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Just as our individual struggles and triumphs over evil will not be accomplished by carnal forces or conflicts, neither will the overwhelming victory of Christ. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight” (John 18:36). The speculative interpretation that makes of the “Battle or Har-Magedon” (Rev. 16:14–16) a grand, final, literal war between nations of this world is as ridiculous as it is erroneous. The real source of all evil is the spiritual “prince of the powers of the air” (Eph. 2:2) and slaying all of his fleshly servants would only set him back temporarily.
Yes, Satan will make a “last ditch” effort against Christ and all that is good and true (Rev. 20:7-9), but it will not be a literal, carnal war. Neither will Christ the Conqueror come literally on a white horse, nor with literal eyes of flame, nor with a literal sword in His mouth (Rev. 19:11-15). It will take something more than victory in a carnal war to cast the devil and his henchmen into the lake of fire and brimstone forever, which the triumphant Christ will do at His coming (Rev. 19:19-20; 20:9–10).
When time is no more there will be a great decisive and final victory of good over evil (1 Cor. 15:24). It will be accomplished in the coming of Christ in Judgment. The purpose of the Judgment will be to bring final rest to the troubled saints and to inflict everlasting punishment on those who “know not God” and who “obey not the Gospel” (2 The. 1:7–9). Such will be the time “when he [Christ] shall
be glorified in His saints” (2 The. 2:10), as the wonderful triumph occurs. Good and evil alike will all be resurrected at His coming (John 5:28–29; 1 Cor. 15:23), and even Christ’s own will be subjected to judgment of their bodily works, whether good or evil (2 Cor. 5:10). God, through His Son, will judge the world in righteousness, so that no evil, uncovered by the blood of Christ, shall go unnoticed and unrequited (Acts 17:31).
On that day the “last enemy” (death itself), which as yet is under the power of the devil (Heb. 2:14), shall be put under His feet (1 Cor. 15:25–26). On that day, death and hades and the devil and all of his henchmen shall be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10, 14–15; 21:8).
The “Resurrection Chapter” closes by declaring that in the Resurrection will Isaiah’s prophecy be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” With Hosea we can mockingly ask, “O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?” (1 Cor. 15:54–55).
[Note: I wrote this article for and it was published in The Edifier, weekly bulletin of Pearl Street Church of Christ, Denton, TX, December 15, 1988, of which I was editor.]
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
