Reality of the Millenial Kingdom
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Revelation 20:1-10
As we have gone through Revelations we have looked at this timeline.
The seven year tribulation has accumulated a number of judgments from God upon those who have rejected Him.
There were the seven scroll judgments, or the seven sealed books.
There were the seven trumpet judgments,
and then there were the seven bowl judgments.
The Antichrist has established himself as ruler over the whole world.
Satan is behind his power, and there was raised up a false prophet who deceived the whole world.
Everyone in the world is forced to take the mark of the beast and worship the image of the beast.
Anyone who refuses is beheaded.
After the seventh bowl judgment, the Antichrist raises the world’s armies to come against Jerusalem and their God.
Jesus comes to earth riding a white horse, and fights the battle of Armageddon in the Valley of Megiddo.
The Antichrist and the False Prophet are bound and cast into the lake of fire, and Jesus fights the battle and kills the enemy with the sword proceeding out of His mouth.
Now we come to Revelation chapter 20 and the beginning of the 1,000 year reign of Christ, also known as the Millennial Reign of Christ.
The passage before us now deals with God's dealings with the devil in the last days.
We learn in this passage that Satan is bound for the millennium period.
We know that the millennial reign of Christ has now begun, as His second coming was clearly shown in chapter 19.
Thus, His first official act is to remove Satan from the scene.
The Antichrist and the false prophet were destroyed at the Lord's second coming.
Satan is not just a figment of our imagination.
He is a living personality, a fallen angel who led one third of the angels of heaven in a rebellion against God.
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Thirty-five times in scripture He is referred to as “the devil” and fifty-two times he is called “Satan” (which means enemy or adversary).
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him;
Before we begin, I want to show you that there are, for the most part, three interpretations of the Millennial Kingdom by men today:
Amillennial - No Millennial - The 1,000 years are just symbolic of the Church Age - the period in which we are presently living; Satan is currently bound; the Tribulation is still to come after which Jesus will judge the living and the dead; then there will be a new heaven and earth. (Augustine, Roman Catholics, some Baptists hold this view) (Problem that they teach Satan is bound now)
Postmillennial - Christ returns after the 1,000 years; the 1,000 years are seen as literal and thought to be the time of the greatest harvest of souls leading up to the Return of Christ. (problem that the Bible teaches there will be a great apostasy as we get closer to the return of Christ)
Premillennial - Christ returns at the end of the seven years of Tribulation which marks the beginning of the Millennial period (thus He returns “Premillennial”); He establishes His Kingdom here on earth for 1,000 years; Believers will rule and reign with Jesus during the Millennial Kingdom. (We hold to this view)
I. Satan Is Bound for One Thousand Years
I. Satan Is Bound for One Thousand Years
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 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.
“And I saw.”
Thus, the millennium is an actual period of time with events planned by God.
The scripture describes the millennium period as a time of peace.
The only way for a peaceful Utopia to be truly experienced is for Satan to be bound.
Satan will be restricted from his normal deceitful activities.
Here in verse 3, the Greek word abyssos, is translated bottomless pit.
Back in Luke 8:31, Jesus travels across to the country of hte Gadarenes and comes upon the man possessed by devils living among the tombs.
Jesus is about to cast them out, and they say: Luke 8:31
31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.
The word deep is the word abyssos, This is
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
A third of the angels, how many that is, were cast out with Lucifer.
The Worst of these demons were kept in chains waiting for judgement day.
These demons in Luke 8, were afraid that they would be cast into the abyssos as well.
Now this angel comes with a great chain in his hand.
He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan - and He is bound with the worst of the devils for a thousand years.
II. Saints Are Raised for Eternity
II. Saints Are Raised for Eternity
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment 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.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
The rest of the dead are the unsaved that are dead.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The second death is spoken of in Revelation 21:8
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
But those who are a part of this first resurrection will not be a part of the second death.
One of the most treasured subjects in the Bible is the truth of life after death.
Here John sees the throne and those that sat upon them.
The heavenly throne in the millennium will be occupied by the believers for the church age.
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
The Apostles will rule.
28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
They lived one thousand years.
A. The First Resurrection
A. The First Resurrection
This phrase from verse 5 is a reference to the resurrection of believers.
Just as there are phases to the second coming (the rapture of the Church and the glorious appearing), there are also phases to the resurrection of believers.
1. The Resurrection of the Church Age Saints
1. The Resurrection of the Church Age Saints
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
We come back with Jesus having been in heaven for the Judgment Seat of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Life.
2. The Resurrection of the Old Testament Saints
2. The Resurrection of the Old Testament Saints
at the time of Christ's death
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
Some believe the resurrection of the Old Testament saints will take place at the close of the tribulation period.
1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: 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 thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
2 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.
Whatever the case, we know the Old Testament saints will be raised prior to the glorious appearing because they are in attendance at the marriage supper of the Lamb as the friend of the Bridegroom.
3. The Resurrection of the Tribulation Saints
3. The Resurrection of the Tribulation Saints
John sees these saints back in Revelation 15 before they are resurrected.
2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
Verse 4 shows us that they have obviously been resurrected—they will be resurrected at the end of the tribulation.
All those who have been resurrected in the “first” resurrection are referred to as “blessed and holy.”
In verse 6 we see that we shall reign 1000 years.
He alone will institute the beginning of His kingdom.
Even as the Apostles expected Jesus to establish His kingdom in their time, we do not believe it will be established until He comes the second time.
Premillennialism allows for the literal fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies pertaining to the kingdom.
Now What will life be like during the Millennial Kingdom
Satan is bound for 1,000 years
People that come into the Millennial Kingdom on earth, will still have the sinful nature.
Jesus will rule from Jerusalem; Christians will rule and reign with Him.
A time of great peace and joy
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, That the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; And he will teach us of his ways, And we will walk in his paths: For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, And shall rebuke many people: And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruninghooks: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more.
5 O house of Jacob, come ye, And let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Animals will be tame
1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: And he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, Neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, And reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, And with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, And faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, And the leopard shall lie down with the kid; And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; Their young ones shall lie down together: And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, And the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea.
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, Which shall stand for an ensign of the people; To it shall the Gentiles seek: And his rest shall be glorious.
The peace of the Prince of Peace will be so full that the animals will be tame.
A Time of Longevity
19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: And the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, Nor an old man that hath not filled his days: For the child shall die an hundred years old; But the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; And they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; They shall not plant, and another eat: For as the days of a tree are the days of my people, And mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labour in vain, Nor bring forth for trouble; For they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, And their offspring with them.
24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; And while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, And the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: And dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.
It will be unusual if a person doesn’t live to be 100.
A Time of Worshiping Jesus in Jerusalem
16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations Which came against Jerusalem Shall even go up from year to year To worship the King, the Lord of hosts, And to keep the feast of tabernacles.
17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up Of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem To worship the King, the Lord of hosts, Even upon them shall be no rain.
18 And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; There shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen That come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, And the punishment of all nations That come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
20 In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; And the pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
21 Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts: And all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: And in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.
The feasts in that day, it will not look forward to the coming of the Messiah, but will look to Christ presently, and back to the Messiah’s delivering mankind.
B. The Second Resurrection
B. The Second Resurrection
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
This is a reference to all of the unbelievers throughout the ages.
They will be resurrected before the Great White Throne Judgment.
III. Satan’s Attempt at Final Conflict
III. Satan’s Attempt at Final Conflict
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 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.
9 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.
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.
For 1000 years the world will have peace and true worship of Christ.
It will be like a Utopia here on earth.
Israel will have been the leading nation and Jesus her king.
But there will not be a real choice, they must come to the Lord…but they must be given a choice to choose Christ and His way.
They have had peace and prosperity - and yet they will choose Satan’s way.
So we see three things happen in these verses...
A. Satan Is Loosed Out of His Prison
A. Satan Is Loosed Out of His Prison
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
B. Satan Makes an Appeal to Mankind
B. Satan Makes an Appeal to Mankind
8 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.
Although righteousness has reigned and men and women have worshipped Christ for one thousand years, there have been many children born during the period.
They will be born with a sinful nature needing to be saved.
Children raised up in Christian homes sometimes become gospel hardened.
So, during this time it may be that they become “glory hardened.”
The names of Gog and Magog are a reflection back to the nation of Russia.
Satan and his followers will hatefully gather around the city of Jerusalem
9a And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city...
C. Satan Is Eternally Destroyed
C. Satan Is Eternally Destroyed
Fire comes down from heaven
9b ...and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Satan is cast into the lake of fire
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.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
We must determine today whether we will be a part of the first or the second resurrection.
We must note the tendency of man toward depravity, even in a perfect environment.
It’s amazing to think that anyone would choose to rebel against Christ while living in this wonderful new world…but they will.
May we reach as many as we can for Christ while we can!