Satan in Chains - By Joe Crews

7/28/2019 Satan in Chains - By Joe Crews

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1. Introduction 2

2. Two Resurrections 33. Christs Coming Introduces

the Millennium 6

4. With Christ a Thousand Years 7

5. The Earth in Ruins 12

6. Satan Bound 147. Dramatic Close of the Millennium 20

8. Resurrection of the Wicked 23

9. The Transparent Wall of Separation 25

10. What Shall It Profit a Man? 28

Copyright 2003 byLu Ann Crews

All rights reserved.Printed in the USA.

Published by

Amazing Facts, Inc.P. O. Box 1058Roseville, CA 95678-8058

Cover Design by Haley TrimmerLayout Design by Greg Solie


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SA TA N I N CH A I N S 2

future and what will happen to every personwho has been a part of this earthly scene. So weturn to the Bible subject of the millennium.

Most people know that the word millenni-

um is not even found in the Bible at all. It istaken from two Latin words: milli, meaning athousand, and annum, meaning a year. Buteven though the word is not mentioned in theScriptures there are references to a thousand-

year period of time. Invariably, they are clus-tered around the doctrine of the resurrection

from the dead.

2 Two Resurrections

Jesus taught that there will be two general res-urrections: Marvel not at this: for the houris coming, in the which all that are in the gravesshall hear his voice, And shall come forth; theythat have done good, unto the resurrection oflife; and they that have done evil, unto the res-urrection of damnation. John 5:28, 29.

Before giving further specific proof on thispoint, we must note that Christ referred to theresurrection of life and the resurrection of

damnation. This seems to indicate that thesaved and lost do not arise at the same time.

SA TA N I N CH A I N S 3

1 Introduction

How would you like to be seated before agigantic stage about 2,000 feet wide andactually watch the play-out of human historybefore your eyes? There you could see the finaldestiny of every man, woman, and child whohas ever lived in this world. God, indeed, givesus such a panoramic preview in one of the

most dramatic prophecies in the Bible.Some people have harbored the dream thatsociety will eventually correct itself and willdevelop into a golden age of millennial peace.In this grand Utopia everyone is supposed to beconverted and will cooperate in building a newworld of brotherhood and peace. I wish thiscould be a true picture of the future, but it isexactly the opposite of what the Bible portrays.Jesus said,As it was in the days of Noe (Noah),so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.Luke 17:26. Paul said, Evil men and seducersshall wax worse and worse, deceiving, andbeing deceived. 2 Timothy 3:13. No, this dreamof a temporal millennium is just a vast delu-

sion, and we are not interested in dreams orfancies. We want to know the facts about the


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This leaves no doubt about the class whowill be included in the first resurrection. It isonly for those who remained faithful to Christ.But in the midst of that text we find a very sig-

nificant, parenthetical sentence: But the rest ofthe dead lived not again until the thousand

years were finished. Verse 5.Obviously, the rest of the dead can only

be in reference to the wicked. They will comeforth from their graves at the end of the mil-lenniumwhen the thousand years were fin-

ished.Now we have a clear picture before us oftwo resurrections separated by a thousand

years. The good people are raised at the begin-ning of the millennium, and the wicked are res-urrected at the end.

3Christs Coming Introduces theMillennium

Can we now find from the Scriptures whenthis first resurrection takes place, whichintroduces the millennium? Yes. Paul declaresthat it happens at the coming of Christ. For

the Lord himself shall descend from heavenwith a shout, with the voice of the archangel,

SA TA N I N CH A I N S 5SA TA N I N CH A I N S

Two separate resurrections are described. Thebook of Revelation confirms this fact. Johnwrote, Blessed and holy is he that hath part inthe first resurrection: on such the second death

hath no power, but they shall be priests of Godand of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thou-sand years. Revelation 20:6.

The use of the term first resurrection isproof that there must be more than one. If I say,This is the first house I built, you know that Ihad to build at least one other.

Two points are established in this text. First,only the good people will have any part in thefirst resurrection. It plainly says, Blessed andholy is he that hath part in the first resurrec-tion. Second, we learn that the resurrection ofthose saints is the beginning point of the mil-lennium, because after being raised they shallreign with him a thousand years. According tothis verse, none of the wicked will have any partin the first resurrection. This is also establishedby verses 4 and 5 which describe the resurrec-tion of those which had not worshipped thebeast, neither his image, neither had receivedhis mark upon their foreheads, or in theirhands; and they lived (came to live) and reigned

with Christ a thousand years. This is the firstresurrection.

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Now, let us find out what happens to all thewicked when Christ returns. We have alreadyestablished that the wicked dead do not liveagain until the thousand years are finished.

They simply remain in their graves during themillennium. No change takes place for themuntil a thousand years later.

But what about the wicked who will liveuntil Christs return? How are they affected?Paul answers:And to you who are troubled restwith us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed

from heaven with his mighty angels, In flamingfire taking vengeance on them that know notGod, and that obey not the gospel of our LordJesus Christ: Who shall be punished with ever-lasting destruction from the presence of theLord, and from the glory of his power; When heshall come to be glorified in his saints.2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.

Notice what happens to sinners at the sametime the saints are glorified. Sin cannot exist inHis presence and the wicked are destroyed byHis glory. And then shall that Wicked berevealed, whom the Lord shall consume with thespirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with thebrightness of his coming. 2 Thessalonians 2:8.

John describes the desperate attempts ofthe wicked to escape from Christs presence


vious chapter: Simon Peter said unto him,Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him,Whither I go, thou canst not follow menow; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.

John 13:36.Here is interesting proof that Peter will

someday go to the place where Jesus was aboutto go. And where was that? Jesus said, I go toprepare a place for you. Did He not ascend toHis Fathers house, in the heavens, where themansions were? Christ told Peter that he could

not follow Him then, but that someday hewould follow Him where He was going.There are those who say that no one from

this earth will ever go to heaven, but this wouldbe contradicting the words of Jesus. It wouldalso be contrary to Johns description inRevelation 19:1: And after these things I hearda great voice of much people in heaven, saying,Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, andpower, unto the Lord our God.

Johns vision of the future places the saintsin heaven. That is where Jesus promised to takethemto His Fathers house and the place Hehad prepared. This will not be the permanenthome of the saved, but it is surely the place

where Christ takes them to spend a thousandyears with Him.

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repent and be saved after the coming of Jesus?Absolutely not. The Bible is very explicit on thispoint. John records the actual words of a mightydecree that Christ declares just before His

return to this earth. He that is unjust, let himbe unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him befilthy still: and he that is righteous, let him berighteous still: and he that is holy, let him beholy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and myreward is with me, to give every man accordingas his work shall be. Revelation 22:11, 12.

This indicates that every case has been set-tled for eternity. Probation is ended. Christ laysaside His priestly robes and leaves the heavenlysanctuary where He has been interceding as ourgreat High Priest. Now He returns as King ofkings to execute judgment. There can be nomore opportunity to repent. All will remain asthey have been found in the books of heaven. Infact, who could repent and be saved during themillennium? The righteous are already immor-talized in heaven, and the wicked are all dead. Itwould be just as logical to think of someonerising up in the casket and repenting, as tothink of anyone turning to God after Jesuscomes.

Jeremiah beheld this earth in vision follow-ing the return of Christ. He described it thus:


when He returns. They will hide in the densand rocks of the mountains, and pray, Fall onus, and hide us from the face of him that sittethon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:

For the great day of his wrath is come; and whoshall be able to stand? Revelation 6:16, 17.

The sinners will be cut down by the brightglory of God as though a thousand volts ofelectricity had fallen upon them. Jesus spoke ofthat moment in these words: For as the light-ning cometh out of the east, and shineth even

unto the west; so shall also the coming of theSon of man be. For wheresoever the carcase isthere will the eagles be gathered together.Matthew 24:27, 28. Christ indicated that thebodies of the wicked dead will be scattered as aresult of the blazing glory of His return.

John described the wicked that survivedthe battle of Armageddon. And the remnantwere slain with the sword of him that sat uponthe horse, which sword proceeded out of hismouth: and all the fowls were filled with theirflesh. Revelation 19:21. His words parallelthose of Jesus. The bodies of the lost will befood for vultures, immediately upon theappearance of Christ in the heavens.

Now we are prepared to answer a questionthat has puzzled many people. Can anyone

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utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for theLord hath spoken this word The earth isutterly broken down, the earth is clean dis-solved, the earth is moved exceedingly. Isaiah

24:1, 3, 19.The shocks and the after-shocks of that

earthquake will spread desolation to every cor-ner of the earth. Inhabited islands will disappearinto the sea; great mountain chains will disinte-grate and vanish. Jeremiah wrote: I beheld theearth, and, lo, it was without form and void; and

the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld themountains, and lo, they trembled, and all thehills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo,there was noman, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. Ibeheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilder-ness, and all the cities thereof were broken downat the presence of the Lord and by his fierceanger. Jeremiah 4:23-26.

At the coming of Jesus, every work of manwill be humbled to the dust. Skyscrapers areleveled to the ground, the sky darkens, and eventhe birds disappear. The righteous are removedfrom the earth and all the wicked are slain. Nowonder the Bible says that it is a fearful thing tofall into the hands of the living God. To be

unprepared in that day is the greatest tragedy tobe imagined.


The slain of the Lord shall be at that day fromone end of the earth even unto the other end ofthe earth: they shall not be lamented, neithergathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon

the ground. Jeremiah 25:33. Of course, theywont be gathered. Nobody is here to do it. Noone can weep for them, because the earth isentirely emptied of all its inhabitants. The deadbodies of the wicked will be scattered all overthe earth, in the same places where they werecut down by the glory of Gods presence.

5 The Earth in Ruins

The earth itself will be a shambles during thethousand years, as a result of the devastat-ing earthquake which attends the coming ofChrist. And there were voices, and thunders,and lightnings; and there was a great earth-quake, such as was not since men were upon theearth, so mighty an earthquake, and so greatAnd every island fled away, and the mountainswere not found. Revelation 16:18, 20.

The physical results of this convulsiveearthquake are alluded to by both Isaiah and

Jeremiah. Behold, the Lord maketh the earthempty, and maketh it waste The land shall be

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word deep here is the Greek word abussoswhich is translated as bottomless pit inRevelation 20:1. In other words, this earth wascalled the abussos after God formed it; before

He called order and design out of it. Lying indisorganized darkness it was referred to as thebottomless pit.

During the millennium, this planet willrevert to a similar state of desolation andchaos. Jeremiah describes it in the very samewords, without form and void. Again, it is

designated by the prophet John as the abus-sos, or bottomless pit. Satan will be con-fined right here on this torn-up, destroyedworld for a thousand years while the saints arein heaven.

Someone may ask, But what about thechain? Just remember that Satan is a fallenangel, and spiritual beings cannot be bound

with literal chains. The Bible speaks about theevil angels being bound with chains of dark-ness. The purpose of the binding is that heshould deceive the nations no more till thethousand years should be fulfilled. The onlypossible way to accomplish this is to take Satanaway from all the people, or take the people

away from him. Even putting him into a deep,literal pit would not prevent him from deceiv-


6 Satan Bound

Now, the question arises, Where is Satanduring all this great manifestation? Goingback to Revelation 20:1-3 we read about theDevil during the millennium: And I saw anangel come down from heaven, having the key ofthe bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent,

which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him athousand years, And cast him into the bottom-less pit, and shut him up, and set a seal uponhim, that he should deceive the nations no more,till the thousand years should be fulfilled: andafter that he must be loosed a little season.Whatan amazing scene! The Devil is bound for thatthousand years and cast into the bottomless pit.

Fortunately, we do not have to speculateabout the location of that bottomless pit. TheBible makes it very clear. The original Greekword for bottomless pit is abussos, fromwhich we get our English word abyss, mean-ing a deep place. That same word is usedagain in the Greek version of Genesis 1:2: And

the earth was without form, and void; anddarkness was upon the face of the deep. The

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thousand years, Satan has been plenty busy. Hehas followed folk around trying to devise theirdestruction. His chief employment for cen-turies has been to accuse, mislead and destroy.

Suddenly, though, he has nothing to do. Theyare all taken away, and he is left with his ownthoughts. What will the Devil do? That will bethe most miserable punishment that Satan willhave to suffer. Forced to live with himself for athousand years! No one to deceive at all; justthinking, thinking, thinking.

I am sure he will think about the past andremember all the terrible deeds of darkness hehas committed. He will think about the futureand the prophecies of God concerning his owndestiny. Listen, the Devil is a good Bible stu-dent. Do not fool yourself. Give him creditwhere it is due. He knows the Bible better than

you do. Oh yes, holy men of God wrote as they

were moved by the Holy Ghost, but the Devilwas looking over their shoulder and memoriz-ing every bit of it. The Devil knows better thanwe do that every word of the Bible is true. Heknows that everything about heaven is true,because he used to live there. He knows that itis just as beautiful and wonderful as the Bible

describes it, but he doesnt want anybody elseto believe that. So, he is desperately working to


ing the people, because he has millions of impsto carry on his work.

The fact is that the Devil is bound by cir-cumstances that forbid him access to any

human being during the thousand years.Recently, a man told me that Satan is alreadybound and has been ever since 1914. Thatstruck me as one of the most incredible of allstatements. Surely if he is bound today, some-body is doing his work for him. And if theworld is in this shape without his evil schem-

ing, we had better pray that he doesnt getloose, or we really are in for trouble. If he isbound now, it would have to be with a rubberchain that stretches from New York to Moscowand all around the circle of the earth.

No, he is not bound today, but he will bewhile this earth is in confused disorder. Unableto deceive a single soul, he will inhabit this des-

olate planet for a thousand years contemplatingthe havoc his program has produced. Therighteous are in heaven, the wicked are all dead,and he has no one to work on till the end of themillennium.

I have tried to think about the Devil duringthis period. What is he going to do? The earth

is covered with darkness, dead bodies are every-where, and all is absolute confusion. For six

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decaying bodies of those who were slain by theglory of God. And perhaps one of those bodieswill attract Satans special attention because herecognizes and remembers the man. He was a

good, moral man with a fine family. Everybodyliked him. He was honest and paid his debts.People were attracted to him. He was a goodneighbor and a good citizen. There were timeswhen the man was drawn to make a decision tofollow the Lord all the way. His wife pleadedwith him to do so, and his little girls prayed for

him every night. Only one thing really stood inhis way, but somehow he could not surrenderhis will fully to the will of Christ. It was alwaysin his mind to do so someday, but the Devilkept supplying him with excuses for waiting.Then suddenly, unexpectedly, the clouds rolledback like a curtain and Christ returned. Theman was not prepared. He was cut down with

all the others who were living for self.Now Satan looks upon the tortured features

of the dead man, and a hideous grin spreadsover his face. His strategy was successful, andthis man, at least, will never have anotheropportunity to be saved. He is lost forever.

Oh, the utter folly of failing to decide for

Christ while the moments of probation linger!Some are toying with sin and trifling with the


keep people from studying this Book and tokeep people off their knees.

If people can once understand what theBible teaches about the great plan of salvation,

Satan knows that his power will be destroyed atthat very moment. So, I picture him as think-ing of these things and looking ahead to thefuture, knowing that his utter destruction hasalready been determined. The Bible itselfdeclares that he will be burned and brought toashes.

I suppose, also, that he will think aboutmany of the people he tempted while the earthwas still standing. Perhaps his thoughts will goback to the poor alcoholic who was strugglingto be free. Time after time he crawled out ofthe gutter, determined never to take anotherdrink. But Satan waylaid the man with con-stant harassment and temptation, and down

he would go into the gutter again. Finally, thedesperate alcoholic dared to lay hold of JesusChrist as his Lord and Saviour, and he wasdelivered from Satans power. Now Satanknows that the man is forever beyond hisinfluence, and he will never be able to assailhim again.

Yes, I picture the Devil wandering over thisdepopulated planet and stumbling over the

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answers that question: And (he) shall go out todeceive the nations which are in the four quar-ters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gatherthem together to battle: the number of whom is

as the sand of the sea. And they went up on thebreadth of the earth, and compassed the campof the saints about, and the beloved city; andfire came down from God out of heaven, anddevoured them. Revelation 20:8, 9.

Several important things are brought toview in these verses. After the wicked are resur-

rected at the end of the millennium, Satan leadsthem in an attack against the New Jerusalem.He deceives them into thinking they can actu-ally capture the dwelling place of God and theimmortalized saints. That Holy City descendsfrom heaven, following the thousand years.And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,coming down from God out of heaven, pre-

pared as a bride adorned for her husband.Revelation 21:2.

This is the event described by the prophetsof old, when the saints will return to this earthfrom Paradise. According to Zechariah, Christsfeet will touch the earth, and some spectacularthings take place. And his feet shall stand in

that day upon the mount of Olives, which isbefore Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of


convictions of Gods Holy Spirit. You may be achurch member and a professed Christian, butif there is one cherished sin in your life rightnow, you are playing games with God. Confess

and forsake that sin without another momentof delay. Could our eyes be opened for one sec-ond to the awful consequences of sin, no onewould dare hesitate to follow Jesus all the way.

7 Dramatic Close of the Millennium

Now we come to the closing events of themillennium. What dramatic develop-ments will mark the end of the thousand years?And when the thousand years are expired,Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.Revelation 20:7.

This loosing of Satan is easy to understand

when we read verse 5 again, The rest of thedead lived not again until the thousand yearswere finished. All the lost of the ages will beraised out of their graves at the end of the mil-lennium. This is what releases the Devil tobegin his work of deception once more.

Perhaps you are wondering how he could

further deceive those who have already passedthe point of redemption. Here is the way John

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make flattering offers of honor and power tothose who excel in the battle.

I suppose that Napoleon, Alexander,Sennacherib, Hitler, and Stalin will be there.

Oh, I am not sure, of course; I am just usingthese as examples. Maybe some of theserepented before death, but there will be plentyof great generals and military leaders in theranks of Satans army as he goes up againstGod. Many of those men died with curses ontheir lips; and now, when they are resurrected,

they are still cursing, and they are still in theframe of mind to fight. It wont be hard forSatan to get them in line as they march againstthe City of God.

Sometimes people ask me, How long willthey fight? How long will it take them to getready for that battle? I do not know, becausethe Bible is silent here. I am certain, though,

that the Devil will not try to win by just throw-ing rocks at the Holy City. He will surely devisesome terrible, devastating weapons to use. Hehas a mighty, ingenious mind when it comes topreparing instruments of war. No doubt, therewill be atomic weapons involved. They will seta D-Day. There could be a countdown at which

time they plan to blast away at the Holy City.From all earthly viewpoints, it seems that the


Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof towardthe north, and half of it toward the southand the Lord my God shall come, and all thesaints with thee. Zechariah 14:4, 5.

Please notice that Jesus will make contactwith the earth when He returns with the saints.When He came for the saints at the beginningof the millennium, His feet did not touch theground. All were caught up to meet Him. Butnow as the great, heavenly space city approach-es this planet, the Mount of Olives splits under

the touch of the Son of God. A mighty plain iscreated for a landing spot, and the NewJerusalem settles to earth.

8 Resurrection of the Wicked

At the same time that the City descends, the

wicked are raised, and this releases Satan todeceive them into attacking. Again he hassomeone to work on. I have tried to imaginehow the great deceiver will address that host oflost souls. Perhaps he will even claim that theywere resurrected by his power. Charging Godwith unjustly throwing him out of the city, he

now urges the army of the wicked to help himreclaim his former position. No doubt, he will

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sad meetings that will take place by those wallsof the New Jerusalem? Talk about the famouswall of China or the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem!But this wall is going to reveal some of the most

heart-rending scenes that have ever taken placeon this earth.

I picture the resurrection of that man whohad such a wonderful family, and who almostmade his decision for Christthe one whointended to do it later. As he comes forth in thesecond resurrection, he looks around for his

wife and two little girls. Nothing but open,empty graves meet his vision, and his ears areassailed by the cries and curses of the lost. He isswept up in the maelstrom of frenzied prepara-tion for the battle.

As he approaches the gleaming, transpar-ent walls, he is overwhelmed by the splendor ofthe scene. Far in the distance, he sees the out-

shining of the glorious rainbow surroundingthe throne of God. The River of Life flows forthfrom the throne, and great branches of the Treeof Life arch over the river, bearing their mag-nificent fruit of immortality. The man is trans-fixed by the beauty. Glorious, radiant angelsmove around inside the City. He gazes at the

streets of purest gold and the indescribablemansions on every side. As he stands, spell-


saints are doomed. The explosive, destructiveweapons will be able to shatter the walls intosmithereens. But then, suddenly, God inter-venes. He turns His own fiery power loose

upon that assembled army of the wicked. Readit in verse 9 of Revelation 20:And they went upon the breadth of the earth, and compassed thecamp of the saints about, and the beloved city:and fire came down from God out of heaven,and devoured them. And that is the end of thewicked. There it is. Right here on this earth the

fire of God descends. The wicked people areburned up as they launch a final, desperateattack against God. This is the hell fire of theBible.

9 The Transparent Wall of Separation

L isten, one of the saddest pictures of all, Ibelieve, is revealed in Revelation 21:11. Indescribing the Holy City it says: Having theglory of God: and her light was like unto astone most precious, even like a jasper stone,clear as crystal. The walls of that City will belike glass. The wicked will be able to look right

through and see everything on the inside ofthat City. Have you ever thought of some of the

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world to return to that moment. If only hecould take his little girls in his arms again, andkiss his dear wife, assuring them that theirprayers have been answered.

Oh, the remorse of that moment! The manstretches out his arms and cries out, Pleasepray for me once more! But it is too late, andbefore the jasper-clear wall, I can see that fatherand husband fall on the ground, screaming andpleading for one more chance that can never begranted. Surely, this will be the greatest punish-

ment for those who finally realize what itmeans to be lost.

10 What Shall It Profit a Man?

Oh, how l wish I could paint this picture sographically concerning surrender and itsimportance that every person would settle itwith God before going to bed tonight. We mustknow that we have given ourselves completelyto the Lord Jesus Christ. I know there are somewho would rather hear you say, Lets not getfanatical, lets not do anything extreme. Lets

just wait, and things will take care of them-

selves. The very same people who say that nowwill some day be crying out on the other side


bound, he thinks, What a fool I was to lose allof this.

Then, I picture this man as his eyes try toencompass all the grandeur of the landscape.

Moving figures inside begin to come intoclearer focus. Suddenly, his heart skips a beat,as he catches a glimpse of some familiar formson the other side of the wall. His eyes light upwith recognition of his wife and children asthey draw nearer. The man waves and beckons.He cries out to catch their attention but the

words bounce back as an empty echo from theshining walls.Then, and only then, will the true horror of

his situation be realized. A flood of memorieswill fill his mind. He remembers so vividly theprayers of his little girls for their daddy to besaved. He lives over again the tender convic-tions that brought tears to his eyes, the struggle

with conscience, and the decision to wait. Thewords of his wife now return to torment him.Honey, why dont you surrender to Jesus?Dont worry about your job. I will work, and wewill get along. The Lord will provide. I love youso much, and Jesus loves you. He had foughtthe stubborn rebellion but slowly yielded to the

practical demands of his job and his carnalfriends. Now he would give anything in the

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to throw them away as Isaiah 2 describes itwhy wont they throw them away now in orderto make their calling and election sure?

If you wait, refusing to make a decision to

follow Christ all the way, I can promise you onething, someday you are going to know that thestill, small voice of the Spirit has made its finalplea. The Bible will be closed up forever on thepulpit, and the pews will be completely emp-tied of all the people. Suddenly, every man,woman, and child will be called to face God.

The busy life of this world will grind to a crash-ing halt. The jazz will suddenly be turned off,the bright lights will go out into darkness for-ever, and the radio and TV chips are going tomelt together. No one will go about his or herbusiness, because God will suddenly interveneand call every man, woman, and child toaccount. The world will be torn by the devas-

tating earthquake we read about in Revelation16. The sea will be lashed to a fury by the voiceof the hurricane. The inhabited islands of thisearth will move, turn slightly, and drop out ofsight. Great mountains will twist and turn, andthen be thrown out onto the plains disintegrat-ed by the mighty, volcanic action of the earth.

Dark, angry clouds will fill the sky, clashingagainst each other. The lightning will reach out


of the wall of the New Jerusalem and saying:Oh, why didnt someone tell me? Why didntsomebody make me do it when I had theopportunity?

I am amazed at the way people are influ-enced by their friendsby the words of thosewho are very well-meaning. What comfort willthose words be when the friends are also on theoutside of the wall looking in? Sometimes peo-ple are held back by possessions, or jobs, orbank accounts; but what comfort will it be to

have a great, heaping pile of earthly treasureand still be on the outside looking through thewalls? What about the religious leaders andteachers who have comforted people by tellingthem not to worry about keeping the com-mandments? The same religious teachers arealso on the outside.

Every one of us should now be searching

the Word of God in order to know what to do.The Bible is the blueprint for salvation. Themost powerful, motivating forces in societytoday will soon be exposed as less than worth-less. Finally, men are going to throw their goldand silver into the streets to the moles and thebats. At last, people will have to give up those

things that meant so much in this life. If it isgoing to come to that finallyif men are going

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and say, Lo, this is our God. We have waitedfor Him and He will save us.

So the story of this lost planet closes justexactly like it began. After the fire has destroyed

the wicked, and burned out all the curse of sin,God will make it over again. This earth, deliv-ered from all the blighting effect of transgres-sion, will be recreated into the original paradisethat God intended it to be. Nevertheless we,according to his promise, look for new heavensand a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteous-ness. 2 Peter 3:13. Jesus said, Blessed are themeek: for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew5:5. And so they shall!


from those clouds to envelop this earth in agreat sheet of flame. Men, white as ghosts, willrun to and fro, hither and yon, seeking for someshelter; and they will find none. And then,

amidst the screams of terror, the great hail-stones of God will come crashing down with asickening thud, making kindling wood out ofall the buildings and houses of this earth.

In the midst of all this, there will appear inthe distant heavens a tiny spot of glory thatwill draw nearer to the earth, getting largerand larger. At first, very few will observe it, butthen as it comes closer, the dazzling light of itwill attract every eye. Inhabitants of everycontinent on earth will look up and beholdthe glory of Jesus and all the angels. What asolemn moment it will be! For the first timesince the flood there will be no fun-making,no giddy laughter, no levity. Every mouth will

be closed, and a solemn, sober spirit will fallupon every heart.

How cheap the dollar is going to lookthen. How ridiculous it will seem that manallowed the mockery of some friend to holdhim back from making that decision. On everyside voices will be heard crying out, Too late!

Too late! And those words will echo allaround the earth, while the redeemed look up

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Library of Sermons

1. Armageddon2. Can a Saved Man Choose to Be Lost?3. Does Gods Grace Blot Out the Law?4. Hidden Eyes and Closed Ears

5. How Evolution Flunked the Science Test6. Is It Easier to Be Saved or to Be Lost?7. Mans Flicker or Gods Flame8. Satan in Chains9. Satans Confusing Counterfeits

10. Spirits From Other Worlds11. Thieves in the Church12. Why God Said Remember

13. Why the Old Covenant Failed14. The High Cost of the Cross15. Hell-Fire16. Is It Possible to Live Without Sinning?17. Blood Behind the Veil18. Spirits of the Dead19. The Brook Dried Up20. Death in the Kitchen

21. The Search for the True Church22. Is It a Sin to Be Tempted?23. Is Sunday Really Sacred?24. Heaven ... Is It for Real?25. Rendezvous in Space26. Christs Human Nature27. Point of No Return28. The Rich Man and Lazarus

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Satan in Chains - By Joe Crews

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Transcript of Satan in Chains - By Joe Crews