Revelation 20:7-15 The root of all evil lies within man rather than outside of him

Revelation 20:7-15

A

When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of k the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heavenly and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

B

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Background

Those who do not ally with the beast, and who face persecution and death, will be resurrected after the beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake fire. For a thousand years, they will reign with Christ as priests over the world. In contrast, those who are evil and have allied with the beast will be killed and imprisoned in the spirit realm (death and hades), awaiting the judgment of the great white throne. Meanwhile, the remaining populace will experience reformation for a thousand years under the guidance of Christ and His priests. Those who died during the millennium will go to the sea awaiting the judgment of the great white throne. After the millennium has ended, humanity will once again be tested regarding their allegiance to God and His truth. Today’s devotion teaches us: The root of all evil lies within man rather than outside of him.

Observation

A

The reason Satan is not cast into the lake of fire with the beast and the false prophet is that he will once again serve to test the hearts of humanity. Once the one thousand years have concluded, he will be released from the abyss to tempt not only the civilizations of this earth (Gog and Magog represent two major nations) but also those in the universe. Here, Satan gathers his followers and orchestrates a coup against the priests of God. This rebellion will be fleeting, as fire will descend from heaven to annihilate them. Only this time, Satan will be cast into the lake of fire, where he will suffer eternally.

B

The great white throne introduce the ultimate judgment of evil and the beginning of the eternal state of creation. The great white throne is located neither in the universe nor the earth, but in the holy dimension where God resides (from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them). It is here that God the Father Himself occupies this throne.

“The dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne” comprises people who have yet to be judged by God. Every soul (regardless of whether they are found in the sea, death, or hades) will be resurrected to stand before the judgment throne. In their presence, books that contain their names along with the records of their works are opened. The book of life holds the names of the righteous and their works.

Here, before the great white throne, some will be granted eternal life, while others will face eternal torment. The sea serves as the holding place for souls of people who died during the millennium, whereas death and hades are the holding places for the souls who rebelled against God. Following the judgment, both death and hades, along with the souls, are cast into the lake of fire. This is regarded as the eternal death or the second death. In this ultimate judgment, an individual is either part of the kingdom of God or is condemned to hell. There exists no intermediate position.

All final judgments concern works, whether they are those of the righteous who are rewarded at the judgment seat or those of the unrighteous. The decision regarding who is saved or condemned takes place not in heaven, but during our earthly lives. What is revealed here is the confirmation of one’s fate by means of God’s written records. 

Truth

The root of all evil lies within man rather than outside of him.

Even with universal rule and reformation under Christ, along with the absence of Satan, many will choose to follow Satan upon his release. These are the children of those who survive the Tribulation and enter the millennium in their natural bodies. Prior to Satan’s release, they kneel in obedience to God, their conduct being retrained by the law. The emergence of Satan has provided them an opportunity to commit evil and break free from the rule of God.

The way to an eternal utopia (a new heavens and earth) is not to prevent the emergence of systemic evil, akin to that of Satan, but rather about eliminating those who are unwilling to confront the evil inside themselves. Thus, for a thousand years, Christ rules with a firm hand (a rod of iron, Revelation 2:27) while giving ample opportunity for humanity to purge the evil within. Now, that the thousand years have ended, it is time to grant humanity the freedom to reject Satan’s call or to follow him to his final destination. Therefore, since the root of all evil lies within man, he must either purge the evil within, or be purged alongside Satan. 

Applications

• Every believer must bear personal responsibility for sin, to examine themselves, to confront pride, envy, hatred and rebellion within, and submit themselves to Christ.
• The real task of Christian leadership is to shepherd hearts toward inner transformation, not just enforce external conformity.
• Utopia cannot be achieved by suppressing evil, it comes only by separating those who have purged evil from those who embrace it.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I confess that the root of evil lies within my own heart. Cleanse me from pride, envy, hatred, and rebellion. Teach me to submit fully to Christ, not in outward conformity but in true inner transformation. Strengthen me to reject Satan’s call and embrace Your reign. Shepherd my heart by Your Spirit, that I may be purified and counted worthy of Your eternal kingdom. Amen.