End Time Insights

When it is first introduced, “ smoke ” and locust-like creatures ascend from the “ Abyss ” to torment the “ inhabitants of the earth .” In Revelation, it is the deep pit from which satanic agencies ascend to wreak havoc and wage war against the “ saints .” It is also the “ prison ” where demonic forces are imprisoned until their appointed time to execute their malevolent plans.

The Hebrew term ‘ROSH’ in the book of Ezekiel is not a proper name, but the common Hebrew noun for “head.”   Certain interpretative schools claim the Hebrew word ‘ rosh ’ in the 38 th  chapter of  Ezekiel  refers to  Rus , the name of the medieval kingdom of Kievan  Rus . From this, it is argued, Ezekiel’s prophecy refers to modern Russia. However, in the Hebrew Bible ‘ rosh ’ consistently means “head,” including in  Ezekiel 38 .

Revelation identifies Gog and Magog as the nations from the four corners of the Earth that attack the saints .  The prophet Ezekiel received a vision of an invading army composed of regional nations that attacked Israel from the north. The force was led by “ Gog of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal ” - ( KJV ). But before it succeeded, this army was destroyed by Yahweh “ on the mountains of Israel .”

When Satan is expelled from heaven, a “ great voice ” warns that the “ Dragon ” is enraged since he has only a “ short season ” remaining to inflict harm on those who have the “ testimony of Jesus .” He vented his rage by persecuting the “ woman ” who produced the messianic “ son ,” but he was thwarted from destroying her. Consequently, he launched his “ war ” against her “ seed .”

Satan is released from the Abyss and launches his final attack on the saints, but he is the one who is defeated and judged . The time has come for his final demise. The book’s second literary division introduced the enemies of the “ Lamb ” - The “ Dragon ,”  “ Beast ,” “ False Prophet ,” and “ Babylon .” In the third division, their destruction occurs in reverse order – “ Babylon ,” the “ Beast ” and the “ False Prophet ” together, and now, the “ Dragon .”

During the “ thousand years ,” Satan is imprisoned, and the victorious saints reign as priests. Ironically, the “ rest of the dead ” do not live until the “ second death ” at the “ Great White Throne of Judgment .” Behind this image is Daniel’s vision of “ one like a Son of Man ” who receives the kingdom from the “ Ancient of Days .”

The Book of  Revelation  describes how Satan is bound in the “ Abyss ” for the “ thousand years ” until his release at the end of the period. During his imprisonment, he is prevented from “ deceiving the nations .” Only after he is released is he free to mislead the nations of the earth and to wage war without restraint on the church – in modern parlance,  Full-Spectrum Dominance .

Jesus is the True and Final Habitation of God, and Revelation says nothing about a rebuilt or third temple in Jerusalem in the thousand-year period .  In  Revelation , nothing is said about a temple structure in the city of Jerusalem during the “ thousand years ” when Satan is “ bound ” or the restoration of the Levitical priesthood, feasts, or animal sacrifices. Based mainly on chapters 40-48 of the book of  Ezekiel , some interpretations assume the Temple will be rebuilt during or shortly before the thousand years.