Chapter Forty/Crushing the Serpent's Head - Judged for a Thousand Years - Continue

 Were all these 144,000 royal judges physically "executed with an ax"? Likely, relatively few of them were in a literal sense. This expression, though, doubtless is intended to embrace all those around Christians who endure martyrdom in one way or another. (Matthew 10:22, 28) Certainly, Satan would liked to have executed all of them with the ax, but, in fact, not all of Jesus' anointed brothers die as martyrs. Many of them die of disease or old age. Such ones, however, also belong to the group that John now sees. The death of all of them is, in a sense, sacrificial. (Romans 6:3-5) Additionally, none of them were part of the world. Hence, all of them have been hated by the world and, in effect become dead in its eyes. (John 15:19; 1 Corinthians 4:13) None of them worshiped the wild beast or it image, and when they died, none of them carried the mark of the beast. All of them died as conquerors. - 1 JOHN 5:4; REVELATION 2:7; 3:12; 12:11. 

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Chapter Forty/Crushing the Serpent's Head - Judges for a Thousand Years - Continue

 Thrones-144,000 of them-are prepared for these anointed conquerors who are "bought from among mankind as firstfruits to God and the Lamb." (Revelation 14:1, 4) "Yes," continues John, "I saw the souls of those executed with the ax for the witness they bore to Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had worshiped neither the wild beast nor its image and who had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand." (Revelation 20:4b) Among these kings, then, are the anointed Christians martyrs who earlier, at the opening of the fifth seal, asked Jehovah how much longer he would wait to avenge their blood. At that time, they were given a white robe and told to wait a little longer. But now they have been avenged through the devastating of Babylon the Great, the destruction of the nations by King of kings and the Lord of lords, the abyssing of Satan. - REVELATION 6:9-11; 17:16; 19:15, 16.

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Chapter Forty/Crushing the Serpent's Head - Judges for a Thousand Years

 After the thousand years, Satan is released from the abyss for a short while. Why? Before giving the answer, John brings our attention back to the beginning of that time period. We read: "And I saw thrones, and there were those who sat on them, and power of judging was given them." (Revelation 20:4a) Who are this one sitting on the throne and ruling in the heavens with the glorified Jesus? 

They are "the holy ones" that Daniel described as ruling in the Kingdom with the One "like a son of man." (Daniel 7:13, 14, 18) They are the same as the 24 elders who sit on heavenly thrones in the very presence of Jehovah.  (Revelation 4:4) They include the 12 apostles, to whom Jesus gave the promise: "In the recreation, when the Son of man sits down upon his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also yourselves sit upon twelve thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel." (Matthew 19:28) They also include Paul, as well as the Corinthian Christians who remained faithful. (1 Corinthians 4:8; 6:2, 3) They would include, too, members of the congregation of Laodicea who conquered.  - REVELATION 3:21. 

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Chapter Forty/Crushing the Serpent's Head - Satan Abyssed - Conclusion

 What happens to the demons? They too have been "reserved for judgment." (2 Petre 2:4) Satan is called "Beelzebub the ruler of the demons." (Luke11:15, 18; Matthew 10:25) In view of their longtime collaboration with Satan, should not the same judgment be meted out to them? The abyss has been an object of fear to those demons, on one occasion when Jesus confronted them, they "kept intreating him not order them to go away into the abyss." (Luke 8:31) But when Satan is abyssed, his angels will surely be hurled into the abyss with him. (Compare Isaiah 24:21, 22) After the abyssing of Satan and his demons, The Thousand-Year Reign of Jesus Christ can begin.

Will Satan and his demons be active while in the abyss? Well, remember the scarlet-colored wild beast that "was, but is not, and yet is about to ascend out of the abyss." (Revelation 17:8) While in the abyss, it 'was not.' It was non-functioning, immobilized, to all intents and purpose dead. Likewise, speaking of Jesus, the apostle Paul said: "Who will descend into the abyss." (Romans 10:7) While in that abyss, Jesus was dead." It is reasonable to conclude, then, that Satan and his demons will be in a state of deathlike inactivity for the thousand years of their abyssing. What good tidings for lovers of righteousness. 

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Chapter Forty/Crushing the Serpent's Head - Satan Abyssed - Continue

 When the great fiery-colored dragon was hurled down from heaven, he was spoken of as "the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth." (Revelation 12:3, 9) Now, at the point of being seized and abyssed, he is described again in full as "the dragon, the original serpent, who is the Devil/Satan." This infamous devourer, deceiver, slanderer, and opposer is chained and hurled "into the abyss," which is closed and sealed off tightly, "that he might mislead the nations anymore." This abyssing of Satan is for a thousand years, during which time his influence on mankind will be no more than that of a prisoner in a deep dungeon. The angel of the abyss removes Satan completely from any contact with the Kingdom of righteousness. What a relief for mankind!

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Chapter Forty/Crushing the Serpent's Head - Satan Abyssed

 What, then, is in store for Satan himself and his demons? John tells us: "And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven with the key of the abyss and great chain in his hand. And he seized the dragon, the original serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he hurled him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, that he might not mislead nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After these things he must be let loose for a little while." - REVELATION 20:1-3. 

Who is this angel? He must have tremendous power to be able to able to dispose of Jehovah's archenemy. He has "the key of the abyss and a great chain." Does this not remind us of an earlier vision? Why, yes, the king over the locusts is called "the angel of the abyss"! (Revelation 9:11) So here we again observe Jehovah's Chief Vindicator, the glorified Jesus Christ, in action. The archangel that cast Satan out of heaven, that judged Babylon the Great, and then disposed of "the kings of the earth and their armies" at Armageddon would surely not step aside to let a lesser angel deliver the masterstroke in abyssing Satan. 

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Chapter Forty/ Crushing the Serpent's Head

 What about the Serpent and his seed? About 56 C.E. the apostle Paul wrote a long letter to the Christians in Rome. In concluding it, he encouraged them by saying: "For his part, the God who gives peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly." (Romans 16:20) This is more than superficial bruising. Satan is to be crushed! Paul here used a Greek word, syn-tri'bo, that means to bruise into jellylike state, to trample down, to destroy utterly by crushing. As for the human seed of the Serpent, this is due for a real plaguing in the Lord's day, climaxing at the great tribulation the great and political system of the world, together with their financial and military henchmen. (Revelation, chapter 18 and 19) Thus Jehovah brings to a climax the enmity between the two seeds. The Seed of God's woman triumphs over the earthly seed of the Serpent, and that seed is no more!

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Chapter Forty/Crushing the Serpent's Head

 DO YOU recall the first Bible prophecy? It was uttered by Jehovah God when he said to the serpent: "I shall put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the head and he will bruise you in the heel." (Genesis3:15) Now the fulfillment of that prophecy comes to its climax! We have traced the history of Satan's warning against Jehovah's heavenly womanlike organization. (Revelation 12:1, 9) The Serpent's earthly seed, with its religion, politics, and big business, has heaped cruel persecution on the woman's seed, Jesus Christ and his 144,000 anointed followers, here on earth. (John 8:37, 44; Galatians 3:16, 29) Satan inflicted an agonizing death on Jesus. But this proved to be like a heel wound, for God resurrected his faithful Son on the third day. - ACTS 10:38-40. 

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Chapter Thirty-Nine/The Warrior King Triumphs at Armageddon - The Great Evening Meal of God -- Conclusion

 All others who were not directly part of the government but who were nevertheless an irreformable part of this corrupt world of mankind are likewise "killed off with the long sword of the one seated on the white horse." Jesus will pronounce them deserving of death. Since in their case the lake of fire is not mentioned, are we to expect that they will have a resurrection? Nowhere ae we told those executed by Jehovah's Judge at that time are to be resurrected. As Jesus himself stated, all those who are not "sheep" go off into the everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels," That is, into everlasting cutting off." (Matthew 25:33,41, 46) This climaxes "the day of judgment and of destruction of the ungodly men." - 2 PETER 3:7; NAHUM 1:2, 7-9; MALACHI 4:1. 

In this way, all of Satan's earthly organization comes to an end. The "former heaven" of political rulership has passed away. The "earth," that seemingly permanent system that Satan has built up over the centuries, is now utterly destroyed. The "sea" the mass of wicked humanity opposed to Jehovah is no more. (Revelation 21:1; 2 Peter 3:10) What, though, does Jehovah have in mind for Satan himself? John goes on to tell us. 

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Chapter Thirty-Nine/The Warrior-King Triumphs at Armageddon - The Great Evening Meal of God - Continue

 The seven-headed, ten-horned wild beast out of the sea, representing Satan's political organization, is tumbled into oblivion, and along with it goes the false prophet, the seventh world power. (Revelation 13:1, 11-13; 16:13) While still "alive" or still functioning in their united opposition to God's people on earth, they are cast into "the lake of fire." Is this a literal lake of fire? No, not any more than the wild beast and the false prophet are literal animals. Rather, it is a symbol of complete final destruction, a place of no return. Here is where, later, death and Hades as well as the Devil himself, will be hurled. (Revelation 20:10, 14) It is certainly not an inferno of eternal torture for the wicked, since the very idea if such a place is detestable to Jehovah. - JEREMIAH 19:5; 32:35; 1 JOHN 4:8, 16. 

Next time: Chapter Thirty-Nine/The Warrior-King/ Triumphs at Armageddon - The Great Evening Meal of God  - Conclusion

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