The Coming Kingdom – Part 2

3:03 I titled today's message, The Coming Kingdom. If you have your Bibles, turn to Revelation chapter 20 as we look at that coming kingdom of God on earth we call the millennium. By the way, the word millennium doesn't appear anywhere in the Bible, but don't let that shake you up. Neither does the word Trinity, but the concept is still valid for both. Millennium, it comes from two Latin words, mille, which means a thousand annum years. We're referring to the thousand year reign of Christ that is promised throughout scripture and especially in our passage today, Revelation chapter 20. Now that's what the millennium is. Now throughout history, there have been three prevalent views about the millennium. You may have heard these terms before. Let me explain them to you. The first view is the amillennial position of the kingdom. Amillennial. The amillennial position means no millennium. There is no literal kingdom of heaven on earth for a thousand years.

4:14 The second view of the millennium is what is called the post-millennial view. Post means after. When does Christ come? He comes after the millennium. This is the idea that the world is going to get better and better and better. And finally, it will be in such wonderful shape that Christ says, I can't stay in heaven any longer. I've got to come to this perfect world that man has created and rule over man. That's the post-millennial position. By the way, the pastor of this church for 50 years, George W. Truitt, was a post-millennialist. That's how he believed. That's what he taught. Post-millennialism, however, just about died after the onset of World War I. Now, the third view is the pre-millennial view. That's the view I subscribe to, and many of you do. Pre means before, and that is we believe that Christ must come before the millennium.

5:12 Only he will be able to institute his reign here on earth. Now, with that introduction, we're ready to get into the text. We're only going to look at the first six verses about the beginning of the millennium, and it starts with the binding of Satan. Look at chapter 20, verse 1. Then John says, I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. What is the abyss? Abyssos refers to a bottomless pit. It is a place of torment for a certain group of demons, angels who had fallen and rebelled against God in a specific way. It's referred to in 2 Peter 2 verse 4 and in Jude verse 6. I think these are the demons who cohabitated with the daughters of men in Genesis 6. And because of that particular sin, they were immediately judged and sent to this place of confinement called the abyss or the bottomless pit. You remember in Luke chapter 8 verse 31, when the Gerizim demoniac, the man filled with demons, was exercised by Jesus. And when those demons left the man, they begged Jesus, Lord, do not throw us into the abyss. Even they didn't want to go to that place. It was so horrible. We saw this place in Revelation 9 verses 1 and 2. The fifth trumpet judgment when a fallen angel was allowed to release a group of demonic scorpions to spread all over the earth.

7:00 But now we have a heavenly angel who has been given a key and a chain. For what purpose? Look at verse 2. And this angel laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and he bound him for a thousand years. Remember last time in chapter 19, we saw that at the battle of Armageddon, the Antichrist and the false prophet are seized by an angel and they are cast into the lake of fire. But what about the third part of that satanic trinity, Satan himself? Well, he has a special destiny. That is, this angel takes him and bounds him for a thousand years. In other words, to put him into this place called the abyss, the bottomless pit. I want you to notice the four names that are used to describe Satan. He's called a dragon. That refers to his beastly character.

7:58 We saw it in Revelation 12 verse 3, a red dragon ready to devour Christ and the church. Satan doesn't usually appear that way as a dragon. If people saw him as he really is, they would run as far and as fast from him as they could. He's called the dragon. He's called the serpent, referring to his subtle nature. Remember when the serpent appeared to Eve, it wasn't as a dragon. She wouldn't have been compelled to follow him. He appeared as a beautiful creature. And many times Satan appears that way to us. Paul says he can appear as an angel of light. Thirdly, he's called the devil. Diabolos in Greek, it means slanderer. One of the things Satan does is he accuses God's people day and night before the throne of God, according to Revelation 12, 10. But this word diabolos also refers to his diabolical nature. In John 8, 44, Jesus called him a murderer from the beginning. You know, you read in the media, these horrible accounts of men who kidnap children or kidnap other women and do horrible things to them, torture and things that can't even be described. And you wonder, where does that come from?

9:21 It comes from Satan himself, the diabolical nature of Satan, Diabolos. And then finally, he refers to him as Satan himself. The word Satan means adversary, enemy. He is the enemy of Jesus and he is the enemy of everyone who would follow Jesus. Whether you know it or not, Satan has you in his crosshairs. He's got a big X on your back and he's looking to take you out any way he can to destroy you and everything that is important to you. That's why 1 Peter 5, 8 says, be of sober of spirit, be on the alert for your adversary, the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Look at verse three. And he threw him, that is Satan, into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him so that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed. And after these things, he must be released for a short time.

10:25 He is going to be bound for a thousand years so that he can do nothing on the earth for a thousand years during this millennium, the thousand year reign of Christ. And this is the predominant feature of the millennium. It is a time when Satan is bound, which makes the amillennial position so ludicrous. Satan is in no way bound right now. Look around you, look in your own world at what's happening. Satan seems to be running rampant all over the world, but his time is short. There is coming the time when he will be bound for a thousand years. Now, how long is the millennium? Well, it's a thousand years. In fact, in the first seven verses of Revelation 20, the phrase thousand years is used six times so that nobody mentions it. This is a thousand year period of time. Suppose your brother who lives out of town sends you an email and he said, you know, the day after Christmas, our family would love to come and visit you for eight days.

11:36 For eight days, we'll do nothing but just enjoy fellowship with you. For eight days, we'll travel around Dallas and eat in the best restaurants. We can't wait to spend these eight days with you. The day after Christmas comes, your brother and his family ring the doorbell. you open the door. So glad to see you, you say. By the way, how long are you planning on staying with us? And your brother says, didn't you get my email? I said eight days. And you say, oh, I thought you were speaking symbolically. No, he made it a point to say eight days. Now think about this. If John were speaking literally of a thousand years, could he have said it any more clearly? No, he would have used the phrase a thousand years. He uses that phrase six times in seven verses.

12:32 You know, interestingly in the Bible, sometimes the word day or month are used symbolically, but never the word year. And furthermore, every number, every other number in the book of Revelation is a literal number. There are 1260 days in the first half of the tribulation, 42 months in the first half of the tribulation. There are two olive trees, two witnesses. There are seven heads and 10 horns on the Antichrist. Every time a number is used in the book of Revelation, it's used literally. Why would we think differently when we come to a thousand years? This is a literal period of time. And after the thousand years, verse three says, Satan must be released for a little while longer. Would you like to know why Satan has to be released at the end of the millennium? Why God doesn't just judge him at that time and get rid of him forever? Why having captured Satan, would he let him go? Would you like to know why?

13:33 Come back next week and I'll tell you. We're going to get into that next week. But here in verse 4, I want you to notice one other aspect of the millennium that God reveals to John. Look at verse four. After Satan has been down, look at what John says he saw. I saw thrones and they that sat upon them and judgment was given to them. John said at the beginning of the millennium, I saw a group of people sitting on thrones. Who are these? Well, that's you. That's me. Remember in Revelation 4, 4, the church, the 24 elders are seen on, before the throne of God in heaven. And now we're seated on thrones. Part of our responsibility in the millennium will be ruling and reigning with Jesus over the earth that he has subdued. John says, I saw thrones, people already raised in their resurrected bodies. That's you and me. And then he said, and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received the mark on their forehead or on their hand. And they came to life and also reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Who is he talking about here? He's talking about those people who were saved during the tribulation and were martyred, beheaded for their faith. He said, I saw them as well. And they came to life and reigned with Christ. Wait a minute. I thought if a Christian died, I thought immediately he was alive in the presence of God to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. But here it says they didn't come to life until Christ returned in the beginning of the millennium. That phrase came to life is the Greek word onastasis, resurrection. It refers to the physical body coming to life, not the spirit. The moment you die or any Christian dies, you don't cease to exist. You don't go into soul sleep or purgatory.

15:41 The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5, 8, to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord. You're alive the moment you die if you're a Christian, but there's a time that you receive your resurrected body. And for these tribulation saints, it will be when Christ comes at the second coming at the beginning of the millennium. And then he adds this word in verse five, the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. Who is that? That's the unsaved dead. Again, we'll look at that next week. They are raised for judgment, But then he says, this is the first resurrection. Everything he has just described in verse four, and he adds this word, blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection. Over the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

16:40 Here, John introduces an important concept to understand in the Bible. There are two resurrections. The first resurrection is the resurrection of saved people, and they are raised to experience God's blessing for eternity. But the second resurrection is a resurrection of the unsaved. They are raised from the dead to experience God's torment forever and ever. And that's why John says blessed, happy is the person who's a part of the first resurrection. Let's in closing look at this first resurrection for just a moment. Who does it encompass and how does it work? Paul explains it in 1 Corinthians 15 verses 20 to 24. He says, but now Christ has been raised from the dead and the first fruits of those who are asleep. For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive, but each in his own order. If you are in Christ, you're going to receive a brand new body, but you have to wait your turn. There is an order to which people will receive their new bodies.

18:00 That word order is a military term, togma. It refers to a military parade that gets larger and larger as different core fall into place in the parade at a particular spot along the parade route. Can you picture that in your mind? There's a leader of the parade and as it goes further and further, different core fall into place and that parade gets larger and larger. Paul is using that imagery to say there's a parade of Christians headed to heaven and everybody will fall into line at their particular place in history. The first resurrection is not a single event in time. It refers to a group of people who received their resurrection body at their appointed time. The parade to heaven. Who receives their body when? First of all, Paul says, Christ and the first fruits. That refers to Jesus, of course, but also those who were raised with Jesus when he was resurrected. Did you know there were several people who were raised from the dead when Christ was raised from the dead? Matthew 27 verse 52. The first fruits, that's the sample of the harvest that is yet to come. Christ in a select few. And then the next group that receives their resurrection body will include you and me, the dead in Christ, and those alive at the rapture.

19:32 The Bible says the next event is going to be the rapture of the church. If we're alive at that time, we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. And at that moment, 1 Corinthians 15 says, we'll be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. If you have a loved one who has already died and they're a Christian, their spirit is already in heaven, but their bodies will be raised from the grave and they will receive a brand new resurrected body. That all happens at the rapture. Seven years later after the tribulation, that's when the tribulation saints, those who were martyred during the tribulation, as well as I believe the Old Testament saints, will receive their new bodies. You see, both the rapture and the second coming include a coming of Christ, so to speak. At the rapture, he comes into the clouds and we're caught up to meeting. At the second coming, he comes to earth. It's different events, but they're similar in that they both involve Christ coming. And then finally, the last group are those who died during the millennium. And at the millennium, they will receive their new bodies.

20:42 Then comes the end when he hands over the kingdom to the God and father, when he has abolished all rule, authority, and power. There will be some Christians who enter in the millennium in their natural bodies. We'll talk about this next week. They will die. They will receive their bodies at the end of the millennium. But the point is, even though it happens throughout history, all of these people are still part of that group called the first resurrection. But then there is a second resurrection. Verse five says, the rest of the dead did not come until the thousand years were completed. These are the people who are raised for the great white throne judgment that we'll look at next time. They are raised not to experience God's blessing, but to experience his torment. If there is one truth I want to leave you with that comes from this passage, it is this. when we die we do not cease to exist death is not the end for anyone Christian or non-Christian instead physical death is just the doorway through which we enter into eternity an eternity of God's blessing or an eternity of God's judgment C.S. Lewis said one time our lives can be compared to a very very long book our life here on earth is just the cover page the title page chapter one of our story doesn't begin with our birth it begins with our death let me ask you the all important question when that trumpet sounds and God's people in this age are called to assume their place in that parade to heaven?

22:40 Are you going to be one of those invited to participate? Are you going to be welcomed into the presence of God for all eternity? Blessed is he who is a part of the first resurrection for over him the second death has no power. That's one of the many promises of God found in the book of Revelation. And it's my prayer that everyone within the sound of my voice will seize the opportunity to become part of the first resurrection. And as you do, the second death has no power. Our study called Final Conquest concludes on Monday's Pathway to Victory. So time is running short to request the best-selling book I've written for you. It's an in-depth study of Revelation that I've called Final Conquest. In my book, you'll discover the many promises of God woven throughout Revelation, like those we address today.

23:41 These promises are like unopened presents that are bestowed upon every believer. And it's exciting to find these treasures woven throughout all 22 chapters of Revelation. It's yours when you include a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. We're so grateful to God for the financial partners He's bringing alongside Pathway to Victory. We couldn't possibly provide these daily programs without the consistent support of our Pathway partners and others. And I'm very encouraged with the progress we're making together. because of your generosity. We're able to push back the darkness in our culture today and shine the bright light of God's Word. Keep up the good work. Here's David to tell you more.