REVELATION 21: 5-8 “THESE WORDS ARE TRUSTWORTHY AND TRUE!“

In this last section  of the Revelation  to John  we have moved   past the realities of  our present existence, past the  sin  which causes such a devastation on earth, past Satan and his unholy trinity who  are the root cause of  all the unhappiness in the world . We are now   into the realm  of God’s  new creation.  Last week  we considered  the first four verses of Chapter 21, in which we  saw:

(i)                 The vision of the new heavens and the new earth (v.1)

(ii)               The New Jerusalem – the bride of Christ – the church ( v.2)

(iii)             An  assurance of God ‘s  eternal  and comforting presence  with his people (vv. 3&4) 

Much of this section  (i.e. vv. 3-4)  and the section which we shall now  consider  is characterized by direct speech from the living God Himself.  In vv. 5-8  we find Him making the following statements:(i)                 He will make all things new (v.5a)

(ii)               He commands  John to write these trustworthy  and true  words down  (v.5b)

(iii)             He explains  who shall and who shall not inherit these new things (vv. 6b-8)

1.      ALL THINGS NEW ! “And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (V.5a)

Our  passage  begins  with an announcement from the throne :  "Behold, I am making all things new." (v.5), and then in v. 6 this is presented as an accomplished fact :  "It is done"! This  obviously refers  to  what  John  saw in the first  two verses of Chapter 21  when  he saw the  revelation of the new heaven and the new earth, and when he saw the new Jerusalem , the bride of Christ , the church  meeting her bridegroom. 

God assures John  here  that there shall be a new earth and a new   heaven. God’s people (symbolically known as the new Jerusalem- the bride of Christ)  shall have new bodies   and the life of God's people in that  new dispensation  will be a new life altogether.   It is very difficult to  comprehend  this or to  express  all  this in earthly  language.  We see this even in the way in which John  struggles  to express  himself. His  visions of the things to come  are couched in symbolic language.  This new  creation  is indescribable  and uncontainable in human  language.   But this one thing we  do know! We are made for  greater things . We are made for God. We are made for worship. We are made for righteousness and not for evil , and so we long for that world where  all this will be true! 

2.      WRITE THIS DOWN ! “Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”[1]

A  new heaven, a new earth, a new Jerusalem… really ?  John  and ourselves   need to be reminded that this vision from Jesus  is no fairy tale…  “John , remind these people that these words are trustworthy and true”!  God knows  that these  things  may sound outlandish  to us . He knows  that the realities  of  heaven are so  far removed from our  present reality as we live in a fallen world , which  many of us,  unfortunately,  have come to love more  than the promises of God  concerning this new heaven , this new earth. “John , write this down!”   We have to be reminded  that  there is an  ultimate reality  so  vastly grander and  infinitely better  than that which we currently experience.

Who says  so, and  on what authority? Credentials and credibility   are  important, because  the secret   question in many a heart is this:  How do I know that this is true  and  not simply   a fairy tale?  As if God anticipates this question, He says to John:  “Write this down! These words are trustworthy and true!  

Consider Him who says these things: 

(i)                 He who is seated on the throne (v.5) [2]. Nothing is  higher or  more trustworthy than this throne. 

(ii)               He is   the "Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." [3] (v.6)  He is it! The Alpha is connected with the Omega -  the one must inevitably lead to the other, and whatever lies between the Alpha and the Omega  exists because  of  Him. He is the One  who controls all things in such a way that His  design is fulfilled and that  His goal is reached. And the end goal  is reached  by the "revelation of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 1:1). He is the true and faithful Word of God (John Ch. 1). It is He that came of supernatural birth in the flesh. It is He that confirmed over and over again , in word and deed  that He was the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world . ( Jn 1:29) . When  He died on the cross  of Calvary,   He cried,  “It is finished “ ! That is the work of salvation by which  every true believer is made secure,   and heaven is waiting for them. Notice  then now that  God also says here to John : “It is done !”  (v.6a)   What is done?  Well,  the end for  which Jesus came was to usher in the kingdom of God. He died , and  that work was finished.  But the end had not yet come , because God in His mercy  still had many sheep  to be born, and when the last of His sheep is  gathered in  to the fold , the end has come !  That time  is  now announced here. “It is done!”. This is the end  of the world as we know it . This is the beginning of the new heavens and the new earth. This is the beginning of the  new people of God  in a new  world  free from evil  and full of love!

And now as we speak,  the whole world is divided into two kinds of people : those who  accept  this truthful testimony  of this  God and those who reject  His words. 

To these  the Sovereign Lord  now has these following words to say :

3.      THE GREAT DIVISION ! (vv. 6b-8) 

a.      “To the thirsty I will give from the spring (fountain)  of the water of life without payment. This is  a promise to  all  that  are ‘thirsty’ after  this God (the fountain of the water of life)  now!  Jesus  said in His beatitudes : “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness , for they shall be satisfied.” (Matt. 5:6)  Those who thirst  for righteousness now  in this world, shall be completely fulfilled when all things are made new.  Just as water  is an essential   substance to sustain physical life, so  the soul  needs this  living water to be sustained.  As we have said, this  spring  of living water   comes   from  the Tri-une God Himself.  God the Father  comes  to us  through our Lord Jesus Christ,  who in Himself is also  that  fountain, as He  said in Jn. 7:37,  “If anyone thirsts , let him come to me and drink. Whoever  believes in me, as the Scriptures  has said[4], ‘out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ “ This  Lord Jesus, the Son of God Who took on  the form of a man  and  Who dwelt among us as a  man [5],  Who  showed us who  God the Father is , and Who spoke  the gospel by which countless people have been set  free  from  their sin and guilt;  this Jesus who died for our sins on the cross, this Jesus  who was raised the third day for our justification;  this Jesus   who  ascended to heaven and Who was exalted there, also gave us the promise of the Holy Spirit.[6] And so, the Holy Spirit was poured out  at  Pentecost. He is the Spirit of life, the Spirit of adoption, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of wisdom and knowledge and revelation, the Spirit of holiness and of sanctification.  He not only constituted the true church of God on the day of Pentecost, but to this day  He is with,  and in  every true believer. He too  then   is the source, the fountain, the spring  from which this living water  flows constantly out of God, through Christ, into the church. [7] 

In short : The Triune God  is  our fountain  of life and blessing now,  in the midst of  this  difficult pilgrimage from the city of destruction to the heavenly city, where the love of God  will flow to us  as an unhindered stream  into our  lives. Here in our heavenly city  we shall be deeply satisfied in the presence of our Tri-une God.

The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.(v.7) Not only will we be deeply satisfied from the  spring of living water, but we  also  learn that  God's people shall inherit all things. The fact that they  inherit points to the fact that they are considered to be  family members  of the eternal  God.  The phrase, “I will be his God and he will be my son...”  further strengthens  this conviction. 

"All things"!  Again, this  is hard to image. Here on earth God's children are anything but heirs of  the world. In the history of  Christianity, more often than not , Christians have been deprived of   things in this world. Yet,  in  the new world they shall inherit all things!  

b.     But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.” (v.8)  Here is the great division . There is a category of people described here who shall not inherit all these things, in the new heavens and the new earth. But they do inherit something  too terrible to  mention:  the lake of fire.  

Please note how these people  are described :

·         cowardly( Gr. deilia - timid or fearful)  very likely refers  to  nominal Christians in the church, who loved this world too much  and who never clearly stood  with Christ. When  pressure  and trials come  they become cowardly  and  unfaithful to Christ and  His church.

·         faithless (Gr. apistoi)  are unbelievers who openly reject God and the gospel.  

·         detestable (Gr. bdeluktos- abominable, associated with idolatry ) 

·         murderers,  sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, liars…

These will not inherit  the kingdom of God ( cf. Paul to the Galatians  5:21) , but that  does not mean that they are  therefore neutral or ignored by God . NO! The wrath of God will come upon them and they will  end up in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death. The first death is the physical death  that everyone must die in this life.  The second death  is associated with that terrible lake of fire , and it is not annihilation that is spoken of here, but  the everlasting experience of the wrath of God without end. These words are faithful and true! God says  : “There is no peace for the wicked” (Isa. 48:22)

The Bible is very clear  on this division among mankind. For this reason the gospel has been given. Day and night through every generation before and  since  Christ had come to offer God’s terms of peace,   gospel  messengers  have  pleaded with  people  to leave this Sodom and Gomorrah, this Babylon , and to flee into the ark of  God’s refuge which is in Christ the Lord.  These words are trustworthy and true.   Which side you are on ?

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” ( Hebr 3:7,15; 4:7).  Listen to the voice of your Great Shepherd  who has come  to lead you away from this city, destined for destruction to the heavenly city .  Amen!

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[1] See also Rev. 22:6

[2] See also Rev. 4:2,3

[3] See also  Rev. 1:8

[4] Isa.  55:1

[5] John 1:14

[6] John 14 & 16

[7] Isa 44:3 ; John 7:37-39 

Revelation 21:1- 4 - ALL THINGS NEW !

In the closing  chapters of  this   Revelation given to  the apostle John by the Lord Jesus,  he  receives insight  into what happens at the end of time  as we know it, when  God’s judgment  finally comes upon the whole earth. 

It will be the  end of all   gospel preaching. It will  be the end of the great invitation for all sinners  to  be reconciled with God through Christ. It will be  the end of  God’s  great  mercy expressed to an unwilling  and rebellious people.   It will be the day of accounting! And it will be the beginning   of a new era for God’s  people, and this era begins with a great  feast   which is called  the marriage supper of the Lamb![1]

I remind you  again of the  scheme  and flow  of the  Revelation to John. Central  to the  Revelation  are  the visions of  three cycles of judgment :

•  seven seals (6:1-8:5) 
•  seven trumpets (8:6-11:19) 
•  seven bowls (16:1-21). 

Each  cycle  represents the   time  between Christ’s  ascension and  His descension, and  the cycles occur with  ever increasing  intensity.  Following this  comes  a revelation  of the end – in fact it begins  in  Rev. 16:17  where  the  judgment  of God  begins with the great prostitute, Babylon,   the bride of the dragon (16:17-18:-24). Babylon is the symbolic city of man,   the  city which  is contrasted with Jerusalem. Babylon  is  the enemy of   Christ and His church throughout the ages. 

This vision is then contrasted with  a vision of   heaven  and the gathered saints (19:1-11). These are also known  as  the bride of Jesus Christ,   which is the church!  Here  we see her reacting to the news of God’s judgment of the  great prostitute and this  leads to the  marriage supper of the Lamb.

Revelation 19:11-21  then describes  the judgment of the  beast (the anti-christ) and the false prophet,  who are caught alive and thrown into the lake of fire at the  time of Christ’s return. 

Then  follows Revelation 20  - a difficult  chapter to interpret.[2]  It  does not follow    the events of Ch. 19.   Ch. 20 depicts another vision, which like the others describes the entire period of time between the first coming and second  coming of Jesus. This chapter  stands  on its own  , and as such it  describes  a particular part of these last days between Jesus  ascension and His second coming . The most remarkable  fact concerning this period is that  the gospel  which Christ announced , and the kingdom which He introduced[3]  are now  a reality in our day !  The gospel  has bound  Satan in  this  sense  that  nothing that he does  can stop the church growing and  throughout the whole world for a specified period ( 1000 years) .  Note however , that  it says that at the end of this gospel period Satan  will be  released for a little while ( Rev. 20:3;7-8) . We  might well be  approaching this  time! In this time  Satan is permitted  to    deceive  the nations. His  goal   would be  to destroy the  true church . However , we read  that in this process Satan   will  find Himself defeated  by  God  ( Rev.  20:9).  History ends with God’s victory  and the final deliverance of the saints. The  devil, the beast and the false prophet ( the unholy trinity)   are now thrown  into the  eternal lake of fire (Rev. 20:10). Following this  is the Great White Throne Judgement (Rev. 20:11-14)  when  Jesus, now not Saviour, but Judge  opens the book of life.  We are told  that those  whose names are not found written in the book of life  are  thrown into the same lake of fire as the unholy trinity.  This then  is the end  of  all evil and the beginning of an exciting new future  for  the people of God , beginning with the recreation  of the  heavens and  our  earth.  We now consider  the  first four verses of  Revelation 21  as we observe :

1.      The Recreation of the  Universe and the Earth   (Verse 1 )

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”   

Firstly , John  saw  the old creation  giving way to a new creation of the same.  The  first heavens and earth (Genesis  1:1) created by  our Tri-une God  have  now been recreated. In that sense the passing away of the old creation and the creation of the new  can  be compared to the resurrection of  our  bodies.

What are we to make of the statement   "and the sea was no more "?  The text here refers literally to the sea, even as it refers here to the literal  heaven and the earth. Does this mean that in the new creation  there will be no sea  as we know it ?  We don’t think so . The reference here  is  to the  first sea, even as we speak about the first heaven and the first earth.   The  old sea will be no  more , even as the text speaks of the first heaven and the first earth. That old sea (70 %)  which occupied such  a vast influence in our lives  on this earth is no more. And since God  created everything ( including the sea) as very good , there is no reason  for us to believe that the new creation  will include the sea .  The great difference  will be  that the first heaven and the first earth shall be replaced by a creation which is radically new. There shall be nothing  sinful  and the new creation  shall be  a perfect  place for  the perfected people of God who live  in perfect unity [4].

Note  that the OT prophets  have  spoken of such an age :

• Isaiah 65:17 : "For behold ,  I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered, or come into mind."
• Isaiah 66:22 : "For as the new heavens and the new earth that  I make  shall remain before me, says  the Lord, so shall your  offspring and your name remain."
•  2 Peter 3:13  anticipates this : " But according to his promise,  we are  waiting for  new heavens and a new earth, in which  righteousness dwells ."

2.      The New Jerusalem  (Verse 2)

"And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  

Some say  that  we must think here of a literal  city ,  but  the context makes that impossible.  Remember that this is a vision of heavenly things ,   and  so  we find in this passage  that this New Jerusalem is the bride of the Lamb. The same  thought is  also expressed in  21: 9 – 10.   The  New Jerusalem and the bride of the Lamb are  the same, and  we  cannot talk here about  a literal city. In this  case  this  is  a metaphorical  city.   As we survey the Bible  we see  this development  :

(i)           Jerusalem as  the  capital of the old land of Canaan and then of Israel.

(ii)          Jerusalem  as the dwelling place of true believers  (NT  church )  

(iii)       Jerusalem  as  the perfected church, the bride of the Lamb in glory. This is  how the text  uses it here   -  the city of God now perfected and glorified. This is plain from more than one passage of Scripture.  

•           Galatians 4:26 "But  the Jerusalem above is free,  and she is  our  mother ." 
•           Hebrews 11:10 "For(Abraham) was  looking for to the  city  that has  foundations, whose  designer and  is God."  And in v. 16: "But as it is , they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one . Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God,  for he has prepared for them a city.

 Note also  that this city is called the New Jerusalem,  and not merely Jerusalem. In the OT period  it  was here  that  God chose to dwell  among His people. In that sense   God ruled over His people, and  He  protected them from Jerusalem  them against their  enemies.  But we must remember that this  Jerusalem was an  imperfect place , and as such it could only foreshadow  and  therefore be typical of the New  Jerusalem  which  was to come.   In fact, that old Jerusalem  and her temple  came to an end  when  Jesus died on the cross and when the temple curtain was torn in two  and when later she was destroyed in AD 70 .

The New Jerusalem is the fulfilment of prophecy. She is  the hope of the OT  saints. She is  realized, first of all, in the church of the new  covenant  which came into being at Pentecost.   She differs from the OT city   in that  she is not a city of brick and stone. The believers themselves are the dwelling place of God (1 Peter 2:5) . The New Jerusalem also differs in  this respect  that God does not merely dwell among His people, but within them by  the Holy Spirit. [5]  But  even in this form  the NT church is  still imperfect , for  sin is still a reality  for us . We groan because of this and we long to be freed from this as we wait for  the redemption of our bodies.[6]  The New Jerusalem will only be perfect  in  this state in which we now find her in our text.     Here she is truly  beautiful,  without spot or wrinkle – without sin -   and ready to meet her perfect  husband , the Lord Jesus Christ .  She comes down from God out of heaven. God is  the  One who presents her to His Son.

The Tabernacle Of God  (verse 3)

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

The New Jerusalem is the city where God dwells.  She  is the tabernacle  (the dwelling place)  of God.  In the tabernacle  of the OT  God  met with His people  and they with Him . This was their place of fellowship.  God dwelt in the temple, or tabernacle,  but His presence did not fill the city.  Even in our own day as new covenant believers ,we   dwell  with and in Him by faith , but  there is still sin and imperfection . Therefore the  fellowship  which we have with God  is imperfect. However,  there shall  come a time  in the   future, when  God's presence   with His people shall  be  perfect and complete.  Again , this  is what the prophets  had foretold : 

•         Ezekiel 37:27 :   "My  dwelling place (tabernacle) shall be with them, and  I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
•         Isaiah 25:6-8  : "On this mountain  the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of  well aged wine,  a rich food full of  marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow  up on this mountain the  covering that is  cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever ; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; and the reproach of his people  he  will take away from all the earth for the Lord has spoken." [7]

 So then , in this  vision  in Rev. 21, the goal of all prophecy is accomplished!

This is what you can expect in Heaven  (verse 4)

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

It is hard  to  understand and imagine this  new state. John can only describe  things by way of comparison with the present things. In  a nutshell – things in heaven  are not as they are in the here and now.

One of the most significant facts  is  that there shall be no more death and therefore there shall be no sorrow or pain , which means that there shall be everlasting joy and gladness and everlasting well- being.  God shall wipe away every  tear from  our  eyes! What a lot of tears have been shed in this world!

The reason given is that the former things have  passed away. The "former things" are the present state  of things since sin entered into the world.

So , “the present  form of this world is passing away” (1 Cor.  7:31). This  is the  essence  of our Christian  hope , and  therefore  we remember  that  "the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to  be revealed to us." (Rom 8:18)  Amen!

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[1] Rev.  19:6-9

[2] See  previous sermon on Revelation  20   : http://joachimrieck.blogspot.com/search/label/Exposition%20of%20Revelation

[3] E.g. Matthew  1:17

[4]  Eph 1:9-11 ; Col 1:12ff

[5] John  14:17

[6] Rom 8:22,23

[7] See also Isaiah 60  e.g. vv 14 , 18-20 

REVELATION 20:1 – 15 “THE THOUSAND YEARS“

Summary of Previous Chapters : 

·       Revelation 17-18 dealt with the destruction of the great prostitute.

·       Revelation 19:1-10 described heaven’s reaction to the news of God’s judgment of the  great prostitute , which then ushers  in the  marriage supper of the Lamb. 

     ·       Revelation 19:11-21 describes  the judgment of the  beast (the anti-christ) and the false prophet–who are caught alive and thrown into the lake of fire at the  time of Christ’s return.  It also speaks  here of   the destruction of  all Christ’s enemies  “ free and slave , small and great”  (19:18).

The text before us  is very challenging, and I tell you why.  Revelation 20  is the  text that many  believe to be the proof text  that  there will be after  Christ’s  coming  a literal, millennial reign on earth  when Christ reigns over the nations.   In fact, this group of Christians [1]  speak of two comings of Christ. The  first   is called the rapture   and  the other which is called   the revelation. [2]   The  rapture , they say occurs  when   the Lord Jesus  takes His people secretly out of the world (i.e. not a public event)   before the  great tribulation,  and the  revelation   is  said to be that time, after some time  after  the  tribulation He comes visibly   with the raptured saints,  taking the anti-christ and the false prophet  captive. Following this they teach that Satan will be bound and thrown  into the bottomless pit for a thousand years.  At this  time  it is said  that  Christ  will rule  the nations  on  earth from Jerusalem. However, after a  1 000 years  of peace  they say  that   Satan will be released for a short time  to cause havoc  on earth , after which  the ultimate judgment and  end will come.

But  is  this what   Revelation  20 is teaching?  The problem begins  with  the way we read  the book of Revelation. Two principles govern  our understanding and reading of the book of Revelation 

(i) Spiritual truths are  described in symbolic and not literal language 

(ii)  the book of the Revelation does not present a linear  history of events. The Revelation is  a series  of  cyclical  repetitions of the events that occur  between Christ’s ascension and descension,  as seen from different angles.  This is not to say that there is no “ forward movement” in the book of Revelation. There is ! Everything steadily progresses and moves to the end, but as we said , in cyclical fashion. 

We shall see  in this regard that  Ch.20 does not follow    the events of Ch. 19.  We shall see  that Ch. 20 depicts another vision, which like the others describes the entire period of time between the first coming and second  coming of Jesus. 

What follows now in ch.20   is  another   retelling of the final judgment from yet another  perspective.  Just ask yourself the question :  If all people and nations are judged at Christ’s return in Revelation 19:18, why do they  resurface in Revelation 20:3,8 ? This means that the relationship between these two chapters is not a chronological one. This is important for us  to understand.

What then is happening in Revelation 20 ?

In order to make sense of this  we will have to go back to 12: 7 -9. Here is a description of  what happens to Satan, when he  was engaged in  a  war in heaven  with the heavenly  angels  under the leadership of  the archangel Michael. At that time we read  that  Satan  was thrown down to the earth, and  he lost his place in heaven.   This  all happened when  Jesus began His messianic ministry on earth,   at His first coming. Remember  that  Satan  did his outmost to  kill  Jesus  the Messiah –  first at his birth, when  under Herod  there was an edict to kill all baby boys, which was in reality   an attempt made to  kill  Christ (Matt 2:16-18). Then Satan tried to tempt  Christ in Matt. 4:1-11 ,in order to get him to compromise and sin  as our first parents did.  But  Jesus  resisted  Satan  and did not sin.  And then Christ demonstrated  that  the  kingdom of God had come  with every demon cast out, with every healing  and miracle, with  every person  raised from the dead – all these  were  signs that someone  greater and mightier  than   Satan was here !  Satan’s ultimate defeat  however occurs  after he  thought that he had Christ killed on the cross.  So, when Christ  rose  from the dead, He  not only  overcame  death, but He triumphed over Satan,  fulfilling the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 : “ he  shall  bruise your head , and you shall bruise his  heel”.   Colossians 2:15  says  that “ He (Christ on the cross)  disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

Now what is the effect of Christ’s   first coming upon Satan?  The answer is that  Satan had  been bound by Christ’s appearance!  How  was  Satan bound? Was he bound with literal chains?  No! Satan is a spirit being. He cannot be bound with literal chains.  Satan  is however bound by the preaching of the gospel!  In Luke 10:1-20   Jesus sends  72 disciples  out to preach the gospel. They came back and reported to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons submit in your name”,  to which  Jesus replied: “I  saw Satan fall like lightning  from heaven.”   Satan is  bound  by  the preaching of the gospel!

We are  going to argue that  Revelation 20  is not   reflecting  a  literal  future, earthly,  millennial  reign  of Christ over the nations from Jerusalem.  We will  argue that  the millennial reign of Christ is NOW. It  follows the cross , resurrection and ascension,  after which  the ascended Christ   is enthroned in heaven , ruling there from His throne. In His presence there will be all those who have  faithfully followed Him  and who died in the service of the gospel, and  who have suffered at the hands of the great prostitute, the anti-christ and the false prophet.  

We maintain that  Revelation 20 is a description of  this present gospel age and not of a future age to  come.  Let us  now  follow  the logic of Scripture as it unfolds in Revelation 20 :1-10 . 

Revelation 20

Begins a new vision - Throughout the Book of Revelation, whenever John uses the phrase  “kai eidon” (And  I saw) he is introducing a new vision.

What  John sees:   He sees an angel coming down from heaven holding the key to the bottomless pit  and  a great  chain  with which  Satan  is bound.   Who is the  angel and  what  is the meaning of the key[3] to the bottomless pit[4] and the  chain? In Rev. 1:18 we see  that  Christ holds the keys of death and hades in his hand.   Take note also  of   Rev. 9:1-2  where a star  that had fallen from heaven was  given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit etc.  The bottomless pit  is a reference to death and Hades–the realm  of Satan.   So,  having been cast of out heaven (Rev.12:7-9), John now sees an angel (either Christ himself, or an angel exercising Christ’s authority) confining Satan to the realm of the dead for a specified time (1000 years) and  for a specific purpose (so he  cannot deceive the nations).  The binding of Satan does not mean that his evil activities completely cease during this time.  It simply means that he is not  as free  to do as he pleases . Satan is bound  like a dangerous  dog  on a long chain. In  John  Bunyan‘s  Pilgrims Progress,   there is  a picture  and an anxious moment where Christian on the way to the heavenly city  has to pass between some lions.  He grows fearful, but  a man called ‘Watchful’ reminded him  that  these lions were  kept on a chain.  If he would keep on the path he would be safe.  This is a great illustration  in terms of how Satan is bound.  If you keep your distance  from his territory you will be safe. If you get  within the radius of the chain you will be in trouble.  If you stay with Christ you are safe.

So then it is not that   Satan ceases all activity during Christ’s millennial  reign. He is thrown down to the earth, but  he is bound  by the gospel  so that he cannot   hinder the work of the true  church. Jesus  said : “ I will build my church and the  gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give  you the keys of  the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth  shall be loosed  in heaven.”  (Matt. 16:18,19). We have seen this in the history of the world  of the last 2000  years. The Roman empire tried to  get rid  of  the church. Today we  go and visit the Roman ruins!  Mao Tse Tung  and Lenin and Stalin and Hitler and many other communist dictators tried to get  rid of the  church. Well they are all dead, and the church continues. 

It will only be at the very end , just   before Christ’s second  coming   that  Satan will be set loose for a little while and he  will achieve  what is described  in  11:7-10!  But until that time comes, he is bound.  

In verses 4-6 the scene now shifts to heaven.

Throughout the Book of Revelation, thrones are always in heaven, not on the earth. Therefore, this scene is in heaven. On the thrones  are those  to whom authority is given to judge  (see the allusion of Jesus in  Matthew 19:28 and  Luke 22:28-30) And then  there are according to John “souls,”(psuchas)  - the  spirits of those who were killed for refusing to worship the beast.  When they die, John says, they immediately come to life and  they reign with Christ for a 1000 years! They are reigning with Him in heaven right now !

The rest of the dead  (who did not  die as martyrs)  did not come to life until the 1000 years were ended  (i.e. until the second coming)  . They  have shared in the first resurrection  over which the second death  has no power . This needs some explanation !   The first resurrection

is not a reference to the bodily resurrection at the end of the age, but it refers  to a believer’s salvation  in this life  through regeneration, conversion, and finally  through  entrance into heaven at death, a point confirmed by a number of New Testament passages, most notably John 5:24-25, where Jesus says  “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” In his gospel, John very clearly teaches that all those who come to faith in Jesus Christ, do so because they have already crossed over from death to life. When you become a Christian you  experience the first resurrection . You cross over from death to life ! 

What  happens at the end of the thousand years!  (vv 7-10)

According to v. 7, “when the thousand years are  ended , Satan will be released from his prison and will  come out to deceive the nations…”  etc .

The  focus shifts back  again to the  earth, to those days  before the return of Jesus Christ. Satan will be released from his prison.  With the help  of the  great prostitute, the anti-christ and the false prophet  Satan will  now be  able  to deceive the nations for the  purpose of  getting rid of the  church of Jesus Christ.  Notice the  reference  to  Gog and Magog (cf  Ez. 38 & 39 ) a  prophecy of  in which gentile nations attack Israel en masse – like a cloud covering the land (Ez.  38:16)   John has referred to this final battle when the nations gather to make war on the church in Rev. 16:12-16 ,   the battle of Armageddon at  which the devil and all his associates are finally and definitely defeated .

SUMMARY : So then the point is  that Revelation 20:1-6, is not a description of a future millennial reign of Christ upon the earth. It is a description of the present reign of the saints in heaven. And in heaven, those who have suffered at the hands of the beast are now protected from Satan’s assaults, for Satan no longer has access to heaven, having been cast down to earth and confined to  bottomless pit. The  saints  now rule and reign for a thousand years as priests of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Revelation 20:7-10 describes what happens when Jesus Christ returns to earth in judgment.  Jesus comes to rescue his church in it’s  greatest  trial, at which time  Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire  together with the great prostitute , the beast and the false prophet. All that remains then is the final judgment, described in verses 11-15.  We will keep that for next year when  I want to finish this series in revelation with a  series of sermons on heaven .

You may look forward to the second coming of Christ, which  will be visible (and not secret or in two stages) . When Jesus comes no one will be mistaken . Every eye will see Him . You may look forward to the end of the age  and to the recreation of the  heavens and the earth – the idea of a millennial reign  on earth seems muddled  and problematic . You may look forward to  your resurrection body  and to life everlasting in a perfect world where there are no traces  of sin and  Satan when Christ returns  at His second coming . Even so Lord Jesus , come ! Amen

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[1] Called Pre-millenialists

[2] Herman Hoeksema : Behold  He cometh: An Exposition of Revelation , P&R , p.637

[3] Keys are frequently mentioned in Revelation :  1:18 ;  3:7

[4] Greek-  abbadon