Sun, Nov 04, 2012
Teacher: Rich Lammay Series: Sunday Mornings Scripture: Revelation 20:1-10
REVELATION 20:1-10
THE THOUSAND YEARS
Am I the only one who’s been pounded with campaign literature and promises. This week I thought I’d share a few with you.
This one say, if you vote for this guy there will be demons coming from the Abyss with heads like men and tails like scorpions.
This guy say if you vote for him there will be “Peace on earth and good will toward man.”
Or this one promises their candidate will usher in a day that the lion with eat grass and the wolf will lie down with a sheep.
This one says their guy walks on water and the budget will be balanced in six weeks while every household will get a rebate check or a new flat screen 3D TV.
Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit – GET REAL AND PRAY
Campaign promises actually do tie into our study today. Down deep there is a hope inside each one of us that the world would be better, and with it hangs the promises of so many failed political campaigns.
In 1969 the rock musical “Hair” hit Broadway with one it’s premier songs being, Aquarius. “When the moon is in the Seventh House And Jupiter aligns with Mars Then peace will guide the planets And love will steer the stars Harmony and understanding Sympathy and trust abounding No more falsehoods or derisions Golden living dreams of visions Mystic crystal revelation And the mind's true liberation Aquarius! Aquarius!”
150 years ago, Victor Hugo, the French writer predicted: “In the twentieth century war will be dead... Hatred will be dead. Frontier boundaries will be dead. Dogmas will be dead. But man will live. He will possess something higher than all these: a great country, the whole earth, a great hope, the whole heaven.”
Well here we are in the twentieth first century and people are worried about global warming, peace has only existed for a few years and the world’s economies are running on empty.
Politicians have made their promises, philosophers have made their predictions. I think we can say, that "Hugo was wrong, and Aquarius has not come!" But humans still look for a utopian world, a better day, with peace, prosperity and harmony. Well the Bible says that day is coming, but mankind will not bring it about – it comes with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
As we’ve been working our way through the book of Revelation, we’ve come to chapter 20 where Christ will reign on earth a Thousand Years. Last week we considered what the prophets had spoken about, the Second Coming of Jesus coming to reclaim the earth from the devil and evil men. In chapter 20 we find the fulfillment of promises made to Abraham, David and was spoken by the prophets. An earthly kingdom when Christ rules and reigns with his followers. We’ll take our text in three parts today as we consider “The Thousand Years”
SATAN BOUND READ REVELATION 20-1:3
First John sees another angel who has a key to the Abyss and a giant chain. He has authority and power to bind Satan for "a thousand years." That term, actually occurs six times in this one chapter. Christians call that thousand years the "millennium". Millennium comes from the Latin mille annum, which means "a thousand years."
Our text is the most distinct passage about the millennial reign of Christ which will bring a thousand years of peace on earth with Jesus ruling over the planet. The church has divided over this portion of scripture probably more then many other text in the bible. Two differing views of end times events clashing over this chapter, premillennialism and amillennialism.
As we began our studies in Revelation perhaps you recall that I went into great detail to explain those terms. Just a reminder: Premillennialism is the stance I take that believes that this passage is literal and there is coming a thousand-year reign of Christ upon the earth. That will fulfill of many Old Testament prophecies concerning an earthly reign of Christ.
Amillennialism ("a" means no, or none), believe that this event is now being fulfilled and the thousand-years represent the present age and is fulfilled in a metaphorical way. Many God fearing Christians believe that way and say the binding of Satan here took place at the cross when Jesus overcame Satan. I like what the late Ray Steadman said. “If Satan is bound today it must be with a very long chain!”
Christ, liken Satan to a "strong man who holds his goods in peace." The "goods" there represent the whole human race. Both groups believe that Satan is in control of this world today. Jesus called him "the god of this world. Still Jesus did conqueror the devil when he rose from the dead. He’s fate is sure his demise will happen but for now he is called “the prince of the power of the air.”
Col 2:15 (Jesus) having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Many believe that this text is a flashback to Jesus triumph over Satan at the cross. But Scripture indicates that the binding of Satan at the cross was only in regards to salvation and faith.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5:8-9 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…
2 Cor 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Today Satan is bound by the faith of those who believe so they are accepted by God and forgiven of sin. But what we find in our text is very different.
First, it was not done at the cross but at the Second Coming of Christ as he appears in visible glory. Second, the binding is done by an angel who Jesus sends with a great chain. Thirdly, the angel not only binds Satan but he throws him into the Abyss and seals the doorway! There are three separate symbols here even beyond the binding of Satan.
First, the chain speaks of severe restraint. It is not a literal chain because Satan is a spiritual being and a literal chain could not hold him. The chain is a symbol of extreme restraint, and limiting his power.
Second, he’s thrown into the Abyss. We saw the Abyss in Chapter 9, as an angel opened it and out came some wild looking demonic beings who tormented the inhabitants of the earth. With Satan locked up – its speaks of his total removal from the earth.
Third, the angel shuts the door and locks it, which means it’s impossible to be opened from the inside. There’s no power that can break through to release Satan during this time. He’s totally removed from earth and permitted no access to it for one thousand years!
With no one to deceive the nations what do you think that thousand years will be like? That’s what the prophets spoke about and we’ll consider that in a minute. But the strange part, at the end of the thousand years, Satan is set free for a short time.
My biggest question about the Millennium is: Why? Why doesn’t Christ just deal with the devil and its over. Instead what we see is he’s bound for awhile then released for a short time then finally tossed into his eternal punishment.
I’m not sure we can totally understand the Millennium but some of it is revealed right here. V3 "to keep him from deceiving the nations any more." Satan has been doing a pretty good job of deception throughout the ages. Today he deceives with drugs, the perversion of sexuality, with power, greed and materialism. He deceives as he distorts holy living and family values and his lies are poured into human ears.
But here God says, "That’s enough" and Satan is bound and tossed into the Abyss with all his angels. Then for a thousand years the earth is going to live in peace. You may be thinking, "If God takes care of the devil, why on earth does he let him go again?"
Although we may not totally understand God’s plan, it seems that there is a weeding out of who are the true followers of Christ. Think about it – a thousand years of absolute peace and with Christ himself ruling over the earth. Then Satan is loosed and some people follow him. Why would they do that? Sinful Nature, Flesh, when we want to blame the devil for all our woes, the reality is that people are still sinful.
Back to Psalm 2 with the nations rebelling God says.
Ps 2:6-9 "I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill." I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery."
Christ will rule in perfect justice and the nations will be his inheritance but still some will not accept his rule and try to break the chains and turn against God. So what will the Millennium be like?
TURN TO ISAIAH 11:1-9
Jesus came as a relative of Jesse, David’s father, and the Spirit rested on him. He had wisdom, understanding, counsel, power, and pointed everyone to the fear of the LORD. In the Millennium he’ll judge not just by what he sees or hears but with righteousness. With the earth under his rule everything is different. A wolf will lie with a lamb, the great cats will play with what use to be their meal, even a lion be a vegetarian. Young children will play with a black widow spider and no harm will come because “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD.” Isaiah 24 also speaks of that time and tells us that the fallen angels will also be bound.
TURN TO ISAIAH 65:19-25
God himself will delight in his people; there will be no crying and premature death will no longer exist. There will be houses and vineyards eating and living, work will be fruitful, and there will be harmony among the species.
But at the end, Satan will be let loose for a short time. The word “time” is a Greek word chronos, from which we get "chronology" referring to a specific period of time but we are not told how long.
THE SAINTS REIGN READ REVELATION 20:4-6
Next John sees thrones and those on them have authority to judge. He sees the martyrs who were killed by the beast for refusing his mark but now they’re alive to rule as priests throughout the thousand years.
Here we see a great separation, those who died without faith are not alive at this the “first resurrection”. Those who are alive are called “Blessed and holy”. They will never die again, but those who are without faith will face the second death. So, John sees three distinct groups:
THOSE ON THRONES
Matt 19:28-29 (Jesus said) I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
The twelve disciples were specifically told they’ll judge the nation of Israel. But when John sees thrones, it’s more than the twelve disciples, most commentators agree that this is not just the overcomers that he mentions but all the God’s children throughout the ages.
Rev 2:26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations...
1 Cor 6:2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?
THE TRIBULATION MARTYRS
They died for their faith and their stand against the beast, refusing the mark 666. This is the same group we saw in Chapters 6 and 7 who died under Antichrist’s rule.
THE REST OF THE DEAD.
They’re in a parenthesis, in Verse 5. John says, "They’ll come to life after the thousand years." It’s the unbelieving dead, and we’ll see them at the Great White Throne at the end of this chapter.
Notice the term "the first resurrection." I think that tells us that there’s more than one resurrection. Our Amillennium friends say there’s only one resurrection that comes at the end. But here we find that the righteous and the wicked are dealt with in separate resurrections.
1 Cor 15:20… Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
1 Cor 15:23-24 But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come…
The first resurrection reaches back to include the resurrection of Jesus. Then when Christ appears in the clouds he’ll catch the church to himself, that’s the next segment of the first resurrection. Finally as 1 Corinthians 15 says, "then the end will come". Then what we see here is the resurrection of the tribulations saints concluding the first Resurrection. The second resurrection is called “the second death” because it involves non- believers and the Great White Throne Judgment.
John says, "Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. Are you going to be part of that group? INVITE.
THE END OF HISTORY READ REVELATION 20:7-10
The thousand years are over and Satan is released and he reeks havoc because he knows he has but a short time. He deceive the nations from around the globe and they gather for battle.
The text mentions Gog and Magog what nations are they? Traditionally it speaks of Russia and Eastern Europe, however some would argue it’s Iran and Turkey, or other middle eastern powers. Their exact location will not be known until that day but the important thing is to understand that these nations are deceived. Deceived into believing after a thousand years of harmony on the earth, that “there’s something better”. That’s the lie that the devil has always used. There’s something better, a better life, a better spouse, a better happiness and you can get by drugs, or by things or by money or power or sex. Lies!
The number who are deceived is huge, they march across land and surround the camp of God's people and the city that he loves. But God sends fire to destroy them and the devil is cast into the lake of burning sulfur along with beast and the false prophet.
Rev 20:10 They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Eternal punishment, the lake of fire, it’s a place of utter darkness yet eternal fire. Jesus describes the lake of fire as “hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” And as an eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Not prepared for man, but all who reject the Lord will be cast there with the devil, antichrist and the false prophet. And that’s what well consider next week but we are marching toward the end, really the beginning. Eternal life, the eternal state the New Heavens and New Earth, the place of no more. No more tears, sorrow, or pain, that place can be yours.
INVITE, PRAY, BENEDICTION, SING.