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SUBJECT:
Revelation 20:
QUESTION:
Could you explain the sequence of events as it relates to
the millennium, the period just after and the loosing of
Satan?
ANSWER:
First the verses:
Revelation 20
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.
2 And he laid hold on the
dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and
bound him a thousand years,
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.
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.
7 And when the thousand
years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
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.
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.
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.
11 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.
12 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.
13 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.
14 And death and hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not
found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire.
Notice
this from our Doctrinal Statement on the Angelic Realm:
“God is in supreme command
and is only temporarily allowing Satan to influence man
within certain confines (Job 1). This process actually
enables man to build greater character by resisting Satan
and by learning how to rely more on God. During the
millennial rule of Christ, Satan is to be removed from the
world scene along with his demons. Jesus Christ will
replace Satan as the ruler of this world (cf 2 Corinthians
4:4 and Revelation 20:4-5). Following the millennium, Satan
is to be released for a short span of time and then finally,
to be removed to a place of restraint for all eternity where
he and his demons can no longer affect men or angels. But
the faithful angels who have followed God throughout these
countless eons of time will continue as servants of the
greatly expanded family of God for all eternity.”
Note:
Satan is put away at the beginning of the millennium and
loosed after.
This next
excerpt is from our Doctrinal Statement on the Kingdom of
God:
“All through the
thousand-year rule of Christ, God shall continue to add to
the number of those eventually to be in His kingdom. At the
end of the Millennium all who have ever lived and died
without having a full, first chance for salvation shall be
resurrected as physical beings to live in God's perfect
society (Revelation 20:12). Those who qualify for salvation
shall be inducted into God's spiritual Kingdom while those
of this and previous eras who have not followed God's way
shall burn in the lake of fire. Immediately thereafter, the
physical aspect of God's Kingdom on earth shall disappear
and be entirely replaced by the spiritual Kingdom whose
population shall have increased into the billions by this
time. Thus, we find God's Kingdom expanding in steps and
growing dramatically from only two beings to an innumerable
multitude through the process begun and made possible by and
through Jesus Christ and His resurrection.
Ultimately, following the
thousand-year rule of Christ and the Great White Throne
Judgment, God shall replace the old earth with a "new heaven
and new earth" (Revelation 21:1). This reformation of
heaven and earth is part of the "restitution of all things"
spoken of by Peter (Acts 3:21). The Father shall come to
this earth to rule with Christ who shall then be second in
command at His Father's side (1 Corinthians 15:27-28), and
God's entire family shall rule the entire universe. (Christ
shall deliver the Kingdom to His Father, 1 Corinthians 15:24.)”
Note:
Here we see that those in the Second Resurrection are raised
to physical beings. Clearly they would not be raised to
spirit beings, as the second death would not then be
possible.
This
excerpt is from our Doctrinal Statement on Prophecy:
“Christ and the saints shall
be opposed initially by a system called "Babylon," and
leaders referred to as "the Beast" and the "antichrist.
“These shall all have characteristics of persons and
institutions of past history, even though they shall have a
unique existence at the end time. They shall be destroyed
and Satan, who has incited the rebellion against Christ,
shall be cast into a place of spiritual restraint
(Revelation 20:1-3).
Then begins the millennial
rule of Christ and the saints over the earth. After some
continuing confrontations and battles (described in Ezekiel
38 and 39), God's Kingdom shall be set up over all peoples;
and Jesus Christ shall teach them God's laws, the way of
happiness and eventually of eternal salvation. This
1,000-year period shall be followed by the Great White
Throne Judgment and finally the new heaven and the new
earth, both of which are descriptively hazy, as the Bible
does not reveal much information about either.”
Note:
Again, we see the basic sequence of events.
The next
excerpt is from our Doctrinal Statement on the
Resurrections:
“The scriptures record three
resurrections for three different classifications of
persons. The first is prophesied to occur at the return of
Jesus Christ. A comparison of the pertinent verses
indicates that this first resurrection shall include all
saints that have lived and died from Adam's time until
Christ's second coming, including those still alive when He
comes (although technically, they shall be "changed" rather
than resurrected—1 Corinthians 15:51). This resurrection is
from the nothingness of physical death to the incredible
majesty of spiritual life as members of God's family.
"Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first
resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but
they shall be priests of God and of Christ and they shall
reign with Him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:6).
Another resurrection is
prophesied for the multiple billions of human beings who
have lived and died never having had a chance for
salvation. This resurrection is from physical death to a
second physical life during which a person shall be given
God's Spirit and the knowledge of salvation. The truth of
God shall be opened to their understanding at this time and
their lives shall be lived according to the biblical
precepts. Ezekiel 37:1-14 paints a breathtaking picture of
this resurrection to physical life, "Behold, I will open
your graves, and raise you from your graves" (verse 12).
Though only Israel is discussed, this is because it shall be
the example—the nation that shall show how God's plan works;
thus, all nations and peoples of the earth are included in
Ezekiel 37 by implication. This is confirmed in Revelation
20:11-12:
"Then I saw a great white
throne and Him who sat upon 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. Also another book was opened, which is
the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was
written in the books, by what they had done."
The scriptures record one
final resurrection. It is mentioned in various passages
(e.g. Daniel 12: 2-3; John 5:21-29; etc.) but is explained
most precisely in Revelation 20:14-15. Here John explains
that the unrepentant—those who have had a chance for
salvation but have adamantly rejected it—shall be
resurrected to physical life and cast into the lake of fire
where they shall be consumed. The death they suffer is
called in Revelation 20 "the second death" (v. 14), which
occurs only for those whose names are not found written in
the book of life—that is, those who have not obtained
salvation (v. 15). This final resurrection is in a sense a
mercy killing for those to whom eternal life in their state
of rebellion would eventually mean extreme agony and misery.
The first resurrection of
saints to eternal life and the subsequent resurrection of
the innumerable multitudes to physical life will be moments
of unimaginable emotion when loved ones who thought they
were separated forever—parents and children, husbands and
wives, brothers and sisters, friends and relatives—shall be
suddenly reunited. To all of them it will be as though no
time had passed, like awakening in the morning after a solid
night's sleep without dreams; it will be the next instant of
their consciousness from the instant of their death no
matter how they might have died or how long ago it might
have been.
Immediately it is to be
expected that numerous questions about these awesome events
will be raised. Paul asked and answered the most obvious
one himself. "But some one will ask, How are the dead
raised? With what kind of body do they come?" (1
Corinthians 15:35). He then explains that, just as
different animals have different types of bodies, so the
body of the resurrection is different from all others. It
is celestial, imperishable, glorious and spiritual.
"So is it with the
resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what
is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is
raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in
power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual
body. If there is a physical body, there is also a
spiritual body. Thus it is written, The first man Adam
became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving
spirit. But it is not the spiritual which is first but the
physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from
the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As
was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust, and
as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven.
Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall
also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this,
brethren: flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God,
nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Lo! I
tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead
will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For
this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and
this mortal nature must put on immortality. When the
perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on
immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is
written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where
is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting? The sting of
death is sin, and, the power of sin is the law. But thanks
be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:42-57).”
Note:
This text discusses the 3 resurrections and puts them into
the sequence of events.
This next
excerpt is from our Doctrinal Statement on Judgment:
“God has divided His plan
into three great judgment periods, each of which deals
specifically with a different classification of persons.
The first period of judgment began at the creation of man
and shall continue until the return of Jesus Christ. During
this era, God has not chosen to call the vast majority of
persons, but rather a small group—"the elect" (Romans 8:28
ff). These "elect" have had their minds opened to
understand God's truth and have been given God's Holy Spirit
in this age. For these persons—who compose the Church or
"house of God"—the period of judgment is now. "For
the time has come for judgment to begin with the household
of God" (1 Peter 4:17). Those whom God has called now are
not called because of an inner desire to serve God, but by
virtue of God's mercy (Romans 9:15-16).
God has not called the
masses now because He wants man to learn by experience that
his way apart from God is the way of death (Proverbs
14:12). Those whom He does call now are called for the
express purpose of preaching the gospel to the world as a
witness (Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20) and to prepare to become
rulers in God's millennial Kingdom (Revelation).
All those who have qualified
for God's Kingdom from Adam’s time to the return of Christ
shall be resurrected at return. The end of this first
judgment period is thus marked by the first resurrection
(Revelation 20:5-6).
During His thousand-year
reign, Christ and the saints shall reestablish God's
government on earth (Micah 4:1-4) and shall reconstruct
society so that in every way it conforms to God's holy
laws. God shall also pour out His Spirit upon all those who
will be alive during this time, and shall open their minds
to understand the gospel and give them a chance for
salvation. The millennium thus marks the second great
judgment period of God, the time when the human beings who
live on into the new age (from
the present age) and those subsequently born as
their offspring shall have their opportunity for salvation.
After the thousand-year
period, there is, the "Great White Throne" judgment. This
spectacular event epitomizes the time when all who have ever
lived and died without having had a chance for salvation,
never having heard about Jesus Christ and the plan of God,
or never having had their eyes opened to truly understand
the gospel—shall be resurrected from the dead to physical
life (Revelation 20:11 ff). This time their minds
shall be opened to a full understanding of God's laws and
His truth.
"Behold, I will open your
graves, and raise you from your graves ... And I will put my
Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you
in your own land; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have
spoken, and I have done it, says the Lord" (Ezekiel
37:12-14).
This third judgment period
is the greatest of the three because it includes the
innumerable multitudes of all humanity who have lived and
died in ignorance of God's way.
Although God wants all to
come to the knowledge of His truth and earnestly desires
that all obtain salvation, it is nevertheless true that some
few shall totally reject God and lose out on eternal life.
Those who have adamantly rejected this truth—those who have
committed the unpardonable sin by not asking God to pardon
their sins—shall be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation
20:14). These individuals are those who would never repent
of their sins and shall therefore be put out of their misery
by a merciful God. It would be cruel punishment for God to
make a rebellious person live forever under His government
when that individual has permanently rejected God's
government in his life by his actions and attitudes.
God's fairness, concern and
love for mankind is exemplified by the three judgment
periods outlined above. His plan for salvation includes
ample opportunity for all those who have ever lived and died
to live a full physical life under God's laws, and then to
qualify to enter His Kingdom, and, ultimately, to gain
eternal life as full members of His divine family.”
Note:
This part of our doctrine shows that the second judgment
period begins with the Second Resurrection which begins
right after the millennium.
Now this
from our Doctrinal Statement on the Annual Holy Days:
“The Last Great Day:
Despite a thousand years of peace and happiness, it must be
remembered that untold millions have lived and died without
ever having had the knowledge to understand salvation. The
Last Great Day represents the time when they shall be
resurrected and given that chance—not a second chance but a
first chance, a chance they will not have had before. Only
then shall God's initial plan for mankind be at an end.
Thus, this last great holy day of God pictures the greatest
period of salvation for mankind—the Great White Throne
Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).
The culmination of the plan
of salvation is marked by the renewal of the whole creation
in the new heaven and the new Earth (Revelation 21). Death
and destruction are now no more; human history is now at and
end. The Kingdom of God has become eternal.”
Note:
This time is known as the Great White Throne Judgment.
These excerpts should give
you a clear overview and sequence of events.
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