1 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:15,440 We'll return to God's word for our scripture reading. 2 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:20,600 We're reading from Revelation chapter 20, and we're reading the 3 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:22,000 first 10 verses. 4 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:26,870 Revelation chapter 20 and beginning at verse one. 5 00:00:30,230 --> 00:00:33,830 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his 6 00:00:33,830 --> 00:00:37,030 hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 7 00:00:37,670 --> 00:00:41,869 And he sees the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil, 8 00:00:41,869 --> 00:00:45,550 and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into 9 00:00:45,550 --> 00:00:49,910 the pit and shut it and sealed it over him so that he might not 10 00:00:49,910 --> 00:00:54,010 deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended. 11 00:00:54,730 --> 00:00:57,770 After that, he must be released for a little while. 12 00:00:59,130 --> 00:01:04,010 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority 13 00:01:04,010 --> 00:01:05,370 to judge was committed. 14 00:01:05,930 --> 00:01:09,770 Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony 15 00:01:09,770 --> 00:01:12,090 of Jesus and for the word of God. 16 00:01:12,090 --> 00:01:15,690 And those who had not worshipped the beast or its image 17 00:01:15,850 --> 00:01:19,610 and had not received its mark on their foreheads and or on their 18 00:01:19,610 --> 00:01:20,170 hands. 19 00:01:20,970 --> 00:01:23,850 They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 20 00:01:24,570 --> 00:01:28,010 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years 21 00:01:28,010 --> 00:01:28,730 were ended. 22 00:01:29,290 --> 00:01:31,370 This is the first resurrection. 23 00:01:32,010 --> 00:01:36,250 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection 24 00:01:37,210 --> 00:01:37,930 over such. 25 00:01:37,930 --> 00:01:42,650 The second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and 26 00:01:42,650 --> 00:01:46,090 of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. 27 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:51,120 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released 28 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:55,760 from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are 29 00:01:55,760 --> 00:02:00,760 at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them 30 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:01,480 for battle. 31 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:04,440 Their number is like the sand of the sea. 32 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:08,320 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded 33 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,160 the camp of the saints and the beloved city. 34 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,560 But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 35 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,560 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of 36 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,320 fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were. 37 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:29,240 And they will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. 38 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:30,440 Amen. 39 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:33,160 This is the word of God. 40 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:40,600 I once watched a nature program about beekeepers. 41 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:45,360 Now, these beekeepers were from southern England, and they were 42 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:48,400 talking together, spending a lot of time discussing different 43 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:53,840 hive types, queen excluders, feeding methods, swarm prevention 44 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:58,320 treatments, and whether one management system was better than 45 00:02:58,320 --> 00:02:58,720 another. 46 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:03,040 It was a program that was about encouraging the next generation 47 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:04,440 to take on beekeeping. 48 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:08,120 Now, I will be honest, I did go back and look this up of what 49 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:11,160 I've just read there, because I just didn't remember what their 50 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:12,320 whole conversation was about. 51 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:16,080 But their conversation was very interesting because their discussion, 52 00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:17,600 although it was worthwhile. 53 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:22,320 These experienced beekeepers had very strong opinions on their 54 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:22,960 approaches. 55 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,240 The person hosting the conversation wasn't a beekeeper, 56 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:31,360 and quite simply asked the question, what's actually going on 57 00:03:31,360 --> 00:03:31,760 here? 58 00:03:33,770 --> 00:03:37,050 Each beekeeper, despite their different methods of how to keep 59 00:03:37,050 --> 00:03:41,930 bees and how to manage their hives, agree on the main point. 60 00:03:43,210 --> 00:03:48,730 They said together that the colony was alive because the queen 61 00:03:49,530 --> 00:03:50,250 is there. 62 00:03:51,850 --> 00:03:55,610 Everything depends on her. 63 00:03:57,450 --> 00:04:01,570 And of course, that's the message that these older beekeepers 64 00:04:01,570 --> 00:04:05,770 wanted to hand on to these younger beekeepers, so that as they 65 00:04:05,770 --> 00:04:09,850 grew, they would receive this wisdom that what was most important 66 00:04:10,890 --> 00:04:12,090 was the queen bee. 67 00:04:13,050 --> 00:04:16,130 Now, I'm not about to give you a sermon on beekeeping, because I've 68 00:04:16,130 --> 00:04:19,170 already admitted I've had to go back and find out some of the 69 00:04:19,170 --> 00:04:20,490 terms that they were talking about. 70 00:04:21,130 --> 00:04:22,170 But it struck. 71 00:04:22,490 --> 00:04:24,570 It has stuck with me as it struck me. 72 00:04:25,620 --> 00:04:29,020 And I've gone back to this illustration time and again, particularly 73 00:04:29,020 --> 00:04:32,180 when it comes on how to preach Revelation 20. 74 00:04:33,060 --> 00:04:36,780 Because this chapter, of all the chapters in John's Revelation, 75 00:04:36,780 --> 00:04:39,460 has generated many discussions among Christians. 76 00:04:40,420 --> 00:04:44,900 Faithful believers throughout the generations have disagreed about 77 00:04:44,980 --> 00:04:49,060 exactly how to understand what this text talks about. 78 00:04:49,140 --> 00:04:50,420 The thousand years. 79 00:04:51,410 --> 00:04:54,290 And those discussions matter and have mattered. 80 00:04:55,010 --> 00:04:59,650 But we don't want theological positions to obscure what the main 81 00:04:59,810 --> 00:05:04,090 message is, to link it in with the illustration I've just given. 82 00:05:04,090 --> 00:05:09,250 John wants us to see the queen bee, if you like, the central reality 83 00:05:09,970 --> 00:05:12,610 that gives life to the whole passage. 84 00:05:13,330 --> 00:05:14,290 And what is that? 85 00:05:15,250 --> 00:05:21,370 Well, that the central reality is Christ reigns, Satan is restrained, 86 00:05:22,330 --> 00:05:24,610 and God's people are secure. 87 00:05:24,610 --> 00:05:26,490 That's what these 10 verses are telling us. 88 00:05:27,210 --> 00:05:29,930 Evil will finally be destroyed. 89 00:05:30,650 --> 00:05:35,050 And if we lose sight of these truths while arguing over the details, 90 00:05:35,050 --> 00:05:38,890 then we've missed what John most wanted us to see. 91 00:05:40,170 --> 00:05:43,370 In my own devotions last month, I came across this comment 92 00:05:43,770 --> 00:05:45,210 that I thought was helpful. 93 00:05:45,530 --> 00:05:47,730 It was helpful for me, particularly as a way to frame how 94 00:05:47,730 --> 00:05:50,050 we're going to think about these 10 verses. 95 00:05:50,050 --> 00:05:52,210 This evening, the writer wrote, and I don't know who the author 96 00:05:52,210 --> 00:05:52,570 was. 97 00:05:52,970 --> 00:05:56,370 The concerns of the modern church aren't trivial, but the danger 98 00:05:56,370 --> 00:06:00,090 is when inessential matters distract from Christianity's beating 99 00:06:00,090 --> 00:06:05,930 heart, Jesus Christ, who saves sinners and gives his life so that 100 00:06:05,930 --> 00:06:07,690 we might live. 101 00:06:08,890 --> 00:06:13,130 I hope that throughout this study in Revelation, I have focused 102 00:06:13,130 --> 00:06:14,320 on on just that. 103 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:16,800 I have focused on Jesus. 104 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:19,280 Well, at least that's what I set out to do. 105 00:06:20,240 --> 00:06:27,000 I have my theological interpretation of this book, and 106 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:27,920 you do too. 107 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:32,640 For some of you, you will agree with me, and for some of you, 108 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:33,680 you will not. 109 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:38,520 But the point of this series is not to argue and fight over who 110 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:39,920 is right and who is wrong. 111 00:06:40,970 --> 00:06:43,610 That certainly hasn't been my agenda. 112 00:06:44,490 --> 00:06:49,450 Rather this, the living word of Scripture. 113 00:06:50,250 --> 00:06:54,730 Through it, we get a glimpse of what our future reality will be. 114 00:06:55,690 --> 00:07:00,330 And that reality is where Christ is on the throne and death 115 00:07:00,810 --> 00:07:01,610 is defeated. 116 00:07:01,610 --> 00:07:04,770 Sin will be punished, and the redeemed in Christ will be brought 117 00:07:04,770 --> 00:07:06,170 home to heaven. 118 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:10,920 All theological positions are secondary to this. 119 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:15,920 And because I haven't preached overtly what I have believed by way 120 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:19,080 of nuts and bolts and the technicalities, that doesn't mean 121 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:21,160 that I don't have a conviction about it. 122 00:07:21,160 --> 00:07:21,720 I do. 123 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:26,520 But the purpose of the pulpit is not for me to persuade you about 124 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:27,960 what I believe. 125 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:32,720 The purpose of the preaching in the pulpit is to open God's word 126 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:38,460 and understand Christ from every page and the salvation that 127 00:07:38,460 --> 00:07:39,540 the Gospel brings. 128 00:07:40,900 --> 00:07:44,700 And I say all this because we will need to talk about why this 129 00:07:44,700 --> 00:07:49,780 passage is so often debated and why all sides involved take such 130 00:07:49,940 --> 00:07:51,300 strong positions. 131 00:07:52,340 --> 00:07:55,620 And although there are four approaches to understanding revelation 132 00:07:55,620 --> 00:07:59,420 as a whole, it's when you come to the issue of the thousand years 133 00:07:59,420 --> 00:08:04,070 or millennium that we focus on three understandings, just really 134 00:08:04,070 --> 00:08:06,310 for the first five or six verses. 135 00:08:06,950 --> 00:08:11,110 Those positions are premillennialism, post millennialism, 136 00:08:11,270 --> 00:08:13,030 and amillennialism. 137 00:08:13,590 --> 00:08:16,110 Let me give you quite literally three minutes of what these 138 00:08:16,110 --> 00:08:16,470 mean. 139 00:08:16,790 --> 00:08:20,149 The first view there on the screen is called premillennialism. 140 00:08:21,190 --> 00:08:23,110 It's actually the newest of them. 141 00:08:23,590 --> 00:08:27,590 It teaches that Christ will return before the thousand years, 142 00:08:28,150 --> 00:08:32,310 and after his return, he will establish a reign on earth for a 143 00:08:32,310 --> 00:08:35,690 thousand years before the final judgment and the new creation. 144 00:08:36,330 --> 00:08:39,210 But there are different forms of premillennialism. 145 00:08:39,690 --> 00:08:43,970 Some Christians, particularly within dispensational theology, distinguish 146 00:08:43,970 --> 00:08:48,250 between Christ's coming for his church and his coming with his 147 00:08:48,250 --> 00:08:50,330 church, while others do not. 148 00:08:50,890 --> 00:08:54,250 But they share the conviction that the thousand years is still 149 00:08:54,250 --> 00:08:58,170 a future period to come following Christ's return. 150 00:08:59,290 --> 00:09:03,290 The second view, and there the middle view, is post millennialism. 151 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:06,840 And it teaches that through the spread of the gospel and the 152 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:09,920 work of the Holy Spirit, the influence of Christ's kingdom will 153 00:09:09,920 --> 00:09:13,320 grow throughout the world, leading to a prolonged period of 154 00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:17,200 righteousness and peace, often understood as the thousand years. 155 00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:22,160 Christ then returns after this period to bring the final judgment 156 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:23,440 and the new creation. 157 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:27,440 The third there is amillennialism. 158 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:31,320 And although many who hold it feel the name is slightly misleading, 159 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:34,950 because it does doesn't mean that there is no millennium. 160 00:09:35,270 --> 00:09:39,110 Rather, it understands the thousand years as a symbolic description 161 00:09:39,110 --> 00:09:43,110 of the present age between Christ's first and his second coming. 162 00:09:43,990 --> 00:09:46,630 Christ reigns now from heaven. 163 00:09:46,790 --> 00:09:50,270 Satan's power has been decisively limited by Christ's victory 164 00:09:50,270 --> 00:09:51,030 at the cross. 165 00:09:51,350 --> 00:09:53,750 And believers who die are reigning with Christ. 166 00:09:54,070 --> 00:09:57,630 And this present age will end with Christ's return, the resurrection 167 00:09:57,630 --> 00:10:01,390 of the dead, the judgment of humanity, and the new creation. 168 00:10:03,310 --> 00:10:08,750 And, you know, I'm going to be honest and tell you probably not 169 00:10:08,750 --> 00:10:10,030 one of those is perfect. 170 00:10:11,710 --> 00:10:16,510 And if you hold to one of those, you need to admit that it's 171 00:10:16,510 --> 00:10:20,710 not perfect, because there's going to be little moments, as we'll 172 00:10:20,710 --> 00:10:23,510 see in a particular verse today, that can be upsetting. 173 00:10:23,510 --> 00:10:25,960 And there's one verse that's very hard for me because it does 174 00:10:26,110 --> 00:10:30,030 doesn't fit in with the theological position I come from. 175 00:10:31,310 --> 00:10:33,150 So none of these are perfect. 176 00:10:34,270 --> 00:10:36,670 That's why we're not going to look at one in particular. 177 00:10:37,790 --> 00:10:42,630 Rather, we will look at this pastorally to see what is the one 178 00:10:42,630 --> 00:10:46,750 message that actually unites all three perspectives. 179 00:10:47,790 --> 00:10:50,910 So with this, let's work towards the queen bee, as it were, 180 00:10:51,230 --> 00:10:54,990 the Gospel thread that runs through this passage. 181 00:10:55,480 --> 00:10:57,360 And we're going to look at it in three sections. 182 00:10:57,360 --> 00:10:59,320 First of all, Satan's power is restrained. 183 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:03,720 Then Christ reigns with his people, and then finally, evil has 184 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:04,760 an appointed end. 185 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:08,200 So beginning in verses one to three, we see a description given 186 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:10,920 to us that Satan's power is restrained. 187 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:16,680 In verse one, John sees an angel coming down, and in his hand 188 00:11:16,680 --> 00:11:19,480 he sees a key and chains. 189 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:24,740 And John tells us that the key is for the bottomless pit and a prison, 190 00:11:24,740 --> 00:11:27,060 as it were, into which Satan will be placed. 191 00:11:27,620 --> 00:11:30,980 And in that prison he will be bound by the chains that are in the 192 00:11:30,980 --> 00:11:32,420 other hands of the angel. 193 00:11:32,660 --> 00:11:37,180 And as we go into verses two and three, we see Satan described 194 00:11:37,180 --> 00:11:37,940 as he was. 195 00:11:38,020 --> 00:11:43,220 In Genesis three we have that term, serpent, or as John refers 196 00:11:43,220 --> 00:11:47,180 to him here, that ancient serpent, letting us know that the 197 00:11:47,180 --> 00:11:50,910 devil has been at work from the foundation of the world. 198 00:11:52,030 --> 00:11:56,030 And we're told that he is bound for a period, be it a literal 199 00:11:56,030 --> 00:12:01,470 thousand years, or that being a symbolic number identifying a fixed 200 00:12:01,550 --> 00:12:01,950 time. 201 00:12:03,070 --> 00:12:07,630 But look at what verse three and says, and the purpose of why 202 00:12:07,630 --> 00:12:09,470 he is restrained and imprisoned. 203 00:12:10,190 --> 00:12:14,190 This is he's thrown into the pit and the pit is shut and it's 204 00:12:14,190 --> 00:12:15,950 sealed over the serpent. 205 00:12:16,510 --> 00:12:16,750 Why? 206 00:12:17,390 --> 00:12:20,870 So that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the 207 00:12:20,870 --> 00:12:25,350 thousand years were ended and that he must be released for a little 208 00:12:25,350 --> 00:12:25,710 while. 209 00:12:26,910 --> 00:12:31,190 Now, when you read the text, you notice that it doesn't say, satan 210 00:12:31,190 --> 00:12:33,470 does not deceive anyone. 211 00:12:33,790 --> 00:12:38,310 The point is that the nations are not deceived to the extent that 212 00:12:38,310 --> 00:12:40,750 they wage final war against God's people. 213 00:12:41,980 --> 00:12:45,980 Another way of interpreting this is that the deception relates 214 00:12:45,980 --> 00:12:47,900 to the spread of the gospel. 215 00:12:48,300 --> 00:12:51,860 With the coming of Christ, the gospel now goes to the ends of the 216 00:12:51,860 --> 00:12:52,220 earth. 217 00:12:52,620 --> 00:12:56,220 In the Old Testament, salvation was confined to Israel 218 00:12:56,220 --> 00:13:00,460 only, and the nations of the world were deceived by the Satan 219 00:13:00,780 --> 00:13:04,220 so that they would be deluded to worship false gods. 220 00:13:04,780 --> 00:13:07,820 Well, now the Gospel is believed by all nations. 221 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:12,520 So give me a nation in the world where there is not a believer, 222 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:14,880 an indigenous national believer. 223 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:17,640 You can't, because the Gospel has gone everywhere. 224 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:21,640 And so Satan no longer deceives the nations as a whole, 225 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:23,560 as he did in the Old Testament era. 226 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:27,120 Unbelievers are, yes, still deceived by Satan. 227 00:13:27,120 --> 00:13:30,640 But the deception over all nations that characterize the Old 228 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:35,360 Testament period is now lifted so that some believe from every tribe, 229 00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:36,600 tongue, people and nation. 230 00:13:37,250 --> 00:13:40,890 In one sense, Satan was bound at the cross and so prevented from 231 00:13:40,890 --> 00:13:44,330 gathering and uniting all nations to oppose the Christ and 232 00:13:44,330 --> 00:13:47,330 his people until the time of the end. 233 00:13:48,850 --> 00:13:53,490 So we can see that in the thousand years Satan's power is restrained 234 00:13:53,970 --> 00:13:56,290 so that the nations are not deceived. 235 00:13:57,810 --> 00:14:01,530 Well, the second aspect of this passage is that Christ reigns 236 00:14:01,530 --> 00:14:02,170 with his people. 237 00:14:02,170 --> 00:14:03,890 And that's there in verses four to six. 238 00:14:04,620 --> 00:14:07,860 And there's one thing that no theological position can deny in 239 00:14:07,860 --> 00:14:09,180 our understanding of revelation. 240 00:14:09,420 --> 00:14:12,780 Because the whole way from chapter one, we have seen that Christ's 241 00:14:12,780 --> 00:14:14,780 people are never defeated. 242 00:14:15,660 --> 00:14:18,900 We've been told that those who die in Christ are alive with him, 243 00:14:18,900 --> 00:14:21,820 and death doesn't interrupt the believer's victory. 244 00:14:22,700 --> 00:14:26,660 And this we see again here in these verses, because John's focus 245 00:14:26,660 --> 00:14:28,700 is now drawn to thrones. 246 00:14:29,830 --> 00:14:32,390 And as we've seen in other places in Revelation, as well as 247 00:14:32,390 --> 00:14:36,550 other portions of Scripture, the throne is a place of authority. 248 00:14:36,950 --> 00:14:40,550 And so those who sit on the thrones are given the responsibility 249 00:14:40,710 --> 00:14:42,310 of authority or of judging. 250 00:14:42,310 --> 00:14:46,750 We're told John also sees martyrs, those beheaded because of 251 00:14:46,750 --> 00:14:49,110 their testimony of Jesus and the Word of God. 252 00:14:49,350 --> 00:14:52,910 And the testimony of Jesus has played a significant role in the 253 00:14:52,910 --> 00:14:55,030 book, as has the Word of God. 254 00:14:55,110 --> 00:14:57,660 We see it coming again, time and again. 255 00:14:58,140 --> 00:15:01,820 And authority is given to those who suffered for Jesus sake, 256 00:15:02,060 --> 00:15:05,180 who gave their lives because of the word of the Gospel. 257 00:15:05,580 --> 00:15:09,420 And so what John is saying here is the entire church viewed 258 00:15:09,420 --> 00:15:14,340 as a martyred church, as those who have given their lives for Jesus 259 00:15:14,340 --> 00:15:14,700 Christ. 260 00:15:16,300 --> 00:15:17,660 Isn't that what we do? 261 00:15:20,300 --> 00:15:26,990 We give away the old sinful nature into which we were born, and 262 00:15:26,990 --> 00:15:32,350 we put on the new cloak, as it were, the new garments that are clean 263 00:15:32,350 --> 00:15:34,470 and perfect, because we are in Christ. 264 00:15:36,710 --> 00:15:41,910 So yes, we are the Church of all ages who have had to change. 265 00:15:43,270 --> 00:15:46,230 We've been given new lives in Jesus. 266 00:15:47,270 --> 00:15:51,030 And so John now sees that those who are martyred have been 267 00:15:51,030 --> 00:15:54,550 martyred and are now vindicated by God through their physical 268 00:15:54,550 --> 00:15:55,350 resurrection. 269 00:15:56,230 --> 00:15:59,670 Verse 5 continues to speak of resurrection when it says the rest 270 00:15:59,670 --> 00:16:03,390 of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were 271 00:16:03,390 --> 00:16:03,910 ended. 272 00:16:04,150 --> 00:16:06,790 This is the first resurrection. 273 00:16:08,470 --> 00:16:12,470 Now, all three millennial theologies view this part of the 274 00:16:12,470 --> 00:16:16,950 text of the resurrection of the dead very differently. 275 00:16:17,430 --> 00:16:21,190 But verse five tells us that the rest of the dead do not come 276 00:16:21,190 --> 00:16:23,190 to life until the thousand years have ended. 277 00:16:23,900 --> 00:16:27,460 So if only martyrs come to life in verse four, the remainder 278 00:16:27,460 --> 00:16:31,660 of the dead includes all unbelievers and all other believers. 279 00:16:31,980 --> 00:16:35,780 But if verse four refers to all believers, then the rest of the 280 00:16:35,780 --> 00:16:37,980 dead refers only to unbelievers. 281 00:16:38,780 --> 00:16:43,660 Well, what this does tell us is that there is a resurrection of 282 00:16:43,660 --> 00:16:44,300 the dead. 283 00:16:45,100 --> 00:16:48,340 From our perspective, we perhaps take this for granted as 284 00:16:48,340 --> 00:16:51,340 we are 2000 years on from John's original audience. 285 00:16:51,730 --> 00:16:54,650 But resurrection in Jesus Christ was a completely new concept 286 00:16:54,650 --> 00:16:55,250 for them. 287 00:16:56,050 --> 00:16:59,930 They didn't fully understand it because they're still living in 288 00:16:59,930 --> 00:17:03,010 the first or indeed second generation of those who have died 289 00:17:03,010 --> 00:17:03,730 in faith. 290 00:17:04,850 --> 00:17:08,222 And that's why Paul writes as he does in First Corinthians 15:20, 291 00:17:08,438 --> 00:17:09,410 23. 292 00:17:09,410 --> 00:17:12,690 But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead the first fruits 293 00:17:12,690 --> 00:17:14,090 of those who have fallen asleep. 294 00:17:14,090 --> 00:17:18,370 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection 295 00:17:18,370 --> 00:17:19,010 of the dead. 296 00:17:19,460 --> 00:17:22,820 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made 297 00:17:22,820 --> 00:17:24,420 alive, but each in his own order. 298 00:17:25,060 --> 00:17:26,420 Christ the first fruits. 299 00:17:26,820 --> 00:17:30,500 Then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. 300 00:17:31,220 --> 00:17:34,620 So here we have Paul writing to assure the Christian believers 301 00:17:34,620 --> 00:17:38,060 that death is not the end, that all of this talk about resurrection 302 00:17:38,060 --> 00:17:40,420 is true and it is to be believed. 303 00:17:41,460 --> 00:17:46,600 So whichever millennial view you take, there is one guarantee, 304 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:49,720 and that is the resurrection of the dead. 305 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:53,240 However, we interpret and understand a first resurrection being 306 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:57,520 spiritual or physical, as well as a second resurrection being spiritual 307 00:17:57,520 --> 00:17:58,280 or physical. 308 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:04,920 And so we have the knowledge that resurrection is true. 309 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:08,320 But resurrection is only for those who believe in the Lord Jesus 310 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:08,680 Christ. 311 00:18:10,120 --> 00:18:11,160 And that's the key. 312 00:18:12,680 --> 00:18:16,040 Resurrection unto eternal life is only in Christ. 313 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:21,440 And almost by way of an aside, John assures his hearers and his 314 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,280 readers that their faith in Christ is well placed because of 315 00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:27,200 this promised resurrection unto eternal life. 316 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:30,760 Because he says in verse six, blessed and holy is the one who shares 317 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:32,120 in the first resurrection. 318 00:18:32,360 --> 00:18:36,320 Over such, the second death has no power, but they will be priests 319 00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:40,300 of God and of Christ and And they will reign with him for a thousand 320 00:18:40,780 --> 00:18:41,180 years. 321 00:18:41,980 --> 00:18:45,220 So those who experience the first resurrection will avoid the 322 00:18:45,220 --> 00:18:45,980 lake of fire. 323 00:18:46,780 --> 00:18:49,740 Instead, participants in the first resurrection will be priests 324 00:18:49,740 --> 00:18:50,940 of both God and Christ. 325 00:18:51,340 --> 00:18:55,260 And the picture of believers as priests mediating God's blessing 326 00:18:55,340 --> 00:18:58,700 has been present since the the beginning of this book. 327 00:18:58,700 --> 00:19:02,860 Believers are priest kings, like Adam was in the garden. 328 00:19:03,350 --> 00:19:06,630 And so they will reign with Christ for 1000 years. 329 00:19:07,190 --> 00:19:11,670 This is the image that we're given, where it began in verse four, 330 00:19:11,670 --> 00:19:14,510 looking at the thrones and who's on them, the authority to reign 331 00:19:14,510 --> 00:19:15,270 and to judge. 332 00:19:15,670 --> 00:19:19,830 So we see that it is a position that is given to believers, 333 00:19:21,190 --> 00:19:25,030 priest kings as Adam was in the garden. 334 00:19:25,030 --> 00:19:28,070 For is that not what the new heaven and the new Earth is? 335 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:30,400 It's Eden restored. 336 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:34,680 Haven't we seen glimpses of Eden restored throughout the story 337 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:35,840 of the Old Testament? 338 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:40,960 In the tabernacle and its design and the imagery of bearing 339 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:47,200 Eden in its embroidery to the temple, to its size and shape and 340 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:51,120 its fixtures and its fittings, pointing once again to the sense 341 00:19:51,120 --> 00:19:57,490 of Eden and in Christ, the promise of a new heaven, a new earth. 342 00:19:58,450 --> 00:20:00,450 Where the old is gone, the new has come. 343 00:20:01,250 --> 00:20:03,890 And we will know that new Eden forever. 344 00:20:04,770 --> 00:20:09,730 This is who God's people will be as they reign with him forever. 345 00:20:11,010 --> 00:20:13,010 So Satan's power is restricted. 346 00:20:13,810 --> 00:20:15,410 Christ reigns with his people. 347 00:20:15,410 --> 00:20:20,130 And thirdly, from verses 7 to 10, we see that evil has an appointed 348 00:20:20,130 --> 00:20:20,370 end. 349 00:20:20,370 --> 00:20:21,410 And this is good News. 350 00:20:22,310 --> 00:20:25,110 In verse 7 we read that the thousand years comes to an end. 351 00:20:25,110 --> 00:20:27,990 And at that point Satan is released from the bottomless pit. 352 00:20:28,470 --> 00:20:31,590 And verse eight tells us what he will do after his release. 353 00:20:32,550 --> 00:20:35,750 And so he will come out to deceive the nations that are at the 354 00:20:35,750 --> 00:20:40,790 four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. 355 00:20:41,110 --> 00:20:44,470 Their number is like the sand of the sea. 356 00:20:46,310 --> 00:20:52,660 I'm old enough to remember back to the year 2000 and we have 357 00:20:52,820 --> 00:20:54,100 the Bush administration. 358 00:20:55,540 --> 00:20:59,740 And you'll remember that at the time of the Iraq war, the invasion 359 00:20:59,740 --> 00:21:03,460 of Iraq, there was this talk about Gog and Magog. 360 00:21:03,780 --> 00:21:07,900 And taking these Old Testament terms, and now revealed to us in 361 00:21:07,900 --> 00:21:12,620 Revelation to be used as one of the rationales as to why to invade 362 00:21:12,620 --> 00:21:19,310 Iraq, it was finally doing away with a so called Gog and Magog. 363 00:21:20,270 --> 00:21:25,750 Well, Gog and Magog do not come from Iraq, certainly as we know 364 00:21:25,750 --> 00:21:32,069 it today in Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39, the nations that are attacking 365 00:21:32,069 --> 00:21:36,430 Israel at that point are called Gog and Magog. 366 00:21:37,150 --> 00:21:42,430 There Gog is a mysterious and monstrous king, unlike any other 367 00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:43,920 of human nature. 368 00:21:44,320 --> 00:21:48,640 While Magog is the name of his land or his territory. 369 00:21:49,680 --> 00:21:53,480 Together they represent the ultimate hostile forces of the world 370 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:55,520 that are against God's people. 371 00:21:56,720 --> 00:22:00,480 And here the terms in Revelation designate all the kingdoms 372 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:04,320 of the world that are bent on attacking the people of God. 373 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:09,410 Such an attack is due to Satan's deception, for fighting against 374 00:22:09,410 --> 00:22:11,770 the people of God is futile. 375 00:22:12,650 --> 00:22:17,010 John here echoes Ezekiel who says that in the last days Gog and 376 00:22:17,010 --> 00:22:20,170 others will move against Israel like storm clouds, while the 377 00:22:20,170 --> 00:22:23,090 people of God will be secure and unconcerned. 378 00:22:23,090 --> 00:22:26,650 So according to John, these mysterious nations represent the 379 00:22:26,650 --> 00:22:30,010 anti God forces conspiring against the people of God. 380 00:22:30,170 --> 00:22:31,690 And haven't we seen this already? 381 00:22:32,730 --> 00:22:37,600 Haven't we seen this set Megiddo or Armageddon? 382 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:43,360 Haven't we seen these forces try and rally themselves and root 383 00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:44,880 God's people to destruction? 384 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:47,120 And have they succeeded? 385 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:48,600 Absolutely not. 386 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:49,920 And will they succeed here? 387 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:50,560 No. 388 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:54,120 Because Satan gathers the nations countless as the sands of 389 00:22:54,120 --> 00:22:58,040 the seashore, because he has been released and will have influence 390 00:22:58,040 --> 00:23:03,040 over these nations trying to think of a final battle against God's 391 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:03,280 people. 392 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:06,800 Verse 9 tells us of their battle plan as they gather themselves 393 00:23:07,100 --> 00:23:09,260 around God's people trying to encircle them. 394 00:23:09,660 --> 00:23:11,020 But they will not conquer. 395 00:23:11,020 --> 00:23:15,020 For as soon as they are in position we are told that fire came 396 00:23:15,020 --> 00:23:18,740 down from heaven and consumed them there. 397 00:23:18,740 --> 00:23:24,940 In verse nine, evil thinks it will win, but it doesn't have a chance 398 00:23:25,500 --> 00:23:26,860 before it can strike. 399 00:23:27,180 --> 00:23:31,580 Its day is ended and the armies of evil are consumed by fire. 400 00:23:31,980 --> 00:23:35,740 And verse 10 goes on to assure us of this by detailing. 401 00:23:36,210 --> 00:23:39,170 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of 402 00:23:39,170 --> 00:23:42,770 fire and sulfur while the beast and the false prophet were. 403 00:23:43,890 --> 00:23:47,490 And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 404 00:23:47,570 --> 00:23:49,570 And isn't this a welcome report for us? 405 00:23:49,810 --> 00:23:52,050 Isn't this our glorious hope? 406 00:23:52,690 --> 00:23:57,010 The Satan is defeated and can no longer deceive humankind with 407 00:23:57,010 --> 00:23:57,650 his lies. 408 00:23:58,370 --> 00:24:02,890 This unholy trinity are together forever, but not in a place 409 00:24:02,890 --> 00:24:04,130 that they would desire. 410 00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:08,120 The devil who incited the last battle and deceived the peoples of 411 00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:12,120 the world to participate in the battle against God and the peoples. 412 00:24:12,360 --> 00:24:16,680 And the Lamb is cast into the lake of fire along with the beast 413 00:24:16,920 --> 00:24:18,360 and the false prophet. 414 00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,680 There they will be tormented forever. 415 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:26,760 No wonder John has heard the rejoicing in heaven in chapter 19. 416 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:34,060 For reading these words, we too need to cry Hallelujah that evil 417 00:24:34,140 --> 00:24:35,420 will come to an end. 418 00:24:36,780 --> 00:24:39,740 And so we come to the end of these ten verses. 419 00:24:40,940 --> 00:24:44,860 Wherever you fit in your theological millennial view. 420 00:24:46,780 --> 00:24:50,380 I believe, and I've tried and worked hard to see how we can come 421 00:24:50,380 --> 00:24:55,580 together to look at what is the center of this text, whether 422 00:24:55,580 --> 00:25:00,150 it's understanding a literal 1000 years or a symbolic one, we 423 00:25:00,150 --> 00:25:05,670 have this truth before us in each interpretation that Christ reigns 424 00:25:05,670 --> 00:25:06,430 with his people. 425 00:25:06,990 --> 00:25:12,270 Satan's power is restrained, and evil has an appointed end. 426 00:25:14,110 --> 00:25:17,670 And so, as we come to the end of this passage, we have looked at 427 00:25:17,670 --> 00:25:20,670 that thousand years and the defeat of the evil one. 428 00:25:21,950 --> 00:25:25,950 And Revelation 20 isn't meant to leave us arguing about a timetable. 429 00:25:26,620 --> 00:25:29,820 It's meant to leave us trusting in our king. 430 00:25:30,620 --> 00:25:35,580 Christ reigns today, even when the world seems out of control. 431 00:25:36,780 --> 00:25:43,100 Satan is real, and his work is real and his demonic forces are real, 432 00:25:43,260 --> 00:25:45,180 but he is restrained. 433 00:25:46,700 --> 00:25:49,980 Although restrained, we mustn't think that he is inactive, 434 00:25:49,980 --> 00:25:50,540 for he is. 435 00:25:50,540 --> 00:25:54,300 Because Peter says in 1st Peter 5, 8, be sober minded. 436 00:25:54,300 --> 00:25:55,820 Be watchful, be on your guard. 437 00:25:56,300 --> 00:25:59,500 Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion 438 00:25:59,820 --> 00:26:02,460 seeking someone to devour. 439 00:26:03,100 --> 00:26:06,460 We must resist him, and we must stand firm in the faith. 440 00:26:06,860 --> 00:26:11,340 God's people may suffer, but we are never abandoned. 441 00:26:11,580 --> 00:26:15,660 And not even death can separate us from our Savior. 442 00:26:16,780 --> 00:26:20,300 One day, the devil's work will finally end. 443 00:26:20,780 --> 00:26:23,820 Evil will be judged for what it is forever. 444 00:26:24,580 --> 00:26:27,860 And Christ's kingdom will be seen in all its glory. 445 00:26:28,740 --> 00:26:32,900 So whatever tomorrow brings, let us leave here with confidence, 446 00:26:33,460 --> 00:26:37,660 perseverance, and hope, because Jesus Christ has won the 447 00:26:37,660 --> 00:26:38,100 victory. 448 00:26:38,260 --> 00:26:41,860 He reigns today, and he will reign forever. 449 00:26:43,060 --> 00:26:48,660 And this is our invitation to trust in him this night and to trust 450 00:26:48,660 --> 00:26:52,100 in him forever, so that we will know the blessing of salvation. 451 00:26:52,500 --> 00:26:55,060 We will know our eternal home in heaven. 452 00:26:56,030 --> 00:26:59,190 And there's perhaps no better way to finish than with the words 453 00:26:59,190 --> 00:27:03,230 of Paul in Romans 16:20, where he says, the God of peace will soon 454 00:27:03,470 --> 00:27:06,430 crush Satan under your feet. 455 00:27:06,910 --> 00:27:10,430 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 456 00:27:12,830 --> 00:27:19,470 However these things play out, be it a thousand years that are literal, 457 00:27:19,950 --> 00:27:26,620 or be they literally symbolic in a period of time, the reality 458 00:27:26,620 --> 00:27:28,460 is we each need a Savior. 459 00:27:29,100 --> 00:27:35,420 For it is only the Savior who will win, because it is the Savior 460 00:27:35,420 --> 00:27:38,460 who will defeat sin and evil. 461 00:27:39,740 --> 00:27:43,380 And it is only the redeemed who have trust in the Savior who 462 00:27:43,380 --> 00:27:45,420 will cry, hallelujah. 463 00:27:46,060 --> 00:27:49,580 Salvation belongs to our God. 464 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,240 You see, we have a Redeemer. 465 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:59,800 He has given his life for us, and it is to him we're to look, so 466 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:04,360 that we will trust him, regardless of how we will interpret 467 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:08,440 all of the ins and outs, nuts and bolts of these 10 verses. 468 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:14,320 Rather, we will look to him as the one who is victorious, who in 469 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:18,650 fact gives us the glorious hope that we so desperately need, 470 00:28:20,650 --> 00:28:23,930 that we can only find in our Savior, Jesus. 471 00:28:25,210 --> 00:28:31,130 So may he be to you this night who you need him to be, your Savior, 472 00:28:31,530 --> 00:28:38,250 your Lord, your confidence of the victory in the end, and your 473 00:28:38,250 --> 00:28:41,690 sure entry into eternity in heaven. 474 00:28:42,660 --> 00:28:43,380 Let us pray. 475 00:28:44,660 --> 00:28:45,980 Our Father God for this. 476 00:28:45,980 --> 00:28:49,620 Your word, a word that can so easily divide us. 477 00:28:50,260 --> 00:28:54,340 We ask that you will help us to look at what is the central thread. 478 00:28:55,060 --> 00:28:58,100 You will help us to look for the message of the Gospel. 479 00:28:58,740 --> 00:29:02,740 You will help us to see what assurances we can have as your people 480 00:29:02,820 --> 00:29:09,050 here and now, so that we can share these with others that while 481 00:29:09,050 --> 00:29:12,970 there is still time, they too will come to saving faith in Jesus. 482 00:29:14,330 --> 00:29:18,370 So Father, help us to respond well this night and with all your 483 00:29:18,370 --> 00:29:23,730 people, cry hallelujah, for the victory is won, and it's in Jesus 484 00:29:23,730 --> 00:29:24,570 name we pray. 485 00:29:25,130 --> 00:29:25,770 Amen. 486 00:29:35,420 --> 00:29:40,880 Sam.