The Millennium (Not Falcon)
GIST: God is moving, reigning, and protecting His people. He is returning to judge the world.
SCRIPTURE: Revelation 20
This is one of the hotly debated passages in Revelation (and all of Scripture). Yet, the most contentious portion spans a grand total of six verses. I do not think this portion is unimportant as it will inevitably have implications on how you interpret the rest of the Bible. Nonetheless, overemphasizing these six verses is majoring in a minor.
Therefore, I’m not going to outline the prevailing views in much detail in this context for two reasons. 1) As I have admitted on a number of occasions, I am not an expert, so may not adequately address the nuances of the view points. 2) In the end, there is more to agree on than to disagree on. The major issues here are these: Jesus is coming back. There will be a final judgment. Those who have been saved by accepting the good news of Jesus will reap the reward of Heaven. Those who have rejected this gift of salvation will be punished in Hell.
THE PERSPECTIVES
Rather than outline these in detail here, I am going to provide a few balanced links and some pictures I found on ChristianCivilization.org (not because I am supporting this site in any way, I know basically nothing about it, but because it had the best pictures :D).
Links:
- Balanced Blog (Again, I am not endorsing, but found this a solid, brief overview.)
- VIDEOS! (These 2:00 minute overview videos help with visualizing the distinctions.)
Pictures :D:
- Dispensational Premillennialism
- Historic Premillennialism
- Postmillennialism
- Amillennialism
A BIT OF A BREAKDOWN
(Which is really not what I want anyone to have while thinking about this stuff! Remember the message!)
I. Binding of Satan: God is moving.
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.
Ok, so the first point to address is “the binding of Satan”. Again, we can disagree on the details of this point, but in general what we see is a very specific restriction. He is not in Hell, but rather prevented from deceiving the nations. Seeing what he does when he’s released, I think Sam Storms explains the purpose of this binding well: “The restriction on this particular aspect of his sinister ministry is absolute and invincible. The intent of the devil is to incite a premature eschatological conflict, to provoke Armageddon before its, that is to say, before God’s time. But the exalted Christ, through the agency of an angelic being, has temporarily stripped Satan of his ability to orchestrate the nations of the earth for the final battle ...”.
Because Satan is held back, the world hasn’t ended yet. People are still being saved. This is the grace of God.
II. The Millennium: God is reigning and protecting His people.
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. 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.
So, what is the millennium? I would say it’s now. It’s the time when Jesus is working in the hearts of people, saving souls. We’ve seen these pictures before. The martyrs and those who don’t have the mark of the beast are believers. A thousand years emphasizes that the time is long, but need not be a specific number. We share in the first resurrection because when we are saved we are given new life. Those who are not, “the rest” of verse 5, do not and are therefore subject to the second death (Hell. More on this in a moment). The saved, furthermore, are God’s priests, His representatives.
III. Post Millennium?: Jesus is coming. Judgment is real.
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.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.
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. 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. 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.
Does this sound familiar? We have seen this picture before. It gets bad, then ends. From a spiritual perspective, Satan is launching a battle against God. It is vast (four corners of the earth, numbers like sand), and evil (Gog and Magog=enemies of God). But the battle is already won. Jesus defeated sin on the cross. Therefore, there is really no battle (see verse 9). After the battle, Satan is also thrown into Hell, where he is eternally punished, not served.
Then, we’re given a very clear picture of the final judgment. No one is exempt or safe from this (vs 11-12). The dead are judged by what is written in the books. The verdict is the same for everyone. If your name is not in the book of life, which happens when you have been saved (given your life to Jesus), you are cast into Hell. I know we’ve talked about this before, but I don’t want to sound crass here. This is true, but not pleasant or easy to swallow, or enjoyable to teach. As I type these words, and as you may be reading them, may we never be tempted to just say “Yeah, some people go to Hell.” But rather be moved to tears by this, and moved to share the truth.
5Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:5-6
TAKEAWAYS
- Don’t major on the minors.
- Never fight over the details of how things like the millennium will happen, but rather focus on the truths of why.
- Praise God for the spread of the Gospel, and your salvation.
- That’s the message here. People are being saved because Jesus wants them to.
- Get involved! Be His Priests! No one will stand on their own two feet.
- Yes, I know this is full-on broken record mode, but it is so very true. Our time is short. No one will save themselves. Share the truth.
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