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Heaven on Earth - Part 2: The Bad Guy is Bound - Revelation 20:1-3

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This world has been so tainted and marred with sin and Satanic deception that it's impossible for us to even imagine what it would be like with Him out of the way. Thankfully we have a clear description of what that will be like during the 1000 year reign of Christ in the Kingdom Age. Today we see the drama of Satan's arrest and incarceration, as the ultimate "bad guy" gets put away to make way for this future era of peace, prosperity and righteousness.

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7/27/2008
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Heaven on Earth - Part 2: The Bad Guy is Bound
Revelation 20:1-3
Skip Heitzig
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This world has been so tainted and marred with sin and Satanic deception that it's impossible for us to even imagine what it would be like with Him out of the way. Thankfully we have a clear description of what that will be like during the 1000 year reign of Christ in the Kingdom Age. Today we see the drama of Satan's arrest and incarceration, as the ultimate "bad guy" gets put away to make way for this future era of peace, prosperity and righteousness.
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From the Edge of Eternity

From the Edge of Eternity

What happens when a believer dies? What will heaven be like? What about infants and children who die? When do our bodies get resurrected? What will they be like? These questions and more occupy our thoughts from time to time. In this new series, From the Edge of Eternity, we will follow a believer from death into the different stages of eternity: the Intermediate State, the resurrection of the body, the Kingdom Age and the Eternal State. Since forever is a long time, it only makes sense that we both understand and prepare for this "ultimate journey".

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Outline

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I. The Pursuer--An angel (Vs 1)


II. The Prisoner--The dragon (Vs 2)


III. The Place--The bottomless pit (Vss 1, 3)


IV. The Purpose--No deception (Vs 3)


Apply This Stuff:

1.
Consider the issue of a "Loving God and a Suffering World". In light of this passage what is God's final solution to the problem of evil & those who promote it? Why would this bring comfort to a child of God?

2. Now consider the Sovereignty of God--how has God used evil to accomplish His own purposes (Pain to draw people to Himself etc.) Read Psalm 76:10 and think about it in light of this passage.

Transcript

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Revelation 20, we have been looking at eternity. We have been following what happens to a believer, from the very moment of death into heaven, awaiting resurrection at the bodily resurrection. And now into the kingdom age, the millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth. And that has brought us to Revelation chapter 20. And since you're going to experience this for a thousand years, we can at least do, not just one week but at least two weeks on it, and we will do it today and next week as well. One of the big issues that people have with Christianity is the problem of evil. Indeed it's a problem, it's everywhere. They say, "When will evil finally end? When will all the bad guys get put away? Why does it all have to continue so long?" Moreover as our culture moves on, it seems that we'll take values of what is good and evil and turn them around. Consider a modern-day telling of Little Red Riding Hood. It would go something like this: Once upon a time in a faraway country lived a little girl called Red Riding Hood. One day her mother asked her to take a basket of fruit to her grandmother who had been ill and lived alone in a cottage in the forest. It happened that a wolf was lurking in the bushes and overheard the conversation. Well, he decided to take a chortcut to Grandmother's house and get the goodies for himself. The wolf killed the grandmother, then dressed in her nightgown and jumped into bed to await the little girl. When she arrived, he made several nasty suggestions and then tried to grab her. By this time the child was very frightened and ran screaming from the cottage. The woodcutter working nearby heard her cries and rushed to the rescue. He killed the wolf with his ax, thereby saving Red Riding Hood's life. All the townspeople hurried to the scene and proclaimed the woodcutter a hero. But at the inquest, several facts emerged. The wolf had never been advised of his rights. The woodcutter had made no warning swings before striking the fatal blow. The Civil Liberties Union stressed the point that although the act of eating Grandma may have been in bad taste, the wolf wad only "doing his thing" and thus did not deserve the death penalty. The SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) contended that the killing of Grandmother should be considered self defense since she was over 30 and therefore couldn't be taken seriously because the wolf was trying to make love and not war. On the basis of these considerations it was decided there was no basis for the charges against the wolf. Moreover the woodcutter was indicted for unaggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Several nights later the woodcutter's cottage was burned to the ground. And one year from the date of the incident at Grandma's the cottage was made a shrine for the wolf who had bled and died there. All the village officials spoke at the dedication but it was Red Riding Hood who gave the most touching tribute. She said that while she had been selfishly grateful for the woodcutter's intervention, she realized in retrospect that he had over-reacted. As she knelt and placed a wreath in honor of the brave wolf there wasn't a dry eye in the whole forest. Isaiah the prophet said, "Woe to those who call evil good and who call good evil." To take the very principles, what is valued, and completely turn them around; woe to them. And so we wonder when's that going to end? Well, the same Isaiah who wrote what I just quoted you also predicted a time of righteousness. He said these words, "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as waters cover the sea." There is coming a time, there is coming a time of peace, of justice, of divine retribution; followed by an age, an era of utopia. It won't be a dream. I've worked with law enforcement officers long enough to know that their code word for criminals and perpetrators is simply ‘the Bad Guy,' and they feel really good when they can follow the lead and apprehend and incarcerate the Bad Guy in a crime scene. The ultimate bad guy is Satan himself. And chapter 20 shows that before the millennial kingdom on earth can begin this guy has to be caught and apprehended and incarcerated. There can be no thousand years of peace on earth until that happens. In chapter 20 verses 1 through 3, "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand and he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years. And he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him so that he should not deceive the nations, he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while." Satan is at large, he is on the move. His head was bruised, Genesis 3:15 predicted, and his head was bruised at the cross. But here he is put away, put in jail, incarcerated for a thousand years before he is finally and eternally consigned to what's called the lake of fire which shows up later on in this chapter. This morning, because this is such a vital component of your eternity and mine, let's just look at these three verses again. And let's consider it, let's unpack it in four movements. Let's look at the pursuer, the angel, who's doing the job. Let's consider the prisoner himself, that is Satan. The place where he's going to be incarcerated. And finally, the whole purpose for it. So verse 1 tells us the pursuer, "then I saw an angel coming down from heaven having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand." Now we don't know who this angel is, it could be just any one of the angels. My view is that it's probably, and again it's just my opinion, it's probably Michael. Jude calls him the archangel, he's like the big bouncer angel. He'd be the perfect guy for this job. And he's introduced in the book of Revelation in chapter 12, verse 7 it says, "And war broke out in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon." Now it's the end of the tribulation. And the tribulation ends with Jesus Christ coming back and he puts an end to a battle of nations that have gathered against him and against his people at Jerusalem, the Jewish people, the covenant people. And he puts an end to that battle, and Michael will be a part of that. Daniel chapter 12 verse 1, "At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people." And I've got to think that Michael would love the job. He's been the arch-enemy of Satan from the beginning. They're both high-ranking angels, they both fought each other. In Jude verse 9 it says, "Michael the archangel disputing (or contending, or fighting) with the devil about the body of Moses." So it would just make sense that the angel, the pursuer, the police officer arresting the bad guy would be Michael. Now I want to throw this in because it's important at this point: One of the biggest lies Satan has is that he's somehow the comparable opposite of God. And this idea has even gotten in the minds of some Christians, that you have this big cosmic battle, and in this corner is God and in this corner is the devil; as if they're somehow cosmic comparable opposites. Nothing could be further from the truth. The devil is not the opposite of God, he doesn't, on his best day, come close to any of the power, any of the strength, any of the might of the one who created him. Satan is not omnipresent, not omniscient, not omnipotent. He would be more closely matched to Michael, both high-ranking angels; one fell – Satan, one did not. Now when Satan fell, how many angels went with him? What's the proportion? A third of the angelic hosts. And I've just got to frame this for your perspective once again that rather than getting all weirded out because there's demons out there and there are (I'm not minimizing that) if one third fell, how many stayed? Two thirds. So for every demon there's two good angels. And that's good news to you and I because the Bible says they help us and frankly I need all the help I can get. The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 1, "They are ministering spirits sent to minister to those who inherit salvation. And so in verse 1 this angel comes down from heaven with a very specific agenda, to pursue, to apprehend, to incarcerate, to lock up for a thousand years Satan. Notice he has the key to the bottomless pit. The key designates authority. You don't get in the door without the key. Here at Calvary we have lots of different rooms with lots of different locks and they take lots of different keys. But there are some keys that are given out, we call it the A Key, in fact right on the key it says "A." Well the A key will let you in any door. This angel has the A key. He can even unlock the bottomless pit and incarcerate those that God sends him to do. And it's got to be a great moment for this angel. And it's like, whoever it is, it's like, "all right, the day has come, here goes." Because this is the day of Satan's humbling. This is the one who wanted to be lifted up above all the other beings, he was top of the heap. In Isaiah chapter 14 we read that Satan said, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will be like the Most High." That's what he said. Now listen to what God said to him, same chapter. "Yet you shall be brought down to hell, to the lowest sides of the pit." And now we read the fulfillment of that prediction in Isaiah 14. Years ago in London there was a bar, a tavern. And it went by the name of "The Devil and Saint Dunston." The Devil and Saint Dunston. You know the British can have the weirdest names for things. Well after court a lot of lawyers in the area would go to the bar, they'd talk about the court cases. And so they would hang signs on their office doors "Gone to The Devil" because it was the abbreviated name for the tavern "The Devil and Saint Dunston." Well so many of these signs appeared that after a period of time the very idea was changed and the meaning was changed, gone to the devil meant gone to ruin and that's where the term comes form, that bar in England, that tavern, Gone to the Devil. When Satan caused our first parents in the Garden to buy into his lies and there was that great fall and the curse placed upon humanity; it was as if a sign were hung over the earth "Gone to the Devil." But now it's as if a new sign gets posted over the inhabitation of Satan himself, "Gone to the Pit," where he will be there for a thousand years. Do you know what comes to my mind? Remember in the Wizard of Oz "Ding Dong the witch is dead. Which old witch? The wicked witch." Well ding don the witch (in this case the devil) is incarcerated for a thousand years. Let's look at this prisoner. Notice that in verse 2 he goes by not one but four titles. John writes, "He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years." Now most people today don't believe in a literal devil. I do, you and I do, Christians who believe the Bible do. But people for the most part don't buy in to the literalness of the devil. He's a figure of speech, he's the embodiment of evil, he's the stuff that movies are made out of or songs are made out of. I did a little search, here's a sampling of songs that use the devil in it. "The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," "The Devil with the Red Dress On," "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" (I won't dispute that), "The Devil in Her Heart," "Sympathy for the Devil," "Run Devil Run," "The Devil Inside," "The Devil's Train." The Gallup Organization did a poll, they said seventy percent of Americans believe in the devil, but half say, half of the seventy percent say that he's a personal being, the other half say that he's the embodiment of evil, the impersonal force of evil, it's just a name for evil. Moreover let me break it down for you because the Barna Research Group asked people to respond to this statement. Here's the statement: The devil, Satan is not a living being, he's just symbol of evil. Now listen to this: Of those who said they're born-again Christians, thirty-two percent strongly agreed with statement, eleven percent somewhat agreed with that statement, five percent said they don't know. That means forty-eight percent of those who claim to be born-again Christians either say the devil is just a symbol of evil, not a real being; or they don't know. That's staggering. You know, it's like the two little six-year-old boys, they were discussing the devil and the theology of the devil and it'll give you insight into the theology of a six-year-old. One little boy said, "Well I don't believe in the devil." The other boy said, "Well I believe in the devil, you should to because he's written all the Bible, it's written about him." And the first boy said, "Yeah but it's not like really actually true, the devil's like Santa Claus, he turns out to be your dad." I'd never share that on Father's Day. Now notice that, in verse 2 he's called "the dragon." Now that term for the devil, the dragon, is a book of Revelation term, you find it thirteen times in the scripture, all in the book of Revelation. Here's why: That will be his character and nature in the end times. Vicious, cruel, devouring, like a dragon. Also, he's called the serpent of old, now that takes us back to Genesis chapter 3 when that beautiful creature appeared to Eve and deceived her. And then just so you don't mistake who it is, two other titles are given him: the devil, diabolos, it means slanderer or one who defames. And you know why he's called that don't you? Because the scripture says he is before the throne of God accusing us before God night and day. Now he's got to have a lot on us if he can every night, every day, talk about God's children and slander us and defame us before his throne. And then he's called Satan, that's his most common name in the Bible, that appears fifty-four times. And Satan simply means enemy. He's your enemy, he's your adversary, that's what Satan means. Now that is good news, because if you want to have any relationship at all with the devil, it ought to be that he's your enemy, you don't want him as a friend. Charles Hadden Spurgeon said, "There's something very comforting in the thought that the devil is an adversary. I would sooner have him for an adversary than for a friend. Oh my soul it were dreadwork with you if Satan were a friend of yours, for then with him you must forever dwell in darkness, shut out from the friendship of God. So, right here is a climactic moment in redemptive history, the enemy of our souls is grabbed, apprehended and placed in the bottomless pit. This is the time when the roaring lion, that's what Peter calls him, right; roaring lion is finally overcome by the lion of the tribe of Judah. Now, with the devil gone, with the devil out of the picture, what a world this is going to be. Just that fact alone, no devil. The world is going to be dramatically different in a number of ways. And again, I'll just give you a snapshot of what it's going to be like in the kingdom age. Months it would take to uncover all of the texts but I'll give you just a snapshot. Number one, there's going to be changes in Jerusalem. Now this is one of the reasons I love to take people on tours to Israel, and I've done it thirty-one times, because it's great for people to see what it looks like now so that when they see it in the future, they go, "Oh I remember what it used to look like. In fact, that used to be over there. This place is changed." It's going to get a makeover. First of all, when Jesus returns his foot is going to touch the Mount of Olives, the same mountain he left on. And Zechariah 14 says his foot is going to hit the Mount of Olives, it's going to split in two, from east to west, half the mountain will be removed to the north, half the mountain to the south. And a huge valley will be made in between, presumably where the nations will be judged at the end of the tribulation period, it's all called the valley of Jehoshaphat. And a huge valley will be formed, the Mount of Olives won't look the same. Also, a stream of water will gush from the ground from Jerusalem and flow half down to the Mediterranean Sea and half down toward the Dead Sea, this is Ezekiel chapter 47 and 48. The waters of the Dead Sea are going to be healed. Now you know the Dead Sea is called dead because it's dead. It's not mostly dead, it's all dead, nothing lives in it. The salt solution is so high, only a few microbacterial creatures, but it's dead. The Bible says the waters will be healed and fishermen will spread their nets down at Engeddie which is on the shores of the Dead Sea and abundance of fish will be caught. Life giving. Israel will occupy the borders God promised originally in Genesis chapter 15. That means the land of Israel will then include Lebanon, Syria, parts of Jordan, Sinai, and Iraq. Now the leaders of these countries would not be too psyched about that but that's the borders. God promised it, that's the borders they're going to take. Moreover the land will be divided, the land of Israel, into three sections: north, south and in the middle. In the north seven tribes will occupy, in the south the other five, and in the middle that's where the priests will live who will officiate at the millennial temple. And that's just Jerusalem. The second thing in the millennial kingdom is that the animal kingdom will be tamed. You won't need zoos, you won't need wild animal parks or cages, the Creation will be freed from its bondage. Listen to what Isaiah writes in chapter 11, verses 6 through 8, "In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together, the leopard and the goat will be at peace, calves and yearlings will be safe among lions, and a little child will lead them. The cattle will graze among the bears, cubs and calves will lie down together, and lions will eat grass as the livestock do, babies will crawl safely among the poisonous snakes and yes a little child will put its hand into a nest of deadly snakes and pull it out unharmed." You get the picture, the curse will be removed, animals will be docile and tamed. Do you remember that incident last year at the zoo in China when that young teenager got up against a panda bear cage, you might have seen it on television. And he just wanted a picture with a panda bear as the background, but he close enough that that cuddly sweet little panda bear that wouldn't hurt anybody reached it's claws through the cage and grabbed that young man and were it not for a few quick-thinking people he'd have been killed. That bear simply got his jacket and mangled it. I remember one time I was in Kenya and I was in the back of a truck, it was an old Land Rover and we were driving through the bush and I saw a lioness and her cubs. And so the driver pulled like five, seven feet away from this family. And here's me, dumb Skip from America, rolling the window down, sticking my camera out to take pictures of it and the driver just said very firmly but gently, "Close the window." He said, "That animal looks really nice but you're in her living room right now. If you get too close that thing's going to jump at you and tear your head off, so quickly roll the window up." I realized, "I'm not in the millennium yet, I've got to wait for that." The third thing that you can expect during that kingdom age is this earth is going to look lush and beautiful. The biosphere will be lush, like a flowering garden. Now just imagine looking out toward the West side of Albuquerque and it looks like a forest, rain forest, of Oregon. Isaiah 35, "Even the wilderness will rejoice in those days. The desert will blossom with flowers, the deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon and as lovely as Mount Carmel's pastures and the Plain of Sharon. Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, streams will water the desert, the parched ground will become a pool and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived. Can't wait to mountain bike through that. The fourth thing is there will be a healing of disabilities. Isaiah 35 continues, "He will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer and those who cannot speak will shout and sing." There's going to be longevity as well during this time. That's the fifth thing you can expect. Isaiah 65, "Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days or an old man who does not live out his years. He who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth." Isn't that great news? You don't have to buy all those fancy expensive face creams or get a stretch job on the face. It's just longevity. Of course, for those of us who are believers, you're going to be in glorified bodies anyway so this isn't going to even affect your constitution but it will for those who are still in their mortal bodies who have made it through the tribulation and have children for those thousand years. Sixth and finally and again I'm just giving you a snapshot here. Finally there's going to be world peace. Now let those words settle upon you. Because remember last week Will Durant we noted said, "There's only been eight percent of history that's seen world peace. Out of three thousand one hundred and twenty-four years of recorded history, two sixty eight have seen no war." The millennial kingdom of Christ will be a time where there will be world peace. Gallup Organization says one of the most frequently asked questions generation after generation is when will there ever be world peace? I can answer that and you can answer that. Only in the millennial reign of Christ and not before. Isaiah chapter 2 verse 4 says the Lord will at that time settle international disputes. All the nations will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, all wars will stop and military training will come to an end. Now next week we're going to consider more of the governmental structure of the kingdom age because you're going to be a part of it. But here it is in some summary form. It's going to be a government by the Lord, of the Lord, and for the Lord, a total theocracy. He will rule and reign with a rod of iron. Now a question comes up and it's an important one: If Satan is bound for a thousand years, does that mean there'll be no sin at all during the millennium? No, there will be sin, it will just be quickly challenged and quickly kept in check, hence the term "rule with a rod of iron." You see, you don't need the devil to sin, it comes from your flesh, Satan simply provides the stimulating environment. And he'll be out of the way. But people in their mortal bodies will be born with a sin nature and thus the propensity toward sin, though kept in check until finally Satan is released at the end of the millennium. Now go back to verse 1 and verse 3. For a moment just consider the place where Satan will be incarcerated. It's called the bottomless pit. "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand." Verse 3, "And he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him." Now what is that? Well it's the Greek word abusas, some translations the abyss, our translation, the bottomless pit. You know that that was one of my names my friends used to give me back in the early days when I was a early 20s, I ate so much and I ate quickly. The just said, that was my nickname, The Abyss, the bottomless pit. So I probably shouldn't have let that out, should I? Because I think I'll never live that one down. But the bottomless pit or the abyssos is a place of temporary incarceration, think of it as a holding tank. It's where demons are kept and Satan will be bound temporarily awaiting his final judgment, his final sentence which will be in the lake of fire. Verse 10, look at that, "And the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." So this is like the intermediate hell before the final hell. It's the same place Peter wrote about in II Peter chapter 2 verse 4, he spoke about "demons who are in chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment." Do you remember in the gospel stories where Jesus goes from one side of the lake of Galilee to the other side. And the side he goes to is the eastern side called the Gaderenes or the area of Gadera and there was a demon-possessed man who lived in the tombs. And when Jesus saw this man who was inhabited by a legion of demons, they spoke through that man and it says "they begged him that he would not command them to go into the abyss." They wanted to be free, they wanted to torment people, and their big fear is that Jesus would consign them to this pit awaiting final execution. Well notice it says in our text there was a great chain in this angel's hand. You see Satan is such a great foe and wreaked such great havoc on the earth, you need a great chain to bind him. Now I can't resist this, that story that I just mentioned about the demon-possesed man, the Gaderenes, listen to what Mark writes in Mark chapter 5, "No one could bind him not even with chains. Because he had often been bound with shackles and chains and the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, neither could anyone tame him." Here's the point: Satan's demons can break the chains of man but even Satan himself will not be able to undo or break this great chain for a thousand years. No weaseling out of this one, no Houdini out of this one, he's bound, he's incarcerated. And why? What is the purpose? The purpose is found in verse 3, "So that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while." Why is it that Satan has to be bound before the millennium can even be inaugurated? Because of his deception. Now what is Satan's primary activity on the earth right now, given this verse that we just read? It is deception. The devil's main activity isn't to scare little children or to murder people. His main activity is to deceive people. Jesus called the devil a liar and the father of lies. In Revelation chapter 12 we read "the devil, the dragon who deceives the whole world." Now how does he do that? False doctrine. False religious systems. False hope for unbelievers who think they're going to go to heaven but they're not because they've never received Christ as their Savior. They go, "Oh I'm good enough and only good people go to heaven." No, only saved people go to heaven. He deceives the world, I John chapter 5 verse 19, John says (same guy who wrote this book) "We know we are of God and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one." Now that's quite a statement, to say well we know we're of God but everyone in the world is lying under the sway of the wicked one, he's the deceiver, he's deceived a lot of people. II Corinthians chapter 4, verse 4, "The God of this age," who's that? Satan. "The god of this age has blinded the mind of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ. So, here's my point: For a thousand years no deceptions, the deceptions are over, that means there's not going to any Satanic ideologies, no Satanic philosophies, no cults, no astrological forecasts, no heresies, no false theories of morality, that's all gone. He's out of the picture, it'll be understood what is right and what is wrong. Now in closing, remember last week we talked about the three different viewpoints of the millennium? And I mentioned that amillenialism teaches that we're in the kingdom right now, this is the millennium, I'm disappointed if that's true. They say this is the kingdom age, Christ is reigning over his church right now. Well, if this is the kingdom age, then Satan is what? He's got to be bound. If this is the kingdom, Satan is bound. I don't think so. If this is Satan being bound, he's got an awfully long chain. And here's why: he's not bound, the Bible says exactly the opposite. Peter writes, I Peter chapter 5, "Your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour." That's not bound. Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 2 about the devil, he calls him "the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." There are many texts like that. Satan is not bound, this is not the kingdom. This is not the kingdom, we're waiting for the kingdom. Listen, when the kingdom comes, you'll know it. You'll know it. Everybody will know it. The knowledge of God will cover the earth, fill the earth, as waters cover the sea. It will be a very very different scene than it is today. The bad guy will be put away for a thousand years. Every now and then I'll encounter some spiritual group, some religious group, some well-meaning Christian who will try to take authority in and off themselves and they'll say, "I'll bind you Satan." They'll even talk to Satan. Don't even talk to him, talk to God, but "I'll bind you Satan." Do me a favor, if you're going to bind Satan, bind him for good, would you? Because whatever you're doing, it's not working, he keeps getting out. He keeps getting out. And I know Jesus said, "Whatever is bound on earth is bound in heaven," that's in the context of church leadership and making binding decisions that are bound also in heaven. Here's the truth: you can't bind him. Only Christ can and will bind him through this strong angel. And it will happen then. And so here's what we have to face: Satan is very active and he's very out in the open, and he is not bound and he is loose. And because he is loose he is deceiving. And could it be that some here have been deceived about the most important thing in the world, the most important thing ever, and that is eternity? Could it be that some are deceived still here thinking, "Well I go to church every week, I'm a good person, I'm a nice guy, I'm not really opposed to God, I said some prayers sometime, somewhere, I think." That could be a form of great deception. You know Jesus said, "Unless a man is born again he can never see the kingdom of God. Born again Christianity is not a subculture, it's not like, "You've got Presbyterians, and Methodists and Catholics and then that born-again group. That's that flavor of Christianity, that new thing." There's only one type of person in heaven and that's the born-again type. Unless a man is born again, he will never see the kingdom of God. It doesn't matter what flavor you are, you can be a born-again Presbyterian, born-again Baptist, born-again non-denominationalist but you have to be born again. And that is where you come to the end of yourself and receive Christ's solution for your sin and mine and be saved. Don't be deceived. The deceiver walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. My strong urge is that you let Christ come into your life because when Christ comes into your life because when Christ comes into your life he's not going to share that house with the devil. That's where the enlightenment comes, that's where the freedom comes, that's where the perspective comes Heavenly Father, we think back to the very words of Paul the apostle who said, "Knowing the terror of the Lord we persuade men." We pray that men and women here today would be right with you, right for eternity, and have made the decision to follow Christ as Savior and as Lord. Thank you for the truth that sets us free and thank you for that glorious promise that there's coming a day when Satan, our archenemy, the slanderer, the defamer, the one who hates our souls and has worked hard to lie to us will be bound, incarcerated for a thousand years. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Additional Messages in this Series

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4/27/2008
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The Ultimate Journey
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Skip Heitzig
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What happens when a believer dies? What will heaven be like? What about infants and children who die? When do our bodies get resurrected? What will they be like? These questions and more occupy our thoughts from time to time. In this series, From the Edge of Eternity, we will follow a believer from death into the different stages of eternity: the Intermediate State, the resurrection of the body, the Kingdom Age and the Eternal State. Since forever is a long time, it only makes sense that we both understand and prepare for this "ultimate journey."
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5/4/2008
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View From Death's Door - Part 1
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
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Nathaniel Hawthorne once wrote, "A grave, wherever found, reaches a short and pithy sermon to the soul." He's right! Cemeteries remind us of our future on this earth--the only real estate we'll hold onto for awhile! But what happens to a believer after death? What about those who have died already? What are they doing now? Today and next week we will look at the experience of the death of the believer and what takes place afterwards.
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5/11/2008
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View from Death's Door - Part 2
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
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How can mortal man penetrate beyond the grave and find assurance and peace for his own heart? Philosophers won't help--they've been for centuries discussing life and death without any resolve. Scientists don't want to tread into the area of wrestling with such questions. Paul solved the problem when he wrote, "For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord." We don’t need to wonder or speculate. Why substitute human speculation when we have divine revelation?
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5/18/2008
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Groaning for Glory
2 Corinthians 5:1-8
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What sort of existence and experiences are departed believers enjoying right now? Is the heaven we go to when we die our final destination? Paul described it as "far better" (Phil. 1:23) but it's going to get even much better! Paul lightly touches on what happens when a Christian dies and awaits the resurrection, but it's enough to give us confidence. Let's consider today the "intermediate" or temporary transitional heaven before the resurrection of our bodies.
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5/25/2008
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Rise and Shine!
1 Corinthians 15:3-4;15:20-28
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My mom used to saunter into my room to wake me up in the morning with a sweet call to "rise and shine!" One day our Savior will give a call for all His children to do the same! This week and next week we will be considering the resurrection of our bodies. Why is resurrection even necessary? What will our resurrected bodies be like? What capabilities will they possess? Will babies always be babies and the elderly always remain elderly when resurrected? As we begin, know this: the idea of resurrection isn't just a New Testament idea; it began long, long ago!
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6/1/2008
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Getting the Body You've Always Wanted
1 Corinthians 15:35-50
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I know I've gotten your attention with the title! This is one of our culture's driving goals--to look trimmer, healthier, younger and stronger than we are. The solution happens to be in the future with the resurrection of our bodies--it will be the body you've always wanted. Scripture gives some wonderful descriptions of the future strength, beauty and permanence of our resurrected body. Let's consider what the Bible says about how you'll look then.
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6/8/2008
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Jesus, Friend of Children
Matthew 19:13-15
Skip Heitzig
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Today's subject is a tender one. The death of infants and children is the greatest fear of any parent. Does the Bible speak clearly about what happens when they die? It certainly does and it also gives great comfort to many who suffer the horrible loss of a little one. In this series on Eternity we must consider this subject since it affects so many and will also help us understand the fate of those who, like children, have diminished capacities.
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6/22/2008
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A Sneak-Peek Into What's Up There
Revelation 4:1-3
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In the early morning of his last day on earth, Dwight L. Moody, awoke suddenly and said, "Earth recedes; heaven opens before me." Those near him thought he was dreaming. "No, this is no dream, it is beautiful. It is like a trance. If this is death, it is sweet. There is no valley here. God is calling me, and I must go." After that sneak-peek of heaven, Mr. Moody entered his heavenly home. Today lets begin to consider our future home by glimpsing God’s heavenly Throne Room.
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6/29/2008
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What on Earth is Going On in Heaven?
Revelation 4-5
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The above title is more than just a play on words. Although there will be many activities going on in heaven, worship is one of the few things that we can do "down here" on earth that we will also do "up there" in heaven. That means that one of the ways you can get closer to heaven is to engage in biblical worship right now. Let's tag along with John for his extended tour of heaven.
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7/13/2008
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Gold, Silver, or Bronze?
2 Corinthians 5:9-11
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Next month, the eyes of the world will be on the Olympic Games in Beijing. Athletes from all over the world will compete, hoping to win the gold, silver or bronze medals that rank them as being some of the best on earth. This image of receiving an award from a judge on the raised platform of the Olympic Games is what Paul had in mind when he wrote about the future judgment of believers for their works on earth. Let’s see what this means.
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7/20/2008
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Heaven on Earth - Part 1
Revelation 20:1-3
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Mankind long ago gave up on the idea of a future Utopia. The idea of perpetual peace and undisturbed harmony became the stuff of fairy tale books. But that is precisely what God promised He will bring to this earth one day. And even though Satan has exercised a temporary authority over God's creation for several millennia, the story isn't over yet. Jesus Christ, who came two millennia ago as Savior, will return to rule as Sovereign for a thousand years. And no, this won't just be a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of His followers. This will be a literal dominion over a renewed earth. Let's explore this 1000 year phase of your eternal future.
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8/10/2008
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Heaven on Earth - Part 3: When Politics are Perfect
Revelation 20:4-6
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It's the political season in our country and both sides are ramping up their platform to get as many votes as possible. The country is sharply divided on the two candidates but one thing is certain according to a recent poll: Americans consider both candidates to be risky if elected president. In Christ's Kingdom on earth, Christ will reign and all those who help Him administer will be in a glorified state, thereby minimizing any risk for shady politics. Get ready--you’re going to be part of the future political agenda of the King of Kings.
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8/17/2008
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Six Things That Will Surprise You About Heaven
Revelation 21:1-8
Skip Heitzig
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I began this series talking about all the things I heard people say at funerals about the afterlife, from turning into angels when you die to having to answer Peter's questions at the gates of heaven. I have discovered that most people's (even Christians) ideas about what heaven will be like are vastly different that what Scripture reveals. We turn now to the Eternal State--after our initial experience of the Throne room of heaven, after our bodily resurrection at the Rapture, after the Millennial Reign of Christ. Here's a few things that might surprise you further:
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8/24/2008
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Future-Town - Part 1
Revelation 21:9-21
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Our English word town is related to the German word zaun (tuin in Dutch). The original idea behind the meaning referred to a space that a fence or wall would enclose. The town of the future described in this chapter, also enclosed by a wall, will be so magnificent that even John's depiction leaves us scratching our heads. This is God's revelation of the future Eternal dwelling of all believers. Let's do a walk-through today.
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9/7/2008
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Future-Town - Part 2
Revelation 21:22-22:5
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Today we will conduct a walk-through of your ultimate destination as a believer. We will walk with John as he describes what he saw as he was shown the New Jerusalem. It will be a social environment with such unique features, you'll have to bend and stretch your imagination just a bit. I will sum up this future cityscape by describing five conditions that will exist in God's Town
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9/14/2008
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Living Between Two Worlds
Philippians 1:19-26
Skip Heitzig
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After studying about the believer's death, resurrection and heaven for four months now, maybe you can relate to these words by Puritan author, Thomas Watson, "Spiritual things satisfy; the more of heaven is in us, the less earth will content us." Knowing what we know now about the believer's future world, how can life be different in this present world?
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There are 16 additional messages in this series.
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