Satan is Bound & Confined

Transcript

GR 1567
05/09/10
Satan Is Bound and Confined
Revelation 20:1-6
Gil Rugh

We're in the book of Revelation together and the 20th chapter. We come to a dramatic change in the book with chapter 20. From chapter 6 through chapter 19 we've been dealing with the judgments that lead up to the return of Christ. Chapter 19 unfolded the return of Christ to earth. We have the battle of Armageddon, the destruction of the armies of the earth by the power of the Lord as He returns in glory from heaven with the armies of heaven which include you and me, the church and the angels of heaven as well. In the destruction of Armageddon it is the armies of the earth that are destroyed. We noted in our last study together that in addition to those who die at the battles of Armageddon there are many people alive around the world that were not part of those armies. They are gathered before Christ for judgment because no unbelievers will be going into the kingdom that Christ is going to establish. So we noted that the judgment of Israel will occur, sifting out any unbelieving Jews, even though there has been a great conversion of the nation there are still unbelievers that have to be judged.

Then we focused on the judgment of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. And it's extremely important that we study passages of scripture in their context. And Matthew 25 suffers greatly at the hands of those who do not take it in its context. Matthew 25 is judging the Gentiles, divides them between the sheep and the goats. The sheep are believing Gentiles, the goats unbelieving Gentiles. And their judgment is based on how they have treated believing Jews during the tribulation because since Satan has such an intense program to attempt the annihilation of Israel and desire to frustrate the plan of God and the kingdom that He has promised, only true believers will show any kindness to the Jews during that period of time. So in that judgment we noted inasmuch you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, they can't be Gentiles because the Gentiles have already been divided into two groups—sheep and goats. Who are these then, my brethren? They are believing Jews. And in the tribulation believing Gentiles will put their lives on the line in helping the Jews during that time.

At the end of Revelation 19 the beast and the false prophet, the political ruler of the world, the Antichrist, and the false prophet, the one who directed all worship to him are both cast into hell. The end of verse 20, these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest are killed. So these two are the first sentenced to hell. Satan is not yet cast into hell, will not be cast into hell for another 1000 years, but these two are cast into hell.

We come to start chapter 20 and we have an angel coming down from heaven and he's going to bind Satan for 1000 years. He will be unable to function. We come up to the kingdom here but there is relatively little said about the kingdom itself in Revelation 20. There is an important note here about a 1000-year period and we'll say something about that in a moment. But the prime focus that we have in these first 9-10 verses is the fact that Satan is bound, there is a resurrection of believers. Then after 1000 years there is a great rebellion and that results in fire coming down from heaven and Satan being cast into hell. Then we are ready for the last judgment of scripture. So there is very little said about the kingdom itself in Revelation 20. We have to go to other portions of scripture and particularly Old Testament passages where there is much fuller revelation on the kingdom. We will have more revealed about the kingdom in its eternal phase when we get to Revelation 21. But that first 1000-year period is not dealt with in any detail here.

Let's look at the opening verses here that have to do with the binding of Satan in the first three verses. And this chapter is the subject of much discussion and many different views. We have noted that you take the scripture literally, and we continue that as we come to Revelation. People get the idea, they call it apocalyptic literature. They compare it with extra biblical writings that they say are of apocalyptic character and this becomes a reason for not interpreting Revelation literally. We have taken in literally and it unfolds sequentially, one event after another. So when we come to chapter 20 that follows chapter 19. If you read any of the commentaries that do not follow a literal interpretation they will tell you there is no reason to take chapter 20 after chapter 19. And this is why in most churches there is not much study of the book of Revelation. Because if you don't take it literally it is hard to make heads or tails out of what is being said.

I was reading some commentaries this afternoon by those who don't take it literally. I was going to bring some examples, but I couldn't make anything out of it. One of the newer commentaries and it's a tome, it gets great reviews because of its scholarly approach, and his approach is there are three levels of interpretation that have to go on in the book of Revelation. Well now you have here, and you just decide it's probably too confusing for us of just average minds. But God, remember, gives the promise of special blessings to those who read, hear and obey what is in this book. He intends us to understand it. And you know this was written for average people, not people who had to go and get doctor's degrees in theology in order that they could make sense of it. But people in the churches, those seven churches in chapters 2-3, were expected to hear it, understand it and live in light of it. So I'm not saying there aren't things that cause us to search the scriptures, but we ought to be careful we don't turn to a complicated system that makes a true understanding impossible.

Chapter 20 opens up, it starts then I saw an angel. I take it that follows right after chapter 19. What is happening here? I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is called the devil and Satan. So we're pretty clear who it is. It's the dragon, another name for him is the serpent, the serpent of old because he used a serpent in the Garden of Eden for the original temptation that resulted in the fall of mankind. He's the devil, he's Satan. He bound him for 1000 years, threw him into the abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him so that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed. After these things he must be released for a short time.

Now we read verses like that we might say, I have some questions, but it's really pretty clear. An angel comes from heaven, takes hold of Satan, and binds him with a great chain. And we noted this before, no problem for God to make a chain that will confine an angel. People say it can't be a literal chain, how would you chain an angel? You make a chain that can chain angels. I don't know how to do it but I think God can figure it out since He created the angels, right? So I don't find a great problem there. I may not be able to picture it in my mind but I know what a chain looks like. We have descriptions of angels, I wouldn't want to draw a picture right now but I think I have an idea what he's talking about. He takes hold of Satan, binds him with that chain, throws him into the abyss and he's going to be there for a thousand years. After the thousand years he will be released. We may have questions about the why and so on, but the facts here, we could walk out of here at this point and say I know Revelation 20:1-3 says that a point in time an angel is going to come from heaven, bind Satan with a chain, put him into the abyss, seal the abyss over and Satan is not going to get out for a thousand years. Just taking it at face value.

All right, what does it mean here? What's going on? Well the angel comes from heaven he has the key of the abyss. The abyss is not hell. Hell is where Satan is going to be cast into after the thousand years. Down in verse 10, the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are to be tormented day and night forever and ever. The abyss is basically a dungeon of demons, a holding place for demons to confine them. They may be let loose from the abyss to carry out certain purposes of God. We've already seen that.

Come back to Revelation 9. We're in the trumpet judgments, the fifth trumpet here in chapter 9 verse 1. Then the fifth angel sounded, I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth. And the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. And if you have a note in your margin it says literally, the shaft of the abyss. So we're talking about the abyss here, translated the bottomless pit, the shaft of the abyss. We talk about the abyss in chapter 20 where Lucifer is going to be cast I take it we're talking about the same place. He opened the bottomless pit or the shaft of the abyss and smoke went up out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth and power was given to them. And evidently they are demonically empowered locusts here which have power to bring great suffering on the peoples of the earth. Down in verse 11, they have as king over them the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, the destroyer. And in Greek he has the name Apollyon. So the one who brings destruction; the destroyer. So it's a hold of demonic beings.

Over in Revelation 11:7 we have a reference, and you have the two witnesses in the first part of chapter 11. When they had finished their testimony, verse 7, the beast that comes up out of the abyss. Here is a man totally demonically controlled and empowered. So he's referred to as the man who comes out of the abyss, the beast that comes out of the abyss. He is the one who is going to be cast into hell, and was cast into hell at the end of Revelation 19.

Come over to Revelation 17:8. Again the reference to this same individual, the beast. The beast that you saw was and is not and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. The man who is going to have a supernatural resurrection, you remember. It's evidently a demonically empowered and enabled event and his power is demonic.

So when he is bound with a great chain, back to chapter 20, Satan, by this angel who has the key of the abyss. That's why we say the abyss is a confining place to hold demonic beings until God chooses to lose some of them for His purposes. The indication would seem to be that some of these fallen angels have been in the abyss from the fall until the time of God's purposes. The great chain is to bind him. They laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old who is the devil and Satan and bound him with that great chain of verse 1 for a thousand years. A thousand years. This is the first of six references in these verses to the thousand years. The only place in the entire Bible we have reference to this thousand-year period. And it's mentioned six times. I'm dumbfounded at the number of commentators who say, well since this thousand years is not mentioned anywhere else it's obviously not intended to be a literal period of time. Well why? I mean, six times in seven verses makes a point. We've taken all the numbers in the book of Revelation literally, we take the thousand years literally. He bound him for a thousand years. Now people go to II Peter and say, well Peter said in II Peter that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as one day. So this is probably just a period of time. Well would that even make any sense in II Peter? One day with the Lord is as a thousand years, but a thousand years doesn't meant a thousand years. Well then comparing one day with a thousand years would be meaningless, wouldn't it? I mean, what gives comparison between the one day and a thousand years is we know what a thousand years are. And we know what one day is. But if a thousand years isn't a thousand years then all of a sudden we're not relating to anything. So Peter is not giving a reason to take numbers less than literally.

So here when he says he bound him for a thousand years. The next reference to a thousand years will be in verse 3, until the thousand years were completed. Then at the end of verse 4, they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Verse 5, the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. The end of verse 6, they'll reign with Him for a thousand years. Verse 7, when the thousand years are completed. Now if you weren't as well educated as you are and biblically knowledgeable and you just came to this and read it for the first time, you might say, I think that's a thousand years. But just assume that's what God meant when He said a thousand years. How many times would He have to say it?

You know if you tell one of your children something, I want you to do this, repeat it ten times over the next hour. Now did you hear me? I want you to repeat it ten times in the next hour. I don't want you to misunderstand me. I said ten times in the next hour. And don't do anything else until you've done it ten times in the next hour. And you repeat that six times and you walk away and come back and say, did you do it ten times? Oh, I didn't know you meant ten times. I mean, a thousand years.

This is where we get the name millennium, for the Latin for a thousand years. You read in some biblical literature they talk about Chiliasm from the Greek word, chileos for a thousand. So here we just have the Latin, thousand years millennium. Its a thousand years. This is the period of time. Now don't get confused. This is not all there is to the kingdom, but this is the first time we are told in the Bible that the eternal kingdom promised to Israel has its first portion marked off in a thousand-year segment. We'll talk about the eternal dimension of the kingdom when we get into chapter 21. But it's the same kingdom. But the kingdom promised to Israel. Because if you're not clear on this then you get in the box and say, you don't take the Bible literally because the Old Testament promises an eternal kingdom to Israel and you believe the eternal kingdom is only a thousand years. That's not very much of an eternal. But it is an eternal kingdom and the first portion of that eternal kingdom is marked off in a thousand-year segment. And we'll talk about possible reasons for that as we move through this chapter.

So Satan, the devil, is bound for 1000 years. And you see how important it is we understand how bound he is, how restrained he is. He's not only bound with a chain for a thousand years but he is thrown into the abyss. And the abyss is shut by the angel and sealed over him so that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed. It's not that he will never deceive the nations again, but he will not deceive them during this thousand-year period. He has no liberty, no ability to function. He's confined to the abyss in a chain. We can understand that. A prisoner put in a cell who is also confined with a chain is really being restrained. So what is being emphasized here is clear. After the thousand years Satan is going to be released again. So this is not the last we hear of him, this is not the last time he will deceive, it's not over. It is over for the thousand years.

Now we get into this study and you're familiar with the three major views on the millennium. We are pre-millennial. Pre-millennial means Christ will return at the beginning of the millennium. The pre-millennial view is Christ returns to earth at the beginning of the millennium. And that's what starts the millennium. Pre-millennial, pre-thousand years is what we're talking about. We are pre-millennialists. We are not only pre-millennialists, we are pre-tribulationalists. Many people who are pre-millennial are not pre-tribulational. Some people believe that Christ will return after the tribulation for the church but before the millennium. But right now we're talking about the millennium. So pre-millennialists believe that Christ will return before the millennium to establish the kingdom.

Postmillennialists believe that Christ will return after the millennium and will go into eternity. There has been a revival of that view in our day. And people believe we get involved and through the influence of believers and our getting involved in politics. Some are big on reinstituting the Mosaic Law and the world will get better and better and the kingdom will come in on its own, if you will. By on its own I mean Jesus Christ will not return to earth to establish it. It will come in through the processes of God using believers in the world. Sometimes called reconstructionalists. They are postmillennial. It almost died out but error never goes away, it tends to come back up and re-flourish.

Amillennialism is the third view and probably the view that is most widely held. It is the view of Covenantalists by and large, although you could be a covenantal pre-millennialist, you don't see a distinction between Israel and the church. Amillennialists, the word “a” means no millennium. They are not looking for a literal earthly kingdom. We are in the kingdom. A book I referred to today, I did write down a couple of comments of this man. He notes the three views—pre-millennial, postmillennial and amillennial. And he believes that either postmillennialism or amillennialism approaches the scripture more consistently according to a symbolic interpretation. But we don't follow a symbolic interpretation.

Here is his comment, and this is an amillennial view. The millennium is inaugurated during the church age as God limits Satan's deceptive powers and as deceased Christians are vindicated by reigning in heaven. The millennium is concluded by a resurgence of Satan's deceptive assault against the church and the final judgment. The millennium is inaugurated during the church age by God's curtailment of Satan's ability to deceive the nations and to annihilate the church and by the resurrection of believers' souls to heaven to reign there with Christ. Basically what he is saying is the millennium began with the resurrection of Christ. Then Satan was bound and restrained so he can't annihilate the church and he can't totally deceive the nations so they can be saved. Well you see we have a totally different view of scripture. And so they try to say on the binding of Satan and the confining of him in the abyss here, its symbolic language. That's why he says that he thinks that amillennialism approaches the passage more consistently according to a symbolic interpretation. That's only one of three ways you have to interpret all the passages here in his view. So you have no different ways. But are we in the kingdom? Is Satan bound and thus not able to deceive? I don't think that's true.

Look at II Corinthians 4. Just some passages on the activity of Satan in these days. Verse 3, if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they may not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God. So there is an ongoing serious work of Satan in this day to blind and deceive people concerning the gospel. What the amillennialist would say, well it's not a total deception because people still get saved. But it is an activity of Satan that his restraint is quite limited when you look around the world and the number of people who are deluded and deceived and blinded to the truth of the gospel.

Look in II Corinthians 11:13, Paul talks about men who are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it's not surprising if his servants would do that. He's going around deceiving and leading people astray.

Turn over to Ephesians 2:1, you were dead in your trespasses and sins. Now note this, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air. He is a dominant, powerful figure. He's the prince of the power of the air; he's the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. And we also lived among them and like them. So you look around, how restrained is he? I mean, his power is great, his deception is great. You look at the number of Christians; they end up being small compared to the number of unbelievers in the world.

I Thessalonians 2:18, Paul writes, we wanted to come to you, I, Paul, more than once and yet Satan hindered us. I mean, he still is of such power that he could even put obstacles in the way of the Apostle Paul and hinder him from his intention and desire.

Look over in II Timothy 2:24, the Lord's bond servant must not be quarrelsome but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition. If perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth and that they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. He is of great power, great ability and holds the vast majority of the world in captivity, in service to him.

One more passage, I Peter 5:8, be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary the devil prowls about like a roaring lion. Doesn't sound like someone who is confined in the abyss to me. He is prowling about. You better watch. Even as believers he is looking for someone to devour. He is not confined he is not bound at this time. We are under the protective power of our God and His Spirit who dwells in us is greater than the one who dwells in the world, as John tells us. But nonetheless he is about doing what he has always done.

So when you come back to Revelation 20 and it says that Satan is bound for a thousand years, shut up in the abyss, verse 3, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, I take it that's not going on today if you take the Bible literally at face value. Satan is about his work as he has always been about his work, as he did in the Garden. And that's the analogy Paul used if we had looked earlier in II Corinthians 11. I'm afraid as Satan deceived Adam and Eve and led them away from the devotion to Christ, you will be led away from purity to devotion. I mean, the same thing is going on. Satan is about what he has been about. But he will be bound at this time and we will have a kingdom. And the kingdom has to be the kingdom described in the Old Testament.

Come back to Isaiah 9:6, for a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on his shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. That's the kingdom we're talking about, a kingdom where Satan is not active, not present. We spiritualize that if we are amillennialists, we allegorize it we take it non-literally.

Look at Isaiah 11. You're well familiar with these passages. After the opening description of the Messiah, in verse 6 we're told characteristics of this kingdom. The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf, the young lion and the fatling together. A little boy will lead them, the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. They will not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. That's not true today. I mean, in the kingdom that people talk about. You understand, we have to be clear on this. People in the churches who claim to be dispensational, take the scripture literally have gotten drawn into kingdom theology. And without changing their doctrinal statement they are talking about being in the kingdom and doing kingdom work and building the kingdom, changing culture, meeting social needs, dealing with AIDS and all these things. Comes from a view that we're in the kingdom and we move on. And our theology should determine our practice, but the sad thing in the churches is that our theology gets so weak we begin with our practice and pretty soon our practice changes our theology. We're not in the kingdom. We better be clear on this because the churches in Lincoln are going through this theological change. And I don't mean we're the only ones who hold to the truth, but it is serious business. We're not in the kingdom.

Turn over to Daniel 2. And here you have the unfolding of the dream and its interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The great image of a man and the various parts of the image are different metals, from gold to iron to iron mixed with clay in the feet, to the head of gold. You get down to the feet and toes and you have iron mixed with clay, iron being the Roman Empire. And the different empires of the world from Babylon which is the head of gold, moving on. And we've been through this so we won't work through it again, but picking up with verse 36 you have the interpretation. Each of these parts of the image and the changing metals represent different kingdoms. You start with Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome. Verse 40, there will be a fourth kingdom strong as iron. These are literal earthly kingdoms. And you have the feet and toes, verse 41, we saw that with the revival of the Roman Empire because the iron is mixed in these ten toes; that final form of government that will ultimately be ruled over by the Antichrist.

Then you see in verse 44, in the days of those kings. What kings? Those ten toes, called the ten horns in Daniel 7. The day of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed. That kingdom will not be left for another people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms but it will itself endure forever. And you'll note the end of verse 45 the great God has made known to the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true, its interpretation is trustworthy. This hasn't happened yet; the kingdoms of the world have not been crushed. Now again they spiritualize this and so Christ is reigning in heaven and believers who have died and gone to heaven are reigning with Him and we are in the kingdom. And you and I down here now are about the kingdom, doing kingdom business. And if we are in the kingdom there are social dimensions to it, there are environmental concerns, and all of this. We're not in the kingdom if you take the Bible in any way literally, normally.

Come over to Daniel 7:13. And the same order, it's in the days of the ten-nation confederacy, the ten kings or kingdoms. Same place we came to in chapter 2 with the ten toes. Here we have ten horns on the vicious beast, referring to the Roman Empire. And it's at that time, verse 9, I kept looking and thrones were set up, the Ancient of Days took His seat. You come down to verse 13, I kept looking in the night visions, behold with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming. He came to the Ancient of Days, was presented, and to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away, His kingdom one which will not be destroyed. You know it takes a major shift. We go through all of this talking about literal earthly kingdoms, all of a sudden they make the transition and say, well it's really a spiritual kingdom now that Christ establishes. No, it is a literal earthly kingdom and that's where we have come to in Revelation.

Look down at verse 25, here we are. Verse 24, what we've talked about, as for the ten horns out of this kingdom ten kings will arise. Another will arise after them. That's the beast that we just saw cast into hell at the end of Revelation 19. This will go on for a time, times and a half time, his sovereign rule, that 3½ -year period, verse 25. Verse 26, the court will sit for judgment. His dominion will be taken away, annihilated, destroyed forever, cast into hell. Then the sovereignty, the dominion, the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom; all the dominions will serve and obey Him. I mean, it's consistent. It is an offense to a holy God who gave us His word that in the name of scholarship cast it aside. With the intention of doing good we cast it aside. The word of warning is you better not add anything to this word you better not take anything away. Well we had good intentions, wasn't it good that we helped change society, that we helped create culture, that we helped improve the environment? It's not good to do what God doesn't tell us to do. It comes out of a distorted understanding of scripture that we are in the kingdom. We are not in the kingdom. Period. We are not in the kingdom. We are not kingdom-builders, we are not building God's kingdom.

Come back to Revelation 20. As you might expect you will be hearing more of this in the future. And when the thousand years are completed Satan will be released for a short time. We're not told how long. You see if God wants to say a long time and not define it, He can. If He wants to say a short time and not define it, He can. When He wanted to talk about the 3½ -year period, He didn't just say a short period of time, He said 1260 days, 42 months, time, times and a half time. So here Satan will be released for a short time, we don't know how long after the thousand years. We'll learn more about that in a moment.

Then I saw thrones and they sat on them and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God. And those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. There is a bodily resurrection that has occurred. We're not talking about the resurrection of souls spiritual because when they died they went to heaven, but now their bodies come to life. I Corinthians 15, the guaranteed bodily resurrection of a believer. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. These are resurrected saints. I take it that it will include those on thrones. I saw thrones and they sat on them, judgment was given to them. I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus. And they came to life. The focus in this verse is on those who have died during the tribulation for their testimony for Christ. But it would include others as well, the thrones and they that sat on them. But of specific interest since the book of Revelation has been about the seven-year tribulation and the multitude of martyrs that died during that time, special attention is given here to those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus, because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image, not received his mark. They came to life. They, too, are going to join those on thrones because glorified saints will reign with Christ in the millennium. That will be part of their task because in this kingdom we are going to have glorified saints and we are going to have non-glorified saints because all unbelievers have been wiped out but remember, pick up the judgment of the Gentiles in Matthew 25, the sheep and the goats. The sheep were the living Gentiles who were believers when Christ returned. Enter into the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. They go into the kingdom in their physical bodies.

Now we have those who are in resurrected bodies who are also present in the kingdom sitting on thrones, ruling during this thousand-year period. We'll say more about that in a moment. But you'll note, the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. The first resurrection, you'll remember the chart I gave you on the resurrections of scripture. The first resurrection is a quality of resurrection. It includes all believers. Christ is the first fruits according to I Corinthians 15. And then it will be the church when Christ descends in the air and the dead in Christ shall arise first. We who are alive will be changed in an atom of time, I Corinthians 15, I Thessalonians 4. There is a bodily resurrection there, physical bodies resurrected and indwelt by the spirit of those who had died and glorified bodies of those who are alive at the rapture of the church. At the Second Coming of Christ to earth here in this context there is a resurrection of those martyred in the tribulation. There will be a resurrection of Old Testament saints because they are promised certain things. And David will rule in this kingdom which requires his resurrection. So that first resurrection includes all believers and at this point all believers have their resurrected bodies, all believers who are going to get resurrected bodies. Because there are going to be believers, if my understanding is correct and we'll get into this in chapters 21-22, who will never get a resurrected, glorified body but will live forever in physical bodies in this eternal kingdom. But we are concerned here about the resurrection. So that here these who suffered so terribly particularly in the tribulation since chapters 6-19 were focused on that, and died for their faith. Because of the testimony of Jesus, because of the word of God they didn't worship the beast, they didn't get his mark. But now they are alive and they are enthroned with Christ and they reign with Him for a thousand years. And we will reign with him.

You have to come back to Daniel 7 to see the promise of reigning with Christ. Verse 21, and I kept looking and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them. That's the little horn, remember, the first beast of Revelation 13, that beast that was cast into hell at Armageddon at the end of Revelation 19. He was overpowering the saints until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One. And the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. And that's what we just read about in Revelation 20.

Come over to Matthew 19. Here Jesus speaks to His disciples and says, Jesus said to them, verse 28, truly I say to you that you who have followed Me in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. So responsibility was given to them.

Come to I Corinthians 6. Paul uses this as a reason we ought to handle matters in the church of Jesus Christ and deal with sin in our midst, and conflicts in our midst. Verse 2, or do you not know that the saints will judge the world, sitting on thrones, we read in Revelation 20, judging. The saints will judge the world. If the world is to be judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? I mean, believers going to civil courts of the unbelievers against another believer. You understand we are going to sit ruling and judging in the kingdom. Can't we handle the little disagreements we have here? That's his point. Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life. So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? I speak this to your shame. You see even our understanding of eschatology is to shape our behavior today, how we handle these things. Well, you're not trained. Well training in godliness qualified you to deal with these matters. We will judge angels because when we come to this point, remember angels are ministering servants, ministering spirits on behalf of heirs of salvation. And in the kingdom our position will be above the angels in ruling and reigning.

II Timothy 2:12. Paul says in verse 10, for this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. This is a trustworthy statement, if we died with Him we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him. You see in this resurrection the promise to believers, of Old Testament and New Testament alike, by this time we will be resurrected. The church will have been resurrected and glorified at the beginning of the tribulation, now at the end of the tribulation at the beginning of the Millennium you have Old Testament saints experiencing bodily resurrection along with tribulation saints because they are all part of that 70 weeks of Daniel that completes God's program with the nation Israel. And I take it will include those between the opening chapters of Genesis down until the call of Abraham as well—Noah will be resurrected. The kingdom has been prepared from before the foundation of the world. This will be the ultimate destiny for eternity for the people of God.

Stop in Revelation 2:26, in the message to the churches. We are here at the church in Thyatira. Verse 26, he who overcomes and he who keeps my deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. And He shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father. So you see promise here to the churches of ruling and reigning with Christ. Chapter 3 verse 21, he who overcomes, I will grant him to sit down with Me on My throne as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. I saw thrones. Here we are sitting down with the authority of Christ, ruling and reigning with Him on thrones. It's the throne of Christ because He is the ultimate authority and rule and ruler. But we are joined with Him at that time.

Back to Revelation 20, and we'll pick up at this point. So you have the first resurrection, there is a blessing pronounced on them because these are the saved people. By the time we get done here at the beginning of the millennium, every person who is going to get a glorified body has gotten it. There may be other saved people during the kingdom, but they won't need to get a glorified body. So blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection because there is going to be a second resurrection. That's at the end of chapter 20, after the thousand years. You don't want to be part of that, this is the rest of those who have died and they will be resurrected for condemnation.

What a plan of God! What clarity there is in the word of God if we just accept it as God has given it. It's for the simple person; it's for the educated person; a person with minimal education, a person with great education. Doesn't mean we don't have to be careful in handling the scripture correctly. We need to be careful we don't complicate it and confuse it and thus miss the beauty of what God has promised.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your grace, thank you for the revelation of your word. Thank you that your promises are sure and trustworthy and some day Jesus Christ is returning to this earth to establish a kingdom and we will sit on thrones ruling and reigning with Him. Israel will be resurrected to sit on thrones and rule. Those who suffer terrible deaths during the tribulation for their faith in Christ will be resurrected. Lord you are a great and awesome God, the glory that is before us is beyond what we can comprehend with these finite minds. But we know it is all true because you are a God of truth. May these truths even have an impact on our lives in the days of the week before us. We pray in Christ's name, amen.