Rebellion at the end of the Millennium

Revelation 20:7–10
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Satan will be released at the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth. He will find plenty of followers (“as the sand of the sea” v. 8) who will produce a worldwide rebellion against Christ. This host of followers of Satan will converge on Jerusalem which will have been the capital of the world government of Christ throughout the millennial kingdom. God will act quickly by sending fire down from heaven to devour them and the devil will be cast into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophets have already been for one thousand years.

You may be wondering who these are who will follow Satan, since apparently all of those who entered the Millennium in their natural bodies were saved. Many babies will be born, grow up and live unusually long lives during this one-thousand year period. All of them will be required to give outward allegiance to Christ who reigns on the throne, but as in every age He will not compel them to believe in their hearts. As a result there will be many living who have never turned to Christ for salvation, even though they have made an outward profession. They will jump at the chance to give expression of the rebellion in their hearts when Satan comes on the scene to be their leader. This proves that a perfect early environment and knowledge of Christ will not change man’s heart, this must be done personally and miraculously.

Application

This is an admonition for me to check up with family and friends and make sure that they are not just conforming outwardly to a set of Christian principles but really know Christ personally in their heart.