Judging the Evil Powers and the Wicked
When and how will God deal with the phenomenon of sin in His rebellious creatures? 1 Cor. 4:5, 6:3, Rev. 20:1–4.
The resolution of the sin problem takes place in stages because of the complexity of the problem of sin and God’s interest in revealing to the universe His justice. First of all, in the Bible the millennium is an indispensable event that will lead to a cosmic revelation of God’s justice, and it will result in the full reconciliation of all the things on earth and in heaven (Col. 1:20).
The millennium indicates that at the Second Coming the cosmos is not yet ready for the annihilation of unrepentant sinners, of Satan, and of his fallen angels. The extinction of a fragment of God’s intelligent creation must take place at the appropriate moment, when it will result in the healing of the universe and the restoration of perfect harmony. Otherwise the result could be a fragmentation deeper than the one that Satan first caused. The millennium provides the needed time to create universal support for God’s solution to the great controversy.
Second, the millennium is a time of cosmic reflection and analysis. Time will be spent, both by the redeemed and Satan, reviewing the results of the great controversy. Satan and his angels, imprisoned on a desolated planet, will have plenty of time to think about what they have done. Together Satan and his angels will reflect on the results of their rebellion against the loving government of God. This introspection will contribute to the reconciliation of the universe.
Third, the reflection in heaven takes place in the setting of the judgment of the wicked (1 Cor. 6:2, 3; Rev. 20:4). The redeemed ones will join the heavenly court and will participate in the examination of the lives of those who persisted in their rebellion against God. They will reign with Christ for 1,000 years, in the sense that they will participate with Him in His judicial capacity. They can witness in the throne room of the universe the fact that God did all He could do to save repentant sinners and that the lost should now assume responsibility for their decisions. In short, we will all be convinced of the rightness of God’s final actions toward the lost.
| What does it tell us about the character of God that He will have this whole process unfold before the final destruction of the lost? How can you take this knowledge of God’s character and apply it to your life today, in that you can learn to trust Him in all things, no matter how bad they are now? |
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