for our salvation, but to break the chains on Satan’s work (1 John 3:8). In fact, when Jesus Christ was baptized, He was taken to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, but the devil was defeated three times. (Matthew 4, and Mark 1).
Just as Jesus rebuked the devil using scripture three times, Satan will also lose three times. Satan lost the war against Michael, and there will be two more times when he loses. However, something needs to happen first.
Jesus Reigns
When the end signs begin, the Great Tribulation will occur. This is the time when the Antichrist and the false prophet will rise and will reign for 7 years. During the Great Tribulation, Satan, the Antichrist, the false prophet, and their people will fight against the saints (Daniel 7:21). The saints will be beheaded for their belief in Jesus Christ as their savior (Revelation 20:4). Jesus Christ will call the elect to Him (rapture the church) and He will return to earth with His army from heaven. From there, Jesus Christ and Satan will war against one another (Revelation 19:11-21). Jesus will have the army from heaven. Satan will have the Antichrist, the false prophet, and armies of the earth. The war will occur at a place named Armageddon (Revelation 16:16).
Jesus Christ arrives as the war against the saints is prevailing (Daniel 7:22). Then Jesus Christ and His heavenly army will defeat Satan. Those that received the mark and those that worshipped Satan will be killed by Jesus Christ through the sword of His mouth (Revelation 19:21). The Antichrist and the false prophet will be captured and cast alive to hell (Revelation 19:20). Satan will be captured and will be bound for 1,000 years in hell.
While Satan is bound for “a thousand years,” Christ will reign with the saints that will be beheaded by the Antichrist and the false prophet during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 20:4). Note that this will be the first resurrection (Revelation 19:6). With the exception of the disciples, no other saints will join Jesus Christ at that time (Revelation 20:4, Matthew 19:28). The disciples will sit on thrones and “judgment was committed to them.” (Revelation 20:4).
Satan is Released
After the “a thousand years” is up, Satan will be released but only for a little while (Revelation 20:3). Satan will go out and deceive the nations “in the four corners of the earth.” Satan’s goal will be to gather them to war against the saints in Jerusalem. However, God knows everyone and everything, including Satan. God is all-knowing and all-seeing. “[T]here is no creature hidden from His sight” (Hebrews 4:13). There, God will protect the saints even though the army that Satan gathers is vast. God will send fire from heaven to devour them, and Satan will be cast to hell with the Antichrist and the false prophet (Revelation 9-10).
What’s Next?
Jesus Christ will be on a great white throne (Revelation 20:11). The throne is described in Daniel 7 as this:
His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him.” (Daniel 7:9-10).
Daniel 7:10 goes on to say that “The court was seated, and the books were opened.” The disciple John speaks to the books and what they contain:
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books… And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:12,15
Everyone will be judged. It does not matter what you believe in today, Jesus Christ will judge you. Anyone who does not believe in Jesus Christ is condemned. Their names will not be written in the Book of Life. Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ and repents from their sins will be saved. The Holy Bible says that “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18).
Accepting Jesus Christ
Both Satan and Jesus Christ operate in our daily lives today. Satan hungers to hurt you and keep you from entering heaven by causing you to sin. God wants you to believe in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. They want you to know that you are loved, and you are saved through acceptance of Jesus Christ. No matter what you did, Jesus Christ will forgive you. In fact, the only unpardonable sin, is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:31 and Mark 3:29).
The question is whose side are you on? You can accept Jesus Christ as your savior right now and be accepted into heaven when your time comes by bowing your head and saying this simple prayer:
God, I confess that Jesus came in the flesh and blood, paid the price for my sins, died on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and sent the Holy Spirit to help me understand Your ways. For that, I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord, and I welcome the Holy Spirit in my life. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen!