In this short description found in Revelation 20:8-10, Satan is described as being loosed to gather the Nations for battle. This gathering is not necessarily a gathering to fight each other but a gathering of forces to fight their enemy, God’s people. It is interesting that over the last twenty years, the emphasis among religious academies and universities has been on religious tolerance. This conditions God-fearers to be silent and certainly to never condemn others. Ironically, those who cry for tolerance are the ones most intolerant toward Christians. The outcome of the enemies’ training and propaganda is equating any vocal and written disagreement of a Christian to be non-tolerant behavior and condemning. If God’s people can be silenced, their influence will become non-existent. This is the agenda before us, today.
Although this has been successful, the recent political wars between the two major parties have awakened the spirits of just persons who hold to many conservative ideas and are beginning to speak out and resist the liberal wing agendas. We learn much from studying the tactics of Nehemiah’s enemies before resorting to physical force. Similar tactics have been used for years to silence and control the influence of God’s people throughout the world. Just now, in America, we are starting to see forceful tactics to emit fear. All of these tactics will have the intended effect on some people, as they give in to the pressures of conformity. A side effect will create a distinct identity of who are true disciples of Christ. This extreme pressure will separate the men from the boys, so to speak. The revelation of the sons of God will start to be more evident as the persecution increases. They will become more apparent and will grow despite the pursuit of the enemy. Historically, the addition of many souls into the kingdom was spread by the persecution like fanning the flames of a small fire. In the end, the only way for evil people to prevail is to physically eliminate saints from off the earth.
It seems that not only will the separation be clearer for the enemy to identify but it will naturally aid Christians to identify each other. As they are hemmed in, they will be confined to a camp where they are controlled and forced to live together. The temptation to give up and retreat will be very real. But, they must be reminded of the promise that when no human solution is left for survival, and a siege is set around them, “fire will come down from heaven to consume the nations.” This one little verse offers a brief description of a time that did not pertain to those then living and explains why very little is given in the text.
Chapter 20 of Revelation shows a (1) “premillennial” period that describes the work of Christ prior to His coming against the city of Jerusalem, (2) a “millennial” reign with the resurrected saints while Satan is bound, (3) and a post-millennial period that is briefly described in two verses. This post-millennial period proves that not all of chapter 20 pertain to first-century events, but all of the seals did pertain to it.