20:7,8
After the thousand years are over Satan will be released. He will have learnt nothing, and will continue his work of deceiving the nations. Rev 19:19 has already spoken of the beast gathering armies together. Gog and Magog are talked about in Ezek 38 and 39. They are also used in many Jewish texts to represent the forces of evil. Anyway, Satan will gather together a vast army.
20:9,10
This vast army will march upon the people of God. However, there isn’t much of a battle! Fire comes down from heaven and devours them. In Zech 2:5 God declares that He will be a wall of fire protecting the city of His people, for the city is a city without walls. As we see here, this protection from God is far more effective than any physical wall. A physical wall means a long and painful siege. We naturally prefer a protection that we can see, rather than having to trust in God. The truth is that God’s protection is far better. The devil was then thrown into the lake of burning sulphur where, along with the beast and the false prophet, he is tormented for ever and ever. This stresses the permanence of the defeat of evil.
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