The Millennial Reign of Christ

Let's turn to Revelation chapter 20.

Revelation 20 · chapter mention

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Sean,

I'm one of the pastors of Trinity Cambridge Church.

If you don't have a Bible, please raise your hand.

We'd love to bring you a copy so that you can use it.

You can actually take it home with you.

We've been going through Revelation for most of this year, I believe,

and we are right now in Revelation 20.

Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's Word.

Father, we need your help to understand this passage.

It's the Word that you spoke.

The Word that points us to the person and work of your Son, Jesus Christ.

The Word that is illuminated to our hearts by your Holy Spirit.

So, Lord, help us.

Fill us with a grand vision of your glory and power and sovereignty.

And fill us with hope and perseverance

as we wait for the return of our King, Jesus.

It's in His precious name we pray.

Amen.

If you are able, please stand and join me for the reading of God's Word

from Revelation 20, verses 1 to 6.

Revelation 20:1–6

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven,

holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit

and a great chain.

And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent,

who is the devil and Satan,

and bound him for a thousand years,

and threw him into the pit,

and shut it and sealed it over him,

so that he might not deceive the nations any longer,

until the thousand years were ended.

After that, he must be released for a little while.

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 worshipped the beast or its image,

and had not received its mark on their foreheads

and 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.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

You may be seated.

As I mentioned last week,

this is one of the most difficult passages,

and one of the most hotly debated passages

in the book of Revelation.

And so I took last Sunday

to just kind of give you all the background for this.

So if you missed that,

I encourage you to go and listen to that.

It'll help you to understand this week's sermon.

In politics, there is an expression called

a lame duck.

And it refers to a politician

who is on his way out,

whether it's due to electoral losses

or something else.

It's already been determined

that he, this politician,

will be superseded by a different politician

in the near future.

And Revelation 20, 1 to 6,

reminds us that Satan is a lame duck.

And that his regime is about to be toppled

on this earth.

But that Christ is the true king

who will soon establish his millennial reign on earth.

And so we're going to talk first

about the jailing of Satan during the thousand years.

And then secondly, we'll talk about the reign of Christ

during the thousand years.

He says in verse 1,

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven,

holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit

and a great chain.

And so I don't normally use the slides this often,

but because it's a difficult passage to follow,

I'm going to be using the slides quite a bit

so you guys can keep track.

And so we're addressing the question of the abyss here.

So this is not the first time

we've seen an angel holding the key

to the bottomless pit.

We saw it already in chapter 9, verses 1 to 2,

where an angel that had fallen from heaven to earth,

a fallen angel,

received the key to the bottomless pit

and then opened it

and then released a horde of demonic locusts.

So that fallen angel's name was Abaddon

or Apollyon in Greek,

which both mean destroyer.

So this is most likely in chapter 9

that was most likely referenced to Satan,

whom we were told in Revelation 12

was cast down, thrown down from heaven to earth

along with his angels.

The bottomless pit in Greek is abousos,

which is where we get the English word abyss.

It is the realm of demons.

This is not the eternal fire

prepared for the devil and his angels

that Jesus mentions in Matthew 25, 41,

which is the lake of fire mentioned in Revelation 20,

where the devil, the beast, and the false prophet,

and as well as all those who follow them

will all be in the end ultimately cast into.

Rather, this abyss,

in contrast from the lake of fire,

the abyss is the place of temporary incarceration

in which evil spirits can be imprisoned

and from which they can be released.

So in Luke 8, 30, 31, for example,

many demons named Legion

beg Jesus not to command them

to depart into the abyss

or to the bottomless pit.

So the difference, however,

between Revelation 9 and Revelation 20

is that this time it's not a fallen angel

that holds the key to the bottomless pit.

It's an angel coming down from heaven.

And this angel is not only holding in his hand

the key to the bottomless pit,

he's also holding a great chain,

which must be great

because it's going to be used

to bind the great dragon.

And it says in verses 2 to 3

that he sees the dragon,

that ancient serpent,

who is the devil and Satan,

and bound him for a thousand years

and threw him into the pit

and shut it and sealed it over him

so that he might not deceive the nations any longer

until the thousand years were ended.

After that, he must be released

for a little while.

Can you guys hear me okay?

Am I ringing?

No? Okay.

The angel of the bottomless pit

is now himself seized and bound

and locked up in that bottomless pit.

Before he had the key to it,

now he's bound and it's like he's under house arrest.

And this highlights the sovereignty of God.

In 9.1, this angel was given,

if you remember,

was given the key to the bottomless pit.

And where did he get the key from?

Who gave him this key?

This is the divine passive construction.

He says that he was given the key.

It's a divine passive construction

that is trying to indicate

that while God is never directly behind evil,

that he's nonetheless completely sovereign over evil.

So we were told in Revelation 1, 17 to 18,

who ultimately holds this key

to death and Hades and even to the abyss.

It's Jesus said,

fear not, I am the first and the last

and the living one.

I died and behold,

I am alive forevermore.

And I have the keys of death and Hades.

So as the resurrected Lord,

Jesus holds the key of death and Hades.

And so even though Satan is king

over his demonic minions,

in relation to King Jesus,

he is nothing more than a lackey,

a slave, a prison warden.

Even this powerful angel

who can seize the great dragon

and bind him and throw him into the prison,

he receives the key ultimately,

his authority from Christ,

who is the king of kings and the Lord of lords.

And so Satan is locked up

in this bottomless pit in verse one,

and then he's released again in verse seven,

and only to be captured again

and then thrown into his final destiny,

which is the lake of fire or hell,

in verse 10.

So this vaunted great dragon

that whose fearsome description

we saw in chapter 12

is treated,

it's tossed around like a floppy rag doll

in this passage.

And if Christ can make easy work

of Satan, our greatest enemy,

even the most vicious persecutors

of the church,

even the most powerful dictators

in the world,

even the most intractable diseases

in our lives,

and the tragic disasters

throughout the world,

whatever it might be,

no matter the highs and lows of life

and the unexpected turns of life,

we can rest assured

that God Almighty is sovereign.

Now what exactly is the millennium?

Is it a literal thousand years?

I don't think the thousand years

is a literal thousand years

because nearly all of the numbers

that we have seen so far

in the book of Revelation

have had symbolic significance.

A thousand years

is an often used literary figure

for a long time.

So for example,

it says in Psalm 90 verse four,

for a thousand years in your sight

are but as yesterday

when it is past.

First Chronicles 16.15,

David exhorts the Israelites

to remember God's covenant forever.

The word that he commanded

for a thousand generations.

So a thousand generations

is parallel poetically to forever

because it represents

a really long time.

So I don't think it's referring

to a literal thousand generations

or a thousand years here

but to an indefinitely

long period of time.

And the multiples of thousands

have already been used symbolically

in the book of Revelation

up to this point.

And because post-millennialists

and amillennialists

and if you don't know

what I'm talking about,

I'm sorry.

I had to listen to the sermon last week.

Post-millennialists believe

that Jesus returns

after the millennium

and amillennialists believe

that we're already in the millennium

and there will be no future millennium.

They think that Christ's second coming

is after the millennium

and for that reason,

they argue that Revelation 21 to 6

must be going back in time

to describe the first coming of Jesus

even though it comes after chapter 19

which describes the second coming of Jesus.

So this is a possibility

because Revelation does employ

progressive parallelism

and I've talked to you about this.

For example,

how we saw the seven seals

and the seven trumpets

and the seven bowls of judgments

are not occurring in linear

chronological succession

but actually are recapitulations

or repeats

and different angles

of the same judgments

in a parallel

but also progressive way.

And so it is a possibility

that this is doing the same thing

in Revelation 21 to 6.

However,

I don't think

that verses 1 to 6

is an instance of that

because there are

chronological markers

in the text

that suggest that

the judgment of Babylon

and of the beast

and false prophet

and finally the dragon

happen in sequence.

In 1920

when Christ,

the king,

returns on his white horse

both the beast

and the false prophet

are captured

and then thrown

into the lake of fire

that burns with sulfur.

Then having dealt

with the beast

in 20 verses 2 to 3

the attention is paid

to the dragon.

The dragon is bound

and locked up in prison

so that he might not deceive

the nations any longer

and until the thousand years

were ended.

After that

he must be released

for a little while

so until after

these are chronological markers.

That means there was

a period of time

when Satan was deceiving

the nations

and then there's a period

of time

during the millennium

when he cannot deceive

the nations.

So and after that

he is released again

as we see in verse 7 and 8

and when the thousand years

are ended

Satan will be released

from his prison

and will come out

to deceive the nations.

It's clearly happening

in sequence.

And it's after

this final period

of deception

of the nations

by the dragon

after his release

from the dungeon

in Revelation 20 verse 10

Revelation 20:10

he says that

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.

I think that's

the decisive clue.

Verse 10 tells us

that when the devil

is finally thrown

into the lake of fire

the beast

and the false prophet

are already there.

And the only time

Revelation has spoken

of the beast

and the false prophet

being thrown

into the lake of fire

was in chapter 19

verse 20

at the second coming

of Jesus.

So this verse assumes

that the event

of chapter 20

are happening in sequence

after the events

of chapter 19

which describes

the second coming

of Jesus

and his judgment

of the beast.

All that to say

I don't think

1 to 6

is a recapitulation

I think it's happening

in sequence

which means

the millennium

must occur

after Christ's

second coming.

Now one of the

strongest

amillennial objections

to reading chapters

19 to 20

sequentially

they don't want

to read it sequentially

is that according

to 19, 11, 20

11 to 21

Christ has already

vanquished his enemies.

So the great supper

of God

remember when he

offered the flesh

of kings

to the carrion birds

that's already

taken place

in chapter 19.

So well

if Christ

has already

defeated

and punished

the nations

then what

nations

are there

left

for Satan

to deceive

in verse 3?

So the amill argument

is that Satan

being bound

that he might

not deceive

the nations

any longer

cannot be occurring

after the second coming

that is described

in chapter 19

but it must be

going back

to Christ's

first coming.

However

when you look

closely at the text

I don't think

that argument

is as strong

as it initially

seems.

in 1919

it tells us

exactly the identity

of those

who were

being struck

down by Christ

it's the beast

and the false prophet

and the kings

of the earth

with their armies

it's those

among the nations

who follow

the lead

of the beast

and the kings

of the earth

to make war

against Christ

after his return

that are destroyed

by Christ

in chapter 19

not all

of the nations.

in fact

it says

in 1915

from his mouth

comes a sharp sword

with which

to strike down

the nations

and he will

rule them

with a rod

of iron.

Jesus strikes

down the nations

but apparently

there's still

nations left over

whom he will

rule

with the rod

of iron

future tense

as Revelation 12

Revelation 12:5

verse 5 said

Jesus is the one

who is to rule

all the nations

with the rod

of iron.

Jesus doesn't

rule over

his own people

with a rod

of iron.

He rules

over the nations

with a rod

of iron

and that takes

place during

the millennial

reign

and when Satan

is released

from his prison

after the millennium

in verses 7 and 10

he will come out

to deceive the nations

and gather them

for war against Christ

in the city

of Jerusalem

and it is at that

point that all

the nations

who had opposed

Christ

are finally judged

before the great

white throne

and then thrown

into the lake

of fire.

Now this

understanding

of Revelation 20

makes good sense

in light of

Revelation 2

26 where Christ

promised

the one who

conquers

and who keeps

my works

until the end

to him I will

give authority

over the nations

and he will

rule them

with a rod

of iron

as when earth

and pots

are broken

in pieces

even as I

myself have

received authority

from my father.

So God's

people who endure

who conquer

and who endure

to the end

faith

are supposed

to at some

point rule

over the nations

with the rod

of iron

joining in

Christ's rule.

When does that

happen in the book

of Revelation?

Are the saints

right now in heaven

reigning over

the nations

with the rod

of iron?

It doesn't seem

that way.

If there is no

millennial reign

after Christ's

second coming

this rule

that was promised

in Revelation

2 26

never takes place.

So the timeline

I am suggesting

is confirmed

also by

Zechariah 14

which describes

it's a prophecy

of Christ's

return

and the war

that takes place

with the kings

after his return

and it says

in 14 16

that everyone

who survives

of all the nations

shall go up

year after year

to worship

the king

the lord of hosts

and to keep

the feast of boots.

So it sounds

like there are

survivors

after the war

among the nations

and this seems

to be describing

the millennial reign

of Christ.

So then

when is

a thousand years?

I think it's

after Christ's

second coming

which is

I am a historic

pre-millennialist

who believes

that Christ

will return

pre-millennium

before the thousand years.

Now let's turn

to another

interpretive issue

that has bearings

on this question.

By the way

I cut six

single pages

out of my sermon

for this

and so

I'm gonna

just either

I didn't have

a chance

to print it out

but I'll share

that with you

as a PDF form

on our church slack

so if you are

actually familiar

with some of

these arguments

and want to know

how more extensive

interaction with

the Amel positions

I'd encourage you

to read that

for the sake of

not boring you

to death

and also actually

sharing something

that's encouraging

I'm gonna

I abbreviate a lot

of the details

so bear with me

I know this

is kind of hard

to follow.

Where was I?

What does it mean

that Satan is bound?

So Amel and

Postmill people

cite Matthew 12

28 to 29

as evidence

that the millennium

begins with the

first coming of Christ

and I think that's

actually one of

their strongest

arguments.

In Matthew 12

Jesus is casting

out demons

and his detractors

argue that he's

using the power

of the prince

of demons

the Beelzebul

in order to cast

out these

little demons

demons

but Jesus

exposes their

folly by telling

them well if

Satan casts out

Satan then he is

divided against

himself how then

will his kingdom

stand?

Instead he tells

them that he's

casting out demons

by the spirit of

God and then he

adds this

how can someone

enter a strong

man's house

and plunder

his goods

unless he first

binds the strong

man then indeed

he may plunder

his house.

So that word

bind is the

exact same word

that's used in

Revelation 20

Revelation 20:2

verse 2

when it says

an angel

bound Satan

for a thousand

years.

So Jesus

has bound

Satan

the strong

man

in his first

coming which

is why he

is able to

plunder his

house and

cast out demons

and bring

salvation to

all nations.

At his death

and resurrection

Jesus defeated

Satan and

secured the

gift of the

spirit for all

of his people

and this is a

fulfillment of

the prophecy

in Psalm 82

when he said

that God

himself will

come to

dispossess

the so-called

gods of

the nations

and inherit

all nations

to himself.

This is why

in the Old

Testament

the movement

of salvation

is centripetal.

It goes

toward the

center

toward the

people of

God

in Jerusalem.

But in

the New

Testament

the movement

of salvation

is centrifugal.

It goes

out from

Jerusalem

to all Judea

and Samaria

and to the

ends of the

earth

to bear

witness to

the nations.

In the Old

Covenant

salvation

was restricted

mostly to

the Jews

though there

were some

Gentiles.

But in the

New Covenant

salvation

comes upon

the Gentiles.

So this is

all true

and biblical

which is why

I think this

is one of

their most

compelling

arguments.

However,

I don't

think Revelation

Revelation 20:2

20 verse 2

has in view

that binding

for several

reasons.

First,

it's interesting

that all of

the Synoptic

Gospels,

Matthew,

Mark,

and Luke

contain that

passage about

the binding

of the strong

man.

The only

Gospel that

does not

contain that

passage is

the Gospel

of John

which happens

to be written

by the same

author as

Revelation.

The language

that John

uses to

describe the

defeat of

Satan is

not one of

binding but

of being

cast out.

John 12

31,

now is the

judgment of

this world,

now will the

ruler of this

world be

cast out.

And where

is Satan

cast out of?

Not out of

this world.

John writes

elsewhere in

1 John 5

19,

we know that

we are from

God and the

whole world

lies in the

power of the

evil one.

Does it sound

like he's cast

out of the

world?

2 Corinthians

4, 3-4,

and even if the

Gospel is

veiled, it is

veiled to those

who are perishing.

In their case,

the God of

this world has

blinded the

minds of the

unbelievers to

keep them from

seeing the

light of the

Gospel of the

glory of Christ.

Does that sound

like Satan being

cast out of

this world and

being unable to

deceive?

1 Peter 5, 8

says, be sober

minded, be

watchful.

Your adversary,

the devil, prowls

around like a

roaring lion,

seeking someone

to devour.

Is Satan bound

with chains in

the abyss or

prowling around like

a roaring lion?

Is he no longer

deceiving the

nations or is he

blinding the

minds of the

unbelievers?

What John is

describing in

John 12, 31,

is not Satan being

cast out from

the earth to

the abyss.

No, he's

describing Satan

being cast out

from heaven to

earth.

Isn't that what

Jesus said in

Luke 10, 18,

19?

I saw Satan

fall like

lightning from

heaven.

This is what

we saw described

in Revelation 12

when after Jesus'

death and

resurrection and

ascension on

earth, from

earth, Satan is

defeated by

Archangel Michael

in heaven and

it said in

Revelation 12, 8-9,

but the dragon

was defeated and

there was no

longer any place

for them in

heaven.

And the great

dragon was thrown

down, the ancient

serpent who is

called the devil

and Satan, the

deceiver of the

whole world.

He was thrown

down to the

earth and his

angels were thrown

down with him.

That word thrown

down is a

variation of the

same Greek word

that John used in

John 12, 31 when

he said this ruler

of this world is

cast out.

So people who

claim that

Revelation 20, 1-6

is this

description of the

first coming of

Christ argue that

it's a recapitulation

or repeat of what

happened in Revelation

12 that I was just

talking about.

But there are key

differences.

I can highlight that

for you.

In 12, 8-9, Satan

is thrown down to

the earth from

heaven.

But in 20, verse 3,

Satan is thrown

down into the

bottomless pit from

earth.

That's why the

angel in chapter 20,

verse 1, comes down

from heaven to

earth in order to

seize, bind, and

imprison Satan.

In 12, 12-13, 18,

the result of Satan

being thrown down

to the earth, the

deceiver of the

whole world, is that

he becomes furious

and makes war

against the saints.

And then he makes

the beast and the

false prophet rise

forth from the

abyss and he makes

them deceive the

nations.

He's called the

deceiver of the

whole world in

12, 9.

He deceives those

who dwell on

earth.

Through the

beast and the

false prophet

in chapter 13,

verse 14.

He deceives the

nations through

Babylon sorcery in

1823.

Again and again,

we're told throughout

the Revelation that

in the church age,

Satan and his

minions are deceiving

the nations, which

is exactly what verse

3 tells us Satan

cannot do while he's

bound in the pit, so

that he might not

deceive the nations

any longer until the

thousand years

were ended.

So which is it?

Is Satan furious on

earth, wreaking havoc

as the deceiver of

the world with

authority over the

nations, or is Satan

bound and unable to

deceive the nations?

The immediate context

of the book of

Revelation, which is

the most important

biblical context for

us to consider in

interpreting this,

suggests that these

two chapters are not

referring to the same

events, Revelation 12

and Revelation 20.

Revelation 12 is

describing the first

coming of Christ.

Revelation 20 is

describing the second

coming of Christ.

In Revelation 9, Satan

was given the key to

the bottomless pit and

he opened the shaft of

the bottomless pit to

release the demonic

locusts.

In Revelation 20, Satan

is locked in this

bottomless pit.

These two things cannot

be referring to the

same event.

Revelation 11, 7 and

17, 8 says that the

beast rises from the

bottomless pit and makes

war on the saints.

So are they rising from

the bottomless pit or are

they bound in the

bottomless pit?

They're not referring to

the same events.

So now why does all of

this matter?

The point of chapter 20

verses 1 to 3 isn't to

tell us Satan is bound

and can no longer

deceive.

So the advance of the

gospel all over the

world is unstoppable and

the triumph of the

gospel throughout human

society is inevitable.

So go boldly and

change the world.

The tide has turned,

momentum is on your

side.

That's not the point of

Revelation 20, 1 to 6.

That is the argument of

the postmillennialists.

However, the point of

Revelation 20, 1 to 3 is

to cultivate Christian

triumphalism.

It's intended to cultivate

Christian hope and

endurance.

Christ did not send us

out as lions among wolves.

He sent us out as sheep

among wolves.

to follow in the footsteps

of the lamb who was

slain by enduring

suffering and even death

for the sake of Christ.

Right now, Satan is at

large prowling around

like a roaring lion.

Right now, he is making

war against the saints and

conquering us and killing

us, God's people.

Right now, he is deceiving

the nations and blinding

the minds of the

unbelievers so that they

cannot see the light of the

glory of the gospel of

Christ.

Don't we all know that

frustration?

We've seen it.

But we go bear witness

anyway.

Because blessed are you

when people persecute and

revile you and say all

kinds of false things about

you on the economy.

Because in the same way

they persecuted the

prophets who were before

you.

For rejoice and be glad,

for your reward is great

in heaven.

Don't lose hope.

Persevere.

Because Satan is a lame

duck whose regime is about

to be toppled.

His days are numbered.

The timer is ticking down.

Christ is coming soon.

So pledge your allegiance,

loyalty to Christ the King

who will reign during the

millennium and forevermore.

That's the point of

Revelation 20 verses 1 to 3.

Revelation 20:1–3

Now that we've looked at

the jailing of Satan during

the thousand years, let's

look at the reign of Christ

during the thousand years

in verses 4 to 6.

He says in verse 4,

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

worshipped 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.

People who subscribe to

amillennialism argue that

these thrones are a picture

of deceased saints reigning

with Christ in heaven,

like the 24 thrones and the

24 elders that were in

heaven around the throne of

God that we saw in

Revelation 4 and 11.

However, I think it's more

likely that John is seeing

those heavenly thrones now

appearing on earth because

verse 1 already narrated the

transition of the scene from

heaven to earth.

He saw an angel coming down

from heaven, which means the

angel is on earth now.

And that means the

subsequent events described

in verses 1 to 6 are

happening on earth and not

in heaven.

He said in verse 3 that the

purpose of the jailing of

Satan for a thousand years

was so that he might not

deceive the nations any

longer.

And where are these nations?

There are no nations in

heaven that do not yet know

God.

There are no nations to be

deceived in heaven.

The events of Revelation

verse 6 are happening on

earth.

These thrones and those who

are seated on them with the

authority to judge might be

the 24 elders, representatives

of the 12 tribes of Israel

and the 12 apostles of the

Lamb, since we've seen them

sitting on thrones before.

And if that is the case,

this is the fulfillment of

Jesus' promise to his

apostles in Matthew 19, 28.

In the new world, when the

Son of Man will sit on his

glorious throne, you who have

followed me will also sit on

12 thrones, judging the 12

tribes of Israel.

The Greek word translated the

new world is rendered by the

NIV and the CSB as the

renewal of all things.

This is not speaking of the

apostles presently reigning in

Christ in heaven while our

fallen world groans under the

weight, in pains of child

birth, under the weight of

sin.

It's speaking of the time when

the apostles will reign over and

judge the world at the time of

Christ's return, at the renewal

rule of all things in the new

world.

But it's not only the 24 elders

who will be ruling and judging

the world.

In addition to those who are

seated on the thrones, it says

in verse 4,

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 worshipped the beast or its

image and had not received this

mark on their foreheads or their

hands.

They came to life and reign with

Christ for a thousand years.

So these are the souls of those

who had been beheaded for

bearing witness to Jesus.

But not only the martyrs, not

only those who were killed for

their faith, but also all those

who did not bow down to the

beast and its image.

All believers, that means.

Not only the apostles will get to

partake in the reigning and

judging of Christ in the

millennial kingdom.

I think this is what 1 Corinthians

6, 2 spoke of.

Do you not know that the saints

will judge the world?

This is a fulfillment of

Revelation 5, 9 to 10, that

Jesus had made, that Jesus

made his people a kingdom and

priests to our God, and they

shall reign on the earth.

Remember, note that.

It says that they'll reign on the

earth as kingdom and priests to

our God, and that matches

chapter 20, verse 6, which

clarifies that we'll be priests

of God and reign with Christ.

On the earth today, we

Christians are on the dock.

In the court of public opinion,

as Bible-believing Christians, we

are often objects of the world's

judgment and ridicule and

condemnation.

How many times have you heard your

peers at school or your co-workers

or media pundits make snide remarks

about our theological or ethical

beliefs?

The world stands in judgment over

us.

But remember this.

Do you know that in the

millennium, the saints will judge

the world?

And if the saints' reign will take

place on the earth, as it says in

Revelation 5, then verse 4 cannot be

speaking of a spiritual resurrection

and reign of the saints in heaven.

So then the first resurrection in

view in verse 4 has to be a

physical resurrection.

That's what we're going to talk

about next.

It says in verse 4,

I saw the souls of those who had

been beheaded for the testimony of

Jesus.

They came to life and reigned with

Christ for a thousand years.

The word beheaded clearly speaks of

physical death, which means that the

souls is a reference to disembodied

souls.

So what does it mean that disembodied

souls came to life?

The only thing that it can mean is

that they were physically resurrected

because these souls were not dead to

begin with.

The Bible teaches that it does teach

the immortality of the soul.

And for that reason, when it speaks of

the soul of deceased believers being

translated into heaven in the

intermediate state between the first

and second coming of Christ, between

physical death and physical

resurrection, it never speaks of the

soul coming to life.

It never uses the language of

resurrection.

For example, it says in Philippians 1,

21 to 23, for to me, to live is

Christ and to die is gain.

If I am to live in the flesh, that

means fruitful labor for me, yet which

I shall choose I cannot tell.

I am hard pressed between the two.

My desire is to depart and be with

Christ, for that is far better.

So here Paul speaks of remaining physically

alive in order to minister.

But he talks also of dying physically so

that he can depart and be with Christ.

He doesn't say that his soul will come to

life or be resurrected.

He says that his soul will be departing to

be with Christ.

Similarly, in 2 Corinthians 5, 8, Paul writes,

we would rather be away from the body and

at home with the Lord.

Once again, Paul uses the language of

travel rather than of resurrection.

Away home, from home, depart.

And that makes good sense because the soul

never dies.

So it is nonsensical to speak of a soul being

raised to life.

Even in the book of Revelation, when John

speaks of souls in the intermediate state in

heaven, for example, Revelation 6, 9, 11, and 14, 13,

it uses the word rest to describe their state.

It never uses the language of resurrection.

The Greek word that is translated resurrection

here in Revelation 20 appears 41 times in the

New Testament.

And it refers to a physical resurrection

all of those times except for one.

It's Luke 2, 34.

And in Luke 2, 34, the word is used figuratively

to refer to the fall and rising of many.

Similar to how we say that somebody's career

was resurrected.

It's being used figuratively in Luke 2, 34.

So then, apart from that one instance where the

word is not even being used literally,

all instances of the word resurrection refers

to the physical resurrection of people in the

New Testament.

So then, there must be compelling, contextual

evidence in Revelation 20 itself for us to not

understand this word as referring to a physical

resurrection.

But in this case, no such compelling evidence

exists.

In Revelation 2, verse 8, which is a very close

Revelation 2:8

parallel, Jesus says the words of the first and

the last who died and came to life.

Exact same Greek word in the exact same tense as the

one in Revelation 24 to 5 and refers to Christ's

physical resurrection.

Similarly, it refers to the beast's physical

resurrection using the same language in Revelation

13, 14.

Furthermore, the nature of the second resurrection

that we see here gives us a clue for understanding

the nature of the first resurrection.

It says in verse 5,

the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand

years were ended.

The believing dead come to life at the beginning of the

millennium, but the unbelieving dead come to life after the

millennium.

This is what Jesus talks about in John 5, 28 to 29.

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, those who have

done evil to the resurrection of judgment.

It's interesting that Jesus distinguishes those two resurrections, the

resurrection of life and the resurrection of judgment.

And here it's clearly a physical resurrection.

They come out from the tombs.

For this reason, among all the millennial positions, there is almost universal

agreement that the second resurrection in view here is a physical

resurrection.

And if the second resurrection is physical, then in all likelihood, the first

resurrection is also physical.

The first resurrection, the believing dead come to life.

And in the second resurrection, the unbelieving dead come to life.

The exact same words are used to describe these two resurrections in the span of

two verses.

Verse 5 says that the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand

years were ended.

That implies that the other dead, because rest of the dead implies rest of the

dead.

So that means the other dead, the believing dead, already came to life in the

same way that the unbelieving dead will come to life after the millennium.

Namely, physically.

And this is not the only place where the Bible speaks of two resurrections.

We already saw how Jesus distinguished the resurrection of life from the

resurrection of judgment in John 5.

Similarly, Paul describes the order of the resurrections in 1 Corinthians 15, 22,

to 25.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive, but each in his

own order.

Christ the first fruits, 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 the death.

So you see the three resurrections there.

Revelation 20 follows this precise order.

First, Christ is resurrected.

Second, saints are resurrected at his second coming.

And apparently that is not the end.

Because third, and it says in Revelation 20, 13 to 14, 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.

There's another resurrection there.

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death, the lake of fire.

So the order is first, Christ's resurrection.

Second, the first resurrection of the saints at the second coming.

Then third, the second resurrection of unbelievers after the millennium.

And then the final judgment and the second death in which death itself will be destroyed.

The center for the study of global Christianity based in Gordon-Conwell's theological seminary

estimates that 70 million Christians have been martyred for their faith over the last 2,000 years.

70 million.

Open Door's ministry estimates that 5,621 Christians were murdered because of their faith this past year.

And all that seems so final, doesn't it?

What can be done about their lost days?

What can be done about their lost lives?

Do we just tell them, well, hey, be happy that, you know, at least your souls are alive in heaven?

No.

We have a greater hope than that.

The victory of Christ is not total and the vindication of the saints is not complete until death, our last enemy, is vanquished.

Though the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet make war against the saints and conquer them,

all the damage that they do, including death itself, will be finally and irrevocably reversed.

Our great hope, brothers and sisters, is not in the immortality of the soul, but the resurrection of the body.

But then why doesn't God just bring about the final consummation and a new heaven and a new earth depicted in Revelation 21 right away,

along with the second coming and the resurrection of the saints?

What is the purpose of this intervening millennial reign of Christ on earth?

In this present world, we walk by faith and not by sight.

We don't get to see the reign of Christ on earth today.

But in the millennial kingdom, the reign of Christ, which is at present invisible,

will find its visible expression in history so that all might see.

Have you ever felt aggrieved, pained, injured, and wronged by the reality that Christ's name is blasphemed

and that the word of God is trampled upon by sinful men?

Have you ever lamented the sinful leaders of our world and how different it would be if Christ the king were to reign physically here over the earth?

In the millennium, we will get to see that.

The people of heaven for millennia, we had to, the Christians for millennia, had to endure living in a sinful world that is under the tyrannical regime of the dragon,

being persecuted and harassed by the beast, the false prophet, and the Babylon.

So there is symmetrical justice and vindication when the people of earth have to live in the millennium where the dragon is imprisoned

and Christ is reigning from the throne where he belongs.

In the millennium, we will see the nations of the world give Christ finally the honor and the glory that is due to his name

that we have longed to see but have failed to see here in our own life.

That's the intended effect of this passage, to fill us with hope that enables us to endure

because Satan is a lame duck and a glorious regime change is coming.

He says in verse 6,

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.

Do you fret now that unbelieving sinners live to ripe old age while some faithful Christians are persecuted and killed

for being witnesses of Jesus?

Does it seem unfair to you that the true king goes unrecognized and that his servants are disrespected?

Fret not because though the dragon and the beast make war against doesn't kill us.

That's only the first death.

Though Christians might be the first to die, we will get to share in the first resurrection.

And over those, the second death has no power.

Jesus has removed the sting of death on our behalf so that it no longer has power over those who have put their trust in him.

A killer bee sting can be very painful and deadly if there's more than one.

But if a bee sting, if the bee sting gets wedged inside your skin,

when the killer bee tries to run away, its sting is ripped away along with part of its abdomen

and the internal organs so that it dies from disembowelment in several minutes.

That's what Jesus has done to death itself when he died on the cross for our sins.

He bore our punishment and the wrath that we deserved on the cross.

Death stung him.

It killed him.

But because Jesus was the sinless and blameless son of God, death could not hold him down.

And in his resurrection from the dead, Jesus de-stinged death.

He disemboweled death itself so that the day when death and Hades itself will be thrown into the lake of fire is surely coming.

Death is swallowed up in victory.

Oh, death, where is your victory?

Oh, 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.

That's why we need not fear death.

Saints of Christ, remember that our defeat and death are temporary.

Our eternal destiny is resurrection and rule.

Let's pray together.

Let's pray together.

Oh, Father, please help us to look past the nitty-gritty exegetical details of this passage

and to be able to grasp this blessed hope.

Enlarge our understanding, our vision of our destiny, what you want for us in Christ,

our future resurrection and reign with him,

so that we are captivated by that reality and we walk daily in light of that reality by faith and not by sight.

Oh, but Lord, we long for that day when our faith will be turned to sight,

when we will see your reign over all the earth, over all the nations.

Come, Lord Jesus.

In your precious name we pray.

Amen.