“They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”

20:9

They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.

The armies of the world surround God’s army (camp) throughout Palestine. God’s army encamps in the beloved city, Jerusalem.

And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.

God immediately destroys the armies of the world with one fell swoop by fire. This is the final defeat of the Devil and his troops.

20:10

The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are.

After the defeat of Satan’s armies, God throws him into the lake of fire. He was unable to deceive the nations during the Millennium. This is the doom of the devil. He joins the ruler of the Revived Roman Empire and his prophet in the lake of fire (Re 19:20).

The devil does not want us to read the book of Revelation because it describes his final end. As we look at life now, it looks as if the devil is triumphant, but the last book of the Bible tells of the devil’s doom. He constantly peddles the propaganda that no one can understand the last book of the Bible because this book gives hope to those who feel hopeless about life.

And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Satan’s punishment, along with the beast and false prophet, is eternal, not temporal. There will never be any relief to this torment. There is no implication of annihilation in this passage. The fire in the lake of fire has no end. This is so ominous that most people cannot even bear thinking about it.

Principle:

There is payday someday.

Application:

The fact of eternal judgment means God cannot bear sin. An absolute God cannot stomach sin to the slightest degree. Vance Havner said there is a “Payday someday.” There is no second chance beyond this point. There is no promotion from Hell to Heaven. The state we find ourselves at the Great White Throne judgment is the state we will find ourselves for eternity.

Everyone must make his or her decision for Christ. We can date a person for years and never marry him. We can date Jesus for years and never make our decision to embrace Him as our Savior.