Revelation 20:1-6 – The Thousand Year
Millennium
John
saw an angel coming down from heaven. He
had the key to the Abyss and a great chain in his hand. He seized the dragon, Satan and bound him for
1,000 years. The angel threw him into
the Abyss and locked and sealed it to keep him from deceiving the nations
anymore until the 1,000 years ended.
There he will have no power. Then
Satan will be released for only a short time. (Rev. 20:1-3) The Abyss is
the place where demons live and the place where they wait for God to punish
them.
Can you imagine a life where there is no Satan? He can’t temp anyone. Remember there are 3 types of people who will populate the Millennium – Christians who have been raptured, Old Testament and New Testament saints, and believers who naturally survived the Battle of Armageddon. These natural believers will live and have children and life will go on as it does today. Those children will have to be taught about Jesus and many will not accept Him even though He will constantly be with them. Because the nature of man is wicked, many of these children will rebel. The earth will be filled with many people just like it is today. There will be believers and unbelievers.
Then John
saw those who had been given authority to judge sitting on thrones. He saw souls of those who had been beheaded
because of their testimony for Jesus and the Word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image
or received his mark. They came to life
and reigned with Christ for 1,000 years.
This is the 1st resurrection.
The 2nd death has no power over them. The rest of the dead will not come to life
until the 1,000 years has ended. That
will be the 2nd resurrection, the 2nd death. (Rev.
20:4-6)
Believers
will not suffer the 2nd death, which is the Lake of Fire. They are safe and will live with Jesus
always. God will judge the rest of the
people after the 1,000 years. During the
1,000 years many people will have not believed and trusted God and they, too will
die the 2nd death going into the Lake of Fire.
What is
the 1st resurrection? This is the resurrection to life. This is when all believers - the church, Old
Testament and Tribulation saints will be raised to life. They will reign with Christ during the 1,000
year millennium and for eternity in heaven with Jesus. Unbelievers will have no part in this
resurrection.
What is
the 2nd resurrection or 2nd Death? This is the resurrection to death. This happens when the millennium is
over. These are unbelievers who will be
raised for eternal punishment in the lake of fire.
What is
the Millennium? Some
believe this is not a literal 1,000 years, but I believe it is. It is 1,000 years when Christ will reign as
God’s promise is fulfilled. He will rule
the world with the saints of all ages – Old and New Testament saints,
Tribulation saints, and the church. All
evil is gone. Satan is locked away and
cannot influence anyone. It will be a
time of peace and tranquility.
Have
you trusted in Jesus?
Do you
know where you will spend eternity?
What
does reigning with Jesus mean to you?
Revelation 20:7-10 – Satan’s Doom
Satan
has been actively deceiving people since the Garden of Eden. He deceived Adam and Eve and all humanity
fell into a sinful nature. He even tried
to tempt Jesus. He prowls around looking
for people to devour. He tries anything
he can to defeat God and His purposes. He
is a master deceiver, a liar, and a murderer.
But God restrained Satan showing his power is limited by the mighty hand
of God.
Satan’s
character will have not changed in the 1,000 years. When the 1,000 years are over, Satan will be
released from his prison only for a short time and will again try to deceive people
of all the nations. He will cause
nations from the four corners of the earth (Gog and Magog) to come together for
war. They will surround the city God
loves. That city is Jerusalem. When Satan thinks he has won, fire will come
down from heaven and devour them. The
Satan will be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur (Lake of Fire) joining the
beast and the false prophet. They will
be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Rev. 20:7-10)
Why would Satan and his rebels continue to fight the Kingdom of God? Doesn’t Satan know God will win? Pride is the worst and most evil of all sins and this pride has blinded Satan. Sin is deceptive and deception is Satan’s very nature.
Revelation 20:11-15 – Great White Throne Judgment
Why would Satan and his rebels continue to fight the Kingdom of God? Doesn’t Satan know God will win? Pride is the worst and most evil of all sins and this pride has blinded Satan. Sin is deceptive and deception is Satan’s very nature.
Revelation 20:11-15 – Great White Throne Judgment
At the
end of the Millennial the Great White Throne Judgment will take place. It will be the time of judgment for all
humans throughout history who have died in their sins. This will be the final judgment of the human
race, but Christians need not fear because, “if you
confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” – Rom. 10:9
John
saw God sitting on a great white throne.
The earth and heaven had disappeared.
The earth and sky as we know it did not exist. He saw every person who had died standing
before the throne. The books were
opened. These books contained a record
of each person’s life – their every thought, word and deed. God judged each person according to His records
in the books. Everyone who didn’t accept
Jesus will have to account for their deeds.
All the dead people and those who had gone to Hades were judged and
thrown into the Lake of Fire. The Lake
of Fire is the 2nd death.
This is a place of eternal punishment.
Those whose names are written in the book of life will not go into the
lake of fire, because these are God’s people.
They believe in Jesus and would not suffer for their sins. Jesus had already taken away their sins when
He died on the cross. God has raised
them to eternal life to be with Him forever. (Rev. 20:11-15)
Will
you experienced the 2nd death or is your name in the book of life?
Do not
make that terrible mistake by not accepting Jesus as your Savior. Place your faith in Him and ask Him to
forgive your sins. Be ready when He
returns with your name in the book of life.
Believe, repent and be baptized.
Do not put it off! Tomorrow may
be too late.
What
can you do to be saved and be sure your name is in the Book of Life?
1.
Admit you are a sinner – Rom.3:23, 6:23
2.
Confess Jesus is Lord – Rom. 10:9-10
3.
Repent of your sins – Luke 13:5
4.
Believe in Jesus – John 3:16; 14:6
5.
Then be baptized in obedience as a public
testimony.
6.
Then to promote spiritual growth – join with
other Christians in a church, pray, read the Bible, and witness.
Here is
an example of a prayer you might pray:
Heavenly
Father,
I come
to you in prayer asking for forgiveness of my sins. I confess with my mouth and believe with my
heart that Jesus is your Son, and that He died on the cross that I might be
forgiven and have eternal life in heaven. Father, I believe that Jesus rose from the
dead and I ask you right now to come into my life and be my personal Lord and
Savior. I repent of my sins and will
worship you all the days of my life! Because
your Word is truth, I believe that I am now born again and cleansed by the
blood of Jesus!
In
Jesus Name, Amen!
Congratulation! If you prayed this and believed this with all
you heart, you are now a member of God’s family and will spend eternity with
Him. The Christian life is not easy. There will be hard times, but God will be
with you. There will be times you will
sin and not live up to how God’s wants, but remember no one but Jesus is
perfect. Christianity is a process and
you won’t get there overnight. Just stay
in His Word and keep praying and trusting in God.
Next
week we will study Revelation 21 where
we will learn about the New Jerusalem. Hope
to see you here.
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