Introduction: Christians are human beings. Even in a perfect marriage like ours and with just the two of us involved we don’t always see eye to eye. But after nearly 64 years of marriage we are very much a unit! With billions having been Christians over the two millennia since Christ was earth and noting that the book of Revelation was given to John by Christ to record, it is not surprising if people have different views about what is being said. This is even more easily understood because we know that words are used with hidden meanings! Recently we have been looking at the word ‘Babylon’ a real historical city and the title of a kingdom but in Revelation it is used as a symbol for all that is evil! It is pretty obvious that the phrase ‘their number is like the sand of the sea‘ doesn’t cause us to start counting every grain of sand associated with the sea! We might ask ‘Which Sea’? Galilee or the Black Sea or all the oceans of the world? We understand that the phrase is illustrative and not literal! I believe that it is talking about 1,000 years but if some of my brethren in Jesus see it differently then it is a point of discussion not division! God knows exactly whose understanding is correct and He will let us see when the time comes exactly every detail and we will in amazement be forced to say something like ‘Stupid me! Why didn’t I see that!’
This passage is tantalizing intellectually but true!
And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Comment: God doesn’t mind us asking questions. He does expect humility, teachability, and honest action! What is going on during the thousand years? How many children will be born? Will teenagers tend to be rebellious? Without the devil around will mankind be ‘the perfect being’ which some people argue that we basically are? The fact that it ends up in the war of all wars when the devil is released from the pit suggests that flawed man because of that original sin committed in the garden is a reality. A reality which some seek to deny!
Revelation 22: 18-20 – I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Prayer: Thank You God that You look at Jesus and forgive me my failures!