Tom Lowe
10/18/17
Book of Revelation
Lesson: V.A.2: Saints (Martyrs And Faithful) Reign With Christ (Rev. 20:4-6)
Scripture (Rev. 20:4-6, KJV)
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Introduction
Who are they who will reign with Christ in heavenly glory here on earth for one thousand years? There is much speculation and much disagreement as to who these are. Some say they are saints; some say they are angels. We will find the answer to this question and some others in this section.
The first ten verses of chapter 20 of Revelation include all of the specific Biblical teaching on the thousand-year reign of Christ. In spite of volumes which have been written on the subject, John gave only a few specific details. During the Millennium, Satan will be bound; the faithful Christian martyrs will be raised from the dead at the beginning of the reign; they will set on thrones and will share Christ’s reign on earth; their state is blessed because they have no fear of the second death and they serve God and Christ as priests.
The sovereignty of Christ as MAN (Psalm 8) and as King (Psalm 2) is Bible truth. A royal reign to be displayed for one thousand years here on this earth is unquestionable according to Scripture. The prophets of old saw it in a vision. Judah sang about it. The prophecy from Isaiah to Malachi speaks of its glory, blessing and splendor. The earth is to be delivered from the curse under which it has so long groaned and travailed. God created Adam and gave the earth to him. Adam subleased it to the devil, and when the lease runs out the sub-lease is no good. One day Adam’s day will be over and the day of the Lord God Almighty will come in. He will literally banish Satan from the earth, and the earth will be delivered from the curse. “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
In Revelation 11:15 the reign was announced. In chapter 20 it has actually come to pass. Verses four through six are extremely important and unique, for here alone is revealed a summary of those who will share with Christ in the Millennium, in the reign of righteousness and glory here on earth.
Commentary
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Satan has been bound and thrown into the Abyss so that for a thousand years he will not be able to deceive the nations. Here Revelation describes who will take part in that thousand-year reign of Christ, free from the influence of evil.
Furthermore, Christ’s victory will be a long reign—1000 years. The triumph of evil had been very brief. The two witnesses of God (11:3) had been killed and had lain exposed in dishonor on the street but “three days and a half.” God raised them from the dead. The dragon had attacked the mother of the Messiah, but his power was limited to three and one-half years (12:14). Christ will reign for 1000 years. The 10 Kings had power for only “one hour” (17:12); Christ will reign for a thousand years. Satan will be loosed for a “little while,” but Christ will reign for 1000 years.
“I saw thrones . . . ” Daniel in exile and John the Beloved in exile saw “thrones” in a vision . . . the same “thrones.” When Daniel saw them they were unoccupied; John saw them occupied: “they sat upon them.” In Daniel 7:9 we read “Till the thrones were cast down.” But in the Hebrew language, this verse should read, “Till the thrones were placed.” Daniel beheld the vision until the thrones were established. He does not lead us into the Millennium, but simply to the beginning of it. He breaks off his prophecy at the beginning of the Millennium where one “like unto the Son of man” receives from the Ancient of Days the universal and everlasting kingdom (Daniel 7:13, 14{9]).
We are going to hear a lot about the Millennial Kingdom in this section, so a brief explanation of the purpose of the Millennial Kingdom is definitely called for. For one thing, it will be a fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel and to Christ (Psalm 2; Luke 1:30-33). Our Lord reaffirmed them to His own Apostles (Luke 22:29-30{10]). This kingdom will be a worldwide display of Christ’s glory, when all nature will be set free from the bondage of sin (Romans 8:19-22). It will be the answer to the prayers of the saints, “Thy kingdom come!” It will also be God’s final demonstration of the sinfulness of sin and the wickedness of the human heart apart from God’s grace, but more on this later.
But during the Millennium, the inhabitants of the earth will include not only glorified saints, but also citizens of the nations who bow in submission to Jesus Christ (see Matthew 25:31-40; also 8:11). Because of the earth’s perfect conditions, people will live long lives (see Isaiah 65:17-25, especially verse 20). They will marry and have children who will outwardly conform to our Lord’s righteous rule. But not all of them will be truly born again as the Millennium progresses; and this explains why Satan will be able to gather a great army of rebels at the close of the kingdom age (Revelations 20:8).
For many centuries, man has dreamed of a “golden age,” a “utopia” in which the human race will be free from war, sickness, and even death. Men have tried to achieve this goal on their own and have failed. It is only when Jesus Christ returns to reign on David’s throne that the kingdom will come and the earth be delivered from the oppression of Satan and sin. At that time He is going to depose two different types of ruling class. He is going to punish the host of the high ones, that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth?“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.” (Isa. 24:21{7]). The “high ones, that are on high” are Satan’s angelic princes on their “thrones” (Col. 1:16; Eph. 6:13). These thrones will be occupied throughout the Millennium by the triumphant believers from the church age. Paul says, “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” (1 Cor. 6:2-3). Along with the “high ones” will be deposed “the kings of the earth,” the Gentile ruling powers. Their seats of authority will be taken over by redeemed Israel (Isa. 60:12) under the tutelage of the twelve apostles (Matthew 19:28).
The “thrones” seen here are not to be confused with the twenty-four thrones of Revelation 4:4{1]. The thrones Daniel saw (Daniel 7:9) and the thrones John sees in Revelation 20:4 both point to the Millennial government here on earth.
We are told next, “they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them.” The people setting on the “thrones” had been given authority to judge. Who are those setting on the thrones? The Scripture does not identify them specifically. Many interpreters believe that these are those who had been “martyred” for their faith, but the problem with this theory is that the martyrs are not mentioned until the last part of the verse. Some suggest that this is only the twenty-four Elders (4:4{1]) or that this forms an angelic court of some kind. But the scriptures do not teach that angels or heavenly creatures will reign here on earth: “For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak” (Hebrews 2:5). The government of earth during the Millennium is to be administered by Christ and His heavenly saints (1 Corinthians 6:2, 3{3]). “THEY” refers to the church, the Bride of Christ—“kings and priests unto God”—and possibly the Old Testament saints. To this, some agree and some do not. Some declare that only the Church will reign with Him. Others suggest that the Old Testament saints may be included. In Matthew 19:28{2], the apostles are promised that they will judge from twelve “thrones.” First Corinthians 6:2-3{3] says that the saints will judge the world. What we can determine is that this is a court in heaven composed of those whom God wants to assist in judgment (see also Daniel 7:26{4]).
It is probably the case that someone reading this will want to know who I think “they” are. “They” are all those who belong to the “first resurrection” (vs. 4, 5). “They” are Old Testament saints, church saints, and tribulation saints [“They” must be the total number of those who have part in the first resurrection, which includes the saved of all ages.]. The occupants of those “thrones” are the same as those in chapters 4 and 5, including those saints who suffered martyrdom during the tribulation and those to whom our Lord spoke in Luke 22:29-30{10]. Many are going to die in the Great Tribulation Period, but they will live again and reign with Christ one thousand years. But perhaps the largest group there will be those who were not actually martyred; but willingly bore suffering, reproach, imprisonment, loss of goods, disruption of their homes and personal relationships for the sake of Christ.
In the ancient Church in the days of persecution two terms were used. Martyrs were those who actually died for their faith; confessors were those who suffered everything short of death for their loyalty to Christ. Both he who dies for Christ and he who lives for Christ will receive his reward.
“Judgment was given unto them.” This is the fulfillment of “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2{3]). These words are easily understood. No one need be confused here. The saints will set with Jesus when He judges the world, and will judge with Him. The thrones that John saw are judicial seats of regal authority. They are not displayed for mere empty show. The sitters upon them are described in the passage under consideration as “priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” They constitute Christ’s royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9{7]), those whom He has made “kings and priests” (Revelation 1:5-6; 5:9-10). John says expressly that “judgment was given unto them.” Once God’s saints were judged and persecuted by the world, and are so treated even now, but the day will come when “the saints shall judge the world” (1 Corinthians 6:2). In this world the Christian may be a man under the judgment of men; in the world to come the parts will be reversed and those who thought they were the judges will be the judged.
Next, he saw “the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God.” John sees, in the Spirit, “souls”—not persons, the souls of the martyrs. In Revelation 6:9-11 we read of the souls of the martyrs under the altar, crying out, asking how long God will permit the reign of the Antichrist and . . . how long before their blood will be avenged. They are given white robes and palms, and instructed to wait a little season until their fellow servants should be killed. The souls John saw under the altar are the same souls he sees here, plus those who will be butchered during the reign of the Antichrist.
All of these were “beheaded” after the Rapture of the Church, so we know that at least two groups will reign with Christ during the Millennium: The Bride and the martyrs described here. No doubt the majority of these will be butchered during the last three and a half years of the Great Tribulation. Note carefully that John first sees the “souls,” and in the same verse, “. . . they lived.” The resurrection takes place immediately after the marriage supper of the Lamb, and just before the beginning of the Millennium.
Then a problem arises with the translation. Between the sentence describing the martyrs and the sentence that says they “had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands,” the Greek includes the words “and who,” which can be taken as a further description of the martyrs, or as a description of an entirely different group. If the latter is the case, John saw the martyrs, whom he had described in 6:9-11, as well as others who were martyred during the Great Tribulation. Then he saw a separate group, those who “had not worshipped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands.”
If “those who had not worshipped the beast” is merely a further description of the “martyrs,” then it appears that only the martyrs came to life “and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years”—a reward for their ultimate faithfulness to Christ by giving up their lives. Since they lived again and reigned with Christ 1000 years, they had to be in their bodies. The soul never dies, that is, never lapses into a state of sleep or unconsciousness. When the Bible speaks of resurrection, it always means the resurrection of the body. The only resurrection of which the dead are capable is the resurrection of the body.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
The “resurrection of the just” is mentioned in Luke 14:13-14{11], and the “resurrection of life” is definitely distinguished from the “resurrection unto damnation” in John 5:29{12]. Here in Revelation 20:5 we learn for the first time the interval that separates the two resurrections?1000 years. When Jesus comes in the Rapture only the righteous will be raised (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
This “first resurrection,” then, could be a resurrection only of the martyrs and those who had not worshipped the Beast. If so, then the rest of the believers along with the unbelievers are described as “the rest of the dead” who do not come to life “until the thousand years are finished.” At this point, God will separate the unbelievers from the believers, sending the former to the lake of fire and granting the latter eternal life. However, some commentators think that all believers partake of the “first resurrection” because all believers have been freed from the second resurrection because all believers have been freed from the second death—that is, the lake of fire.
When He comes in the end of the ages, only the wicked will be raised and will appear before the great White Throne to be judged. The doctrine of a general resurrection—a time when the good and bad, just and unjust are raised—is certainly disproved by this text. In John 5:28-29 we read, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” “The hour” referred to in this verse embraces one thousand years. Before the Millennium, the righteous will hear His voice. At the close of the Millennium the wicked will hear His voice. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. In John chapter 11 He called Lazarus by name. Had He simply said, “Dead, come forth,” every dead person would have come forth; but He called one man, and one man came out of the grave. When Jesus calls the righteous to meet Him in the air, only the righteous will be raised. Then one thousand years later the wicked will be raised. There is not the slightest implication in Scripture that both classes would be raised at the same time.
I know some will disagree, but I ask you to honestly see this Bible fact. In John 5:25-27 we read, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.”
In verse 25, note “the hour is coming, and now is.” Please be reasonable and face the fact that the hour referred to in this verse is the day of Grace, and has already lasted more than 1900 years. The wording is, “the hour is coming, and now is.” The dead referred to here are spiritually dead, not physically dead. All sinners are dead (Ephesians 2:1; John 5:24). When a dead sinner hears the voice of the Spirit and believes the Word, that dead sinner is raised to life, born of the Spirit, a new creation. The “hour” referred to in John 5:25 has already lasted 1900 years. Why should it be difficult for anyone to believe that the hour in John 5:28 will last 1000 years? Regardless of what you believe, it is true, and is clearly taught in God’s Word. Therefore, between the resurrection of those “who have done good” and the resurrection of those “who have done evil,” is a thousand years. “The rest of the dead” are the wicked referred to in Revelation 20:13. Not one saint of God will be raised in the last resurrection. The judgment at the great White Throne is final, eternal, and has to do with the wicked dead.
There is a resurrection of the just which is the first resurrection and consists of at least three distinct groups with regard to the time of their resurrection. This began with Christ, the first fruits (1 Corinthians 15:23). “Afterward, they that are Christ’s at His coming” (the Rapture). (Read 1 Thessalonians 4:16{13]) Then on the eve of the introduction of the Millennial Kingdom we have the resurrection of the martyred saints of the Tribulation. But with the wicked dead it is far different. All the wicked from Cain to the last person to live and die the death of a sinner will remain in their graves until after the Millennium, and then they will be raised. The resurrection of the wicked will be the last closing scene of the resurrection of the dead. They will be judged, cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, and then the eternal ages will begin with not one trace of wickedness on earth, in Heaven, or in any of God’s new creations. All wickedness will be in the lake of fire.
Some have asked in which group do we place those who were raised from the dead at the time of Christ’s resurrection, and of whom it is written, “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose” (Matthew 27: 52). Actually theirs was not a resurrection to immortality, but rather a resurrection like the resurrection of Lazarus, the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Nain, and others. These all must have died again; else they would be living somewhere today. Because they are saints, they will be raised to immortality with the Church saints and the tribulation saints.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The apostle declares, “Blessed and holy{8] is he that hath part in the first resurrection,” which, of course, is the dead in Christ?“on such the second death hath no power.” The phrase “second death” actually means a second kind of death. There are two kinds of death, namely physical and spiritual. We all are acquainted with the general idea of physical death, that moment when the body dies and the spiritual part of man departs from him.
But spiritual death is quite different. As we have already stated, the spiritual part of man never sleeps nor becomes unconscious. Spiritual death means alienation from the life of God (Ephesians 4:18{14]), the state of every unbeliever (Ephesians 2:1{15]). When the unbeliever receives Christ by faith, he is BORN AGAIN and thereby receives the life of God (John 3:16; 5:24; 1 John 5:12). As long as man is physically alive and conscious there is hope and the possibility of his escaping from spiritual death. However, if he dies physically in unbelief, or if he is alive and continues to reject Christ until the Rapture, or if during the tribulation he follows the Anti Christ instead of Christ, then there is no escape from the “second death.” All such will be banished from God forever. Physical death, for all who have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ is not a thing to be feared, for it is the gateway to life everlasting.
The phrase “and shall reign with him a thousand years” indicates a physical resurrection of their bodies. These believers will have new bodies, as described in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53{6].
Those who do not believe in “a thousand-year” reign of Christ say that this “first resurrection” is spiritual (in believer’s hearts at salvation), and that the Millennium is their spiritual reign with Christ on earth between His first and second comings. During this time, believers are priests of God because Christ reins in their hearts. In this view, the second resurrection is the bodily resurrection of ALL people for judgment. Others believe that the “first resurrection” occurs after Satan is set aside. It is a physical resurrection of believers who then reign with Christ on the earth for a literal “one thousand years.” The second resurrection will occur at the end of this millennium when God will judge unbelievers who have died.
Certainly any thinking person could not miss the fact that only holy people will take part in the first resurrection. Only people who cannot be affected by the second death, only those who shall be priests of God and Christ will be raised in the first resurrection; and if there is no second resurrection, why would the Holy Spirit refer to “the first resurrection?” Why didn’t the Spirit simply say “the resurrection in general?” The answer is clear. The Spirit leaves no untied ends. All is finished so that we may perfectly understand what the word of God teaches.
In 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 we read of the resurrection of the body: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” Paul desired to take part in the “first resurrection,” as he stated in Philippians 3:11?“If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead”?and the resurrection of the dead is taught in both the Old and New Testaments.
The salvation of the believer is complete now, so far as the redemption of the soul is concerned. Jesus came the first time to redeem the soul; He is coming the second time to redeem the body, and no saints will received a glorified, eternal body until the Rapture and the first resurrection.
The “resurrection” of the wicked is not a resurrection unto life, but unto eternal damnation. The righteous who share in the “first resurrection” are raised to receive glorified bodies in which they will live and rejoice forever. The wicked are raised to be cast into the lake of fire, which is the “second death.” CHRISTIANS DO NOT DIE; the body rests in the dust, the spirit returns to God who gave it. THE WICKED DIE FOREVER. They die physically, and they will die spiritually throughout eternity in the lake of fire. The righteous are raised to die no more; the wicked are raised to be cast into the lake of the “second death”! But the “second death” has no claim on those who are partakers of the “first resurrection.”
In verse 6 we learn . . . “but they shall be priests of God and of Christ.” Both the holy (1 Peter 2:5) and those who possess the royal character of priesthood (1 Peter 2:9{7]) shall be in the “first resurrection” and shall reign with Christ in His kingdom for one “thousand glorious years.”
IN CHRIST EVEN THE MOST ORDINARY MAN BECOMES A KING.
Scriptures and Special Notes
[1} “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” (Rev. 4:4)
[2} “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matt. 19:28)
[3} “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” (1 Cor. 6:2-3)
[4} “But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end” (Dan. 7:26) God, in the course of his providence, will sit (speaking after the manner of men) in judgment on this usurping, tyrannical, and persecuting power, which shall be judged, condemned, degraded, consumed, and destroyed, and his authority never more revived, to the end of the world.
[5} Abyss?The Bible speaks of a place of a place called the Abyss, or the pit. When used in the New Testament, it can refer to the abode of demons, or the place of the unbelieving dead. It is located in the lowest parts of the earth.
[6} “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Cor. 15:51-53)
[7} “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9)
[8} We are told the character of the saints of God. John heard the proclamation, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.” Their state is described as happy, and their standing is said to be holy. Happiness and holiness always go hand in hand. There is so little genuine happiness among men today because there is so little holiness.
[9} “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Dan. 7:13-14)
[10} “And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:29-30)
[11} “But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:13-14)
[12} “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (John 5:29)
[13} “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thess. 4:16).
[14} “Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.” (Eph 4:18)
[15} “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).
