present age must continue until that glorious heavenly people are
gathered out from the world by regeneration. Again, it seems the course
of Divine wisdom to make a sufficient and final trial of every claim of
His adversaries; and when this age, with all its developments, shall
have passed by, every mouth will be stopped, and the whole world and
Satan will know their own failure and sin before God. They will stand
self-condemned; and nothing could accomplish this but the testing, by
actual trial, of all the self-sufficient claims of Satan and man. The
sin of man has brought him under sentence too; and grace alone withholds
his immediate execution (Jno. 3:18; Rom. 5:18, 19). Though the day of
execution is, in the purpose of God delayed; it is, nevertheless, sure;
and the time is fast approaching when an awful destruction of
self-enthroned beings will be executed; and He alone shall reign, whose
right it is to reign; "for He must reign until He hath put all enemies
under His feet" (I Cor. 15:25). The Kingly Son shall yet arise and claim
the nations of the earth and "break them with a rod of iron, and dash
them in pieces as a potter's vessel" (Ps. 2:9).

It would seem that Satan cherishes the expectation of actually
accomplishing his purpose until near the end of his career (though the
demon testimony of Matt. 8:29 is suggestive on this point). Preceding
his banishment to the pit, he is violently cast out of heaven and into
the earth, according to Rev. 12:7-12; and his activity, from that time
on is limited to that sphere. He is no longer granted access to God. The
passage is as follows:

"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the
dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither
was there place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the