Rev 20- Millennial Reign Pt 2
Notes
Transcript
Millennial Reign Pt 2
Millennial Reign Pt 2
We examined multiple interpretive possibilities to the Millennial reign last week
-My primary push was that it was symbolic
-there is only 2 ages- now and the one to come
We looked at many passages that seem to make clear the coming of Christ has bound or limited the deceptive powers he had over the world (Gentiles)
Acts- the Gospel is going everywhere
However there is time when that binding will be loosened for a period of time
Why? Because in Gods plan it is a necessary action
We ended last week asking the question, how should this affect our lives now?
We should live confidently and persevere to the end knowing God has all things under his subjection even when it feels it is not
So we begin our study tonight trying to finish up these thoughts
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. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 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.
Just as we have seeming ominous things weigh upon the church
Satan binding is loosed and his deception of the nations grows stronger
I think Jesus speaks clearly of this time in Matthew 24
For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
But just as it seems that Satan and his deception wins
John sees vs 4
-Thrones- every time thrones is used in Rev it refers to a heavenly place
-Many who make this a literal 1000 years have this on earth but Im not sure how that works
but he also sees the souls of the martyrs and all those saints who have not fallen for the lies of Satan and worshipped the beast
-This cant be literal, because they would have had glorified resurrected bodies- not just souls
-My understanding is absent from the body is present with the Lord- soul being present and awaits his glorified body
So the Amil approach does seem to fit well here- in that this is symbolic
In light of this symbolism, what we see is John is seeing all created beings and all saints (martyred or death by natural causes) to be currently ruling and reigning in Christ
When the man, woman, boy or girl, responds to the call of God and is saved they at moment are joint heirs with Christ
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Listen to
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
So what John sees is the Macro view of the end
He has given us a more indepth view and now he gives a macro view of the days leading up to the Day of the Lord
And the great point is that no matter what has ever happened to any believer past or present- whether a marytdom was the thief or whether death was- it holds not power over us
Absent from the body is present with the Lord
It looks like death wins, its appears Satan has conquered but yet there eternal life in Christ is unstoppable
The moment we leave this body, beloved what was faith becomes sight
Just listen to
When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Johns vision reminds him, the 7 churches and us today of our unshakable hope in Jesus
God wins beloved, so hold fast- AMEN!!
Vs 5-is by far the most difficult and confounding of them all
Primarily because of the way in which he speaks of the first resurrection of believers and the first resurrection of unbelievers
They are not the same and the dont correspond to the same thing
The believer has two resurrections so to speak
1st- Spiritually
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
For those who believe in Christ- they have been raised from death to life - That is resurrection
2nd - Bodily
This is the resurrection that all people experience- Believers given glorified resurrected bodies and unbelievers resurrected with bodies fit for eternal punishment in hell
Not all people experience two resurrections- only believers
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
So Johns point is that the all unbelievers (the rest of mankind) will have their first resurrection ( Which is in reality their second death)
Can you imagine the horror- to be tormented soul in Hades only to be resurrected bodily before the GWT and then sent to the lake of Fire- this is the second death (Vs 11-15)
Vs 6- John doubles back and says blessed and holy are those who have been given eternal life and have had the first resurrection
-There physical life my taken from then now but not their spiritual one
-When God resurrected all people- they will be given glorified bodies for eternity with Christ
Why is that so important? look at the end of Vs6
We are a kingdom of priest reigning with Christ
We dont sing “Im not longer a slave a fear, but almost a child of God”
No - for every believer we have been declared saints now, seated with him heavenly places now, joint heirs with Christ now and that instantly becomes a clearer reality when we die
For the first century church- the would realize no matter what man does- he cant touch my soul or family tree
The great dragon has been defanged by Christ death, burial and resurrection
As he reigns, now so do we and all who have gone before us
When Christ returns- we will not only just reign 1000 years- we will reign for eternity in a glorified eternal body fit for the splendors of the New Heaven and New Earth
And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 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. 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, 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.
Once Satans deceptive restraint over the nations is released- he will will swindle the world and attempt an overthrow again
Gog and Magog is a end times passage for from Ezekiel 38-39--- Representative of Gods final enemies
As we have seen twice now in the book of Revelation- the enemy forces rally for war but there never is one
No battle of Armageddon- Jesus has never had an equal
He wills the end of all things and they no longer exist
Vs9- Fire rains down from heaven and consumes them
Just as God rain fire and brimestone on Sodom and Gommorah- no one unbelieving being escapes
Satan is cast into the lake of fire, with the beast and the false prophet- where they receive their just reward- eternal conscious torment
But the Rev 20:11-15 show us how the Day of Lord- GWT goes for human beings
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Vs 11 has close tie to Rev 6:14- as the universe as we know is shaken to pieces so to speak
What different picture we see at Christ second coming than the first
So meek and mild, despised and rejected, running for his life and then finally laying down for his people
But on the Day of the Lord, the second coming, there will be no doubt who He is
The sky falls out of place at His very presence and yet we will still take his name in vain
We will sin and think nothing of it- I bet if the sun and moon could speak, they would say you fool
We see they always obey, each day they come out and do as commanded- only man defies the Sovereign one so egregiously
Vs12- But this will not last forever- all of mankind before the Holy One
-Two books brought forth-Book of Life and books containing mans actions
-Im thankful for the first for I fear the contents of the second
-Oh what can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus
IF the name isnt found in the Lambs book- the debt in the second is applied
Vs13- no one is exempt- no life has snuck by and neither has any action or thought
Vs14- the Last enemy of God to be punished is death and hades and they are forever punished
Remember
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. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Christ is bodily resurrected, we will be bodily resurrected, all evil is punished, and last enemy to be destroyed is death
Never again is it a possibility
Hell will be full of people who wish they would die but they wont
Its called second death but in reality its eternal conscious punishment
Vs 15- who will be there- everyone who is not found in the Lambs book who sin debt has not been satisfied
Why does this matter? God has never and will never will wink at sin
God has always and will always hate sin and as we see that hated just isnt aim at inanimate objects or actions but at people
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
God has and will always justly judge sinners but pouring his just hatred on them
What we have seen is that no matter the believer is a marytr or faithful follower till death- they rule and reign with Christ immediately then forever more in the New Heavens and New Earth
Leave the sin and vomit pile, and hold fast to Jesus beloved- For He wins and is coming like a thief.