Sermon: The foremost consignment (Rev 20:10)

WHAT IS FOREMOST?
The Foremost Consignment (Rev 20:10)
pdf
Dr. Paul Manuel—2012

(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to
each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted.)

What determines an individual's eternal fate? Does he get to choose, or does someone else make that decision for him?

On the outskirts of town was a large pecan tree by the cemetery fence. One day two boys filled a bucket with nuts, sat down by the tree, out of sight, and began dividing the nuts. "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me." In the process, several dropped and rolled toward the fence. Another boy came riding along on his bicycle. He heard voices from inside the cemetery. "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me." He reasoned what that was. "It's Satan and St. Peter dividing the souls at the cemetery." He rode off and met an old man. "Come quick," said the boy, "Satan and St. Peter are in the cemetery dividing up the souls." Dubious of the boy's story, the man followed him to the cemetery. Standing by the fence he heard, "One for you, one for me. One for you, one for me." The old man whispered, "Boy, you've been telling the truth. Let's try to get a closer look. Shaking with fear yet compelled by curiosity, they peered through the fence, but were still unable to see anything. Then they heard, "One for you, one for me. That's all.... Now let's get those nuts by the fence."¹

What determines an individual's eternal fate? Does he get to choose, or does someone else make that decision for him? ...The answer is that he gets to choose, and neither Satan nor St. Peter have any say in the matter. In fact, because of Satan's own choices, he has his own problems and will have his own place in eternity, his own apartment or compartment, as John describes in The Foremost Consignment.

The Bible contains numerous warnings about the danger that evil one poses for God's people. In fact, almost every New Testament author expresses some statement to that effect.

• Paul frames the problem.

Eph 4:27 ...do not give the devil a foothold.

Eph 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

• Peter makes a similar observation.

1 Pet 5:8b Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

• •John explains his relentless activity.

Rev 12:10b [Satan] is the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night....

• James issues the standard response.

Jms 4:7b Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The threat is not just to God's people. The situation is more difficult for those who do not know the Lord. Paul and Luke note that...

2 Cor 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel....

Acts 26:18 [They need someone] to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins....

Nevertheless, Jesus says there will come a time when "the prince of this world will be driven out" (John 12:31b). More than that, he will be confined.

The myth is that Satan is in charge of hell; the truth is quite the opposite. Following his defeat by the messiah, the devil will be consigned to a most unpleasant place, and his incarceration will be...

* XXXI. The Foremost Consignment

Please turn to Rev 20, where John describes...

• The prison of God (Rev 20:10)

Rev 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

This event is the culmination of a protracted struggle over countless generations in which the forces of evil actively oppose God—His plan and His people. The leader of the opposition is an individual familiar to the readers of this book. John mentions his role in another conflict, one that is earlier than this but still future to us, and there his agenda is clear.

Rev 12:7a ...there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9a The great dragon was hurled down²—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.³

John then explains that part of the devil's deception is that he will attempt to imitate elements in the divine program, complete with a "Satanic trinity" (Beale 1999:1028). He will offer his own candidate for the office of the messiah, called "the beast." Promoting the beast, a.k.a. the antichrist, will be another individual John calls "the false prophet." Elsewhere in the book, John describes these people
and explains what they will do. In...

Rev 13:4 Men worshiped the dragon [Satan] because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?" ...8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

Rev 19:20a-b ...the false prophet...performed the miraculous signs on [the beast's] behalf. With these signs he...deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.

Through the beast and the false prophet, Satan will attempt to set up his own, alternative government and convince others that they too can oppose God. Will he succeed? ...In convincing others, yes; in opposing God, no. John describes the scene when Jesus returns.

Rev 19:19 ...I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet.... The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21a The rest of them [the kings and their armies] were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse....

Later, John says...

Rev 20:14b The lake of fire is the second death.

The first death man experiences is physical death, which everyone experiences, the separation of the body from the soul, with the body considered dead. The second death, which only the wicked experiences, is spiritual death, the separation of the soul from God, with the soul considered dead. The first death lasts until the resurrection, when...

1 Cor 15:22b ...in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own turn.

The second death lasts forever.

With his forces destroyed, the devil himself will face judgment, at least, a preliminary one.

Rev 20:2 [An angel] seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

Why God later allows Satan to get out of the Abyss is puzzling.⁴ The devil has already suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the messiah. Perhaps it is not about Satan but about man. Evidently, some people remain after the battle of Armageddon who still refuse to repent,⁵ convinced they can oppose God and get away with it. Perhaps they are the reason God allows Satan to renew his rebellion. For whatever reason, this second attempt by Satan at world domination will fare no better than the first attempt. In fact, the devil will fare worse.

Rev 20:7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth... to gather them for battle.... 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves [i.e., Jerusalem]. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

Now it is time for Satan to receive his final punishment.

After his first defeat, the devil will be imprisoned, confined to the Abyss, but temporarily.⁶ After his second defeat, the devil will be confined again, this time to the lake of fire with the beast and the false prophet, where he will remain permanently.⁷ This incarceration is The Foremost Consignment. At this point...

1. Your enemy's sentence will include a secure place.

• There will be no release from "the lake of burning sulfur."

Moreover...

2. Your enemy's sentence will entail a suitable punishment.

• There will be no relief from torment "day and night for ever and ever"

Contrary to popular belief, hell (here called, "the lake of fire")⁸ is not the devil's playground; it is his prison.

Some contend that a loving God would not punish anyone for eternity, even the devil. That view is false and betrays a weak view of God, whose preeminent attribute is not love but...holiness, which demands the highest standard, even in punishment. It is the reason only Jesus' sacrifice could atone for man's sin.

Besides, the future of both groups has the same duration according to Jesus, who says....⁹

Matt 25:46 [The wicked] will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

To abbreviate the fate of the wicked would abbreviate the fate of the righteous.

Consider again the numerous warnings about the danger the evil one poses for God's people. While that is a real danger, some Christians think Satan may be waiting for them around every turn. This credits the devil with far too much power—it assumes he is able to be everywhere; he cannot—and it credits us with far too much prominence—it assumes we are worthy of his constant attention; we are not.

You are not in danger at all times, but you may be in danger at certain times, and it is important to know your spiritual weaknesses, where and when you are vulnerable. It is also important to know your spiritual resources, what you have at hand whenever you need it. As Paul writes about "the spiritual forces of evil" arrayed against you, he also writes about "the full armor of God" available to you.

Eph 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.... 13 ...so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground.... 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

That last item, "the word of God," which embodies the truth of God,¹⁰ is especially important, because the better you know what He has said, the better you can respond "when the day of evil comes.¹¹ The chief tactic of Satan is to pervert the truth. Jesus said,

John 8:44c When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

It may not be a direct challenge to the truth but an indirect challenge, raising uncertainty and sowing seeds of doubt, often about the expectations the Lord has for His people: "Did God really say that? Does God really mean that?" This is the devil's modus operandi.

• It was a successful tactic in the garden with Eve, because she became hesitant and uncertain.

Gen 3: lb "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"...4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.... 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.

The devil was able to raise uncertainty in Eve's mind, and she doubted what God expected from her, with tragic consequences.

• It was an unsuccessful tactic in the wilderness with Jesus, because he remained decisive and confident.

Matt 4:3 The tempter...said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

The devil was unable to raise uncertainty in Jesus' mind, who was confident what God expected from him, with terrific consequences for us.

If the devil can make you doubt God, he is half-way to making you disobey God.

The truth is not just about right doctrine, about what you should believe—although that is certainly important—the truth is also about how you should behave, especially toward others in "God's household" (1 Tim 3:15). This is Paul's repeated admonition to his readers.¹²

Eph 4:25 ...each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor....

Col 3:9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

If the people of God cling to the truth of God, they will to protect themselves from the enemy of God.

The Bible contains numerous warnings about the danger the evil one poses for God's people. The danger is real, but it is limited, and even the devil will realize that,¹³ as he will face The Foremost Consignment, in the prison of God. It is a fitting end to a vexing enemy.

Having considered The Foremost Consignment, we will look next at The Foremost Confinement, which is the partition of God, in Rev 22:14-15.

For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.

(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted)