This morning we will be starting chapter 20 of the book of Revelation. I will be splitting this chapter into 2 parts to follow the natural division of the chapter. Today we will be exploring the millennial and the defeat of satan in part 1 and then tomorrow we will look at the great white throne of judgement in part 2. At this point in the book we have seen all of God’s judgments on the unrighteous unbelivers of the world and now being in the last three chapters we will be seeing the true end times. The final moments. The final judging of the unrighteous, the final dealing with satan and the two antichrists, and the final new heaven and Earth revealed. I think about the movies where a crazy old guy is pictured holding a sign that says “The end is near” but folks, I think I can say with some clarity and certainty, (considering where we are at in our study of Revelation) the end is certainly near.
Let’s take a closer look at Part 1 of Revelation chapter 20.
20:1-3 – “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 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.”
So right out of the gate we see the beginning of the millennial period. This is the only place in scripture where the millennial period is discussed in depth. The term millennial is based on the Latin word “mille” which means “in each thousand” or "one single thousand." and is mentioned a whopping six times here in chapter 20. The millennial reign of Christ will be a tremendous time of peace in the world because of these first few verses. Satan will be gone. Completely. We see an angel descend from Heaven with two things, a key and a chain. His job is simply to apprehend and incarcerate satan. What a glorious day this will be for all mankind! Satan is clearly defined here, in fact, he is described by four different names. Satan, the dragon, the ancient serpent, and devil. The name satan means “adversary”, the name devil means “slanderer”, the name "dragon" is a description given him 12 times throughout Revelation, and the "ancient serpent" refers to his original presence in the garden of Eden in Genesis. The world’s oldest foe is going to be imprisoned for 1,000 years. The angel, under God’s supreme authority, threw him into the bottomless pit and sealed it over him so that he might not deceive the nations any longer. We will see a brief appearance from satan after the thousand years is over and before he is vanquished forever by God.
There’s a few things to note here. Today satan is not in hell. Today satan is not locked in the bottomless pit. Today satan is among us. Satan is not restrained. Satan is real, he is free, and he intends you spiritual harm. He is the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2), he is the ruler of the world (John 14:30), and his power and influence in the world is enormous. Do not underestimate satan and his power to corrupt and disrupt your life. He has the most power over those who deny or dismiss his presence. So how do believers deal with this subtle foe that “prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour?” (1 Peter 5:8) “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) You fight. You fight hard. You stay close to God through His Word, through prayer, and through fellowship with other believers, and you fight. Just like you would fight a fierce cougar or bear to save your life, you fight the devil in the name and power of Jesus Christ to save your spiritual life. Folks, don’t take him lightly, that’s just what he wants you to do. Put on the full armor of God today and resist him in the name of Christ and he will flee. He’ll go off and consume someone else that is not willing to fight him.
20:4-6 – “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. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 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.”
We open here looking at the saints (believers in Christ) seated on thrones and also those believers who had been martyred during the great tribulation for their belief in Jesus Christ and their refusal to take the mark of the antichrist. What a joyous image this is and what a promise from God. Not only will we will be afforded eternal life in Heaven with Him, but we will reign with Him. (2 Tim 2:12) The saints come alive and reign with Christ for the millennial period. What a tremendous passage.
We next see that “the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.” This refers to the unbelieving dead from all ages whose resurrection to judgement and damnation will be discussed a little later in Rev 20:11-15 (the great white throne of judgement.) The resurrection of the saints (believers) here is called the “first resurrection.” We next hear “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.” This is a wonderful promise from God. God is truth and His Words are truth. Praise God that when you call upon the name of Jesus Christ to save you from your sins, that you will never endure the second death which is spiritual death, or eternal separation from God. Praise God for His mercy and grace through belief in Jesus Christ!
20:7-10 – “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. 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.”
So, during the millennial reign the planet will be free from satan and his demons but will the planet be free from sin? Well, will the planet be free from people? No. So sadly, wherever there are people, there is sin. God removes satan but the sinful hearts of mankind remain. During the thousand years, people will drift from God in rebellion as we see happen repeatedly from Genesis all the way to right here in Revelation. The heart of man will never change. So, we will see rebellion towards God as people love their sin, but during the thousand years they will have no leader (satan). At the end of the thousand years, God releases satan and he immediately has a following. Rebellious, angry, selfish people are easily deceived and satan is right back to his old ways, trying to halt or destroy the work of God. He assembles an army that spans the entire world and its numbers are like the sands of the sea. People, are you getting this? God gives people 1,000 years of peace, on this planet with no satan. There is no war, no famine, no shortage of God’s bountiful provision, but as soon as satan enters the scene again he is able to assemble an army that numbers in the hundreds of millions. And their goal? To defeat God. I wish my brain were triple the size it is because I just cannot understand the hearts that beat within the chests of mankind. So evil, so rebellious, so selfish, so prideful. All God wants is our love and we shun Him.
They attack the “camp of the saints” which is Jerusalem and attempt to destroy God and His people yet once again in the final battle the world will ever see. God in one last act of righteous judgement, rains down fire upon this massive army and in the blink of an eye vaporizes them all. Their leader, the devil, is thrown into the lake of fire where the two antichrists have already been condemned. (Rev 19:20) The three of them will be tormented day and night, forever and ever, for eternity. Hell will be their home, but not to rule or act out against God, they will be tortured prisoners for eternity.
What a tremendous lesson we have before us today. Folks, you can fight against God, you can resist God, you can love your sinful life, you can tolerate the sinful ways of the world, but in the end God will win in His righteousness. The world can rebel against Him, they can curse His name, they can shirk His commandments, and they can go their own way, but God will win. We can curse, fight, embrace sexual immorality, and pervert the precious definition of the Holy bonds of marriage He created, but God will win. For those that choose to fight God, whether it be in the great tribulation, the millennial reign, or even today, it will not go well at all. God will always win. Stop fighting, stop rebelling, stop thinking your way is the best. Relent to God, admit that your flawed with sin, and that your own selfish ways only cause pain and suffering in your life. There is but one way to true peace and freedom and that is through Jesus Christ. Call upon Him today in faith, follow His example, and live a life of peace, joy, and goodness in Him.
It is the only way. God wins in the end.
God bless you in your pursuit of Jesus ~ Dan
Great devotional!