Monday, May 2, 2011

Chapter 20

Revelation 20:1 "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 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. 4 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. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 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."

Millennium reign of Jesus

20:1 - The bottomless pit is Hell (Revelation 9:1). The chain is a literal, spiritual chain (2 Peter 2:4).

20:2 - Notice that the expression "thousand years" occurs 6 times in this chapter in verse 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. This shows that there will be 6 thousand years before the the Devil is bound in Hell (2 Peter 3:8). The earth will be here 7 thousand years with the last thousand years being a thousand years of rest (Isaiah 14:7, 12-18, Genesis 2:1-2, Hebrews 4:4, 9-10). This is a literal one thousand years in the verse.

20:3 - This is the Millennial rest (Genesis 2:1-3, Hosea 6:2, Hebrews 4:9, John 16:16). The Devil and devils will not be on this earth during the Millennium, but the fallen nature of man will still be here. This is why when Satan is released he finds followers in the final battle (Isaiah 26:9-10). During the Millennium nature will be restored and the Jews will be back in Palestine (Matthew 19:28, Isaiah 11:1-11, Ezekiel 44-48). Cross reference: 2 Peter 3:8

20:4 - This shows that the Church Age Twelve Apostles and Tribulation saints will reign with Jesus Christ (Matthew 19:27-30, Matthew 8:11, Romans 8:17, 2 Timothy 2:12). The Church age saints have to bear their cross to reign though (Revelation 5:10, 1:6).

20:5 - The first resurrection is a physical resurrection and is not the spiritual resurrection of the believer. There are two resurrections (Daniel 12:2, 2 Timothy 4:1, Acts 24:15). One is a resurrection of the dead and one is a resurrection from the dead (Mark 9:9-10, Luke 20:35). The first resurrection contains the Old Testament saints(first fruits), Church saints(harvest) and Tribulation saints(gleanings). The other resurrection is for the lost that goes to the Lake of Fire. Cross references: John 5:29, 11:25

20:6 - These reign as sinless priests for one thousand years (Revelation 5:10). No saved person will be effected by the Second Death (Luke 20:36).

Revelation 20:7 "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

The Millennium ends in apostasy

20:7 - After the thousand years, Satan finds followers. In the Millennium, salvation is by works alone because everyone sees Jesus Christ, which does not take faith.

20:8 - The people that go against Jesus at the end were only obeying because they were under a military dictatorship. These people are people that are left over from the Tribulation that did not take the Mark of the Beast, but did not get saved (Zechariah 14:16-19). Some of them are the people that helped the Jews in the Tribulation that did not take the Mark of the Beast (Matthew 25:34-46). Some of them are children born in the Millennium that have the old nature (Isaiah 65:20) and remember people will live longer in the Millennium. Cross references: Ezekiel 38:2,5,11

20:9 - Here Jesus' enemies are destroyed by fire and the earth and heavens are burned up (2 Peter 3:7,10-13). After that there will be a new heavens and earth (Isaiah 66:22). Cross references: Psalms 101:8, Isaiah 52:1

20:10 - Here we see that the Beast and False Prophet are still burning after one thousand years when Satan is also cast into the Lake of Fire to burn forever.

Revelation 20:11 "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Great White Throne Judgment

20:11 - This is the last judgment where the unsaved and fallen angels are judged by God (Daniel 7:9-10, Proverbs 20:8).

20:12 - These are saved people from the Tribulation(faith&works) and Millennium(works) also (Revelation 11:17-18). Both are saved according to their works. The Church Age saint is not judged here because his name cannot be taken out of the Book of Life. The Church age help God judged the unsaved (1 Cor. 6:2). The Book of Life may be the Bible and the names are found in Hebrew. Cross references: Daniel 7:9-10, Exodus 32:33, Malachi 3:16

20:13 - The sea is referring to the fallen angels that died in Noah's flood (1 Peter 3). It could also be talking about devils (Genesis 1:1-4). Hell is all the unsaved dead. Death is shows the saved dead in the Tribulation and Millennium. Tribulation saints may die in the Millennium because unlike the Church Age saint, they are not said to get glorified bodies, nor do the Millennium saints. In eternity, the Tribulation and Millennium saints go to the Tree of Life to prevent dying (Revelation 22:14). Cross references: Ezekiel 21:24, Proverbs 12:14, Romans 2:16, 1 Chron. 28:9, Psalms 139:1-4

20:14 - This is the end of Hell because everyone in Hell is thrown into the Lake of Fire after going to the White Throne Judgment. The Second Death is when death and hell go to the Lake of Fire to burn forever.

20:15 - The unsaved dead's souls might lose their shape in the Lake of Fire. Their soul might take the form of a worm, getting a body like their father, the serpent (Isaiah 34:6-17, 13:19-22, 35:7, Ezekiel 20:47-49, Isaiah 66:24). Again as Church age saints, we will not be judged here, rather we are judging with God. The ones who need their name in the Book of Life are the Tribulation saints and Millennium saints. Once a Church Age saint is saved, his name is forever in the Book of Life and cannot be blotted out like the Tribulation and Millennium saints that have works in their salvation. Cross references: Matthew 10:28, 25:41, Daniel 12:2, Revelation 21:8, 22:15