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History records many great and bloody battles that have been fought between tribes, ethnic groups, empires and nations. Most wars were fought due to the ambition of some power-hungry leaders in order to bring others with their lands and wealth under their control, causing the untimely death of millions of young men in their prime of life as well the destruction of entire civilizations.
During the past one hundred years, mankind has experienced two World Wars, and countless other “conflicts” in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, China, Ireland; in many African nations, Central/South America, and the list goes on and on even to our present day. When will it all end?
We have the Biblical assurance that once the Lord Jesus Christ returns to assume full control of earth’s affairs, He will cause wars to cease. People will not learn war anymore (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3). The Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus, will rule the earth with an “iron rod,” showing His total and absolute control (Revelation 19:15, 16). This rule will, however, be tempered with mercy for “when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants will learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9). During this future Kingdom, Satan will be imprisoned in what the scriptures symbolically refers to as the “bottomless pit,” where he will not be able to influence and deceive the nations as he has done during the past six thousand years. (See Revelation 19:16 - 20:2.)
There will be one final war to be fought at the end of this Kingdom. The Bible speaks of it in Rev. 20:3 as “a little season”. This battle will be under the direction of the victorious “King of kings and Lord of lords,” and will see the final end of all evil and death.
We know that Satan, after being released from his imprisonment, will still be unrepentant and as ambitious as ever to carry out his original plan of ruling over mankind. Strange as it may seem he will gather a following and set out to do battle against God’s people and conquer the Kingdom, but his end will be sudden and swift when he and all that align themselves with him are destroyed by a fire that comes down from heaven (Revelation 20:7-10).
If God knows all of Satan’s evil plans, the question is “why does He not destroy him at the beginning of the Kingdom?” The Lord has a good reason. During Satan’s confinement all resurrected mankind will be given a full opportunity to learn the ways of righteousness. At the end of the 1000 years, God has planned one final test of faithfulness for all who are then living on the earth before granting them the gift of eternal life.
It is said that today there are billions of Christians living in the world who can be divided into two general classifications. One group has undergone a mind-conversion while the other group has experienced a heart-conversion as well. What is the difference between the two? Mind-converted Christians may claim belief in God, in Jesus, and in the Bible. They often attend church regularly and follow the rules of their denomination being fully satisfied with their limited spiritual condition, but their hearts have not been affected nor do they live by the spirit of the Lord. These, unfortunately, form the great majority of Christians. They live their lives according to their own will and as they please. Some have repented of sin, some have not, but they know nothing or little of a life fully devoted in heart obedience and loyalty to the Lord, His will and teachings. Then there are a minority of Christians who are both heart and mind converted. These have asked the Lord to take full control of their lives and seek to live in faithful obedience, acknowledging God as their Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and the Bible as God’s inspired Word of Truth. (See John 17:17.) These are promised to “live and reign with Christ 1,000 years.”
In God’s Kingdom on earth, all of resurrected mankind will come to an accurate knowledge of truth (1 Timothy 2:4). They will be required to outwardly obey the laws of that Kingdom but only the final test will reveal whether there has been a true heart conversion and a full embracing of the ways of righteousness. Those who merely profess righteousness outwardly will fail the test when given the opportunity of choice and slip back into their evil ways following their true hearts’ desire for self-gratification and lust. Rev. 21:7, 8 says, “He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars -- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." Those who fail the final test in the last battle will be destroyed forever along with Satan and his evil angels. This also is an act of God’s love for those who would not be happy to live under just and righteous conditions. They will be as though they had never had life, extinct forever. The righteous shall be rewarded with everlasting life and will live for all eternity on a restored and perfect earth. Yes, God will be their God, they will be His children, and “God will be All in All!” (1 Corinthians 15:28).
G. B. -- © CDMI
