The Millennium

Satan’s Chain (1-3)

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven,

This isn’t the start of a new vision, but a continuation from the previous chapter. “Then” is a Greek marker of time - this is happening after the return of Christ.

holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.

This angel is coming with a mission to imprison. The key signifies authority and power, and the chain is ready to do what chains do best - contain strong adversaries.

Jude 6 NASB95

And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,

And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan,

Here we see the one the angel has come for - and it is our great and ancient enemy. We see here four different common names for him:

Dragon - the name that marks his beastly fury, dangerous power, and constant threat

Serpent of old - the name that reminds us of his first appearance in the garden of Eden

Devil - this name means deceiver, and this is what Satan is by nature, he is a liar and the father of lies

Satan - the final name means adversary because he opposes God and everything having to do with Him

and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

The angel grabs hold of the defeated Satan, and confines him to the abyss. The abyss is the re-sealed and locked. Satan’s work is completely shut down for a period of 1,000 years! We get a little warning that he will reappear, briefly, but the news here is that for a millennium Satan will be out of operation. His ability to deceive nations and develop a system of evil as he did through Babylon is finished for this time.

Saints’ Reign (4-6)

Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them.

The occupants of these thrones are those who have been identified throughout redemptive history.

Old Testament Saints

Daniel 7:27 NASB95

‘Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’

Christ’s Apostles

Matthew 19:28 NASB95

And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

New Testament Saints

1 Corinthians 6:2 NASB95

Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?

1 C

2 Timothy 2:12 NASB95

If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;

Revelation 2:26 NASB95

‘He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations;

And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

A fourth, and final, group of saints to reign with Christ will be those who died during the Tribulation as martyrs. Notice what these saints are identified by:

Their testimony of Jesus - they were evangelists

The Word of God - the wouldn’t give up the truth of the Bible

Those who had not worshiped the beast or his image - they stayed away from all idolatry

Had not received the mark - they refused to accept cultural approval if that meant identification with sin

These also reigned with Christ for 1000 years.

The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.

So who is left? The rest of the dead includes only those who died without believing in the promises of God. They will be discussed soon. At this time, however, everyone who has ever placed their faith in God will be together! How cool is that!

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

This is the first resurrection. There are multiple times people have been raised from the dead, but there are two great resurrections when the dead shall rise in mass. This is the first, the resurrection into glorified physical bodies of all believers of all time that have died. The second resurrection will be when all those who don’t know Christ are raised to judgment.

We are reminded here that you want to be part of the first group. This is the group with all the best benefits:

The second death has no power - we completely escape all judgment for sin

We will serve as priests - we will serve in close relationship to the spiritual reign of Christ

We will reign - we will serve in close relationship to the civil reign of Christ

Nerdy Time

This chapter is a key passage in determining how you view the future.

There are three main views:

Pre: Present Age —> 2nd Coming —> Millennial Kingdom

Post: Present Age~~Millennial Kingdom —> Second Coming

A: Present Age = Millennial Kingdom —> Second Coming

There are five key questions:

Is the binding of Satan, present or future?

Satan still prowls around like a roaring lion seeking people to devour (1 Peter 5:8)

Is the “first resurrection” spiritual or physical?

The word “resurrection” is used 42 times, and always refers to physical resurrection. This would be the only exception. Also you would have to take the phrase “came to life” in verse 4 as meaning something totally different than the same phrase in verse 5.

Is the duration of the thousand years symbolic or literal?

There is no reason to think that the thousand year reference is symbolic. It is never used elsewhere symbolically, it is not absurd to take it literally here, it stands in contrast to “a short time” in verse 3, and it is repeated several times in the passage for emphasis.

Is the locale of the millennial reign heaven or earth?

The millennial kingdom is on earth because it fulfills the earth-based promises of the Abrahamic, Davidic, and New covenants. It is also characterized by the reign of the saints on earth, is ruled over by Christ who has returned to earth, and features the rolling back of the curse on earth and the restoration of Israel.

Is the chronology of recapitulatory or sequential?

The phrase “and then” at the beginning of is a marker of time, not a marker of a new vision. This means it is best understood as a continuation of the preceding passage. Remember that chapter breaks are inserted later. There is no indication of a major division in events in the original.

Questions:

Why do you think it is important to have accurate and detailed theology?

Read v. 4 again and discuss which area of faithfulness to Christ is easiest for you and which is most difficult. Why?

How are you preparing your heart for Good Friday and Easter? What are some things you would still like to do?