Verse 7 says, “And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be loosed out of his prison.” The abyss will simply be a temporary prison. As we have seen, after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison and used by God to test mankind.
Verse 8 says that Satan “shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to war, whose number is as the sand of the sea.” The nations will go up “over the breadth of the earth” and surround “the camp of the saints and the beloved city” (v. 9). Here we see that Satan will deceive the nations to rebel against God. It is difficult to believe that after the pleasant, thousand-year period, so many among the nations will rebel against God and go to war against Him. Nevertheless, it will be so. This war will be the last war on earth, the last rebellion of mankind. Although mankind will be restored for one thousand years, his rebellious nature will still remain. It will be exposed by Satan’s last instigation and it will be purged away by the Lord’s final judgment on mankind.
According to Ezekiel 38:2-3 and 39:1-2, Gog and Magog must be Russia. Ezekiel 38:2 (ASV) indicates that Gog and Magog are of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, answering to Russia, Moscow, and Tobolsk. Ezekiel 39:2 (ASV) refers to these places as “the uttermost parts of the north.” What is mentioned concerning Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38 and 39 will occur before the millennium, whereas the record concerning them in Revelation 20 will transpire after the millennium. Revelation 20:8 shows that Satan’s deceiving of the nations which are in the four corners of the earth is his deceiving of Gog and Magog. This may indicate that in the last rebellion of mankind against God, Gog and Magog will take the lead and that the nations will follow.
Notice that Satan will “deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog.” According to this verse, Gog and Magog equal the nations in the four corners of the earth. But are Gog and Magog actually the nations in the four corners of the earth? No. Therefore, this must indicate that Gog and Magog will take the lead among the nations to rebel against God under Satan’s instigation. Consider today’s world situation. All the communist countries are under the influence or control of Russia, that is, under Gog and Magog. When Satan instigates Gog and Magog to rebel, he will actually instigate the nations in the four corners of the earth to rebel, for all the communist countries will follow Russia. Thus, this verse indicates that, due to her powerful influence, Russia, a leading nation, will affect the other nations and lead them in rebellion. Because man’s rebellious nature is so deeply rooted in his being, it will still be present even after the thousand years. In which part of the earth are people the most rebellious against God? The answer certainly is Russia. The Bible does not leave us in ignorance regarding this matter. If we read the Bible carefully in the light of today’s world situation, we shall worship God. The Bible clearly indicates that the source of mankind’s rebellion is in the uttermost part of the north, in the land of Gog and Magog, in Russia. The thought of rebellion against God is deeply rooted in the people in this part of the earth.
I believe that this part of the earth is what the book of Revelation calls “the third part” (8:7). Fifty years ago I became familiar with the biblical prophecies, but I did not see the fulfillment of very many of them. But today a number of prophecies have been fulfilled already. Perhaps after a short while, many more prophecies will also be fulfilled. According to my study of biblical prophecy, the earth today does have a part, the third part, that is very dark. Even after the thousand years the people in this part of the earth will join Satan to rebel against God. The number of those who rebel against God will be “as the sand of the sea.” What country can raise such a large number of people? Certainly the answer is Russia and the communist countries under her influence. The communist countries have a way to stir up people, and they will gather their people together for this last war.
Verse 9 says that the nations will surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city. The camp of the saints is the lodging of the overcoming believers, who are the heavenly armies (19:14) camping on earth. We, the heavenly armies, will be there camping, and the nations under the influence of Gog and Magog will attack us. The beloved city is the city of Jerusalem, the dwelling place of the remnant of Israel. The overcoming believers and the remnant of Israel will be God’s faithful people on earth in the millennium, standing with God and for God. At the end of the millennium, Satan will instigate rebellious mankind from the uttermost parts of the north to attack them. How Satan will hate these two places, the camp of the saints and the beloved city! However, fire will come down out of heaven and devour the rebels. Praise the Lord, He will easily defeat this attack!