“The One-Thousand Year Reign of Christ”
(Revelation 20:1-10)
Series: Understanding The Book Of Revelation
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Church, Henderson KY
1-7-07 (AM)
- Take your Bibles and open up to the book of Revelation, chapter number 20.
This morning we are picking back up in our series “Understanding The Book Of Revelation.” We have been away a couple of weeks and we are coming back into this book in the home stretch. After this morning’s message, we have just four more messages from this wonderful book.
Chapter 20 teaches us about what Bible scholars call the “millennium.” The word “millennium” comes from a phrase that occurs no less than 6 times in this passage. Six times we read the phrase “a thousand years.” This is where we get the word “millennium.” It is a Latin word that means one thousand years. See it there in verses 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Reading the Bible in a commonsensical straightforward manner, the phrase “one thousand years” refers to a literal one thousand year reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth. Indeed, every time we read a number applied to the word “year” or “years” in the Bible it is always understood in a literal way.
I say this because there are three main views scholars hold about the millennium: premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism. The first view is the view I hold: premillennialism. The prefix, “pre,” means “before.” So premillennialism holds that Jesus Christ will literally return before the millennium. He will return and then reign with the saints upon the earth for a period of one thousand years. It is the view that believes the Bible is talking about a future, literal, one thousand year reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth. That’s premillennialism.
The second main view is called postmillennialism. The word “post,” of course, means “after.” So the postmillennialist believes Jesus Christ will return after a period of one thousand years. So the millennial reign is either already occurring in some sense, or will occur in some sense, and then Jesus Christ will return. Postmillennialism was particularly popular in our country during times of relative peace, when it appeared we were experiencing a time of unusual peace and spiritual blessing, the time of the Great Awakenings of revivalism, during the 18th and 19th centuries, for example. World War I, World War II, and succeeding wars have significantly dampened the optimistic viewpoints of postmillennials of old.
The third view is called amillennialism. The prefix “a” negates what follows so an amillennialist believes in no millennium. The person who holds to amillennialism is a person who does not believe in a literal one thousand year reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth. The amillennialist believes that the millennium is a spiritual kind of reign that has nothing to do with a future literal reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth.
Now it is not the purpose of this message to deal with all of the strengths and weaknesses of each position. Much of this has to do with how we deal with the prophecies about Israel in the Old Testament and there are good people who have argued various positions over time. And wherever you talk about premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism there will nearly always surface some wise guy who says he holds the view of “pan-millennialism.” He says, “I believe it’s all going to “pan out” in the end! Well, that may get a laugh or two, but it’s not really a very biblically responsible position.
The reason I am premillennial is because I believe in interpreting the Bible in a literal, straightforward manner when contexts suggests no obvious reason to interpret it otherwise. There are occasions where it seems clear that we are not to interpret the Bible in a literal way. For example, when Isaiah 55:12 says that “all the trees shall clap their hands,” he does not mean for us to picture trees literally clapping their hands. The prophet is speaking figuratively. When Jesus says in John 10:9 “I am the door,” He does not mean that He is literally a slab of wood with a knob on it. He is not speaking literally, but figuratively. But where there is no plain reason to interpret the Bible any other way than in a literal, straightforward manner, then we are to interpret the Bible in a literal, straightforward manner.
We have been reading a chronological sequence of events in Revelation. Chapters 4-19 have taught us about the coming time of Tribulation upon the earth. At the end of chapter 19 we have the return of Jesus Christ following the Tribulation. What we read in chapter 20 is John’s telling us what happens next. It’s pretty clear. He begins in verse one “Then I saw.” So we’re merely reading through the Bible in a plain straightforward manner, allowing the Bible to speak for itself. Now John is recording all of this in his vision. Listen to what he sees as I read the passage.
- Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Holy Word.
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison
8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.
9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
**Pray.
Introduction:
Can you predict the future? Pat Robertson believes he can. You may have seen in the news last week where the evangelical broadcaster made a prediction on Tuesday. He said that God told him there would be a massive terrorist attack in the United States sometime after September of this year. He claims that God speaks directly to him about these future events. But the big problem with all of this is that Robertson is not always right about his predictions. Just last May, for example, the broadcaster said that storms and possibly even a tsunami would crash into America’s coastline sometime in the fall. It didn’t happen.
How does Robertson respond to questions about the times his predictions don’t come true? He says, “I have a relatively good track record. Sometimes I miss.” Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/02/robertson.predictions.ap/index.html
A relatively good track record? Sometimes I miss?! By his own admissions, Robertson reveals that he is at odds with what the Scriptures teach about true prophecies from God. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 18:20-22 if a person claims to be speaking for God about a certain future event and that future event does not come to pass that that person is a false prophet who has spoken presumptuously.
Now I’ll leave to Pat Robertson how to explain himself out of that one, but here’s the deal: the God we serve is not a God who has merely “a relatively good track record.” The God we serve, the God Who tells us about future events, is the God Who is absolutely positively right every single solitary time, without exception.
In our passage this morning, God tells us precisely what will happen before, during, and after the one thousand year reign of Jesus Christ upon the earth. We’re going to look at that this morning.
I. Before: Satan is Restricted in Power (1-3)
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
Before the one thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth Satan is restricted in power. John sees this in his vision. He sees this angel coming down and the angel has a huge chain in his hand. What does he do with that chain? The Bile says he lays hold of the devil and binds him with the chain. For how long? For a thousand years. For a millennium. Presently, the devil goes about the earth, as Peter puts it in 1 Peter 5:8, “as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” But the time will come when Satan is restricted in power. He is bound with a chain. Then what happens? What does the angel do next? Continue reading in verse 3:
3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
Satan is cast into the bottomless pit, the abyss, the temporary abode of the fallen angels and demons for a period of one thousand years. Now after the one thousand years, but Bible says he must be released for a little while. We’ll read about that in a moment.
What I want you to see here is something we have seen time and again throughout the book of Revelation: God is in absolute control of everything, including Satan. We see here that God will restrict Satan’s power during the millennial reign. God is in control. In fact, as we’ve noted before, Satan really has no power at all, because whatever power he has he has because God has allowed him to have it.
Now we would be here all day if we wanted to speculate as to why God will bind the devil and then release him for a short time instead of just doing away with him at once. We may as well speculate as to why God allows the devil to exist at all. At the end of the day we remember Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God.” He knows what He is doing and that’s good enough for me. I don’t worry about the devil because I know he is under the control of God. The answer to dealing with the devil is not to get into a shouting match with him. The answer is to go to God.
James 4:7-8 reminds us that the phrase “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” is sandwiched beautifully between two other phrases: “Submit to God” and “Draw near to God.” The answer to defeating the devil’s temptations and trials is to submit to God and draw near to God. Go to God! The devil doesn’t want to be where God is.
Before the millennial reign of Christ upon the earth, Satan is restricted in power. Number two:
II. During: Saints Reign in Peace (4-6)
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
John describes two categories of Christians in verse 4. He sees Christians in general from throughout the ages and Christians who died as martyrs during the Tribulation. He sees Christians from every age sitting on thrones, having the authority to judge. And John also sees reigning with them “the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness and for the word of God.” These are Christians who died during the time of Tribulation. They are specifically the ones whom John says “had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark (666) on their foreheads or on their hands.” What happened after they died? “They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
The word “lived” there literally means “came to life.” It is a word that refers to a resurrection. The Christians John sees already sitting on thrones and the Christians who have died a martyr’s death during the Tribulation both “came to life” in what John calls the “first” resurrection at the end of verse 5. This is the period of time when Christians will rise to meet the Lord in the air. It is the time of the rapture. When will all Christians rise to meet the Lord? They will rise to meet the Lord in the air immediately after the Tribulation period.
Jesus Himself says in Matthew 24:29-31, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days . . . the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
The trumpet sounding indicates that this resurrection, this rising up into the air to meet the Lord, coincides with Paul’s teaching in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” That’s what John is talking about here in Revelation 20. This is the first resurrection. Then Paul says in verse 17: “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”
So the Bible seems to teach rather clearly that the rising up into the air, or the rapture, occurs immediately after the Tribulation. John calls this rapture the “first” resurrection in verse 5. If Christians were already raptured we would expect that John would refer to this resurrection as the “second” resurrection in verse 5, but he does not. He calls it the “first” resurrection.
5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
The “rest of the dead” are those who are not believers. They have no part in the first resurrection. They do not rise until the thousand years are over. And when they do rise, they are going to rise for judgment. We’ll read more about that next time, Lord willing, in verses 11-15. All who have died without Christ, all the “rest of the dead” will rise for judgment and every unbeliever will be finally cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). That’s why John says in verse six:
6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Blessed are those who have a part in the first resurrection. Why? “Over such the second death has no power.” That is, the unbelievers will rise for judgment. That judgment is called “the second death.” Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ will not face the second death. We will die only once. We die a physical death but we are then with our Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Christians will reign with Christ. The Bible says “they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” During the millennium, saints reign in peace.
We don’t have time to talk about all the Old Testament prophecies about Israel that await fulfillment. There are many prophecies about Israel that will be fulfilled during the millennial reign of Christ upon the earth. You can read them later in Isaiah 11:1-11 and Isaiah 65:17-25, for example, where we read of a future time that Israel will be restored to her land and there will be a time of peace and prosperity upon the earth. It is a time, the prophet says when the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion will lie down together, and a little child will lead them. It is a time of incredible peace upon the earth, a utopian Christian theocracy.
The coming one thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth is a time for which we should pray. Jesus taught us this in Matthew 6:10: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
When we trust Christ as our Lord and Savior we receive a foretaste of the kingdom. There is one sense in which the reign of Christ occurs now. Jesus said in Luke 17:21,”The kingdom of God is within you.” The kingdom is “now.” But the kingdom is also “not yet.” Again, Matthew 6:10, Jesus says, pray: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, (where?)—on earth as it is in heaven.”
Before the millennium, Satan is restricted in power; during the millennium saints reign with Christ, thirdly:
III. After: Sinful Rebels are Punished (7-10)
7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison
8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.
After the millennium, Satan is released and he picks up right where he left off one thousand years earlier: he works as the great deceiver. He goes out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth. The background for “God and Magog” is found in Ezekiel 38-39. Here it refers to the enemies of God who gather together from all the nations, from the four corners of the earth.
9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.
Now this is an amazing thing. We might ask, “How can Satan succeed in deceiving people of the nations when there has just been this one thousand year reign of peace?” Well, remember: while Satan was restricted in power during the millennial reign, the presence of sin and the influence of sin remain in the hearts of rebellious people during the millennium. There are two types of people during the millennium: those with glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51-54; Philippians 3:20-21) and those without glorified bodies. Those without glorified bodies will be able to have children. 1000 years allows for a lot of time for people to live outwardly submissive to the reign of Christ, yet seethe inwardly in rebellion against the Son of God. But what happens to this sinful rebellion? Like the battle of Armageddon, it is practically over before it begins:
And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
Then what happens?
10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
After the millennium, sinful rebels are punished. The devil is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Conclusion:
Before the millennium, Satan is restricted in power. During the millennium, saints reign in peace. After the millennium, sinful rebels are punished. This millennial reign, this one thousand year reign is coming and we yearn for that day. We look forward to that day.
We may ask what part our observance of the Lord’s Supper has to do with this passage in Revelation about the Lord’s reign on earth. Did you know that participating in the Lord’s Supper you are looking forward to the Lord’s second coming?
1 Corinthians 11:26: “Every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are [proclaiming, or] announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again. (NLT).”
This morning as you partake of the Supper, remember that you are both looking backward and you are looking forward. You are looking backward to Calvary, remembering what Jesus did for you on the cross. And you are looking forward, anticipating His glorious second coming when He will come to reign with the saints upon the earth for a thousand years.
Invitation:
The burning lake of fire is not only the final destination of the devil, the beast, and the false prophet, but it is also the final destination of every unbeliever. John goes on to say in the last verse of chapter 20, verse 15: “anyone who was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Turn to Christ. Trust Him alone to save you from your sins.
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