Revelation 20

 

Introduction:

In this chapter we are dealing with the Millennium in relation to Christ, Satan, man, tribulation saints, Old Testament saints, the resurrections, the earth and the Great White Throne.

 

The Millennium is only mentioned in this chapter and is referred to as "a thousand years."

Millennium comes from the Latin word "mille" meaning a thousand. 

 

We need to take a brief look here at three schools of thought on the Millennium... not everybody is on the same page on this topic.

 

□ Postmillennialists... believe that Christ comes at the conclusion of one thousand years. They say that man will bring in the Kingdom by preaching the Gospel. This was an optimistic view held at the turn of the 20th century. At the time it looked like there might be a great worldwide turn around to Christ and see the world converted.

 

This viewpoint became obsolete. It could not weather the first half of the 20th century with two major world wars, a global depression, the rise of communism and the arrival of the atom bomb threatening worldwide destruction. 

 

□ Amillennialism... has become popular in recent years and has supplanted postmillennialism. 

The "A" in front of millennialism simply cancels out the belief in the millennium. Amillennialists hold out no false hope and has for the most part emphasised the coming of Christ.

 

Its main weakness is that it spiritualizes the thousand years as it does the book of Revelation.

It fits the Millennium into the present age. Really?

All the events recorded in Revelation are somehow fitted into the facts of history like pieces are fitted into a crazy quilt.

 

□ Premillennialists... take chapter 20 at face value as it does the whole book of Revelation.

They take the literalist (take it as it is) interpretation unless the context says otherwise. 

 

The premillennialist interpret the one thousand years as such... one thousand years... with Christ coming at the beginning of the Millennium. 

Chapter 20 makes it quite clear that there can be no Millennium until Christ comes.

 

In the first 9 verses we have "a thousand years" mentioned 6 times.

It must be important for it to be emphasised like that.

 

The early Church believed in what was known as "chiliasm"... the belief in the literal one thousand year reign of Christ.

Those who rejected this teaching were considered to be in a state of heresy. 

 

Later there came in the teaching that the one thousand years would be established by the Church.

The Church would produce a perfect world and then Jesus would come and find the world in apple-pie order. But this is not how this section of Scripture presents it. Christ Jesus is coming in judgement and if everything was hunky dorey there would be no need to put down rebellion and to judge and to make war. 

 

Premillennialiists have been called a bunch of pessimists because they predict that the world is going to get worse and that there will be apostasy in the Church. Looking at the current state of things, I'd say they are right.

 

Remember also that in the Old Testament, God made a covenant that He would establish this Kingdom on the earth through One in King David's line.

 

I am both a premillennialiist and a pretribulationist. 

That's how I see see it in the Scriptures. 

But please... search out the Scriptures for yourself.

 

Some interesting points to consider regarding the Millennium...

 

1 □ Firstly... There can be no Millennium until Satan is removed from the earth.

There can be no ideal state on earth while Satan is running around doing his sordid thing.

 

2 □ Secondly... The curse of sin must be removed from this physical earth before the Millennium can be established. 

 

3 □ Thirdly... The resurrection of the Old Testament saints must take place at the beginning of the thousand years. 

 

The prophet Daniel makes this very clear...

☆ Daniel 12:1-2...

"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of your people (Israel): and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

 

This is talking about Israel.

 

Following the Great Tribulation period will be the resurrection of the Old Testament saints...

 

☆ Isaiah 25:8-9...

"He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the LORD has spoken it.

And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

 

Only Christ, Who is the Resurrection, will raise the dead, so He must come for this purpose.

 

4 □ Fourthly... The Tribulation saints are included in the resurrection of the Old Testament saints, and they reign with Christ during the Millennium. 

 

5 □ Lastly... The Millennium period is the final testing time of man in ideal conditions.

This is the answer to those who say there is nothing wrong in man which circumstances and conditions can't change.

 

Man is an incurable and incorrigible sinner.

Outside of God, he is totally corrupt in his heart.

Even at the end of the Millennium, he is still in rebellion against God.

 

The Millennium is God's answer to the prayer... 

"Thy Kingdom come!"

☆ Matthew 6:10...

This is the Kingdom that Jesus is going to establish here on earth.

 

This is the Kingdom promised to king David...

☆ 2 Samuel 7:12-17; 23:5.

 

God made an oath relative to its establishment...

☆ Psalm 89:34-37.

 

This is the Kingdom predicted in Psalms and the prophets...

☆ Psalm 2; 45; 110.

☆ Isaiah 2:1-5; 11:1-9; 60; 61:3-62; 66.

☆ Jeremiah 23:3-8; 32:37-44; 

☆ Ezekiel 40-48.

☆ Daniel 2:44-45; 7:13-14; 12:2-3.

☆ Micah 4: 1-8.

☆ Zechariah 12:10-14:21.

 

All the prophets spoke of this Kingdom. The above is only a small portion of the Scriptures speaking of the Millennium. 

The Scriptures speak of a theocratic kingdom which was the theme of all the prophets. 

 

"Theocratic"... government of a state by immediate Divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as Divinely guided.

 

                                       *************

 

☆ Revelation 20:1-3...

"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the 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 a thousand years,

And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."

 

Here the one thousand years is spoken of in relation to Satan.

His removal and total absence from the earth change conditions from darkness to light. He is the god of this world. He is the prince of the power of the air and his power and influence in the world has been enormous. 

 

His withdrawal makes way for the Millennium. With him on the loose, there can be no Millennium. Therefore Satan's relationship to the Millennium is that he has to be removed from the scene before it can take place. As long as he is on the loose on the earth there can be no Utopia on earth.

 

"And he (an angel) laid hold on the Dragon..." Satan's power is greatly reduced and an angel leads him away captive... bound!

 

"And cast him into the bottomless pit..." the abyss is a better description of the prison Satan is sent to. At this point he is not cast into the lakes of fire. This abyss is shut up and a seal was set upon him. He cannot escape... for 1 000 years he cannot deceive the nations. 

 

"... after that he must be loosed a little season." This is one portion of Scripture that is difficult to understand.

This is a mystery of God yet to be revealed to us. 

We need to trust God and know that whatever He is doing is right.

 

☆ Revelation 20:4-6...

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on 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."

 

Many are going to die for Christ during the Great Tribulation period, but they will live again and reign with Christ one thousand years. 

The Tribulation saints are going to trade 3 and a half years of hell on earth for 1 000 years of bliss.

 

What we see here is all literal. The thrones are literal; the martyrs are literal; Jesus is literal; the Word of God is literal; the Beast is literal; the image is literal; the mark of the Beast is literal; their foreheads and hands are literal and the 1 000 years are literal.

 

God says what He means and He means what He says. 

Remember... God's Word is TRUTH!

 

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them..." 

This is not very clear as to who "they" are.

 

Some believe "they" are all those who took part in the first resurrection which includes the saved of all ages. 

If that's the case then there are many thrones. 

[We need to be careful not to speculate.]

One thing we know for sure... judgement was given unto them.

 

The first resurrection began with Christ, followed by the resurrection (at the Rapture) of His Church... some time before the Tribulation. 

At the end of the Tribulation is the resurrection of both the Tribulation saints and the Old Testament saints.

 

The Tribulation and Old Testament saints will evidently reign on this earth with Christ.

It is believed that multitudes of Jews and Gentiles will enter the Kingdom in natural bodies not having died. These are the ones together with those who are born during the Millennium who are tested during this millenial period.

 

[Question: Will people with natural bodies die during the Millennium?]

 

As Christ in a glorified body mingled with His Apostles and followers, so the Church in glorified bodies will mingle with the multitudes in their natural bodies here on the earth. Interesting! 

 

"... they shall be priests of God and of Christ..." refers to the entire nation of Israel. This was God's original purpose for Israel. 

 

☆ Exodus 19:6...

"And you shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which you (Moses) shall speak unto the children of Israel."

 

In the theocratic Kingdom here on earth, the entire nation of Israel will be priests.

 

In Scripture there is more prophecy concerning the Millennium than of any other period. 

The Kingdom was the main theme of all the prophets.

 

And... seriously check out the writings of the minor prophets. 

Because they have the prefix "minor" in front of prophet, doesn't mean they don't have something profound to say. Every word spoken in the Bible has been Holy Ghost inspired... God breathed.

Studying what they have to say will be of great benefit.

 

☆ Revelation 20:7-9...

"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."

 

Here we have the last rebellious stand of Satan and man against God.

Satan does his usual... he deceives the nations of the world... to gather them for war. A large number of people are involved. 

 

The Millennium is a time of testing man under ideal conditions. 

The moment Satan is released after the 1 000 years expired, a great company who have been under the reign of Christ, under ideal conditions, go over to Satan. How fickle mankind is.

 

From where did such a company come? 

Multitudes entered the Millennium and multitudes are also born during the Millennium. There will be a great population explosion during this time. Disease won't exist. Because the curse of sin has been removed from the earth, food production is no longer a problem... all will be fed. Hence many, many people.

 

The human heart alone remains unchanged under these circumstances... and sadly, many will turn their backs on God and follow Satan. 

 

The psychologists philosophy... change a person's environment and you change the person's behaviour... is a load of bunkum. 

 

☆ Jeremiah 17:9...

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

 

☆ Romans 8:7...

"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."

 

It is the human heart that needs changing... if you want to change the behaviour. Only God can do that... 

 

And so the nations of the world will come under the spell of Satan once again... and plot rebellion.

 

This rebellion here is labelled "Gog and Magog." 

Many Bible students identify this with Ezekiel 38-39.

 

This is not possible, because the conflicts described are not parallel as to time, place or participants. Only the names are the same.

 

The invasion from the North (Russia?) by Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38-39 breaks the false peace of the Antichrist and causes him to show his true colours in the midst of the Great Tribulation. 

 

This war in chapter 20 is named the same but is actually a different war (like the labelling of WW1 and WW2)... and is the last rebellion of Satan.

 

"... and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."

 

Almighty God will use natural forces of heaven and earth to destroy Gog and Magog II as it did Gog and Magog I.

This last rebellion and resistance against God is as foolish and futile as man's first rebellion in the Garden of Eden. Here it is not the beginning but the ending of man's disobedience to God. 

 

It is the finality of man's rebellion. 

 

Nothing remains now but final judgement!

 

☆ Revelation 20:10...

"And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the Beast and the False Prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

 

What a relief to the child of God to know that the enemy, both theirs and God's... will at last be brought to permanent justice. Hallelujah! 

Our arch-fiend the Devil, the great deceiver, liar, thief and destroyer is finally cast  the lake of fire and brimstone... forever and ever.

 

Several false concepts about the Devil and Hell need to be dispelled here...

 

Firstly, the Devil is not in Hell today. He's out and about. He is the prince of the power of the air. He is the one who controls the world to a large extent. God has limited him in our day of course... but in the Great Tribulation he is given full sway for a while. 

 

Secondly, the Devil is not the first to be cast into Hell. The Beast and False Prophet precede him by 1 000 years.

 

Finally, Hell is not a fictitious place. Hell is described as the lake of fire and brimstone. Jesus is the One Who gave the most solemn description of Hell. Look at these Scriptures...

 

☆ Matthew 25:41...

"Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."

 

☆ Matthew 8:12...

"But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 

☆ Matthew 13:42...

"And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

 

☆ Mark 9:44...

"Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched."

 

Hell is for real folks. It is a real place. God's Word tells us so and His Word is Truth. The human language is very inadequate in trying to depict the reality of Hell.

 

The worst part of being in Hell is that you are eternally separated from God... separated from light... from love... from joy... from peace... from truth... from rest... from life for eternity... which is a very, very long time. 

Hell is a place of conscious everlasting torment.

 

☆ Revelation 20:11...

"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them."

 

The great White Throne is what many call mistakenly the general judgement. 

It is only general in the sense that all the lost of all ages are raised to be judged here.

 

All people who are saved (accepted Christ) have been raised in the first resurrection. 

Even the Tribulation saints had part of the first resurrection. 

 

What we have here is the second resurrection in which the lost are raised to be given an impartial... fair... and just evaluation of their works in respect to their salvation.

 

This is the Great White Throne and the holiness of this throne is revealed in the reaction of heaven and earth to it...

 

"... from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away..."

 

The One seated on the throne is the Lord Jesus Christ...

 

☆ John 5:22,26-29...

"For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgement unto the Son: For as the Father has life in Himself; so has He 

given to the Son to have life in Himself;

And has given Him authority to execute judgement also, because He is the Son of man.

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."

 

What exactly is the "work of God"?

 

☆ John 6:29...

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that you believe on Him (Christ) whom He (God) has sent."

Very simple really... 

 

Those who "have done good" are they who have accepted Christ (believed on Him), are those who have placed their total faith in the finished work of the Cross and they arise unto the resurrection of life... that is the first resurrection. 

 

They who "have done evil" are they who have rejected Christ, come forth unto the resurrection of damnation and condemnation... that is, the Great White Throne judgement.

 

☆ John 3:18...

"He that believes on Jesus is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

 

A right or wrong choice determines where we will spend eternity.

 

☆ Revelation 20:12-13...

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works." 

 

At the Great White Throne judgement, you will get a fair trial.

God is the God of justice. Your life is "on tape" and Christ happens to have this "tape." All the evidence is there... good and bad works.

Are you willing to stand before God and have Him to play the tape of your life?

Do you think your life can stand the test?

 

Thank God for His grace. 

☆ Ephesians 2:8...

"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."

 

The dead are classified as great and small. They are all lost for evidently some have their names written in the Book of Life. They had never turned to God for salvation.

 

The Lord said to His generation...

☆ John 5:40...

"And you will not come to Me, that you might have life."

 

These folk standing before His throne had never come to Jesus for the eternal life He has on offer.

These are books which record the works of all individuals.

God keeps the "CCTV tapes" and He will play them at the right time. 

Politicians, public figures and even preachers who will have the tapes of their lives played, are not going to be happy about it.

 

If you are saved, you are going to be happy about it.

If you are saved, you are not going to stand before this judgement.

Your works are going to be judged as a child of God at the judgement seat of Christ which will be for the purpose of rewards. 

☆ 2 Corinthians 5:10...

 

The Great White Throne judgement is the judgement of the lost.

Multitudes want to be judged according to their works and this is their opportunity.

The judgement is just but no-one is saved by works.

 

"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it..." 

 

Multitudes who have gone to a watery grave will be raised.

The graves on earth will give up their bodies... as will Hades, the place where the spirits of the lost go. 

They will be released for this judgement. 

 

☆ Revelation 20:14-15...

"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

 

"... death and hell were cast into the lake of fire"...

can best be translated "... death and hades were cast into the lake of fire."

Sheol or hades... are translated HELL in the New Testament. 

It is the place of the unseen dead, and is divided into two places... paradise and the place of torment.

 

Check out ☆ Luke 16:19-31... the rich man and Lazarus...

 

Paradise was emptied when Christ took the Old Testament believers with Him at His ascension.

 

☆ Ephesians 4:8-10...

"Wherefore He said, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 

(Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things.)"

 

Christ did two things...

□ He gave gifts to men down here...

□ He also took to Heaven with Him those Old Testament saints who had died and were in the place called paradise. 

 

The place of torment will deliver up the lost at the judgement of the Great White Throne.

All who stand at this judgement are LOST!

They are cast into the lake of fire called the second death. 

The Lord Jesus also called it "outer darkness." 

 

This is eternal separation from God. 

 

"Death" the great final enemy of man is finally removed... done away with. 

No longer will it be said, "In Adam we all die."

☆ 1 Corinthians 15:22...

 

In the Old Testament we read...

☆ Hosea 13:14...

"I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be your plagues; O grave, I will be your destruction: repentance shall be hid from my eyes."

 

In the New Testament we read....

☆ 1 Corinthians 15:26,55...

"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?"

 

I repeat... death is totally done away with. 

 

"Hades" the prison of lost souls is likewise cast into the lake of fire. 

The lost are no longer in hades but are in the lake of fire. 

This is where Satan, the Beast and the False Prophet have been relegated to.

 

If man will not accept the life of God, then the alternative is eternal association with Satan.

 

God never created man to be put in this place. Hell was created for the Devil and his angels.

This second death is so final... it means eternal and absolute separation from God. 

 

This END... is THE END!

 

To make sure you are on the right side of what is going on here in chapter 20... accept Christ into your life today... walk with Him everyday and keep your eyes fixed upon Him every moment of every day.

 

How shall we escape if we neglect such a great a salvation.

 

Behold, now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.