In the
last post we saw the armies of Antichrist destroyed by the power of God’s word
and the Antichrist and his false prophet thrown into hell. The next thing John sees is the imprisonment
of Satan.
Revelation 20:1–3 “And I saw an
angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great
chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is
the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the
bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive
the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after
that he must be loosed a little season.”
John sees an angel come down from heaven (the
abode of God)—another affirmation that heaven is up in relationship to the
earth. This angel has the key, the device controlling the entrance and
exit, to the bottomless pit. He also carries a great chain. He
seizes Satan, binds him with the chain and throws him into the bottomless pit where
he will remain imprisoned for a thousand years. He will not be able to
accuse, deceive, or tempt mankind during the first thousand years that Jesus rules.
He is locked up and sealed with a special mark to preserve him until his “last
opportunity” to deceive mankind once again.
Note that an angel is given the key to the
bottomless pit in chapter 9 and the angel in chapter 20 comes out of heaven
with the key. The One in control of the key is obviously the One in
control of heaven—and the rest of creation—God. He is permitting use of
the key in accordance with the fulfillment of His purposes.
After allowing man to experience the wonder of a
thousand years of righteous judgment and peaceful existence, Satan will be
given one more opportunity of short duration to deceive men and prove the true
allegiance of the hearts of men.
The wording in verse two is almost identical to
the wording found in chapter 12, verse 9: And the great dragon was cast out, that
old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:
he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation 20:4–6 “And I saw
thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not
worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in
their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the
rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed
and holy is he that hath part
in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they
shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”
These verses mark the establishment of the government
that will characterize the Lord’s kingdom. Jesus will appoint rulers to assist Him from
those who had proven their faith and died as martyrs during the tribulation
period. They had been beheaded during
the tribulation because of their witness of Jesus and the Word of God; they had
not worshipped the beast or his image or received his mark in their foreheads
or hands. These saints are going to live and reign with Christ a thousand
years.
We also know that the 12 apostles will rule the 12
tribes of Israel, so these saints must rule outside the kingdom of Israel.
Matthew
19:28 “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have
followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of
his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel.”
John then explains that the rest of the dead will
not live again until the thousand years are completed. The resurrection of the tribulation saints
completes the first resurrection. This tells me that everyone who accepts
Jesus as Lord and Savior during the millennial kingdom will experience the same
transformation to immortality that the raptured saints experienced prior to the
tribulation.
Verse six goes on to tell us that those who have
part in the first resurrection will not be affected by the second
death—spiritual death, separation from God forever. Those who are part of
the first resurrection will be priests of God and of Christ AND shall reign
with Him for the thousand years.
There appears to be a distinction made between
those on the thrones in verse 4 and those identified in verse 6 who will be
priests of God and Christ and will reign. This seems to be a description
of the “royal priesthood” referenced in Peter’s letter.
1 Peter
2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a
peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called
you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
This is the position of those in the church as
referenced in Revelation 1:6: “And
hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
We also have to remember that Israel was promised
a position as priests.
Isaiah
61:6 “But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the
Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their
glory shall ye boast yourselves.”
We can’t all be on thrones, but we will all be in
positions of service and leadership in the millennial kingdom it would
appear. It would seem to me that a “royal priesthood” would be in
positions of spiritual leadership as opposed to governmental leadership.
Revelation doesn’t tell us much about the
millennium; we have to go to other scripture for that. Some of the verses
that describe this time are:
Isaiah
2:2-4 “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the
LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be
exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many
people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will
walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the
LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall
rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.”
Isaiah
11:6-9 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down
with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a
little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their
young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned
child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor
destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge
of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”
Isaiah
65:19-25 “And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice
of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There
shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled
his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an
hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and
inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and
another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine
elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in
vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the
LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that
before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw
like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor
destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.”
Ezekiel
34:22-31 “Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and
I will judge between cattle and cattle. And I will set up one shepherd
over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them,
and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my
servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. And I will
make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out
of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the
woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a
blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall
be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit,
and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land,
and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke,
and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. And
they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the
land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid.
And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more
consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any
more. Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and
that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. And ye
my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.”
Mic.
4:1-7 “But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the
house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it
shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many
nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the
LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways,
and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word
of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and
rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they
shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make
them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all
people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name
of the LORD our God for ever and ever. In that day, saith the LORD, will
I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her
that I have afflicted; And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that
was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount
Zion from henceforth, even for ever.”
Zechariah
14:8-11 “And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from
Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the
hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be
king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of
Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from
Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and
from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses. And men shall
dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall
be safely inhabited.”
Zechariah
14:16 “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the
nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to
worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the
earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them
shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that
have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the
heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be
the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to
keep the feast of tabernacles.”
Matthew
19:27 “Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and
followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them,
Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when
the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that
hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife,
or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and
shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last;
and the last shall be first.”
Some of the observations from the above scriptures
are:
·
The Lord will
be King over the earth.
·
Obedient Israel
will be regathered to the land God promised Abraham and will be respected and
prosperous.
·
Creation will
live in peace and harmony with one another (wolf with lamb, calf with lion,
etc.)
·
The nation of
Israel will be honored among the nations.
·
The earth
will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.
·
The
wilderness and desert will bloom; the earth will be fruitful.
·
There will be
a true new world order of worldwide peace enforced by King Jesus.
Most of the verses about the millennium center on
the blessings of restored Israel, but there is certainly enough stated to know
that it will be a time of peace and righteous judgment such as has never been
experienced on planet earth. This will
mark the complete fulfillment of God’s covenants with Abraham and David.
(to be continued…)
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