“Turning the World Right Side Up” (part 2)
Unveiled Hope • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 2 viewsImagine a perfect giovernment..perfect politicians. It will never happen on earth untiuol Jesus Christ setys up His millennial Kingdom. He will regn with truth and righteousness. And Satan will finally be thrown into the lake of fire.
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Revelation 20:4
4 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 worshipped 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.
Revelation 20:5
5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.
Revelation 20:6
6 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.
Revelation 20:7
7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison
Revelation 20:8
8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.
Revelation 20:9
9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them,
Revelation 20:10
10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
We began last week…looking at what is referred to as “the Millennial Kingdom”.
In Revelation 20…we have the Millennial Kingdom in an outline/framework form
And so we are filling in some to the blanks with other Scripture passages.
There is no such thing as a perfect government…but imagine a world where politicians are perfect …so politics are perfect…where sin is dealt with immediately, effectively & decisively…
where justice is served every single time…and where justice rules, and everything is fair.
Well, that will be what is known as…the Millennium Kingdom.
It is not fantasy…not fiction…not allegory…not hyperbole.
FYI: “millennium” is not in the Bible. But 1,000 years is…the 1,000 year reign of Christ. (6x here)
When Christ returns to earth…set up a 1000yr kingdom…time of peace, prosperity, health, longevity.
Here in Revelation 20 we are given, as we mentioned last week…an OUTLINE of that Kingdom.
In every generation…the heart of all mankind has yearned for the perfect government.
Plato…(400BC) envisioned the ideal politician…not a king or politician but rather…a philosopher
Romans…thought they could enforce with Pax Romana…an enforced peace.
Sir Thomas More wrote Utopia.(1516AD) a book about a fictional island with a perfect political system. That's why it was fiction because the world has not known such a system.
Karl Marx believed if you can eliminate class differences, you can eliminate all social problems.
Hitler & Mao Tse Tung used the term millennium when referencing their political aspirations.
Well, what we are talking about is not a myth…not an allegory…not a fairy tale…not an empty promise
We are talking about a Bible promise…God promises a Kingdom set up here on the earth.
But now…for that to happen…obviously certain things will have to happen.
The earth will have to be reconstructed…“Extreme Makeover”…needs reconstruction…renewal… rejuvenation…which the Bible refers to in several passages throughout the OT.
But also for this Kingdom to happen…Satan has to be bound.
And as we looked at last week…he will be bound, we are told, Revelation 20:1-3 for 1,000 years.
BRAIN BREAK: Ever wondered what heaven will be like? No, I don’t believe we will be sitting around playing harps. I believe God has a much more amazing future ahead for you.
But people get this weird, mistaken idea that that's what heaven is going to be like.
When we study the Scriptures we discover our future is quite AMAZING…starting with this passage.
We will experience 1000 years of Christ’s Kingdom on a restored, renewed, rejuvenated earth.
So today…beginning in Revelation 20:4…3 more details of the Millennial Kingdom…we looked at 3 last Sunday…
It is a REAL Kingdom…
Satan will be REMOVED …and
All creation will be RESTORED.
CHECK OUT…WHO IS IN CHARGE…Revelation 20:4
Notice the fourth word in v.4 "Then I saw thrones…
“thronos" is the Greek word…speaks of the throne of a King…absolute authority, royal authority, judicial power of a king and/or the king’s administration.
a. WHO IS THE KING? Of course Jesus is…Rev. 19:16 He is the “King of kings and Lord of lords!”
He is going to be the King…this will be His Kingdom!
All through the Bible God promises that He will set up a kingdom, an eternal kingdom.
Remember Daniel 2 Nebuchadnezzar saw a statue in a dream…a head of gold, silver, brass, belly and thighs, iron legs, feet of iron and clay? He didn't know what it meant, so he called his wise guys. They didn't know what it meant. But Daniel knew. God gave him the interpretation. He explained to Neb.
“It’s a series of kingdoms. You're the first king. You're the head of gold. But after you, will come the Medo-Persian empire, the Grecian empire, the Roman empire. Those nations are coming. But then there will be a kingdom set up on the earth of 10 nations. And during the time of those kings, Neb.saw a rock come out of heaven, strike the statue, decimate it, but then it filled the earth with a mountain.
Daniel said, in the days of those 10 kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom on earth that will have no end. So that kingdom of God was PREDICTED in Daniel.
2 Samuel 7, God promised David that from his family line…the Son of David will come and rule. And I will establish his kingdom forever. (See also: Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:31-33)
So…be sure to understand…with Jesus in charge…it will be a perfect government.
b. WHO IS ON THE THRONES?
Notice John saw thrones…plural. “…I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed.” So you gotta ask: WHO… is on the thrones?
WHO did God ever promise at any time would rule and reign with Him?
OT SAINTS…See: Daniel 7:18, 27
God promises that OT saints…will reign in the millennial kingdom.
See: Ezekiel 37, Jeremiah 30
Imagine a government under Jesus with a resurrected king David on one of the thrones?
DISCIPLES…See: Matthew 19:28 Jesus promised the disciples…you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribe of Israel. But that’s not all…
BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS… See: 1 Corinthians 6:2
There's another group that is promised to rule and reign with Him. And that's us, NT saints.
Paul wrote to the Corinthians 1 Corinthians 6:1-3. Paul knew that they were taking each other to court. And he goes, What's up with this? Why are you taking each other to law court? You're Christians. You can figure this out. You should be able to settle your differences without taking it to the secular law courts. Here is his reason:. "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” And he continues, "do you not know that we shall judge angels?”
In 2 Timothy 2:12 “If we endure we will also reign with Him…”
See also: Revelation 3:21; 5:10 Saints will reign on the earth…not in a spiritual way or in a heavenly way…You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God and they will reign upon the earth.
Revelation 5, when the redeemed are gathered around the throne of heaven, they sing a new song.
We, along with OT saints, along with 12 apostles, are going to be those who rule & reign.
But there's another group, mentioned here in v.4
c. WHO ELSE WILL BE THERE?…Revelation 20:4b
Note Jesus will employ another group…We're told who they are in the very next sentence.
"Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God” (tribulation martyrs). We've been reading about them throughout Revelation (faithful to death)
“And those who had not worshipped the beast, nor his 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 and reigned with Christ for 1,000 years.”
Remember the empire of Anti Christ had…exterminated Tribulation saints because of their testimony of Jesus…and faithfully proclaimed the word of God and had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.
2. WHO’S BEING CHANGED?
Notice what else v.4 tells us. “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
v.5 parenthetical statement: The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1000 years were ended.” We will look at their resurrection next week. Revelation 20:11-15
This is the first resurrection. v.6. "Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection.
LET ME BE CLEAR: Now, the first resurrection includes the resurrection of all the saved.
Jesus said, there will be those who will be raised to life…and those raised to damnation.
Daniel 12:1-2 says the same thing. The resurrection to life are all the redeemed, all the saved, OT believers, NT believers, Tribulation believers…. ALL the resurrected of all the ages.
a. They Are Blessed and Holy…Revelation 20:6
v.6 “Blessed and holy is he who takes place 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 1,000 years.”
Those who are part of the first resurrection are blessed…(Beatitude #5 of 7)
Why are they blessed? Because “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.”
What is the second death? See v.14 is defined as the lake of fire…eternal hell.
Comforting truth for you and for me…is that no true child of God will ever face God’s eternal wrath.
Romans 5:9 “Having been justified by His blood we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
See also 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 5:9
b. They are Priests of God and of Christ…
Believers…we are already, right now “… a royal priesthood called to proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. (1 Peter 2:9)
So what we are doing now…we will also do in the millennial Kingdom…we serve by worshipping God and leading others to the knowledge of Him.
c. They will Reign with Christ for 1000 Years!
They will reign along with those who believe (Jew & Gentile) and who survived the Tribulation
Other Characteristics of the Millennial Kingdom that you should know about:
This Kingdom will be universal…Psalm 2:6-8; Daniel 2:35
This Kingdom will be righteous…Isaiah 11:3-5
This Kingdom will be characterized by righteousness and peace…Isaiah 32:17
This Kingdom will be marked by joy…Isaiah 12:3-4; 61:3, 7
It will be a time when the curse is lifted…Isaiah 11:7-9; 30:23-24
In this Kingdom…food will be plentiful…Joel 2:21-27
In this Kingdom there will be physical health and well being. Isaiah 33:24; 35:5-6
This will lead to long life…Isaiah 65:20
Gentiles will worship Jesus the King…Isaiah 11:9; Micah 4:2; Zechariah 14:16
So all of those ruling and reigning with Jesus Christ are resurrected believers. Got it? Resurrected, glorified believers…OT Saints…NT disciples…Church…Tribulation saints
3. WHO’S GOING DOWN? Revelation 20:7-10
Remember, Satan has been kept in the abyss…the bottomless pit for 1,000 years.
That means Christ will have been reigning with unopposed sovereignty.
NOW REMEMBER A FEW other FACTS…as we approach the end of the millennial kingdom:
No unsaved person has entered the Kingdom…
Only redeemed from among Jewish and Gentile survivors of the Tribulation will enter the Kingdom with their normal physical bodies…they are not glorified yet…they are still saved by grace…but they will still have a sin nature.
It will be a perfect environment socially…along with longer life spans and amazing health and well being. The un-glorified residents of the kingdom will have children…they too will have children etc.
They will still possess a sinful human nature…passed on from their parents.
Each generation throughout the 1000 years will be made up of sinners in need of salvation.
Many will be saved. Many won’t be saved.
Many will still reject Jesus. This will help us understand what happens next.
They will still struggle with the world and the flesh…and then the devil comes back on the scene.
v.7 “And when the 1,000 years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison…”
Some find this a little mystifying…and ask: Why on earth would God let Satan go? Why the first time?
v.8 “…and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.
He will deceive…
We are not told how…but he will deceive them…remember…he is still the father of lies.
People will be duped…
Unregenerate people will be around…and they will follow his lead & deception…duped into following
Whatever he does will fit perfectly into God’s sovereign purpose…and God’s justice will be served.
God’s Justice will be served!
Make sure you note in your heart…that all Satan’s actions are always under God’s sovereign control
BTW…this does not mean they believed the world was flat. Think four directions.
v.9 “…And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them.
John names the two enemies of God as Gog and Magog… who will come against Israel
We are really not sure who Gog and Magog are… but they are terms that describe the sinful rebels from all nations who will gather for the final war in human history.
Just like Armageddon 1000 years before …it is not much of a battle.
Fire comes down from heaven and destroys
Satan’s forces will be physically killed and their souls will go to the realm of punishment…awaiting their final sentencing to eternal hell…which will take place in the final part of this chapter.
v.10 “…and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
The devil will not escape either. He will join his cronies the AntiChrist and the False Prophet in the lake of fire and sulphur…
btw…clear example…Hell is not annihilation…they will be tormented day & night forever & ever.
WRAP UP…
When you think of your future…which includes the future kingdom…understand this…
This is something that all redeemed people of all the ages have longed for.
And your future is not going to be you die…sit on a cloud…play a harp in a white robe.
But that's not going to happen. So here's what's going to happen. There's several phases.
DIE…If you die today, and I hope you don't. But if you do die, you go to heaven immediately.
HEAVEN…your soul goes to heaven…body stays in the ground…
RAPTURE…At some point in the future, the rapture of the church will happen.
RESURRECTION…On that day, you'll get a resurrected body…genetic perfection.
Your spirit joins with your body. In that state, glorified body, you'll go be with the Lord, I believe, for the next seven years…..we’ll enjoy God’s presence in heaven.
CHRIST’S RETURN…At the end of the 7-year period, you're going to come down with Jesus to the earth, where He stops the Battle of Armageddon.
He comes again. He comes to set up his kingdom. Then you on this earth and I, along with OT saints, are going to rule and reign for 1,000 years. You're going to help administrate that rule.
And then it's not over. There's a whole other phase, called the eternal state, that we're going to look at next time because we don't have time today. But that final phase will be left.
And we’ll look at that next time. Here's the good news. You're in the family.
You're in God's family. And as members of God's family, you don't just have heaven awaiting you.
You have heaven…You have a job coming up on earth. I don't want a job.
You will in your redeemed state. It's going to be so cool.
Father, we want You to rule and reign in our hearts and our lives now. We admit Lord that we struggle… we face, the world, the flesh…our sin nature…we struggle against the Holy Spirit…even the new man or the new woman, the redeemed person. Those are always in conflict because we still have our sin nature. But one day, that will be eradicated in a glorified, resurrected state, a perfected state, with boundless energy, a physical body, and genetic perfection that has the ability to do the kinds of things Jesus' own body was able to do.
Until then, Lord, until your kingdom is coming, and you set up Your rule here, rule over our daily lives, our family's lives, our neighbourhood, our community, as we seek to glorify Jesus here…May we be busy until you come, for Your glory alone, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
PERSONAL REFLECTION & ACTION…
Make sure that you will be part of the first resurrection. Put your trust in Jesus alone.
Let God rule in your life today…as we seek to glorify Jesus here.
Keep in minds that we serve even today…the King of kings and Lord of lords.
