For six thousand years, Satan's work of rebellion has made the earth to tremble. He has made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof. And he opened not the house of his prisoners. For six thousand years his prison-house has received God's people, and he would have held them captive forever, but Christ has broken his bonds, and set the prisoners free. {GC88 659.3}
Even the wicked are now placed beyond the power of Satan; and alone with his evil angels he remains to realize the effect of the curse which sin has brought. The kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house [the grave]. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch. . . . Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people. [Isaiah 14:18-20.] {GC88 659.4}
For a thousand years, Satan will wander to and fro in the desolate earth, to behold the results of his rebellion against the law of God. During this time his sufferings are intense. Since his fall, his life of unceasing activity has banished reflection; but he is now deprived of his power, and left to contemplate the part which he has acted since first he rebelled against the government of Heaven, and to look forward with trembling and terror to the dreadful future, when he must suffer for all the evil that he has done, and be punished for the sins that he has caused to be committed. {GC88 660.1}
To God's people, the captivity of Satan will bring gladness and rejoicing. Says the prophet: It shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy trouble, and from the hard service wherein thou wast made to serve, that thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon [here representing Satan], and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! . . . The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers; that smote the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, that ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained. [Isaiah 14:3-6, Revised Version.] {GC88 660.2}
During the thousand years between the first and the second resurrection, the Judgment of the wicked takes place. The apostle Paul points to this Judgment as an event that follows the second advent. Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts. [1 Corinthians 4:5.] Daniel declares that when the Ancient of days came, Judgment was given to the saints of the Most High. [Daniel 7:22.] At this time the righteous reign as kings and priests unto God. John in the Revelation says: I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. They shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. [Revelation 20:4, 6; 1 Corinthians 6:2,3.] It is at this time that, as foretold by Paul, the saints shall judge the world. [Revelation 20:4, 6; 1 Corinthians 6:2, 3.] In union with Christ they judge the wicked, comparing their acts with the statute book, the Bible, and deciding every case according to the deeds done in the body. Then the portion which the wicked must suffer is meted out, according to their works; and it is recorded against their names in the book of death. {GC88 660.3}
Satan also and evil angels are judged by Christ and his people. Says Paul, Know ye not that we shall judge angels? [Revelation 20:4, 6; 1 Corinthians 6:2, 3.] And Jude declares that the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains-under darkness unto the Judgment of the great day. [Jude 6.] {GC88 661.1}
At the close of the thousand years the second resurrection will take place. Then the wicked will be raised from the dead, and appear before God for the execution of the judgment written. Thus the Revelator, after describing the resurrection of the righteous, says, The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. [Revelation 20:5; Isaiah 24:22.] And Isaiah declares, concerning the wicked, They shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited [Revelation 20:5; Isaiah 24:22.] {GC88 661.2}
-- Edited by EarlySDA on Saturday 6th of September 2014 04:41:15 PM
Yes Ed it will be a cold and torn up and ragged world for him to contemplate and no more of God's created to be destroyed no more as this has been his glee and program.
He will have the angels who fell with him but do any think Satan will be getting any sympathy from them realizing he is the destroyer of them to.
But the amazing thing to me is that at the second resurrection he will gather all the fallen to make a last ditch try at defeating Christ. What a conceited destroyer he is and now he knows this time is at hand for him better than any of us.
It amazes me that when he was cast out of Heaven to earth that he didn't give up his evil struggle against our Great and Almighty God of whom He knew could with one stroke end him and his and tell God, I give up and am ready to take my due.
But way too full of hellish pride and blinded to know the outcome of his demise of any war he could attempt against God.
Jer 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. Jer 4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. Jer 4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. Jer 4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. Jer 4:27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. Jer 4:28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.
Let's pray we are not there (under there?) during that time.
Sometimes tho, I wonder what keeps the angels going physically if they don't eat food? I mean, how do their bodies get energy? Everything we humans know needs an input of energy in order to expend energy. But it appears that angels don't work under those principles.
Perhaps the evil angels and maybe even Satan haven't been given a "house" to dwell in as they keep wanting to dwell in men. Even the Heavenly angels are termed ministering Spirits. We know all are able to make war and able to kill man's body. Spirit Beings are real and powerful for sure.
I've never thought much on this and don't know how much we can know of it.
" We should ever keep in mind that unseen agencies are at work, both evil and good, to take the control of the mind. They act with unseen yet effectual power. Good angels are ministering spirits, exerting a heavenly influence upon heart and mind, while the great adversary of souls, the Devil, and his angels are continually laboring to accomplish our destruction. {RH, July 19, 1887 par. 4}
There would be an additional solemnity, order, and reverence in the place where Christians assemble to worship God, could they realize that there are besides those whom their eyes rest upon, also unseen divine agencies. We have in our midst those heavenly messengers who listen to every discourse. And not only do the listeners pass under the inspection of these angels who keep up the communication between heaven and earth, but the minister, also, who preaches the word of God. And if the worshipers bear in mind that when assembled for worship they are in the company of beings who dwell in the presence of the holy God, earthly thoughts will be banished from their minds. To realize that these heavenly beings are in the midst of an assembly where the word of God is spoken by his messengers, solemnizes the heart. {RH, July 19, 1887 par. 5}
