God's Fulfilled Promises
Notes
Transcript
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Today we are going to cover a Pre-Millennial view of the Millennium. If you want to have a full discussion of A-millennial and Post Millennial views, then scan this QR code.
Why have a thousand year reign of Christ? Why don’t we just enter into the eternal state?
It is to fulfill the promises that God made to Israel in Psalm 2; Psalm 72:8-11; Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 11:1-9; Isaiah 35:1-10; Jeremiah 2:5-6; Micah 4:1-8 and Zechariah 14:9-19.
Zechariah 14:9-19 is a good summary of these passages.
Zechariah 14:9–19 (ESV)
9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.
10 The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.
11 And it shall be inhabited, for there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction. Jerusalem shall dwell in security.
12 And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
13 And on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other.
14 Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance.
15 And a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps.
16 Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.
17 And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them.
18 And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain; there shall be the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.
19 This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up to keep the Feast of Booths.
Here we see the promise of the Messiah reigning from Jerusalem over all the nations, specifically those who survive the battle of Armageddon.
Revelation 20:1
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.
The angel is coming with the authority of God. He holds the key to the Abyss. We learned earlier that the Abyss is a prison for the worst demons, for in Mark 8:31 the demons beg Jesus not be cast into the Abyss, and 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 4 speak of it as prison for demons. Revelation 9 shows those demons being released on the earth as instruments of God’s judgement.
The great chain is showing God’s power to bind the enemy. Satan is not God’s equal and in God’s timing he will be bound.
Revelation 20:2-3.
2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
3 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.
Yippee! Satan is seized and bound in the Abyss, sealed by the power of God. What a great day that will be when he is no longer free to prowl around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
If you are a futurist, you hold the position that Satan is taken totally out of play during this time till he is released from the Abyss.
If you are a partial or full preterist then Satan is only bound in regard to being able to deceive the nations, allowing the church to evangelize them.
I favour the futurist view of his binding, since he is in the Abyss and is not coming out till God allows it.
It such good news to know that God limits Satan. In Revelation 12:8 we see that his access to heaven is cut off. Now here in Revelation 20:3 we see that his access to earth will be cut off.
Praise the Lord, for he keeps his promises.
Revelation 20:4.
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 worshiped 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.
The OT background for this is Daniel 7:18.
18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’
Who is seated on these thrones?
All believers are seated on these thrones, joining Jesus in his reign. There is special attention given to the believers coming out of the Great Tribulation, since the book is written as an encouragement to have hope and persevere under persecution, for the reward is great.
This is fulfilling the promise given in Revelation 3:21.
21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Praise God, he fulfills his promises.
Revelation 20:5.
5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.
What is the idea of the first resurrection?
Patterson writes, “the first resurrection is not emphasizing order but life. In other words, the first resurrection is a resurrection to eternal life while the second resurrection will be a resurrection to damnation.”
Paige Patterson, Revelation, ed. E. Ray Clendenen, vol. 39, The New American Commentary (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2012), 354.
1 Corinthians 15:20 supports this idea, for Christ is the firstfruits.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Praise the Lord for his promise of the first resurrection. May we all share in it.
Revelation 20:6.
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 want to be blessed and holy to share in the first resurrection?
If you do, confess Jesus as Lord, believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and you will be saved, thus sharing in the first resurrection.
If you have done this then death has no power over you. Though you die, you will live again. This life here is only the beginning of an eternal relationship with the Creator of all things, where we get to share in his rule.
Praise the Lord for his promises.
Revelation 20:7-8.
7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison
8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.
The OT background for Gog and Magog is Ezekiel 38-39. The preterist and idealist think that Revelation 20:7-8 is a retelling of Revelation 19, the battle of Armageddon, and not another war, while the futurist sees these as two separate wars. The Gog and Magog reference is not to say that it is the same event but that it is of the same nature as Armageddon in that God is demonstrating his power in exacting judgement.
Revelation 20:9-10.
9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them,
10 and 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.
Here we see history repeating itself through the hubris of man and Satan. They think God can be defeated, that they can dictate terms to him. God responds in judgement for he opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. May we be those who are humble of heart and serve the Lord.
Satan is cast into the lake of fire. He is finally totally defeated, never again to accuse, deceive or destroy. He was removed from heaven. He will be removed from earth and he will be totally vanquished, for Jesus is King.
Praise God, he keeps his promises.
Revelation 20:11.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
The OT background for this is Daniel 7:9-10.
The Great White Throne Judgement is not to be confused with the Judgement Seat of Christ, where we stand before Christ and he will judge us on how we built on his foundation of salvation, as seen in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15.
We do not want to attend the great white throne judgement. The image of earth and sky fleeing from his presence is not to communicate that they are destroyed, but to communicate the terror of God’s presence in judgement.
God has promised a coming judgement.
I pray that we all are ready, building on Jesus’ foundation.
Revelation 20:12-13.
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, 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.
In this coming judgement none are exempt, none are left out.
All are judge based on their own merits. None will attain eternity with God for all their works are as filthy rags. They have all sinned and gone their own way and the wrath of God abides on them forever.
This is not us, Church, and we pray that this won’t be you. Receive God’s gift of salvation, for God keeps his promises.
Revelation 20:14-15.
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Good news! Death and Hades will be finished, for God keeps his promises.
You have a choice. You can share in the first resurrection, building on Christ’s foundation laid down by the cross and resurrection, and not be blotted out of the book of life. Or you can share in the second resurrection by building on your own foundation and have your works weighed against you at the end of time. This is a bad option, for all our works are as filthy rags without the foundation that Jesus has laid.
Believe in Jesus and choose to build on his foundation for he is our cornerstone and in his work we must stand. It is for him that we do all things for God’s glory.