1070-REFORMATION: : Assyrians | Gog & Magog
1070-REFORMATION: Surrounded | Gog & Magog
1070-REFORMATION: Threat of Extinction | Gog & Magog
1070-REFORMATION: Kingdom Besieged | Gog & Magog
1070-REFORMATION: Surrounded | Gog & Magog
1070-REFORMATION: The Kingdom Besieged | Gog & Magog
1070-REFORMATION: Besieged | Gog & Magog
1070AD-REFORMATION: Kingdom Under Siege | Gog & Magog
1070AD-REFORMATION: Besieged by Satan's armies
1070-Reformation: Satan Released
REFORMATION: "Fire from Heaven" compared with divine deliverance of old Jerusalem by angel from Heaven during Hezekiah
1070AD-REFORMATION: Saints tested by Satan's release, Rev 20:7-10: Saints under seige like ancient Israel.

Revelation 20:7-9 ~foreseen around 63AD
Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. ...
NASB

[collapse title=Saint Augustine explains early orthodox view of verses 20:7-9 of Revelation] The words, “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and encompassed the camp of the saints and the beloved city,” do not mean that they have come, or shall come, to one place, as if the camp of the saints and the beloved city should be in some one place; for this camp is nothing else than the Church of Christ extending over the whole world. And consequently wherever the Church shall be,—and it shall be in all nations, as is signified by “the breadth of the earth,”—there also shall be the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and there it shall be encompassed by the savage persecution of all its enemies; for they too shall exist along with it in all nations,—that is, it shall be straitened, and hard pressed, and shut up in the straits of tribulation, but shall not desert its military duty, which is signified by the word “camp.”

 

The words, “And fire came down out of heaven and devoured them,” are not to be understood of the final punishment which shall be inflicted when it is said, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire;” (Matt 25:41), for then they shall be cast into the fire, not fire come down out of heaven upon them. In this place “fire out of heaven” is well understood of the firmness of the saints, wherewith they refuse to yield obedience to those who rage against them. For the firmament is “heaven,” by whose firmness these assailants shall be pained with blazing zeal, for they shall be impotent to draw away the saints to the party of Antichrist. This is the fire which shall devour them, and this is “from God;” for it is by God’s grace the saints become unconquerable, and so torment their enemies. For as in a good sense it is said, “The zeal of Thine house hath consumed me,” Ps. 119:9, so in a bad sense it is said, “Zeal hath possessed the uninstructed people, and now fire shall consume the enemies,” Isaiah 26:11. Saint Augustine's City of God and Christian Doctrine, pages 692-3
[/collapse] This period immediately following the 1000 Years Millennium answers to the Old Testament period of the scattering of the 10 Northern tribes and the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians during the reign of Hezekiah as reported by Isaiah. In analogous Christian history, Satan was released for a while to test and prove the New Jerusalem (Rev 20:7-9) in like manner as was the old Jerusalem. Historical accounts are given to reveal "the spirit of the age," that is, its telling marks & character, or "zeitgeist" of this period in Christian history reminiscent of that of ancient Israel under seige. On both occasions, heaven came to the rescue of the holy remnant of the Israel of God: the true believers, the saints.

It should be noted, however, that the king of Christians, the immortal King Jesus, will never err like King Hezekiah who later invited in the Babylonian spies, bequeathing His reign to heirs like Manasseh and Amon, and thereby losing the kingdom and Jerusalem to destruction again and again. So the analogy between Old Testament history and Christian history ends with the miraculous deliverance from seige under the reign of good King Hezekiah. Henceforth, Christian history is a blank page ready to be co-authored between God and Man: our Tomorrows are determined by what we do with Jesus Today and not by prophetic judgments upon generations long passed. There will never be a destruction of the Heavenly Jerusalem of which Christians are citizens; not by the Babylonians nor again and again by the Romans. The reign of Christ and His Kingdom, Christendom itself, endures forever and ever. Amen.

[collapse collapsed title=Verses 20:4-10 of Revelation revisited]
COLOR KEYS
Enlarged passage describes the challenging age of 1070AD-Reformation. Surrounding passages are provided for context.
Bold red = Satan-devil and those he deceives into attacking the Camp of the Saints-holy beloved city-New Jerusalem.
Each time John writes, "I foresaw", he introduces another mini-vision describing immediate consequences of Bablyon-Jerusalem's 70AD Fall.
Bold blue = the Saints
Coloring and highlighting associates the words thrones-reigned-reign and holy-saints-holy-holy and CAMP-CITY-CITY-CITY and beloved-bride.

Revelation 20:4-10 ~foreseen around 63AD in the predictive vision to Christ's exiled Apostle John about "things shortly ot come to pass," Rev 1:1 and Rev 4:1
And I foresaw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I foresaw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. 7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the CAMP of the saints and the beloved CITY. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The Devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 21:1-3, 9-10
1 Now I foresaw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, foresaw the holy CITY, NEW JERUSALEM, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ...
9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great CITY, the holy JERUSALEM, descending out of heaven from God, ...

Revelation 22:5
And they shall reign forever and ever.
NKJV

QUESTION:  Revelation 20:9 - Who gets devoured by fire from heaven?

A) The beloved CITY

B) The Devil-led armies surrounding her
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