1000 years
The Revelation of King Jesus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 1 viewHBI - What we are going to learn today is that the downfall of evil and the unrepentant has been pre-ordained, but there is hope in a future eternity with Jesus.
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Dr. R.G. Lee was the much loved pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis from 1927-1960. One day when R.G was a little boy, he asked his mother what was the happiest day of her life. Her name was Elizabeth. And she thought back to the time of the Civil War when she was a little girl.
*Elizabeth’s dad had fought for the South. And while he was away, her mom had to do all the work in the fields. One day a letter came saying that her father had been killed in battle. Elizabeth’s mother didn’t cry much during the day. But the children could hear her sobbing at night in their small house.
*About four months later it was summer and they were all sitting on the front porch shelling beans. A man came down the road and Elizabeth’s mother watched him for a while. Then she said, “Elizabeth honey, that man coming yonder walks like your father.”
*The man kept coming down the road, but the children thought, “It can’t be him.” Then as he came to the break in the fence, he turned in. Her mother jumped up and cried, “Children, it is your father!”
*Elizabeth’s mother ran all the way across the field and kissed and cried and held him for the longest time. And many years later, Elizabeth told her son, “It was the happiest hour I ever knew.”
Imagine the joy she felt as her husband came walking do the road after she thought He was long dead. That’s just a taste, just a hint of the joy-filled future in store for all who have received Jesus as Savior and Lord. Except we know that Our savior is going to come back, we know what the future has in store and we can look forward to it with Joy.
HBI - What we are going to learn today is that the downfall of evil and the unrepentant has been pre-ordained, but there is hope in a future eternity with Jesus.
What this calls us to is repentance for from our sinful lives, what we need to do is find hope in Jesus.
The Holy War
The Holy War
We start out by turning our focus to the only one that is worthy of our worship. The only true God and savior. Last week we went through the wedding supper of the lamb. How we are all invited to spend eternity with Jesus, but we learn that it involves an act on our part, and act of repentance.
We start out with a message of hope on one hand and a warning on the other. We struggle against living for God in such a hostile world and How God can allow these things to happen, yet the promise of a vindication for all the wrongs done against God and His people. We start out today with a Holy War. Not like the so called holy wars of old though.
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war.
By now we should be used to these dramatic changes as all these visions that appeared to John Change. We go from the wedding supper of the lamb. The joy waiting for all those who are followers of Jesus to a portrayal of Jesus as the warrior messiah.
In spite of the best efforts of Satan to triumph over God in the end God wins, no where is it portrayed better then right here.
We start out with the imagery of the white horse.
different from the imagery behind Jesus riding in to Jerusalem on the back of a Donkey, the symbol of Peace, we see Jesus coming in the clouds on a symbol of victorious conquest. Ready to wage war and bring the present age to a close.
Faithful and true.
Righteous retribution is about to be enacted on the beast and His followers but we read of the messiah being faithful and true. Those two ideas sometimes do not seem to go together. But the idea of righteous divine judgement is promised throughout the scriptures.
13 before the Lord, for he is coming— for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his faithfulness.
God is faithful to do what He has promised to do and will in due time vindicate the faithful.
12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.
Nothing can be hidden from the penetrating gaze of the messiah. His eyes like fire see past the outside and penetrate directly into our hearts.
The robe dipped in blood signifies the finality of the judgement of the Lord God. Like it says in Isa 63:1-6. The mighty warrior messiah will one day reign his vengeance upon the earth. .
The many crowns are in opposition to the crowns of the worldly rulers or the false messiah. But many crowns signifies unlimited sovereignty. No one can stand against our great God.
Linking back to John 1, His name is called the word of God. Where it tells us that Jesus is Gd, He came down to earth to die for our sin. He is the great self existant one. The one true ruler and He is coming again.
15 A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty.
This is an interesting word picture. Brings me back to that old Sega genesis video game of Moses spitting out God’s word at all the Egyptians. I do not think that Jesus is going to come back literally spitting swords at people.
The activity of the warrior messiah can be seen in a few ways. Isaiah says that the warrior Jesus is going to strike down the nations with a sharp sword that comes from His mouth. The sharp sword symbolizes the lethal power of the word of Judgement of Jesus.
That is saying that once judgement is spoken that no one can stand against it. No one can hope to come against the judgement of the Lord God. Jesus conquers by the power of His word. Jesus will return and judge the nations for what they have done.
Then in the last bit fo chapter 19 we see the result of that judgement that no one can withstand. Rev 19:17
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he called out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying high overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
No one can withstand the judgement of the Lord God.
20 But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with it the false prophet, who had performed the signs in its presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
Satan will be bound for a thousand years it says later.
I believe this to be a literal thousand year reign of Christ, which we will get into in a minute. But it starts with the judgement of those that have come against the lord God.
This first chunk leads into the millennial kingdom of Jesus. It starts with what people have called a Holy war, albeit very one sided.
People have been misinterpreting the idea of a Holy war for generations. The crusades being the biggest example. People thought God was telling them to utterly destroy their enemies. Yes God did us the Israelite's as a tool of His judgement on the nations. But it changed as Jesus came. We read later of Patience in regards to the judgement of God, giving people a chance to repent.
9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.
What we first learn is that the downfall of evil is pre=ordained to come from the very word of the judgement of God.
With that being said. Ours is not to battle evil with sword and spear but to get on our knees in prayer and lead people to repentance. Ours is not to pick up arms against the enemy but rather prayer and ask God to draw them to Himself. We fight this battle with the message of the gospel and on our knees in prayer.
The Millennial Kingdom
The Millennial Kingdom
Which leads to the millennial Kingdom. If the fall of evil and the sinner is pre-ordained since the beginning of time then we must start calling people to repentance. for the hope that we have that we read about next is what awaits us.
2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
3 He threw him into the abyss, closed it, and put a seal on it so that he would no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years were completed. After that, he must be released for a short time.
He is going to be let out again after a thousand years. But this is the beginning of what is called the Millennial Kingdom. But who will be there?
4 Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
First those present will be the resurrected that had given their lives living for Jesus during the tribulation. This would seem to be a special encouragement for those that will give their lives for their faith at this time.
Also those that will be there are those that are alive through the whole tribulation and those that where ruptured and come down with Jesus. This is taken from reading the Bible within Context.
5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
So much tricky stuff in here. what is this first resurrection? From the research I have done there are two options.
The first is that the first resurrection is a spiritual one. They will reign with Christ spiritually and then at the end it will be physically. I do not believe this to be the case.
The second is a first physical resurrection of the dead to reign with Christ. So it only speaks so far of those that will be there seems to be the resurrected dead that died for their faith during the tribulation. And all the saints that came down with Jesus and all those alive during the tribulation. we may understand the first resurrection as being the raising to physical life of all the dead in Christ. On the other hand, those over whom the second death will have power must be “the rest of the dead” who will be participants in the second resurrection, the “rise to be condemned”
Confused yet? The first resurrection is the rise of the Trib martyrs. The second death is another tricky one.
Isaiah 65 talks about this period as well. Our scripture reading this. Isaiah 65:20
20 In her, a nursing infant will no longer live only a few days, or an old man not live out his days. Indeed, the one who dies at a hundred years old will be mourned as a young man, and the one who misses a hundred years will be considered cursed.
It would appear that the 1k reign will be a time of blessing but not perfection. Children will be born and still have the ability to choose to follow God or not. It does not make sense to me that people during this time will choose to no follow Jesus, but it will happen. They will not live as long.
we read of the rise of Satan again to come and deceive the nations. He will deceive many again and they will try to rise up against God but will ultimitley fail. What does this tell us?
Satan and His followers stand no chance. Rev 20:14
14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
The second death will come to pass. ALl people will be raised, they will be judged. The second death would appear to be a spiritual death, that is eternal punishment promised to those that refuse to follow Jesus.
What this tells us is that we must repent of our sin. There will come a time where we will all come before Jesus. If we have not repented then we will be held accountable for what we have done. But eternal life is promised to those that turn to Jesus.
So What?
So What?
The downfall of evil and the unrepentant is pre ordained. It is written down. You know we are almost done the book of Revelation and it has taught me a few things. The end is near but there is hope in a future with Jesus. But what we are first called to is repent of our sins and turn to Jesus. There will come a time when we will reign with Him and Satan will be cast down forever into the pit along with all those who refuse to follow Jesus. two things if anything we must remember from all this information. I tried to condense it down as much as I could, Or I would be stuck on these passages for a while.
Satan and Evil are preordained to fall
Satan and Evil are preordained to fall
This can give us hope in the cruel world we live in. Jesus will come and battle with the word of His judgement. We are tempted sometimes to battle evil when people come against us with blows. But we battle on our knees. The mouths may slander us but what matters is the words of Jesus. He will one day Come and judge the world with the words of His mouth.
Call to Repentance
Call to Repentance
One of the things in all my research that kind of shocked me was the idea that there will be people that will still refuse to follow Jesus during a time when they will be able to see Him face to face. We can not blame our sinfulness on our environment and up bringing. The unregenerate prefer sin and the damned remain unrepentant.
given the choice, people will still choose to remain in their sin most of the time. Sin is to comfortable., to easy. The hard choice is to turn from the temporary comfort of sin to Jesus. To suffer the wrath of the world. I call you to repentance from your sin because of what awaits those who turn to Jesus. An eternal reward over which the second death, the eternal punishment has no power.