During this time his influence will not have any effect on the Tribulation Saints who have lived through the seven years of Tribulation.
These tribulation saints have been through tribulations like the world has ever seen before!!!
But during this time on earth they will experience PEACE ON EARTH AND GOOD WILL TOWARD MAN like God intended for it to be at the beginning.
• Can you imagine a life where Satan isn't around to temp anyone?
• Do you think that the 1000 year millennium will be a time of paradise?
No one will enter into the 1000 year millennium unless they are a believer.
All of the ungodly during the tribulation period will be killed during the Battle of Aamageddon. Most believers will live for the entire one thousand years and will produce and have children.
Yes, even the curse on the animals is lifted and the wolf will lie down with the lamb and will live in peace with each other.
Look at Isaiah 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
But human nature is what it is!!!
The children of those Saints will still have to be taught about Jesus, even though He will be with them constantly, sadly, many of them will not accept Him as their Savior.
Many of those children will be rebel and with a tremendous population explosion during those one thousand years, there will be probably billions of people at the end much like it is now. However, the unbelievers at that point will be as "the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea" (verse 8).
Verses 1-3: The “bottomless pit” is simply the the abode of evil spirits.
During the Millennium (Latin for “one thousand years”), Satan will not be able to tempt or “deceive the nations”. Any temptation to sin during the Millennium must come from within those people who are born after the kingdom begins.
It must be assumed that all of Satan’s demons or fallen angels are also imprisoned at that time (compare Isa. 24:21-23).
Christ will reign on earth without opposition, and His kingdom will be characterized by righteousness, peace, and love.
However, after the thousand years, Satan will be released for a short time (verses 7-9).
Let’s get started in studying Revelation chapter twenty.
Revelation 20:1 "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand."
This "angel" is not Jesus Himself but is a ministering spirit that Jesus has given authority to. This angel comes from heaven.
The Bible does not tell us this angel is a mighty angel, he appears to be an ordinary angel.
But this ordinary angel become satan’s jailor that leads him to his prison cell.
We can assume from this that Jesus has turned the key to the bottomless pit over to this angel and has given him power and authority for this job.
This "great chain" in this angel's hand, shows the power God has given him over the devil for this task, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended.
“Key of the bottomless pit”: The place where demons are incarcerated pending their final sentencing to the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:2 "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,"
“Laid hold”: These words imply force. This includes not only Satan; but the demons as well. Their imprisonment will dramatically alter the world during the kingdom, since their destructive influence in all areas of human thought and life will be removed.
“Dragon”: Likening Satan to a dragon emphasizes his violence, and cruelty.
The devil will not be here on the earth to harass the Christians until the millennial 1000 year reign of Jesus is over.
When he bound the devil for the 1000 years, the angel put him in the abyss, not in the burning hell. This burning hell was reserved for his final punishment.
Revelation 20:3 "And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."
“The bottomless pit”: All 7 times that this appears in Revelation, it refers to the place where fallen angels and evil spirits are kept captive, waiting to be sent to the lake of fire, the final hell prepared for them (Matt. 25:41).
“Be loosed a little season”: Satan will be released so God can make a permanent end of sin before establishing the new heaven and earth.
All who survive the Tribulation and enter the kingdom will be believers.
Again, can you imagine how nice it would be to live on earth and everyone was Christians.
These are proven Christians who have come through the tribulation period.
However, once the Millenium starts with the believes they will have children and many of their descendants will refuse to believe in Him.
At the end of the 1000 years, Satan will once again be released to deceive the nations. He will find many unsaved descendants of those who lived through the millennium. There will be a very large number as we are told in verse eight as they will be like the sand of the seashore or a vast uncountable multitude.
Satan's deceptive way of getting those sinners to revolt against God is not revealed. These rebels will come from the four corners of the earth and this is also known as Gog.
The first mention of Gog and Magog was in Ezek. Chapters 38 and 39 (which I suggest reading), and is mentioned here (in verse eight).
Revelation 20:4 "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."
Those whom John sees come to life are the Tribulation martyrs, who refused to worship the “beast”. They will rule the earth “with Christ” for “a thousand years”.
Christ will rule through three classes of kingdom administrators:
(1) Old Testament saints (compare Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2), who will be resurrected at this time;
(2) The apostles and the church (compare Matt. 19:28-29);
(3) Tribulation saints (compare Luke 19:12-27).
Only believers will enter the Millennium at its beginning.
After the Millennium, Christ will deliver the kingdom to God the Father and will then be appointed Ruler forever (compare 1 Cor. 15:24-28).
“The souls of them that were beheaded”: These are tribulation martyrs. The Greek word translated “beheaded” became a general term for execution, not necessarily a particular method of punishment.
“His mark” – The tribulation martyrs will be executed for refusing the mark of the beast.
“Reigned”: Tribulation believers, along with the redeemed from both the Old Testament and New Testament times, will reign with Christ (1 Cor. 6:2; 2 Tim. 2:12), during the 1000 year kingdom.
Those who refuse to take the mark of the beast will reign with Christ right here on this earth.
Christians, from all generations, will live here on this earth during the millennium and will rule and reign with the Lord Jesus. We will rule with Christ during those years but we will not be equal as we will reign as His subordinates.
Won't it be wonderful to reign with the martyrs like Stephen?
Some claim this thousand years is not to be taken literal.
This 1000 year Millennial reign of Jesus Christ here on this earth, I believe, has to be 1000 years.
Why?
Mankind has worked six 1000 year days since Adam, and this will be the one “1000” year day of rest (sabbath).
Scientist make claim the earth has been here millions of years…NOT SO!
The earth has been here most likely six thousand years.
What Scientist fail to recognized is that God made things with the appearance of age.
Illus: For example, when God placed Adam on earth since he is the first Adam many believed he was around 32 or 33 years of age. But suppose you and I was on earth at that time and I point to a rock and ask you, HOW OLD DO YOU THINK THIS ROCK IS? You would look at it and say, “Maybe ten millions years old!” But since God made things with appearance of age suppose I told you it was only two days old.
God set this universe up on six days of work, one day of rest.
The land was set to work six years and one year of rest. This will be a literal 1000 year of rest to conform to this pattern that God set up.
True science support that the earth is six million years old.
Illus: For example, when they first landed on the moon they were concern that the landing might be a problem. Why? Because on the moon there is no wind and they felt that the dust on the moon when man landed on the moon the space vehicle might sink 30 or 40 feet into dust since it was created millions of years ago. But they found out that it was only a quarter of an inch that support the teaching that the heavens and the earth is only six thousand years old. THIS IS CALL THE DUST THEORY!!!
God has a seven day calendar like we do. But His days are not twenty four hours a day, his days are a thousand years.
Look at 2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
God’s calendar consist of seven thousand years.
Based on the idea that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years God’s Calendar is like:
• From Creation to the flood – Monday and Tuesday
• From the flood to Cross – Wednesday and Thursday
• From the Cross to now – Friday and Saturday
• And Seventh day would be the thousand of year on earth. (Millenium)
Then we read after the Millenium…
Revelation 20:5 "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection."
The rapture of the church is the first resurrection.
Those dead who did not accept the Lord as their Savior, have not risen from the grave yet.
This 1000 years is just for the resurrected Christians.
“The rest of the dead”: The bodies of unbelievers of all ages will not be resurrected until the Great White Throne Judgment.
Revelation 20:12-13 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
• The rest of the dead (unbelievers), will be raised in the second resurrection, described (in verses 12-13).
• The first resurrection is a resurrection to life (John 5:28-29), whereas the second resurrection is a resurrection to death.
The second death is eternal punishment in the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Now look at….Revelation 20:6 "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."
“Blessed”: Those who die in the Lord (Rev. 14:13), are blessed with the privilege of entering His kingdom’s age.
We Christians are the blessed. You can easily see that the wicked dead have no part in this resurrection. We believers in Christ (the redeemed), are not subject to death because we have life (which Jesus breathed into us), when we were born again. We will never die.
This second death mentioned here is for the lost. Not only will the Christians reign on this earth with Jesus for 1000 years, but we will live for all eternity in heaven with Jesus, because we have eaten of the Tree of Life which is Jesus Christ our Lord.
“Second death”: The first death is only physical, the second is spiritual and eternal in the lake of fire, the final, eternal hell.
Revelation 20:7 "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,"
Satan and his demons will be imprisoned in the abyss for 1000 years while Christ rules with unopposed sovereignty. They are not permitted to interfere in the affairs of the kingdom in any way.
Each generation born in the millennium will have need for salvation.
Revelation 20:8 "And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea."
This "battle" is very similar to the battle we read about in chapter 19 of Revelation.
The only thing that makes this appear to be a different battle is that the one in chapter 19 happens in the valley of Megiddo. and this battle seems to be around the city of Jerusalem.
“Gog and Magog”: The name given to the army of rebels and its leader at the end of the Millennium.
The one thing these events have in common is that both national entities (Gog and Magog), are driven by the spirit of rebellion against God.
They will muster their forces from one corner of the globe to the other and will march on Jerusalem, where they will "surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city."
The number of these rebels will be like the sand of the seashore which is a figure of speech used in the bible to define a vast and uncountable multitude.
Revelation 20:9 "And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."
These enemies of God here come against Jesus and the saints. In fact, they surround the saints. The "beloved city" here mentioned is Jerusalem. When the devil thinks he has won, fire comes down from heaven (from God), and devours them.
As the rebel forces moved in to attack, they are swiftly and totally exterminated. They will be physically killed and their souls will go into the realm of punishment awaiting final sentencing to the eternal hell that will shortly take place.
Revelation 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
“Deceived”: Just as his demons will entice the world’s armies into the Battle of Armageddon, Satan will draw them into a suicidal assault against Christ and those with Him.
The beast and false prophet have been waiting for Satan in the lake of fire and brimstone for the last one thousand years. Now their deceiver joins them.
“Tormented day and night”--- Continuous, unrelieved torment will be the final state of Satan, fallen angels, and unredeemed men. There will not be a moment's peace for them for eternity.
The remaining verses in Rev. 20:10-15 is self explanatory.
Look a Revelation 20:10-15 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
