The Triumph of Jesus

Good afternoon! I hope that everyone is doing well today. I apologize for last week. Autumn unfortunately had Covid and out of a preponderance of caution I felt it best to isolate as well for a few days just to be safe. How I came away without catching it I have no idea. Isolation is not something that either of us do very well. Autumn is somehow the only one in our family who caught it and unfortunately she is still dealing with some of the after effects of the virus, so I know that she would cherish your prayers as she continues to recover.

So, two weeks ago we looked at Revelation chapter nineteen and the destruction of the Beast and the false prophet. Now, our story turns to the destruction of their master, Satan himself. I want to give an overview of what we are going to find in the chapter first. I hope that this will help us to see the details within the chapter clearer. I am also going to go over the four most common positions concerning Jesus millennial rule. And I am hoping to do all of this within about 35 minutes. No guarantees though. In order to hit this 35 minute mark we are going to only cover the first six verses, but I am going to give an overview now of the entire chapter so that we can see the big picture of what is occuring.

So what we are going to see within this chapter is that Satan is going to be bound and shut up within what is called the abyss. After this we are going to read about the first resurrection and during this resurrection we are going to see the martyred saints join Christ in His messianic kingdom for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand years Satan is going to be released from the abyss and He is going to once again deceive many people and gather them together for a second battle against Jesus. After the defeat of Satan he is going to finally be thrown into Gehenna, which is hell where he will join the beast and the false prophet. After all of this there is a second resurrection and at that point all of the dead will stand before the great white throne for the final judgment. There will essentially be two judgments. These two judgments serve different purposes. One of these judgments will determine ones final destination, either eternity with Christ or eternity with Satan. The other judgment that we are going to see will determine rewards that one will receive based on ones good works.

So that is, very briefly what we will find within the chapter.

But this chapter is rife with difficulties. In fact, if I had to venture a guess this chapter more than any other has created the greatest amount of debate within the church. Why? Because this is the chapter that mentions the millennial rule of Jesus. In fact it is the only place in the scriptures that explicitly mentions this thousand year reign. And yet it causes such contention within the church. Let me say this. I do hold to a specific view, and I will share that view with you. And, you are completely free to choose whichever view you choose. It will have absolutely no bearing on ones salvation and so it is a position that we should hold with charity in regards to one another within the church.

I know that I went over these position early on in the series, but I believe that it bears repeating at this point. Since the topic is now front and center within our passage today.There are essentially four views concerning Jesus’ millennial rule.

Amillenialism

The first of these is what is referred to as the Amillenial position. This position holds that there is no actual millenial reign of Christ either before or after his second coming. The primary distinction of this position deals with the structure of the book of Revelation. This position does not believe that the book of Revelation is simply speaking of consecutive events that occur. But instead the book often times covers the same events simply from different perspectives. In fact often times they would hold that it is not simply looking back at end times event, but also historical events that occured during the times of Christ.

For instance this position would connect the binding of Satan within the abyss with Matthew chapter twelves discussion concerning Jesus victory over Satan during Jesus earthly ministry. For instance in Matthew chapter twelve verse twenty-nine we read.

Matthew 12:29 ESV

Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

In this parable the strong man is Satan and Jesus is the one who is binding the strong man. And in this chapter we are going to read about the binding of Satan.

Then in Luke chapter ten verse eighteen we read.

Luke 10:18 ESV

And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

In this verse Jesus is relating to the Apostles that Satan is overcome by the spread of the Gospel.

Those who hold to this position would state that all of this was simply restated in Revelation chapter twelve and in particular verse nine where we read.

Revelation 12:9 ESV

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

You can clearly see the similarity between these verses. However, the question still remains as to whether or not the binding that we read in Revelation chapter twenty is the same thing that we see in Revelation chapter twelve. Amillenialists would state that they are the same and we are now simply getting a different telling of the same event.

Amillennialism

If Revelation 20 and 12 are simply restating what happened in Luke chapter 10 and Matthew chapter 12 then what is the “first resurrection” that we are going to read about today. Amillennialism holds that what is in reference to a spiritual reality that occurs when a believer becomes a Christian. And so they would describe the millenial reign of Christ as the reign of Christ as it is manifested historically today through His Church. And in the end there is no literal thousand year period of time within history that is yet to occur. It is a symbolic number representing a lengthy period concerning the history of the church on earth. Is the Jesus reigning and ruling by the presence of the Church through His presence within His people here today. I would say yes that is what scripture teaches, but is that what Revelation chapter twenty is trying to teach.

This is how Amillenialists would read this chapter.

Let’s look at the next position which is called postmillennialism.

Postmillennialism

The postmillennial position holds that the return of Christ is ushered in when the Kingdom of God has been established by the Church within human history. And so for instance the previous chapter, chapter nineteen, is a symbolic way of describing the fact that Christian morals and principles will be adopted throughout humanity and thus Christ will triumph over humanity by the spread of the Gospel through His Church. After this period of revival Jesus will return to raise the dead, judge the world, and then finally bring in the new eternal order. And this period of revival I suppose we might call it will be experienced world-wide and this is what is referred to in our chapter as the millennial rule of Christ.

The next position is premillennialism.

Premillennialism

The Premillennial view holds that all of Chapter twenty is referencing only end times events.

They would generally hold that the coming of Christ is followed by the binding of Satan, and then the resurrection of the saints who will join Christ in a period of time in which he will rule over the earth. This period of time is typically referred to as the millennial kingdom. This period of time will end with a final rebellion and then the final and last judgment will occur.

Within premillennialism there are two very different thoughts concerning the millennial period of time.

Historical Premillennialism

What I call the historical premillennial view would hold that the book of Revelation is primarily concerned with the plight of the church during the period of the end times. This is the position that I hold to. I am not going to go into this position significantly right now, because it is the position that I am going to primarily be speaking on today.

The other premillennial school of thought is called dispensationalism and is the most prominent of the premillennial views. All because of a series of books called Left Behind. They were very well written and I enjoyed reading them very much, even if today I disagree with this position. It was my go to when I was first a believer. Why? Because I had read this books. And honestly that is the only reason I held to this position. However, after going to a Bible College and Seminary that were both entrenched within Dispensationalism I found it to be lacking, at least I felt in a consistent understanding of the Scriptures. So how is this position distinct from historical premillenialism.

Dispensationalism

Dispensationalism sees the millennial kingdom primarily in terms of the restoration of the nation of Israel. In fact this group interprets the book of Revelation as primarily concerned with the restoration of Israel in the last days and as a result the millennial kingdom has little to nothing to do with the Church. In the end this is really what separates the two positions, however, in the end that is a pretty significant difference. Is the book of Revelation written concerning the restoration of Israel or is it written concerning the victory of the church over Babylon and Satan. That is what you need to answer if you are leaning, I might say, in the premillennial direction.

After all of that there are some points I want us to think about as we go through the first six verses of this chapter today.

One of the questions that needs to be answered is whether or not chapter twenty simply looks back upon the history of the Church. Chapter twelve clearly looks back at the birth of the Messiah. However, I would argue, that there are no clear markers within chapter twenty that indicate that it is looking backwards through history. In fact, I believe, it appears to be looking forward into the future. I believe that it is quite clear that this is what is occurring based on the previous two chapters. Chapter eighteen is the story of the, as to yet occur, destruction of Babylon. Then in chapter nineteen we read about the future downfall of both the beast and the false prophet. And then following in this same line of story telling in chapter twenty we are going to read about the downfall and destruction of Satan.

Now that I’ve gotten all of that out of the way let’s cruise through our passage and hopefully answer some of the questions that I have perhaps created here today.

In verse one we read.

Revelation 20:1 ESV

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.

The bottomless pit is the abyss that was referenced in Chapter nine where an angel with a key unleashed a horde of demonic locusts who tortured men. Also in chapter eleven this is the place from which the beast ascended.

And so this is the angel that has been given authority by God over this place. And he is coming with a great chain

Now in verse two we read.

Revelation 20:2 ESV

And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,

Now we read that Satan is bound and is going to be essentially thrown into jail or the abyss for a thousand years. Ok so now we have this mention of a thousand years. And we have to ask the question? Is this a reference to a literal thousand years or a very lengthy period of time. Let me just say this, we don’t need to take this as a literal thousand year period of time. However, it is quite clear, I believe that this does represent a very real period of time within the history of the end times. However specifically long or short it may be in the end doesn’t really matter. I am not hung up on this being a literal thousand years, it is however, I believe a literal lengthy period of time that is still yet to come.

Then in verse three we read.

Revelation 20:3 ESV

and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

So now we get to the reason that Satan is going to be bound for a thousand years. It is so that he can no longer deceive the nations in order to cause them to follow after him. We will see this idea again when we get to verse eight next week when Satan is once again loosed from his bindings. When he is loosed he will gather the nations one last time to attempt to overthrow the Messiah. Similar yet different from what we have already seen in chapters thirteen and sixteen. This difference between the two references to the attempted overthrow of Christ would imply then that what we will see in verse eight is not the same as what we read about in both Matthew chapter twelve and Luke chapter ten. The other important thing that needs to be understood is that when we read about the binding of Satan we must not think that he is completely incapacitated. But rather that his powers and abilities to act within history have simply been curbed. His binding isn’t described as a cessation of power over humanity to sin. He is only bound in His ability to deceive the nations in order to rise up and rebel against Christ who is present during this thousand year period of time. The curbing of Satans power is very specific within this passage.

His binding is not meant as a judgment for his sin. That is still yet to come in our story. This is simply meant as a precautionary means to curb his power while Christ is present once again among mankind. Because at the end of this verse it says that he will be released yet again.

Then in verse four we read.

Revelation 20:4 ESV

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

So, I believe that we have two different groups referenced here. There are some who attempt to see only one group that is made up of only those who were martyred during the end times or that what is meant is a reference to all believers. However I believe that that there are actually two groups that are present. And this is some of the struggle with all of these distinctions. In the end it makes no difference as to the conclusion of the story. The first group are those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Biblically speaking this is all believers throughout time. They are present within the throne room of God to witness what is called the first resurrection in the next verse. God then narrows the group that is in reference in the passage and speaks of those who were martyred during the great tribulation. This group will at this time be brought back to life in order to reign with Christ for a thousand years. They had died but now they have been resurrected to live and reign over the nations with Christ Jesus for a thousand years. I know some of us might be shocked by what this says. That’s because many, I believe misread this passage. Dispensationalists see this as a resurrection of Jewish martyrs during the end times and they then, with Christ, restore Israel to its former glory and rightful place within the world. They would see this as primarily restoring the religious order that is found within the Old Testament. My problem with this is that we are specifically told that the old order was satisfied and made complete in Christ Jesus. This is why all believers are now a part of the priesthood. Why would we go back to that that was only meant to point us to Jesus. Particularly when Jesus stands among His people.

There are also those that hold that this is actually a reference to the whole of the church throughout history. This is the position that many historical premillennialists hold, however my question is always why then does Jesus choose to separate out a smaller group from the whole. To which I have seen little if any good study concerning. This is why I have taken for years that it is this smaller group of martyrs that will then be resurrected during the first resurrection.

Now remember what I said earlier, this is the only passage that teaches a specific thousand year reign of Christ Jesus within the New Testament. It is possible that we see a reference to this in first corinthians chapter fifteen verses twenty-three and twenty-four. Now I will say this we would only see this in relation to the presence of Revelation chapter 20. I will read those verses briefly.

They read.

1 Corinthians 15:23–24 ESV

But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power.

I believe this is a reference to the millennial rule of Christ. I understand it’s pretty weak. But within the scriptures this is all that we have to base our understanding upon. And so this is why I believe that we need to hold on to whatever position you choose to take with charity within the Church.

Then in verse five we read.

Revelation 20:5 ESV

The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.

The first resurrection refers back to what we just read in verse four. So, who then are the rest of the dead? The position that I have held to for quite some time is that they are all those who died prior to the great tribulation, both believer and unbeliever alike, as well as those who chose to follow the beast during the great tribulation and have now tasted death. They will all see life again after the thousand years. This is what is referred to as the second resurrection. We will get to this second resurrection next week when we get to verse twelve. Again there is nothing explicitly taught concerning this twofold resurrection anywhere in the scriptures except right here. There may be two other possible references. The first in John chapter five verse twenty-nine. And the second in first corinthians chapter fifteen verses 24 and 25.

In fact as we continue on until the end of the book what we are going to see is that God is primarily concerned about the resurrection of believers. There is very little that is revealed concerning the resurrection of unbelievers.

Now, after I have said all of that I do believe that it is very possible that the first resurrection includes all believers throughout history. This is held by many who hold to the position that I take, and I’ll be honest I tend to waffle between the two positions. And I think this is why I am so uncertain. In the end it really doesn’t make much of a difference to our theology concerning the end times. The restoration of Israel is a big difference in our understanding of not only the end times, but also I believe the application of the Gospel of Jesus. And this is also why I believe that we hold all of this with a loose grasp and an open mind. None of this will change whether or not we are saved from our sins by the blood of Jesus.

Ok, let’s keep moving along.

Finally, in verse six we read.

Revelation 20:6 ESV

Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

Ok, so what the heck is this reference to this second death. Before we can get to the second death however, we must first understand what is the first death.

The first death is the death that all of mankind experiences within our bodies. Eventually all of us will experience death. That is except for those who are alive when Christ returns.

It is this verse that causes me to struggle with my position concerning who is present within the first resurrection. And just to prove to you this struggle that I have at times, my position has changed during the study of this passage. In fact now I believe that I have come to a better understanding and as a result I believe perhaps cemented my position just a bit better. All of that said, I taught the first part of the passage just as I saw it when I first studied the passage. And this is why I did this. I believe that it would be helpful to see how even those who have spent years studying the scriptures can and will at times shift their understanding of a passage.

So, this is what happened as I went through this passage. My focus had always been on the previous verses and little time was spent here in verse six. And unfortunately, I believe, it turns out that verse six is incredibly important in defining who is referenced back in verse four and who it is that will experience the first resurrection.

And it all revolves around this phrase the second death.

If the first death is the physical death of this body, then the second death is the final death that will be experienced as eternal punishment in Gehenna. Why do I say this so specifically? First we see this in Matthew chapter ten verse 28 where we read.

Matthew 10:28 ESV

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

We need to understand that the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell is not as some surmise Satan. He does not hold such power. God is the one who will send some to hell and some to heaven. This is a reference, I believe to what is now in Revelation chapter twenty what is referred to as the second death.

As a result if those who do not experience the first resurrection should now then fear the second death for some reason. Which is the implication I believe here in verse six.

Revelation 20:6 ESV

Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

We are also told here that all of those who place their faith in Christ Jesus are to be priests of God and of Christ. This is a reference to all believers.

And I really rested hard on the fact that those in the first resurrection will now never experience the second death. Here’s the question that needs to be thought through. Does this then imply that those who experience the second resurrection will come under the power of the second death. I believe that this IS the case.

As a result I now believe that the first resurrection is not only those who are martyred during the great tribulation, but also includes those who were present and seated upon the thrones within the throne room of God. And so this would include all of those who are saved by the blood of Christ throughout the history of humanity. Because none of Christianity will ever come under the power of the second death. We will as believers in Christ Jesus after the first death be resurrected to eternal life with Christ Jesus. Period.

I know this exercise was pretty lengthy, but I hope that it is actually helpful to see how I study the scriptures and allow the scriptures ,not my pre-decided conclusions, shape my understanding of the Bible, and as a result my view of Christ.

So What?

I know that this has not been a typical sermon for us but I do hope that it was helpful in understanding the hope in which we stand today. And that’s going to be my concluding point today.

Hope

I can see why the persecuted church within our world today finds such amazing HOPE within the pages of this book. We should be encouraged that Jesus has chosen to reveal to us that we have essentially already been raised with Christ Jesus and we today share a role within Christ’s eternal kingdom and therefore an important role within the world today. And we can take hope in the that if the great tribulation comes today or tomorrow we will be spared from the horrors that will be seen during that great and final judgment that Christ Jesus will bring.

Look, not matter how you choose to interpret this passage we can all agree that most if not all in this room will taste the first death. And the moment that we do we will know Christ perfectly as we were created to know Him. Whether we see that as occuring in some intermediate state or in the new heavens and new earth, all those who place their faith in Christ Jesus we be with Him eternally. We may experience persecution at the hands of the beast, but we will forever be held by the merciful hand of our Lord and Savior.

We need to place our hope in this future every day of our lives. Why? Because Satan will never let up his relentless attacks against us, because we are the rightful heirs to the Kingdom of God. He is not. And he hates that truth. We also need to remember that the devil cannot act without the permission of God. And when God does give the devil permission God sets all of the parameters that the devil must follow. And so we should have absolutely no fear concerning his present activities within the world around us or the attacks he may direct directly at us. Look I find it absolutely amazing to read in verse one that it takes only one angel to bind Satan and throw him into the abyss, not an army of angels, just one angel. And I do believe that God surrounds His Church, His people with armies of angels. Have no fear.

We need to rest secure that there is a time coming when Satan will be finally and completely defeated never to be seen by believers ever again. And when His final defeat comes we will see both death and sin defeated as well.

Jesus will preserve His church. Matthew chapter sixteen verse eighteen should perhaps be quoted far more within our churches. It reads.

Matthew 16:18 ESV

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

We are not simply ones who overcome adversity in the end. We are victors who will stand tall and will reign victorious over this world one day along side our savior Jesus Christ.

We need to take hope in this truth every day. Our lives carry enough worry and heartache and troubles today. Tomorrow we need to see only victory. Victory that comes only through the blood of Jesus.

Amen.

amen.

Prayer

Benediction

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.