The Millennium And Final Judgment Series

August 03, 2024

The Battle of Armageddon results in total destruction. The earth resembles a vast battlefield – a desolate wilderness.

The chaotic scene before John resembles Palestine during the Exile:

Jeremiah 4:23-26 - I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger.

It is now that the concluding activities of the earthly Day of Atonement find their true meaning. After the High Priest cleansed the Sanctuary of all the accumulated sins, his final act was to lay his hands on the scape goat – transferring the sins to the animal – who was then permanently removed from the camp.

In the same manner, after Christ completes his work in the Heavenly Sanctuary, he will come a 2nd time in power and authority and he will bring with him all the sins of the redeemed. He will place them on Satan who will be declared guilty of every sin he has caused the righteous to commit. Just like the scape goat was banished to an empty wilderness, so Satan will be confined/imprisoned on an empty and desolate planet:

Revelation 20:1-3 - And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

Is Satan physically chained to earth? No. He is chained by circumstances. He has had no access to Heaven since his banishment and he can’t tempt anyone on earth because there is no one to tempt. The wicked are dead and the redeemed are in heaven. He just gets to wander around muttering to himself for 1000 years. Or maybe he’ll organize a dodgeball game with his demonic forces…… At any rate he will have lots of time to consider his choices.

John’s vision now pivots from earth to heaven:

Revelation 20:4a - I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge.

In Matthew 19 (28), Jesus promised his disciples that one day they would sit on thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel and in 1st Corinthians (6:2-3), Paul foretold that the righteous would judge the world, even angels.

This period of judgment relates to the question concerning God’s fairness. At the beginning of his rebellion, Satan accused God of being arbitrary and unfair. He cast doubt on God’s character and his dealings with the beings he had created. During the 1000 years God puts himself on trial by giving the redeemed access to the historical records. In those pages they will to read their own story. They will also be given the chance to have their questions answered regarding why the lost are lost. They will see that God did everything possible to save them, but that in the end the lost chose to be lost. At that time God will “bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts” (1 Cor. 4:5).

Revelation 20:4b-6 - And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

Here we see the fulfilment of promises made long ago (also see 1 Peter 2:9 and Revelation 3:21):

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 - For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.