Millennial Madness & Judgment

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 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.

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. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 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.

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 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. 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, 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.

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. 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 Life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 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. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:1-15

Revelation is a picture book, not a puzzle book. It is unveiling Jesus to us through symbols and pictures. John is a pastor writing to real people who are suffering greatly. These people are weary of the tribulations they are facing, and they are ready to give up, because life would be so much easier if they just compromised and worshiped Caesar as Lord. John is writing to help them persevere, to show them that things are not what they seem. There is more going on behind the curtain that is more real and more certain than what we can see, and it all comes to a head in Chapter 20.

John is going to give us 4 different snap-shots of this final battle that is never really fought. But to understand it, we need to understand that the ultimate victory over Satan, sin, and death was accomplished and secured with Jesus’ first coming! Jesus has already won, and when Jesus pulls back the curtain to show John what will happen at His second coming in verses 9-10, evil cannot stand before Him and is overthrown forever. Satan may gather the world to battle against Jesus and His followers in verses 7-9, but when Jesus shows up, there is actually no battle. Fire comes down to consume Jesus’ enemies, and Satan is 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.

Jesus’ definitive victory at the cross ensures Satan’s ultimate defeat at the end. Verses 1-3 give us the heavenly reality of what happened at Jesus’ first coming – Satan is seized by an angel and bound for 1,000 years, so that he may not deceive the nations any longer. The gospel is now going forward into the world, and through its proclamation, blind eyes are now being opened, and disciples are NOW being made, because Satan has been bound from deceiving the nations. This vision is meant to give YOU confidence and hope to proclaim the gospel to those who don’t believe it, because now they CAN believe it.

The next snap-shot in verses 20:4-6 is the hardest to believe, because this vision shows us that not only does Jesus NOW presently reign, but so do believers! So, during this time, even though it seems like evil is winning, there is more going on than what we can see. Jesus is on the throne reigning as King and we, even though we continue to sin, are reigning with Him. Doesn’t this give you hope to know that evil NEVER has the last word and that ALL evil will be judged and get what it deserves?

This leads us to the last snap-shot in verses 11-15: full and final judgment before the Great White Throne of God. This throne is so massive, so awesome, and so holy that the earth and sky flee to hide from its majesty. They are unfit to stand in the presence of God’s holiness. Our sin has so stained and contaminated the earth that there needs to be a new heaven and a new earth. John sees “the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books (notice the plural) were opened...and the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done."

Everything is recorded! Nothing is hidden, and nothing is forgotten! Everything will be revealed and known. Everything we’ve ever thought or done is recorded in these books. For some of us, doesn’t this bring dignity, especially if you have suffered an injustice? The evil done to you will be acknowledged and recognized for what it is. Those who have wronged you, who seemed to have gotten away with it, will one day stand before God and give an account for what they have done!

Judgment Day will be a terrifying thing for those who do not repent of their sins, because for them their eternal destiny is the second death, “the lake of fire” of eternal torment. But there is another book, “The Book of Life.” Those whose names are written in the Book of Life will not experience the second death. Every name written in it is a name of people who have Jesus’ perfect, sinless record credited to them. When God sees the ledger of their deeds in this book, He is saying, “Righteous, you are My beloved son/daughter with whom I am well-pleased.” And the question is – will you stand there naked and exposed, because you refused to repent of your sin and continue to trust in yourself? Or will you stand there clothed in the righteousness of Jesus, because you trusted in Him to save you?