Revelation 20 - Clover Sites

[Pages:18]Revelation 20

THE TWO RESURRECTIONS CONSUMMATION OF PRESENT WORLD HISTORY:

FINAL REBELLION AGAINST GOD

This CHAPTER summarizes the concluding events of this present creation: (1) Satan is Bound for 1000 years (verses 1-3) (2) The First Resurrection of believers (verses 4-6) (3) Satan's Final Rebellion (verses 7-9) (4) Satan Cast into Lake of Fire ? Hell (verse 10) (5) The Second Resurrection of unbelievers ? Great White Throne Judgment (verse 11-15)

Chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation is a major dividing line for three main branches of eschatology (the study of end-time events). This is because of how one chooses to interpret the "1000 years" mentioned only here in this section of the Bible {Rev. 20:2-7} and significance one places on its meaning.

Some believe since this is only mentioned in the Book of revelation it is symbolic like many of the other descriptions given and therefore is relatively unimportant. But the fact remains that many important eschatological concepts are only mentioned in this book, which are very real {e.g., the mark of the Beast and the worship of his image, the opening of the abyss, etc.}.

Additionally, just because something is a symbol does not diminish from the reality or significance of what the symbol represents. Many companies jealously guard and protect their trademarks [e.g., Coca Cola, Pepsi, Disney, Ferrari, Apple computer] because they represent the status and marketability of their respective products. They would say that these trademarks are very real items and are so appropriately and legally protected.

The point is that the word for thousand years occurs six times in the first seven verses of this chapter and in the first instance should be taken literally. I hope you will agree that this is not insignificant1!

The three main prophetical viewpoints are known as:

? Post-millennialism ? Amillennialism ? Pre-millennialism

The post-millennialism interpretation is based on the idea that Jesus Christ returns not after the seven year tribulation period {70th Week of Daniel; refer to Dan. 9:24-27} but after the 1000 years. This implies that Jesus is not on the earth but in Heaven reigning for this period of time. (We will see that the description given in Revelation runs counter to that conclusion.) So what happens during the 1000 years in this view? Basically, this view holds that during the 1000 years the Church brings in the Kingdom of Righteousness by preaching the Gospel resulting in the entire world being converted to Christianity. This needs to happen to get the world ready for Christ's return. This interpretation was actually quite popular during the late 1800's and early 1900s with the great revivals and missionary work that was going on. However, this viewpoint quickly faded into obscurity (but not in total abandonment) after such things as two world wars, the stock market collapse (which led to a global depression), the rise of communism on a global scale and the development and use of the atomic bomb (with its potential to annihilate civilization as we know it). Refer also to Appendix A: Additional Notes for Post-Millennial Viewpoint.

1 The early church believed in a literal 1000 years and it was referred to as "chiliasm" and in more modern

times as "millennialism".

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In the aftermath of these and other negative factors, a pessimistic outlook developed regarding end-time events which is generally described by the amillennialism interpretation. The "a" in front negates the millennium period so this viewpoint holds that the 1000 years is symbolic and there will not be a literal 1000 year reign of Christ or peace on earth. This is the opposite extreme to post-millennialism. The viewpoint holds that there will be virtually no time between the end of the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The major shortcoming of this interpretive viewpoint is that most if not all of the book of Revelation must usually be spiritualized [i.e., interpreted figuratively]. Additionally, this viewpoint holds that the prophecies in the book of Revelation are still being fulfilled in today's world history and that we have been in it for some time now.

In other words, most amillennialists attempt to fit past history into the prophetic descriptions of the terrible events depicted in this book. Some amillennialists believe that a figurative "1000 years" take place in Heaven while the Seven Year Tribulation is taking place on earth [e.g., Dr. B.B. Warfield]. Therefore, this viewpoint teaches that when Jesus Christ returns we go straight into the Final Judgment {i.e., the events described in chapter 21} and the creation of a new heaven (Universe) and new earth without a literal intervening 1000 year period on earth. This viewpoint essentially holds that Jesus returns immediately after the Great Tribulation and a non-literal 1000 years (!?).

Finally, there is the pre-millennial viewpoint which teaches that Jesus Christ returns prior to a literal 1000 years and after a literal Seven Year Tribulation period. This position takes the events and descriptions in this book at `face value' meaning that where a symbol occurs in scripture it represents something real and tangible. These symbols are `pointers' or `links' to real people or events.

In a sense they are similar to `trademarks' of products we use or consume. For example, a mouse face with two large ears protruding from the sides is immediately recognized as `Mickey Mouse' and sometimes Disneyland itself. An emblem of a black prancing horse on a yellow background with green, white and red stripes at the top could be used as a symbol of a real car [Ferrari] or a real person [Enzo Ferrari] or the manufacturing facility in Maranello, Italy. A curvy glass bottle containing a brown liquid is usually associated with Coca-cola.

So too are symbols to be understood in the Book of Revelation. The symbol may seem obscure or even weird, but there is something of reality behind it.

For example, in Rev. 12:1 we have four symbols combined: (1) a `woman', (2) `clothed' with the sun [i.e., enveloped in bright sunlight], (3) the `moon' under her feet and (4) a `garland of 12 `stars'. [In verse 2 we are additionally told that she is pregnant and ready to give birth]. In the notes in chapter 12 we saw that scripture interprets these symbols for us in one of the dreams that Joseph had. This is recorded in Gen. 37:9-10 where the sun, moon and 11 stars represent Joseph's father [Jacob], his mother [Leah] and his eleven brothers. His father immediately recognizes the symbols to be that of himself, Joseph's mother and his brothers. In the dream all these bow down to him which is exactly what happened when they actually came to Egypt to escape the famine in the land of Canaan. But in Rev. 12:1 there are 12 stars [not 11] because Joseph himself is the twelfth son. So, taking all of this information together, in Revelation these are the same symbols with the addition of one star [Joseph] so that this woman represents Jacob's family [Israel], his wives and the 12 sons and ultimately his descendants--the 12 tribes of Israel. Therefore, we can confidently conclude that these symbols taken together represent the nation or Israel itself! This is consistent with the verses following because this `woman' brings forth a male child [the Messiah] who in Rev. 12:5 is `caught up into Heaven'--Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven after His resurrection.

As another example, in the last chapter {Rev. 19:15} a sharp sword is described as coming from the mouth of Jesus Christ [who is riding a white horse] and we saw that this is a symbol of the `Word of God' according to Eph. 6:17 and Heb. 4:12.

Therefore, there is no need to resort to a non-literal interpretation of the 1000 years because one chooses to ignore or dismiss the literal foundation of symbols in this book. And in this case we do not need to.

The pre-millennial interpretation is the one accepted in these notes and, as we shall see, is the one that consistently makes most sense from a Biblical perspective.

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REV. 20:1-3 SATAN IS BOUND FOR 1000 YEARS [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.]

The instigator of War against God, Satan, is seized, chained and bound for 1000 years. After this he will be loosed and lead one final rebellion against God. Along with the first beast (antiChrist) and second beast (false prophet) he incited the kings of the whole world to gather against Jerusalem and God's people. See Revelation 16:13-16.

All the various names for Satan are again referred to here (see Revelation 12:9) giving us a panoramic picture the character and nature of our enemy ? the evil one.

? dragon ? a ferocious beast, a destroyer ? ancient serpent ? subtle deceiver, the one who first deceived mankind ? the devil ? literally means `slanderer' or `malignant liar' ? Satan ? literally means `adversary' or `accuser'

An angel comes having the `key to the bottomless pit' or `abyss' in the Greek. It does not say `another angel' here so perhaps this is the same one that had it when the 5TH TRUMPET JUDGMENT was carried out {Rev. 9:1-11}. In that judgment the angel uses the key to open the abyss to release lots of smoke but worse than that, an army of demonic locust-like creatures including their king, Apollyon.

Apparently, now this same angel comes back with the key and a great chain. He is given authority and power to lay hands on Satan and bind him up with this chain. Whether this chain is literal or not we are not told. But if this is a symbol then whatever the `chain' is referring to is sufficient to immobilize the Devil!

That dragon, the ancient serpent, is then thrown not into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone [where the anti-Christ and false prophet were thrown in alive], but into the abyss2. This is the very place that the worst of the worst demons had been incarcerated.

The abyss will then be shut up and a seal set upon Satan [not any `door' or `gate', but Satan himself!] so that he cannot escape. He will no longer be able to deceive the nations until he is released after `serving' 1000 literal years there! This is the second of six times "thousand years" is mentioned in this chapter. This number is not figurative or `spiritual'--there is no contextual or textual reason for doing so.

2 In 2 Peter 2:4 the angels that "sinned" (i.e., rebelled, "missed the mark") were cast "down" to a place

called "tartaroo" in the Greek, from "Tartaros", the abyss of Hades according to Greek usage. This was

the deepest part of Hades. It should be remembered that Hades is not Hell, Gehenna or the "Lake of

Fire", but is separate and distinct place. Hades itself, along with death and the unsaved, will be thrown

into the LAKE OF FIRE {Rev. 20:14} at the end of the 1000 years. This event is referred to as the "second

death". In Luke 8:30-31 the demons Jesus confronted [Legion] feared to be sent to the `deep' (Gk.

`abussos': abyss) and pleaded with Him not to be sent there. See also notes in Rev. 9:1-2.

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Satan will be bound for a literal `1000 years' only to be let loose after that period of time. The question has been asked, "Why does God let him loose after he has put him into abyss since God knows how much trouble he will cause?" Dr. L.S. Chafer answers this question with another question, "If you tell me why God let him loose in the first place, I'll tell you why God let him loose in the second place."

The main point is that Satan is called the `prince of the power of the air' {Eph. 2:2} and the `prince [ruler] of this world' {John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11}. There can be no peace, no tranquil millennial reign of the `Prince of peace' with Satan out-and-about on the prowl {1 Pet. 5:8}. Even though Jesus Christ will be reigning from Jerusalem on earth during this time, Satan is powerful and capable of causing in describable mischief and an unnecessary distraction. So he will be removed from the scene to give mankind an opportunity to enjoy a bit of `heaven on earth' and demonstrate its true nature without the excuse, `the Devil made me do it!"

But why will God let him loose? As we will see, it may very well be to demonstrate that mankind is intrinsically evil and given the right time, place and leader will continue to rebel against God despite being given the opportunity to `prove his worth' and serve the LORD under ideal conditions.

REV. 20:4-6 THE FIRST RESURRECTION ? BELIEVERS [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 worshipped 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.]

This passage of scripture should be compared to Dan. 7:9, 18, 22 and 27 below.

"I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; his garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire.....But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever......until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom......Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him."

Believers are SAVED by God's GRACE through FAITH. Rom.10:9-10 puts this succinctly:

".......that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you will be saved. Foe with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation".

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Discussion: The 1st resurrection includes two groups of believers:

(1) Those who trusted in the LORD prior to the Tribulation, up to the Rapture

o 1 Corinthians 6:1-3; Revelation 5:8-12

(2) Those who came to trust the LORD during the Tribulation.

o Revelation 6:9,10; 12:10,11; 15:1-4 and 17:6

Those who take part in the "first resurrection" are called blessed (i.e., happy) and the 2nd death or resurrection will have no power over them.

THE SCRIPTURES TEACH THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD

1) Job 14:1-15; 19:23-27 2) Isaiah 26:19-21 3) John 11:21-27 4) 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, 35-57

THE SCRIPTURES, DANIEL & JESUS, DESCRIBE TWO RESURRECTIONS

1) Daniel 12:1-4 2) John 5:17-29

THE HOPE OF THE 1ST RESURRECTION

? Romans 8:18-25 ? 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 ? 1 John 3:1-3

Believers are SAVED by God's GRACE through FAITH:

John 3:15,16 Romans 4:3-8 Ephesians 2:8-10

Practical application of the Fact of the Resurrection Hebrews 10:22-25 1 John 3:1-3

["......thrones and they sat on them."] In this passage it appears that we are re-introduced to the innumerable multitude of believers first described in Rev. 7:9-10 [those that will be sitting on thrones].

[".....souls of those who had been beheaded....."] Also in view here are those believers, who will be saved after the Rapture, who died for testifying about Jesus and the Word of God during the GREAT TRIBULATION under the anti-Christ [who at this time will be in the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone along with the false prophet]. Refer to Rev. 13:1-8. These are those who will not worship the Beast or his image or received his mark on their foreheads or hands.

Those who are described here are part of what is here described as the `FIRST RESURRECTION'

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The first group will be given the privilege of sitting on thrones and given authority to sit in judgment. Although humans have been made a little lower than angels [in position and power; Heb. 2:7], in 1 Cor. 6:3 we are told that believers will even someday sit in judgment over angels and this is because we are in Christ and He is our example {Heb. 2:9-10}.

This may also be a reference to the promise made by Jesus to His disciples that in the `regeneration' it would be granted to them to sit in a position of judgment over Israel {Matt. 19:27-28}.

But all the non-believers will not be resurrected until after the 1000 years are over. This will be the second resurrection which is also referred to as the 2ND DEATH in v.6 and also in v.14. [Note that the SECOND DEATH, the Great White Throne judgment, will have no power over those who are part of the 1ST RESURRECTION.]

Note that the thrones are literal, the believers sitting on them are literal, being beheaded for one's testimony is literal, the Word of God is literal, the image and mark of the Beast are literal and lest anyone should doubt this--the 1000 years are literal!

In the Kingdom Age [1000 year reign of Jesus Christ on earth], the glorious reign of the Messiah is a major them of most of the Old Testament prophets. There is more prophecy on that subject than any other period. Even Jesus' disciples thought it was imminent after His resurrection. They knew Old Testament prophecy and so they reasonably assumed the Kingdom of the Messiah would now begin. Just prior to Jesus' ascension into Heaven the disciples asked Jesus if He would restore the nation of Israel to glory {refer to Acts 1:6} and they received an answer {Acts 1:7-8}. It has already been almost 2000 years later so we are that much closer to seeing Jesus' words fulfilled!

This event was prophesied. Compare Dan. 7:9 with Rev. 20:4:

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.--Rev. 20:4.

"I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; his garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire....."--Dan. 7:9.

REV. 20:7-9 SATAN'S FINAL REBELLION [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.]

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We now get to see what happens after the 1000 year reign of Christ and His kingdom on this present earth comes to a close. At the same time we need to realize that a lot of things must have happened in these 1000 years but God's Word is silent about it! But there is enough said for our instruction and edification.

The first thing we are told is that Satan will be released from his `prison', the `abyss'. By deceiving many people in many nations he will gather them together for the ultimate and final battle between himself and God.

As we noted in the previous chapter we cannot be certain why God planned it this way and why God did not just throw Satan into the LAKE OF FIRE at the same time as the anti-Christ and False Prophet. The Book of Revelation is silent about this. However, two main points can be made:

(1) God has purposed that Satan will have one final opportunity to lead mankind in the ultimate and final rebellion. What is significant about this is that it will demonstrate how desperately wicked and unrepentant the human heart can be--even after such a long period of time that the Messiah Himself is physically and visibly present and ruling this world! This would prove that even when the instigator of death, originator of rebellion and the father of lies is absent from this earth, individuals will still choose, completely on their own, to resist believing in the sovereignty of Almighty God ? Jesus Christ.

(2) At the same time it is reasonable to conclude that Satan needed to be incarcerated, to `take him off the streets' so to speak, and allow the PRINCE OF PEACE to reign without any distractions or diversions.

Satan is loosed from the Abyss and again does what he is best at: Deceiving the nations of the earth, called "Gog" and "Magog" here, for one final rebellion. It is an amazing thing that after all the judgment that has taken place, Satan can still gather an innumerable multitude against God's people, those who have put their trust in the Lord God, their Savior.

Here the remaining nations of the earth are referred to collectively as `Gog' and `Magog'. I believe this is a different Gog and Magog mentioned in the prophecy found in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. The latter prophecy relates to an invasion of Israel by a confederation of nations which include Russia, Iran, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia sometime prior to the SEVEN YEAR TRIBULATION. What form of government organization these nations will have at this future time is uncertain, but they will be ruled by Jesus Christ with a `rod of iron' {Ps. 2:6-12; Rev. 2:27; 12:5; 19:15}.

Gog and Magog are first mentioned in Ezekiel in the context of another, earlier battle {Ezekiel 38, 39}. In that battle `Gog' is the name of ".....the prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal" and `Magog' is the Biblical name of the geographic area he is from {see Ez. 38:2-3}.

However, the warfare with God and Magog described here in the book of Revelation is a different battle. Despite the similarities there are distinctive differences that help us draw this conclusion.

The primary difference is that after the first battle the people of Israel will spend seven months burying the dead them so as to "cleanse the land" {Ez. 39:12-15}. After that period they will send out search parties to find any the remains so they can be buried also. The battle of Gog and Magog described in Revelation occurs after Jesus Christ has reigned on earth for 1000 years immediately after which is the Great White Throne Judgment and the creation of a new Universe and earth {Isa. 65:17-19; 66:22; 2 Pet. 3:10-13; Rev. 21.1}. The prophecy in Ezekiel has neither of these events in view.

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Another major difference is that in Ezekiel's prophecy specific nations are mentioned as taking place in the battle [Rosh/Meshech=Russia; Tubal=Georgia; Persia=Iran; Ethiopia, Put=Lybia; Gomer/Togarmah=Turkey] but here in Revelation we told that after Satan is released from his imprisonment in the abyss, "......he 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" {Rev. 20:8}. This appears to include many more nations that listed in the Ezekiel prophecy.

However, this is not that unusual since we also talk about two world wars, but the first is World War I and the second was World War II. So here we have Gog/Magog I and Gog/Magog II. Note that the former could take place prior to the last `week' of Daniel's 70x7 years of prophecy, that is, prior to the seven-year peace treaty the anti-Christ makes with Israel.

It is amazing to realize that even after the visible, physical reign of the King of kings and Lord of lords, under ideal conditions, it takes only one powerful and persuasive individual {Satan in this case} to cause a mass rebellion against God. Thus is illustrated the depths, the hold and power of sin in a person's life.

APPLICATION:

This may seem too incredible to believe, but consider that Jeremiah tells us that ".....the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked--who can know it?" {Jer. 17:9-10}. But God knows the human heart and His Truth is the only thing that can change it! Remember that the Millennium will have ideal conditions; the Messiah is ruling, there is peace and Satan is `out of the scene'. Disease and hunger will be eliminated {Isa. 11:6; 65:20} and people will live 100's of years as they did before the Great Flood. The natural mind and thought patterns of a person are at odds (at `war') with God. It is the natural and basic instinct of man to rebel against authority because of the imprint of Adam and Eve's disobedience on our `spiritual (and physical) DNA'. Romans 8:7 tells us ".....the carnal mind is at enmity (i.e., `war') against God; for it is not subject to the law of God ? nor indeed can be."

The people living during the Millennium have been living and enjoying life under ideal conditions. Futurists have dreamed about this kind of state for centuries and it will finally happen under God's control and authority but the outcome will not be what they would expect.

In spite of this apparently many will not be happy about having their lives ruled by a `dictator' no matter how compassionate, just and righteous He may be. This is the attitude of many people today--they do not want God controlling their lives. When given the opportunity (i.e., test) to rebel with some degree of confidence in succeeding, people will usually take it. This is what is referred to as the `sin nature of man'.

The great city that Satan surrounds, "camp of God's people, the city he loves", is none other than Jerusalem. Note the object or goal of Satan's attack--it is against the believers `camp' and the city from which the PRINCE OF PEACE will reign. This city itself is the CITY OF PEACE-- Jerusalem.

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