The Millennium - Tom Gerritt

The Millennium Revelation 20:1 – 6

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 worshiped 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.

The vision of seven years of Tribulation on the earth closes with the return of Christ at the end of Revelation chapter 19, and chapter 20 opens to reveal the events leading into one thousand years of righteous reign by Christ. Often this time is called the ‘millennial reign of Christ.’ Little is disclosed about life on earth during the Millennium other than those things concerned with Christ, His rule over earth and the creation and His victory over Satan.

Despite the deceptions of the man of sin and his false prophet promising peace they never intend to deliver, the King of kings – He who rides upon the white horse of chapter 18 – will bring true peace on the earth and justice to all its inhabitants. One of the key elements necessary in affording that peace on earth is the binding of Satan, the result of which, along with the rule of Christ, sees the earth flourish with peace and prosperity.

The Angel With a Key (Revelation 20:1)

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

An Angel from Heaven

As in previous statements of his vision, John began to describe what he saw with the words, “and I saw…” to indicate the vision was continuing from the Battle of Armageddon, but now his focus was drawn to an additional element in the vision. He saw “an angel come down from heaven.” John has made similar statements in Revelation 10:1 and 18:1. The angel is mentioned many times in the Revelation, depicted as leaving Heaven where God is working His divine and perfect will and coming down to the earth. The Heaven the angel left is glorious, while the place and event toward which he descended is filled with sinful rebellion. Being a messenger from God, he comes from Heaven with the full authority and power of God, as did the angel of Revelation 18:1.

The angel comes against the dragon, as we will soon see, and is well able to arrest the dragon by force. This arrest necessitates that the angel be more powerful than the dragon, or Satan. Here we may want to remind ourselves that God is Creator and the fallen Lucifer (Satan) was created. No creation is greater than its creator. Two possibilities exist as to the identity of this angel. His power to arrest the dragon could be solely due to his having the authority of God and therefore the power to perform this special task. Another view is that the angel seen here is Michael, who has always been capable of defeating Satan. Michael’s superior power over Satan is demonstrated in Daniel 10:13 and in Revelation 12:7 – 9. Some speculate that once Christ has utterly defeated Satan, Michael will be the chief angel of the group who ministers in the defeat and binding of Satan. Remember that spiritual power always takes precedence over intellect and physical might in the final conquest of evil and the final establishment of righteousness.

An Angel with a Key

As discussed in prior articles the possession of a key is usually representative of authority, and in this case the angel has a “key of the bottomless pit” given him by God. As holder of the key the angel seen here has the authority and the means to open the pit, to place someone within it by force if necessary and to secure the pit again while detaining the occupant.

The bottomless pit is not the same place as the lake of fire. The Scriptures do not mention any sort of escape or removal of anyone from the lake of fire, but the dragon is released from the bottomless pit in Revelation 20:7 which says: “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.”The bottomless pit then is most likely the place of torment, sheol, or hell as described in Luke 16:23. Although there is no escape from this hell, the dead will be brought up out of hell for the final judgment and then be cast into the permanent place of eternal punishment and sorrow, the lake of fire of Revelation 20:12.

An Angel with a Chain

The angel had “a great chain in his hand.” The chain is described in the Greek as megalen, large enough and strong enough to bind even the powerful dragon and representative of the determinate counsel of God to bind Satan. The greatness of the chain also represents the surety of God’s purpose.

The Binding of the Dragon (Revelation 20:2)

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

In this verse we see that the angel comes to the earth to accomplish the will and purpose of God – the binding of the dragon who has brought so much misery to the earth. By binding the dragon the angel will free the earth from Satan’s treachery.

Laying Hold on the Dragon

Descending from Heaven like an eagle, the angel “laid hold on the dragon” and wrapped the dragon in a sure and powerful grasp with a grip that cannot be broken because the angel possessed the superior power of God. As the power of the sovereign creator captures the dragon the dragon’s struggle, violent though it may be, is futile. God thus removes the dragon from the earth so that there will be a time of peace in the universe, a time without the dragon’s deceptive influence and its resultant destruction. The dragon is bound and detained for one thousand years, and it is only after this time has been “fulfilled” that in Revelation 20:3 he is to be “…loosed a little season.”

Identification of the Dragon

John here employed various appropriate names to better and specifically identify the dragon. First, the “dragon” represents a fierce and dangerous beast. Second, “that old serpent” is in reference to the physical form he assumed upon himself to approach Eve in Genesis 3. That old serpent is a liar and the enemy of righteousness, as Paul noted in 1 Timothy 2:14. Third, “Devil” refers to this evil being as the leader of the demons and to the deceiver he is, as we will see in our future consideration of Revelation 20:10. “Satan” portrays him as the one who has hindered the work of God and His people throughout time. John fully explained that the dragon of which he spoke was none other than the fallen angel Lucifer, also the devil and Satan, the arch enemy of the people of God. Isaiah 14:12-15 describes Lucifer: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou has said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

A thorough study of the temptation of Jesus brings to light an even broader and more full identity of Satan, his motives, his opportunities and his methods as he has deceived the peoples of the world through the centuries of man’s existence.

One Thousand Years

The angel that came from Heaven bound the dragon for “a thousand years.” The Latin term Millennium (Greek chilia meaning a one-thousand year period of time) is often applied in reference to this period when Satan shall be bound from the earth and detained in the bottomless pit. Some have suggested that this one-thousand year period is only symbolic of a shorter period, but there is no Scriptural evidence to support the view that this passage should not be interpreted literally. Others suggest that the one-thousand years is only symbolic of God’s having overcome the work of Satan on earth, but again there is no collaborating evidence or Biblical reason for this position. The one thousand years harmonically corresponds with verses 4 and 6 that follow, where again the Bible refers to the one-thousand year period translated from the same Greek word.

Accepting the Biblical historical evidence and record that God created man on earth approximately 4000 before the birth of Jesus, man has then been on the earth approximately six thousand years, or six millennia by the time of this writing. Some Bible students have interestingly pointed out that if Jesus returns sometime near the year 2000 that the one-thousand year reign of Christ mentioned in the text, The Millennium, would constitute the seventh millennium of man’s existence on earth. This suggestion should also be accompanied by the warning of Jesus when he said in Matthew 25:13, “Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Since the year 2000 has passed and 2012 have passed passed without the end of the world as some predicted based on their interpretation of the Mayan calendar, we should remain watchful and ready for Christ’s return at any moment. We must warn others of His unpredictable yet imminent return. Rest assured that we are certainly one day closer today than yesterday.

Satan is Sealed (Revelation 20:3)

The Casting of Satan

The angel that came down from Heaven bound Satan with a great chain and “cast” him into the prison of “the bottomless pit.” Lucifer, or Satan, who has been powerful through the ages and destroyed lives by the millions upon millions, who has ruled over kingdoms and propagated false doctrine among men, now is as a mere toy in the hand of the mighty angel John saw. The angel forcibly throws Satan down into the pit as surely as one casting a stone with absolute control and accuracy. Satan can no more resist the power of the angel than a stone could resist the person casting it into a body of water.

The “bottomless pit,” the abyss (Greek abusson), is believed by some to be the same place as the present hell though referred to differently (again, consider Luke 16), while others have suggested the pit is only a specific section of hell. The pit is the place where the demons of Gadera pleaded not to go, out of which place the beast arose. Luke 8:26 – 31 and Revelation 11:7 are to be considered here. Hell, the temporary place of torment (Greek tapon touton tes basanou or this place of torment from which the rich man of Luke 16 gazed upon the consolation of Lazarus), is itself later cast into the lake of fire, the permanent abode of the ungodly.

After casting the dragon into the bottomless pit the angel “shut him up” by barring the portal of the pit against entrance or exit. Satan will remain there for one thousand years as God has decreed, finding no escape. All of his trickery and deceptive ways will be useless in the bottomless pit when the Almighty sets “a seal” the door to his prison abode.

The Restraining of Satan

Throughout man’s history Satan has been loose on earth deceiving, destroying and devouring, but when God seals him in the pit he will no longer be able to work his evil among men. He will deceive the nations no more even as he has done through the man of sin and false prophet and God’s absolute truth will at last be the order of the day. During the one thousand years of his incarceration the nations of earth will enjoy a peaceful time without the stirring of the evil one.

The Loosing of Satan

At the appointed time God will release Satan to once again roam the earth. In the text the word “after” (Greek meta) means that the one thousand year period is completely “fulfilled.” It is after the Millennium than that God releases Satan from his prison. In the next article we will consider Revelation 20:7 – 9 and learn more about this period.

Reigning with Christ (Revelation 20:4)

The Reign of Christ

Christ’s reign on earth is prophesied, as in Luke 1:32, where the Scriptures declare that Jesus will take the throne of his father [ancestor] David (see also Isaiah 9:6, 7). Many other Scriptures support the reign of Christ, such as but by no means limited to Isaiah 2:2 and Revelation 11:15 or 19:15. Revelation 19:5 assures us Christ’s rule will be with a “rod of iron” as previously considered; He will control the earth and rule the inhabitants thereof. While many today cry for the tolerance of sin under the banners of Christian ‘love,’ social inclusion, political correctness or complacent apathy Christ will neither tolerate nor indulge the forces of iniquity to flow through society as they have in the past. It is for that reason imperative that we share the urgent message of the Gospel of Christ at every opportunity.

We may ask who will be present during the Millennium. Christ will have many subjects over which He rules. Every saved person from the beginning of time would be the short answer, including both Old Testament and New Testament servants. How wonderful such a time and place will be, full of born-again and resurrected people! The unsaved who may have lived through Armageddon and the Great Tribulation will go into the Millennium in their natural physical bodies, including thousands of Jews, but there will likely be many more from all parts of the earth.

During the Millennium education will flow freely from the throne of Jesus and men will learn of His righteous ways, as foretold in Isaiah 2:3 – “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” Isaiah 2:4 teaches there will be peace on earth, and nations and people who made war in the past will destroy their weapons to produce tools of peace and prosperity: “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” In chapter 11 verses 6 – 9 Isaiah teaches us “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” The animals of the earth will be changed and no longer kill or eat one another. All of the land – even the deserts – will blossom with bountiful growth and farms will produce in abundance. Consider the contrast between Genesis 3:17 – 19 where God cursed the land because of sin and Isaiah 35:1: “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose,” or the description of universal prosperity in Amos 9:13.

The period of Christ’s millennial reign should be taken literally to be one thousand years, exactly the same period as the incarceration of Satan. The reign of Christ has been decreed by the heavenly Father and given to the Son – no one can change it.

The Thrones

John saw “thrones, and they sat upon them” in his vision. He does not specify whether these thrones are in Heaven or on the earth. It does not, however, appear that he saw them in the same vision of God’s throne as in Revelation 4 but rather in a separate vision since the context is concerned with the millennial reign of Jesus on earth and those who reign with him. It may be reasonable to conclude that these thrones were in the city of Jerusalem, the seat of Jesus’ government and from which He will rule. These thrones represent a place of service in Christ’s kingdom.

The Souls John Saw

John saw “souls” and described them, but it is unclear whether or not these souls are the ones seated upon the thrones. While the sentence and grammar structures allow for these two groups to be different, that point is not conclusive. It is likely that the ones sitting on the thrones came from a time of pre-Tribulation, perhaps through the rapture, and the souls John described in the latter part of Revelation 20:4 came out of the seven-year Tribulation. John’s description of the souls in the latter part of verse 4 certainly places them as coming out of the Tribulation period. See also Revelation 7:4.

The souls John saw are described in two ways. First, they had been beheaded, seemingly during the seven-year Tribulation, “for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands.” These had been Godly witnesses during the seven-year Tribulation and had lost their lives for it. Second, though they had lost their lives during the rule of the beast they had refused to worship the beast. While most of the world had worshiped the image of the beast set up in the Temple in Jerusalem, these had faithfully refused. Likewise, they had refused the mark of loyalty to the beast and his evil economic and political systems, choosing to suffer affliction for the cause of Christ much as Moses (Hebrews 11:24 – 29) chose to endure a period of “…affliction…” and esteemed the “…reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt…” Here reconsider Revelation 13:14 – 18.

Reigning with Christ

Christ gave “judgment” to those who sat on the thrones so that they might reign with Him. Those John saw that came out of the seven-year Tribulation reigned with Christ but these are not said to have sat on the thrones. This passage of Scripture brings us face to face with the question of the relative positions of saved people in the Millennial kingdom. Verse 4 does not specify who will sit on the thrones mentioned; we may or may not conclude the other groups described constitute the enthroned ruling group. Through consideration of verse 5 in a moment we may conclude that all saved will be included in the reigning group for none are excluded from it except the unsaved, who shall not be called forth to live again until the end of the Millennium. There may, however, be distinctions between those enthroned and other groups who reign in various capacities within the kingdom but without being seated upon thrones. Daniel 7:22 and 7:27 point out the fact that the kingdom will be given to the saints. The word saints – holy ones – does not of necessity embrace all the saved within this context, instead referring to separated and faithful people. Therefore it may be applied to both Israel and the church. It is, however, only the church which will have been judged regarding faithfulness at the time of installation upon the thrones. Also, Matthew 19:28 says that those who have followed Jesus will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. While some scholars consider this a promise to the apostles, it seems much more reasonable to apply this promise to all New Testament saints who have remained true to Christ in Scriptural teachings. We might then give preference to the view that it is the faithful church, as the Bride of Christ, that is enthroned to reign with Christ, but this view is not to be confused with a doctrine of eternal salvation through membership in an earthly church organization although it may still be a clear distinction of the church from other saved people. Likewise one should never consider his or her ‘good works’ to be ‘good enough’ to achieve salvation or a favored status in eternal Heaven or the kingdom of Christ; it is only through faith in Jesus that one is redeemed. At this point we might also consider Matthew 5:5; Matthew 19:28; and 1 Corinthians 6:2.

The saved will reign with Christ during the Millennium according to the judgment of their works. The Bible is clear that judgment for both the saved and the unsaved will be according to works. Again, we must be careful to understand, however, that this judgment is not for the determination of eternal salvation or condemnation but to determine both rewards for the saved and punishment for the unsaved. 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad,” and Revelation 20:12, “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,” may also shed light upon this point. Since no two people live identical lives or have exactly the same opportunities, no two people will receive exactly the same rewards or punishments – both come by degrees, as pointed out in Matthew 10:15 – “Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment than for that city (that fails to receive the words of the Apostles).” Likewise, the rewards of the saved will differ according to their works during their fleshly life on earth so it seems most reasonable to conclude that rewards will, at least to some measure, determine positions in the kingdom of Christ. The mother who desired thrones for her two sons, though some may question her motive, understood the nature of heavenly rewards (Matthew 20:21). Compare Luke 19:17 as well.

The Unsaved Dead (Revelation 20:5)

5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

The Rest of the Dead

The Greek word for “rest” (loipoi) is also translated “remnant” in Revelation 19:21, simply meaning those remaining. The “rest” is then presented in contrast to all the saved who reign with Christ during the Millennium as found in verse 4. The loipoi would constitute those who are unsaved since the first unsaved person until the beginning of the Millennium. Those also who die unsaved during the Millennium will join this group as well. Those who comprise this group are dead, meaning they are separated from the life of God which is in Christ Jesus. Paul told the Ephesians in chapter 2, verse 1 of his letter to them that the unsaved are “dead” in their trespasses and their sins.

Lived Not Again Until

The dead abide in hell, separated from the life of God; these are not another group of the saved but are dead because they are unsaved. They will not be resurrected or live again until the completion of the one thousand years during which Satan is bound and Jesus rules. This directly corresponds to the time of Satan’s incarceration and the millennial reign of Christ as found in previous verses. The event known as the Great White Throne Judgment will be the time of the resurrection of these unsaved dead ones as we will see in in the next article when we study Revelation 20:11.

The First Resurrection

The statement concerning the “first resurrection,” though contained in Revelation 20:5, joins with verse 6. The first resurrection is not the resurrection of the dead at the Great White Throne Judgment but is the resurrection of the saved at the coming of Christ. This first resurrection occurs simultaneously with the rapture of the living saved as Paul points out in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 18 and 1 Corinthians 15. The purpose for the mention of the first resurrection, which occurs chronologically much earlier than this context, seems to be to contrast the resurrection of the unsaved with the resurrection of the saved. The discussion of the first resurrection continues into Revelation 20:6 as John writes, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection…”

The First Resurrection (Revelation 20:6)

The Blessed and Holy

The people involved in the first resurrection as mentioned in verse 5 are the saved who were either taken up in the rapture (in itself a form of resurrection, or quickening) or who were resurrected at the coming of Christ. When compared to the dead in hell of verse 5, these that will be in the “first resurrection” are “blessed” to be so and “holy” as they are changed into the image of Jesus Christ through God’s grace and their faith in Jesus’ righteousness, standing before the throne as such.

The Second Death

The “second death” is clearly defined in Revelation 20:14 as the ultimate doom of the unsaved as they are cast into the eternal lake of fire, as we will later see. The second death, meaning the judgment and doom of the unsaved and all that surrounds that horrific event, has neither power over nor claim upon those who are in the “first resurrection.” The power of the second death is to claim a soul for eternal separation in the lake of fire, but through the power of Jesus’ righteousness the saved are forever free from that power. Think of this verse in light of 1 Corinthians 15:57 which says: “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The Priests of God Reign

Those of the first resurrection shall serve during the Millennium as “priests of God and of Christ.” A priest serves as a representative of the people before God. The saved will be judged and accordingly rewarded with a position of service in the Millennium.

Summary (Revelation 20:1 – 6)

As we’ve studied thus far, the seven-year Tribulation will begin with the man of sin being revealed to the world as a peacemaker, as is pointed out in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. He will effect a false political peace in the Middle East as he and his surreptitiously evil forces rule. His peace, however, will not be true and at the middle of the seven years the man of sin will reveal himself as the enemy of the Jews and of God, thus proving that his imposed peace has always been counterfeit.

In contrast to the treacherously fictitious sense of peace offered by the man of sin, when Jesus returns to Jerusalem at the end of the Tribulation He will destroy the armies of the man of sin and set up His throne and kingdom in Jerusalem. The peace afforded by the Son of God will be a true peace on earth for the appointed time of one thousand years, a time during which the old dragon, Satan, will be bound in the bottomless pit after which he will “be loosed a little season.”

At this juncture the Christian scholar might well ask himself or herself, “Is there anyone – even those who have in some way made my life difficult or misused or abused or maltreated me, those I distrust or whose actions I cannot tolerate within the bounds of a Christian world-view – that I would willingly see doomed to hell and, eventually, the lake of fire? Is there anyone who I – knowing the truth – can in good conscience allow to believe Satan’s lies before I share with them the truth of salvation by grace through faith? These, my friends, are weighty questions because we have an urgent commission, a command, a call to duty recorded in the words of Jesus to “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you;” but Jesus does not stop short of a wonderful promise for His disciples as He continues, “and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

My friends and readers, be blessed and be bold in sharing the Gospel of Jesus with those around you. Pray for each other, pray for me as I pray for you. Let us unite in praising God and claiming the power of Jesus and His holy name not only in life’s easiest moments or in life’s most difficult moments but especially in those most difficult and trying of moments, because Jesus has promised that He will never leave, never forsake or ever forget us. He will never fail to provide all we need in the proper way at the proper time or in the appropriate quantity. Let us always remember that we can love him only “because He first loved us” and that it is through and by His love that we are sustained. It is His love, shared through His power, that we proclaim to the world.

Tom

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