Revelation 20
Satan confined for a thousand yearsverses 1-3
And I saw an angel come down from heaven
having the key of the bottomless pit
and a great chain in his hand
And he laid hold of the dragon – that old serpent
which is the Devil and Satan
and bound him a thousand years
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
First resurrection: Believers onlyverses 4-6
And I saw thrones – and they sat on them
and judgment was given to 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 worshiped the beast
neither his image – neither had received his mark
on their foreheads – or in their hands
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years
BUT the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years
were finished THIS is the first resurrection
Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection
on such the second death has no power
but they shall be priests of God and of Christ
and shall reign with HIM a thousand years
Final battle with Satanverses 7-10
And when the thousand years are expired
Satan shall be loosed out of his prison
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
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
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
FOREVER and EVER
Great White Throne Judgment of lostverses 11-15
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
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
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
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire
THIS is the second death
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2807 “key” [kleis] means that which serves for closing, the power of opening and shutting, symbol of power and authority, or of admitting to or excluding from the kingdom of heaven)
DEVOTION: We find that according to the plan the LORD gave to John the apostle there is going to be a time period when the devil is going to be chained. Is this a type of symbol of something else or a real time period when the world will not have the devil to blame for their sins?
It seems straightforward that for a thousand years there is going to be no devil tempting those who go into the Millennial period where Christ is going to reign with HIS saints.
So an angel with a way to lock the devil or Satan up will take him and put him in the bottomless pit for a thousand years. He will not be involved, in this thousand year time when saints will be ruling and reigning with Christ.
Those born in this time period will only have the flesh to tempt them as the world will be under the control of Jesus Christ. At the end of the time period Satan will be released to tempt those who were born entering the Millennium. Remember that only those who are believers will start the thousand years with Christ.
Now we have three areas where we are being tempted from: the world, the flesh and the devil. Many like to blame the devil for all their sins. Some will blame their upbringing. Some will blame other people.
We live in a time period where no one wants to accept responsibility for their sin even before God. What would happen if they lived in this time period where they couldn’t blame anyone but themselves?
I sometimes wish that we lived in a time period where we didn’t have Satan reminding us of our past sins. He likes to do that to believers. Don’t listen to him when he does that to you. Trust that the LORD has forgiven all your sins. All the past, present and future sins are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. Praise HIS name.
CHALLENGE: Accept responsibility for your sins. Confess them to the LORD and move on with your Christian growth. Don’t stunt your growth by not accepting responsibility for your sins.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to 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 on their forehead, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (2917 “judgment” [krima] means damnation, condemnation, a decree, condemnation of wrong, the decision which one passes on the faults of others, or the sentence of a judge)
DEVOTION: Remember that the church is raptured before the start of the Tribulation period. The Judgment Seat of Christ happens in heaven while the Tribulation is going on earth.
The seven years of Tribulation ends with the battle of Armageddon. All those who are not believers will not enter the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. Only believers will be there for the thousand years.
Now that the Tribulation is over there is a judgment of those saints. They were given their glorified bodies for their service during the Millennial period. They are going to reign with Christ for the thousand years along with the Old Testament saints and New Testament saints.
Those who lived through the Tribulation period will produce children. There will be many children born during this thousand year period. They will live in an environment that has no devil to tempt them. Jesus Christ is going to reign, so the world will not be a tempting point. There will only be the flesh that will tempt those who are alive.
Notice what has happened to those who died during the Tribulation. Their heads were taken off for believing in Jesus Christ. Their souls were present in heaven asking how long before they were given their new bodies.
The requirements for being given new life were that they didn’t’ worship the beast or his statue or receive the mark of the beast. Remember that if they didn’t have the mark they couldn’t buy or sell to make a living or have anything to eat.
How much are we sacrificing for the LORD today? How far are we willing to go to be a witness for the LORD today? How much courage did the believers have during the Tribulation? How much do we have now?
CHALLENGE: Questions to make you think about your service to the LORD today? Be the witness the LORD wants you to be both in actions and words.
: 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. (2719 “devoured” [katesthio] means eat up, to consume by eating, to destroy utterly, to cause extensive destruction or ruin utterly, or to swallow down)
DEVOTION: There will be some people who die during the Millennium because of sin but they say that it is unusual. Most will live a thousand years that were born in the Millennium.
So why does God release Satan from the bottomless pit? It is to give those during the Millennium a choice to continue to allow Christ to reign in their life or to follow Satan. Many chose to follow Satan. It is hard to understand how anyone would make that choice but they do.
God has blessed many nations who have followed HIM including the children of Israel and yet they chose to follow false gods throughout the Old Testament. Many in the New Testament have lived in nations that have honored God but they still chose to follow Satan. God gives everyone a choice regarding their relationship to HIM.
So we have those who chose to follow Satan surrounding the city of Jerusalem to make war with Christ. They even think at that time they can defeat Christ. Satan never gives up but it would seem people would know how much power has shown during their lifetime with HIM reigning over them.
Some people never want to have anyone reign over them even the LORD so they rebel with anyone who will rebel with them. The end is not going to be nice as fire comes from heaven to devour those who rebelled.
Are you struggling with giving Jesus Christ control over your life? Do you enjoy disobeying HIM more than obeying HIM? HE wants to reign in your life right now.
CHALLENGE: Allow HIM to have first place in your life!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (86 “hell” [hades] means a place for departed souls, grave, or unseen, the world of the dead, the place of final punishment, or netherworld)
DEVOTION: Our God is an awesome God. HE has a plan for all eternity. HE planned the beginning before the foundation of the world. HE planned the end before the foundation of the world. HE lives outside of time.
Can we understand these concepts completely? NO!! Does the Bible teach these concepts? YES!! Our responsibility is to believe the Bible as God’s Word to us. We will never understand God completely. We will never understand HIS plan for our life completely. We have to accept HIS plan and be satisfied with HIS plan.
Now we learn that there is going to be a Thousand Year reign of Christ with HIS saints. Before the millennium begins the devil is placed in chains in the bottomless pit. The beast and the false prophet are placed in the lake of fire. The saints from the Tribulation stand before Christ for rewards. The first resurrection includes Old Testament saints, Church saints and Tribulation saints.
Those who are not saints but remain sinners because they choose to reject Jesus Christ are going to be judged at the end of the Millennium. This will include all those from all ages who are waiting in death and hades or in the area of torment related to us in the account of Lazarus and the rich man. The Bible uses this word for a place for departed souls that are in torment. The story of Lazarus and the rich man tell us that those who are not followers of God went to a place of torment. The rich man wanted Lazarus to just give a little water to cool his torment. This is not the final judgment place, as that is the lake of fire. Those outside of Christ are in torment but not in the final torment until after the Millennium. The final torment is the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet are placed before the Millennium began.
Once they are judged the will be placed in the lake of fire for eternity. There will be weeping and wailing for eternity. They asked for the judgment by their rejection of Christ. This is called the second death.
The first ones in the lake of fire are the beast and the false prophet. The next on in the lake of fire is Satan. The Bible is plain in the fact that those in the lake of fire will be tormented day and night forever. Annihilation is not taught in the Word of God. Every person is going to die and after that the judgment.
There are only two places they can go – heaven or lake of fire. The Great White Throne is a judgment for all those outside of Christ. All those who are not written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire.
Those with Christ in their heart are going to spend the same length of time in heaven with Christ. The forever and ever mean forever and ever. Are we prepared to see our loved one go to a place of torment forever and ever? We need to witness daily to them through our lives and words. Keep the faith. Is your name written in the book of life?
CHALLENGE: Understand that God is a God of love but also of justice. Christ died for the whole world to have an opportunity to become a follower of HIM. Most chose not to follow. We don’t know which are which and so we can witness to everyone we meet or know.
:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (1125 “written” [grapho] means 1 to write, with reference to the form of the letters. 1a to delineate (or form) letters on a tablet, parchment, paper, or other material. 2 to write, with reference to the contents of the writing. 2a to express in written characters. 2b to commit to writing (things not to be forgotten), write down, record. 2c used of those things which stand written in the sacred books (of the OT). 2d to write to one, i.e. by writing (in a written epistle) to give information, directions. 3 to fill with writing. 4 to draw up in writing, compose. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: My wife loves a good book. She would just as soon read one as do anything else, even in this day of electronic media. And she has taken to writing as well, just to share the joy of reading with others. She even loves to read books to small children.
In the same way, God has a way of writing as well for us to read. First of all, this takes place in the Scriptures, which God had written at the hands of those men who were inspired by Him (2 Peter 1:21). If this were not enough, God describes Jesus Christ as the visual representation of the Word (John 1:1), meaning that His life was to communicate important truths to us as we read it and study it.
But God is not finished writing. It turns out that He has a special book, the book of life. In this book are written the names of those whom He has chosen, those who have become followers of Jesus Christ. That means that if you have trusted in Jesus as your savior, your name is written in a special way in this book. This is a guarantee that you cannot lose your salvation.
There will be a day when this book is opened one final time. It will be read in the sight of all, and those whose names are written in this book will go to eternal life with God in His glory. Sadly, for those whose names are not written in this book, the remainder of mankind who have been resurrected from the dead will be sent to an eternity with God in hell. God is writing a book, and we need to be sure that our names are included in it.
CHALLENGE: Is there anyone you know that has not yet had his name written in the Book of Life? If so, take some time today to talk with or write to that person and share with him or her the glorious truth of the life to come. (MW)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Booksverse 12
Book of lifeverse 12
Written in the booksverses 12, 15
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of Godverse 4
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 4, 6, 9
Word of Godverse 4
Priests of Godverse 6
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Jesusverse 4
Witness of Jesus verse 4
Christverses 4, 6
Priests of Christverse 6
Godverse 12
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Angelverse 1
Dragon =devilverse 2
Old serpent = devilverse 2
Devilverses 2, 10
Satanverses 2, 7
Satan loosed from his prisonverse 7
Satan shall deceive nationsverse 8
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Deceiveverses 3, 8, 10
Beheading Christiansverse 4
Worship the beastverse 4
Worship the beast’s imageverse 4
Receiving the mark of beast verse 4
Not found in book of lifeverses 12-15
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Witnessverse 4
Reignverse 4
Lived and reigned with Christverse 4
First resurrectionverses 5, 6
Blessedverse 6
Holyverse 6
Saintsverse 9
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Beloved city: Jerusalemverse 9
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Heavenverse 1
Key to the bottomless pitverses 1-3, 7
Angel chains Devil
bound a thousand years
seat a seal
not deceive nations
til the thousand years
fulfilled
loosed a little season
Believers reigned with Christ a thousand yearsverse 4
Unsaved lived not until after thousand yearsverses 4, 5
First resurrectionverses 5, 6
Second death has no powerverse 6
Believers shall be priests of God
and of Christ – shall reign 1,000 yearsverse 6
Satan loosedverses 7-9
Deceive nation: Gog and Magog
Battle
Compass the camp fo the saints
Compass beloved city
Final battle after millenniumverses 8-9
fire came down from heaven
Fire comes down from heavenverse 9
Devil cast into lake of fireverse 10
beast and false prophet there already
tormented day and night forever
Great white throneverses 11-15
Dead small and great: unsaved
books opened: judged according to works
cast into lake of fire
sea gave up dead
death and hell delivered dead
everyone judged according to works
Death and hell were cast into the lake of fireverse 14
Second deathverse 14
Nor found written in the book of life
were cast into lake of fireverse 15
DONATIONS:
Remember that all donations to Small Church Ministries are greatly appreciated. The treasurer will send a receipt, at the end of the year unless otherwise requested. Please be sure to make check out to “Small Church Ministries.” The address for the treasurer is P.O. Box 604, East Amherst, New York 14051. A second way to give to the ministry is through PayPal on the website: www.smallchurchministries.org. Also, if you can support this ministry through your local church please use that method. Thank you.
QUOTES regarding passage
20:4. Next in the series of revelations John recorded that he saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. In addition he saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their standing true to the Lord and His Word in the Great Tribulation. The fact that John could see them implies that they had received intermediate bodies in heaven and were awaiting their resurrections.
A distinction should be made between what John saw and what he received as revelation. Though he could see the souls, he was informed that they had been beheaded because they had refused to worship the beast or his image and would not receive his mark. What John saw was not all the souls in heaven but a particular generation of martyred dead who had been contemporaneous with the world ruler, the beast out of the sea (13:1). If the church were raptured prior to this event, as premillenarians teach, it would make sense to single out these martyred dead for resurrection. But if the church were not raptured, it would be most unusual to ignore all the martyrs of preceding generations, the church as a whole, and to specify this relatively small group.
John apparently was not told the identity of the individuals seated on the thrones. They evidently do not include the martyred dead themselves. Christ had predicted (Luke 22:29–30) that the 12 disciples would “eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.” As the disciples are also a part of the church, the body of Christ, it would be natural for them to sit on these thrones.
According to the Scriptures a series of judgments is related to Christ’s return. The beast and the false prophet will be cast into the fiery lake (Rev. 19:20), Satan will be cast into the Abyss (20:1–3), and then the martyred dead of the Great Tribulation will be judged and rewarded (v. 4). In addition, Israel will be judged (Ezek. 20:33–38), and the Gentiles will be judged (Matt. 25:31–46). These judgments precede and lead up to the millennial kingdom.
John stated that these martyred dead came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Their coming to life suggests that they will be given resurrected bodies. In addition to receiving the visual revelation, John was informed as to the meaning and character of the judgment that was here taking place. (Walvoord, J. F. (1985). Revelation. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 979–980). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
4 Who are those seated on thrones? Dn. 7:9–14, 27 give the answer: ‘the saints, the people of the Most High’, with which Rev. 5:9–14 and 19:7 agree. Of these ‘saints’ John makes special mention of the martyrs and confessors of Christ, for the encouragement of all who may be called to tread the path of martyrdom. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life almost certainly relates to the dead without Christ; John would not deny the resurrection of the church at Christ’s coming (see the comments on v 4; cf. on 11:11–12; 1 Cor. 15:51–52; 1 Thes. 4:16). 6 The fifth beatitude declares the blessedness of those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them (cf. v 14 and on 2:11), and they will be priests of God and of Christ as they reign with him. Their reign, therefore, is their service of God and humanity. (Beasley-Murray, G. R. (1994). Revelation. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 1452). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
The phrase “thousand years” occurs six times in Revelation 20:1–7. This period in history is known as “the Millennium,” from two Latin words, mille (“thousand”) and annum (“year”)—the 1,000-year kingdom of Christ on earth. At last, Christ and His church will reign over the nations of the earth, and Israel will enjoy the blessings promised by the prophets (see Isa. 2:1–5; 4:1–6; 11:1–9; 12:1–6; 30:18–26; 35:1–10).
Is this a literal kingdom on earth, or should these verses be “spiritualized” and applied to the church today? Some interpreters say that the term “a thousand years” is simply a number meaning “ultimate perfection” (× x 10 = 1,000). They assert that it is a symbol of Christ’s victory and the church’s wonderful blessings now that Satan has been defeated and bound. This view is known as amillennialism, which means “no millennium”—that is, no literal kingdom.
The problem with this view is that it does not explain why John introduced the period with a resurrection of the dead. He was certainly not writing about a “spiritual” resurrection, because he even told how these people died! And in Revelation 20:5, John wrote of another literal resurrection. If we are now in the 1,000-year kingdom of victory, when did this resurrection take place? It seems reasonable to assume that John wrote about a literal physical resurrection of the dead, and a literal kingdom on earth.
What is the purpose of the millennial kingdom? For one thing, it will be the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel and to Christ (Ps. 2; Luke 1:30–33). Our Lord reaffirmed them to His own Apostles (Luke 22:29–30). This kingdom will be a worldwide display of Christ’s glory, when all nature will be set free from the bondage of sin (Rom. 8:19–22). It will be the answer to the prayers of the saints, “Thy kingdom come!” It will also be God’s final demonstration of the sinfulness of sin and the wickedness of the human heart apart from God’s grace, but more on this later.
The Tribulation martyrs will be raised from the dead and given glorious thrones and rewards. The church will share in this reign, as symbolized by the twenty-four elders (Rev. 5:10; see also 2:26–28; 3:12, 21; 1 Thes. 4:13–18; 2 Tim. 2:12). Some Bible students believe that the Old Testament saints will also be a part of this “first resurrection” (Dan. 12:1–4).
The phrase “general resurrection” is not found in the Bible. On the contrary, the Bible teaches two resurrections: the first is of the saved and leads to blessing; the second is of all the lost and leads to judgment (note especially John 5:28–29; Dan. 12:2). These two resurrections will be separated by 1,000 years.
Revelation 20:6 describes the special blessings of those who share in the first resurrection. They did not earn these blessings; they are part of the believer’s inheritance in Jesus Christ. This is the sixth of the seven “beatitudes” in Revelation; the final one is in Revelation 22:7. These resurrected believers will share Christ’s glorious life, reigning as kings and priests with Him, and never experience the “second death,” the lake of fire (hell, Rev. 20:14).
During the Millennium, the inhabitants of the earth will include not only glorified saints, but also citizens of the nations who bow in submission to Jesus Christ (see Matt. 25:31–40; also 8:11). Because of the earth’s perfect conditions, people will live long lives (Isa. 65:17–25, especially v. 20). They will marry and have children who will outwardly conform to our Lord’s righteous rule. But not all of them will be truly born again as the Millennium progresses; and this explains why Satan will be able to gather a great army of rebels at the close of the Kingdom Age (Rev. 20:8).
For many centuries, man has dreamed of a “golden age,” a “utopia” in which the human race will be free from war, sickness, and even death. Men have tried to achieve this goal on their own and have failed. It is only when Jesus Christ reigns on David’s throne that the kingdom will come and the earth be delivered from the oppression of Satan and sin. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 619–620). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
John sees a picture of judgment taking place (Rev. 20:4), but only believers are taking part. Paul speaks of this as appearing before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:1–10; see also Matt. 16:27; 1 Cor. 3:12–15; Eph. 6:8; Col. 3:24; Rev. 22:12). Here thrones are mentioned, indicating that many people are involved in what is taking place. Special mention is made of the martyrs for Christ (“those who have been beheaded”) and of their resurrection to life. They had been steadfast unto the end, having refused to worship the beast and his image. For this they paid the ultimate price. Part of their reward was to rule with Christ for the thousand years of Satan’s imprisonment. John now generalizes on the resurrection that takes place before the thousand-year reign (Rev. 20:5). He calls it the first resurrection to distinguish it from the second death, which also includes a resurrection, but that is a resurrection to damnation (20:11–15; see also John 5:28–29). Jesus called it the resurrection of the righteous (Luke 14:14), and Paul, in making his case before Felix, argued that a dual resurrection, one for the righteous and one for the wicked, was common knowledge (Acts 24:14–15). The rest of the dead (i.e., the unbelievers) were not resurrected until the thousand years were finished. A special beatitude is pronounced upon those who take part in this resurrection (Rev. 20:6). This is one of a number of such blessings found in Revelation (1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14). Their special blessing is that they are protected from the second death, they are priests of God and Christ, and they reign with Christ for the thousand years. (Elwell, W. A. (1995). Revelation. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 1226). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)
20:4 the souls of those who had been beheaded. These are tribulation martyrs (cf. 6:9; 18:24; 19:2). The Gr. word translated “beheaded” became a general term for execution, not necessarily a particular method. the mark. See note on 13:16. Tribulation martyrs will be executed for refusing the mark of the beast. reigned. Tribulation believers, along with the redeemed from both the OT and NT eras, will reign with Christ (1Co 6:2; 2Ti 2:12) during the 1,000 year kingdom. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Re 20:4). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
20:4 Thrones … reigned indicates that believers will participate significantly with Christ during His millennial rule (1:6; 2:26, 27; 5:10). This may be a partial fulfillment of Dan. 7:18, 27. The aspect of judgment in ruling is referred to in 1 Cor. 6:2–4. At the onset of the kingdom, authority is officially transferred from angels to men (Heb. 2:5, 8). A new world order is established with the overcoming saints of the church age ruling together with Christ in His kingdom (Rom. 8:17). Those who had been beheaded are believers martyred by the beast (13:7, 15) and may also be the victorious throng who sing praises to the Lamb in 15:2–4. John could identify with those who lost their lives because of their witness to Jesus and God’s word, since John was exiled to the island of Patmos for the same reasons (1:9). (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 1763). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, &c.] Besides the throne of God the Father, and the throne of glory, on which the Son of God sits, and the twelve thrones for the twelve apostles of the Lamb; there will be thrones set, or pitched, for all the saints, Dan. 7:9 who will sit on them, in the character of kings, and as conquerors, and shall sit quiet, and undisturbed, and be in perfect ease, and peace, for they that sit on them are the same persons hereafter described in this verse; for after the binding of Satan, an account is given of the happiness and glory of the saints during that time: and judgment was given unto them; that is, power, dominion, regal authority, possession of a kingdom, answerable to their character as kings, and to their position, sitting on thrones, Dan. 7:22, 27 unless it should be rather understood of justice being done them, which does not so manifestly take place in the present state of things, and of which they sometimes complain; but now righteous judgment will be given for them, and against their enemies; their persons will be openly declared righteous; their characters will be cleared of all false imputations fastened on them; and their works and sufferings for Christ will be taken notice of in a way of grace, and rewarded in a very glorious manner. And so it may respect their being judged themselves, but not their judging of others, the wicked, which is the sole work of Christ; nor will the wicked now be upon the spot to be judged; nor is that notion to be supported by Matt. 19:28; 1 Cor. 6:2, 3 see the notes there. The Jews fancy that their chief men shall judge the world in the time to come; for so they say, “in future time, (or in the world to come,) the holy blessed God will sit, and kings will place thrones for the great men of Israel, and they shall sit and judge the nations of the world with the holy blessed God:” but the persons here meant are not Jews, but sufferers for the sake of Jesus, as follows: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God; these, with the persons described in the next clause, are they who will sit on thrones, during the thousand years of Satan’s being bound, and will have judgment given them; even such who have bore witness to the truth of Jesus being the son of God, the true Messiah, and the only Saviour of sinners, and to him as the essential Word of God, or to the written word of God, the whole Gospel, all the truths and doctrines of it; and who have been beheaded for bearing such a testimony, as John the Baptist was, the first of the witnesses of Jesus: and since this kind of punishment was a Roman one, it seems particularly to point at such persons who suffered under the Roman Pagan emperors, and to design the same souls said to be under the altar, and to cry for vengeance, ch. 6:9. This clause, in connexion with the former, is differently rendered; the Syriac version renders it thus, and judgment was given to them, and to the souls that were beheaded, &c. the Arabic version, and to them was given the judgment of the souls killed, &c. the Ethiopic version, and then I saw a seat, and the son of man sat upon it, and he rendered to them judgment for the souls of them that were slain for the law of the Lord Jesus. And which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands, see ch. 13:1, 4, 14, 15, 16. This describes such who shall have made no profession of the Popish religion, nor have supported it in any way; who shall not have joined in the idolatry of the Romish antichrist, but shall have protested against it, and departed from it, and shall have adhered to Christ, and to the true worship of God; see ch. 14:1 and 15:2. And so this, with the preceding character, includes all the saints that lived under Rome Pagan, and Rome Papal, to the destruction of antichrist, and the setting up of Christ’s kingdom; not that these martyrs and confessors, or even all the saints of their times, are the only persons that shall share in the glory and happiness of the thousand-years’ reign of Christ, and binding of Satan; for all the saints will come with Christ, and all the dead in Christ will rise first, or be partakers of the first resurrection; and all that are redeemed by his blood, of whatsoever nation, or in whatsoever age of the world they have lived, even from the beginning of it, shall be kings and priests, and reign with him on earth, Zech. 14:5; 1 Thess. 3:13 and 4:14, 16; Rev. 5:9, 10 though John only takes notice of these, because the design of this book, and of the visions shewn to him, was only to give a prophetic history of the church, from his time, to the end of the world; and these particularly are observed to encourage the saints under sufferings for Christ: and they lived; meaning not spiritually, for so they did before, and whilst they bore their testimony to Christ, and against antichrist, and previous to their death; nor in their successors, for it would not be just and reasonable that they should be beheaded for their witness of Christ and his word, and others should live and reign with Christ in their room and stead; nor is this to be understood of their living in their souls, for so they live in their separate state; the soul never dies; God is not the God of the dead, but of the living: but the sense is, that they lived again, as in ver. 5 they lived corporeally; their souls lived in their bodies, their bodies being raised again, and reunited to their souls, their whole persons lived; or the souls of them that were beheaded lived; that is, their bodies lived again, the soul being sometimes put for the body, Psal. 16:10 and this is called the first resurrection in the next verse: and reigned with Christ a thousand years; as all that suffer with him will, and as all that will live godly must, and do, 2 Tim. 2:12 and 3:12. Christ being descended from heaven, and having bound Satan, and the dead saints being raised, and the living ones changed, he will reign among them personally, visibly, and gloriously, and in the fullest manner; all the antichristian powers will be destroyed; Satan will be in close confinement; death, with respect to Christ and his people, will be no more; the heavens and the earth will be made new, and all things will be subject to him; and all his saints will be with him, and they shall reign with him; they shall be glorified together; they shall sit on the throne with him, have a crown of righteousness given them, and possess the kingdom appointed for them; they’ll reign over all their enemies; Satan will be bruised under their feet, being bound; the wicked will be shut up in hell, and neither will be able to give them any disturbance; and sin and death will be no more: this reign will not be in a sensual and carnal way, or lie in possessing worldly riches and honours, in eating and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage; the saints will not be in a mortal, but in an immortal state; the children of this resurrection will be like the angels; and this reign will be on earth, ch. 5:10 the present earth will be burnt up, and a new one formed, in which these righteous persons will dwell, 2 Pet. 3:13 of which see note on ch. 21:1. and it will last a thousand years; not distinct from, but the same with the thousand years in which Satan will be bound; for if they were distinct from them, and should commence when they are ended, the reign of Christ with his saints would be when Satan is loosed, which is utterly inconsistent with it. The Syriac version very rightly renders it, these thousand years, referring to those of Satan’s binding. Nor are these thousand years to be understood prophetically, for as many years as there are days in a thousand years; for as this would defer the judgment of the wicked, and the ultimate glory of the saints, to a prodigious length of time, so it should be observed, that prophetic time will now be no longer, according to the angel’s oath in ch. 10:6 but these are to be understood literally and definitely, as before, of just such an exact number and term of years; see 2 Pet. 3:8 this is a perfect number, and is expressive of the perfection of this state, and is a term of years that neither Adam, nor any of his sons, arrived unto; but Christ the second Adam shall see his seed, and shall prolong his days longer than any of them, Isa. 53:10. It is an observation of the Jewish Rabbins, that the day in Gen. 2:17 is the day of the holy blessed God (i.e. a thousand years), and therefore the first Adam did not perfect, or fill up his day, for there wanted seventy years of it: and it is a notion that prevails with them, that the days of the Messiah will be a thousand years; and so they will be at his second coming, but not at his first, which they vainly expect, it being past: and also they sayz, that in these thousand years God will renew his world, and that then the righteous will be raised, and no more return to dust; which agrees with John’s new heaven and new earth during this state, and with the first resurrection: and so Jerom, who was conversant with the Rabbins, says that the Jews expect a thousand-years’ reign. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 3, pp. 847–848). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
Not any sin is the unpardonable sin, but it may be that constant repetition, over and over again until God will say: “Take it and go to hell.”
Who can commit it? I used to think that only the vile, the profane were the people who could commit it.
Whom did Jesus warn? The Pharisees. And who were they? The best men, morally, in Jerusalem.
|
Who can commit it? Any man or woman who says “NO” to Jesus Christ. You may even defend the Bible. You may be the best man or woman, morally, in the world. Your name may be synonymous with virtue and purity, but let God try to get into your heart, let him try to get you to walk down the aisle and publicly acknowledge Jesus Christ, and your heart and lips are sealed like a bank vault, And God hasn’t been able to pull you to your feet. And God won’t keep on begging you to do it. …. It takes the combined efforts of the Trinity to keep you out of hell – God the Father to provide the plan of salvation, the Holy Spirit to convict, Jesus Christ to redeem you through his blood, and your acceptance and repentance to save you. Sin is no trifle. (p. 376-7, “Billy” Sunday: The Man and His Message, by William T. Ellis, 1914) |
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Psalm 51:2-3
The second step when we become convicted of sin is a recognition of the exact character or nature of what we have done. This is put here [in Psalm 51] perfectly in three words. The first is the word transgressions, the second is iniquity, and sin is the third.
What does transgression mean? It means rebellion; it means the uprising of the will against authority, and especially against a person of authority. Blot out my transgressions (verse 1). In other words, David admits he has transgressed. He has rebelled against an authority. His own will has risen up within him, and he has asserted himself. He has been governed by desire and has allowed himself to be swayed by lust. Transgression means a desire to have our own way, a desire to do what we want to do.
Iniquity what does that mean? Well, iniquity means that an act is twisted or that it is bent. It means perversion, and this is obvious in the case of David. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity the foul thing, that dastardly thing. What was it in me that made me do it? How perverted I must have been to do that! I ask you as you examine yourself, do you not see that so many things you do are twisted and perverted? Jealousy and envy and malice how horrible the twist! The desire that evil may come to someone, the dislike of praise of another evil thoughts, bent, twisted, ugly, foul iniquity! And we are all guilty of iniquity.
Sin means “missing the mark. We are not living as we ought to be living. A man aims at a target; he shoots, but he misses it. That is what sin always means. A man is not treading the path God has marked out for him.
A Thought to Ponder We are all guilty of iniquity. (From Out of the Depths, pp. 25-26. By Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones.)
REDISCOVERING THE CENTRAL TRUTHS OF THE GOSPEL
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure.
2 Timothy 2:19
Without a single exception it is the rediscovery of the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith that has led ultimately to revival. There is always a preliminary to revival. It appears to come suddenly, and in a sense it does. But if you look carefully into the history, you will always find that there was something going on quietly, there was a preliminary, a preparation unobserved by people. And the preparation, invariably, has been a rediscovery of these grand and glorious central truths.
Take, for instance, the history of the Protestant Reformation. It was only after Martin Luther had suddenly seen the grand truth of justification by faith alone that the Protestant revival came. It was getting back to that truth, in the epistles to the Galatians and the Romans, that prepared the way for the outpouring of the Spirit. It happened in this country and in every country where the Reformation spread.
That also happened in the eighteenth century. There you had that deadness. Bishop Butler wrote his book The Analogy of Religion, and the “Boyle lectures” were started in an attempt to counter this rationalism, but it availed nothing. Then suddenly the revival seemed to come. Whitefield, the Wesleys, and others like them appeared. Yes, but how did revival come through these men? Well, the story is well-known. What really made it possible for John Wesley to have the experience he had in Aldersgate Street, when his heart was “strangely warmed” by the Holy Spirit, was something that happened three months earlier. He had the experience in Aldersgate Street on May 24, 1738, but in March 1738 his eyes had been opened to the truth of justification by faith only. The famous conversation, on the journey between London and Oxford, between Peter Bülow and Wesley was all about justification by faith alone. It was only after he had seen that, and it had gripped him, that the Holy Spirit ca me upon him and began to use him.
A Thought to Ponder: There is always a preliminary to revival.
(From Revival, pp. 35-36, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Good Affliction
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” (Psalm 119:71)
This seems like a strange testimony. Affliction is often accompanied by complaining or discouragement, but seldom by a statement of satisfaction and thankfulness such as in our text for today.
Nevertheless, in terms of the long-range goal of character development, afflictions are often good for us, helping to make us more Christ-like and preparing us for our ministry of service to Him in the age to come (Revelation 22:3), if only we profit from them and submit to them as we should.
“Before I was afflicted I went astray,” testifies the psalmist, “but now have I kept thy word.…This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me” (Psalm 119:67, 50). Such testimonies have been echoed innumerable times throughout the centuries as godly men and women have drawn closer to the Lord through His comforting Word during times of affliction than they ever were during times of ease.
In fact, afflictions often draw even the unsaved to the Lord. They would never come when things are going well, but many do come when in times of sorrow or rejection they are forced to the end of their resources. It is then that “godly sorrow [literally ‘sorrow from God’] worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
As for those instances when God’s people suffered in ancient times, it was said: “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them” (Isaiah 63:9). Although no such affliction “for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
1 Kings 1 God grants Solomon wisdom.
INSIGHT
Solomon’s heart is manifested by the purity of his prayer. He could have asked for a long life; he could have asked for riches and honor. But instead Solomon asks simply for wisdom. What an honest and unselfish prayer.
Being honest with God is not as easy as we might think. We all tend to live life with masks on-behind which the real “us” hides-to make a better impression on people.
How foolish! God sees behind the mask-as do most people. We can learn from Solomon. God is pleased with honest, transparent prayers. (Quiet Walk)
Presidents and politicians using the Bible or Christian symbolism for political ends is nothing new. Some, as President Trump did Monday afternoon, pose with Bible in hand. Far more common is the selective quoting, misquoting, or downright twisting of Bible verses to advance political talking points.
After nights of rioting and violence across America and even right outside the White House, the president punctuated his speech by walking from the Rose Garden to a historically important church that was nearly burned down the night before. He then posed with a Bible in hand beside the church sign.
The Bible should never be used as a prop.
Trump was condemned widely, and not just by those who take the Bible seriously. In fact, among the loudest voices were religious leaders who themselves use the Bible as a prop (and their religious mantles as cover) to advance a theological progressivism, especially revisionist teachings about sexuality and abortion. For example, on the TODAY show, Mariann Budde, Episcopal Bishop of Washington D.C., accused the President of abusing “the spiritual tools and symbols of our traditions and of our sacred space.”
To reduce the Bible to a prop, a mere “spiritual tool” or a mere “symbol,” however, is to miss the Bible’s real power, a power the world so desperately needs right now. After all, it is the explanatory capacity of Holy Scripture, its ability to describe the contours of reality and the human condition so accurately, that makes it so valuable, not just to Christians and especially in confusing times like these. Rather than using it to advance an agenda or score points with a religious base, it would’ve been far more valuable and helpful if the president had opened it and read to the nation its words of comfort and conviction, and especially its call to repentance.
In his book For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch Hunts, and the End of Slavery, sociologist Rodney Stark argues that Christians were the very first people in history to even imagine that slavery was not a normal condition of human society, as was universally assumed throughout history. While there were those, like the Jewish Essenes who didn’t like slavery, “…only in Christianity,” Stark argues, “did the idea develop that slavery was sinful and must be abolished.” Why did this idea develop in Christianity and not anywhere else? The Bible.
Though Jesus’ first followers did not forbid slavery, they did in their New Testament writings, especially Paul, unlock implications of our identity as image bearers of God and new creations in Christ, including the notion of universal human dignity. Thus, long-standing social barriers between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, male and female were challenged and eventually torn down.
Centuries later, British Christians such at William Wilberforce would launch years-long campaigns to end the scourge of slavery. Other Christians, informed by what was written in the Bible, would lead the movement for Civil Rights in this country with arguments constructed from the Christian framework of reality found only in Holy Scripture. None of this is to say that Christians always got issues of race or slavery right. They certainly did not. And the Bible was often misused to enslave and dehumanize. But, as even atheist historians and philosophers like Luc Ferry and Tom Holland have acknowledged, the world owes a debt to the Bible for the very notions of human value, human rights, and human dignity.
Writing yesterday at Christianity Today, Ed Stetzer suggested that not only does the Bible “teach us in James (and other places) that favoritism and racism are wrong, and that a system that treats people of color with different outcomes is, well, sinful,” but also that “stealing, looting, and violence are (also) clearly addressed and condemned in the Bible.” And, I’d add, it points us to forgiveness and grace, required resources if we hope to be reconciled to God and to each other.
In other words, on the pages of the Bible the president held aloft for the camera on Monday is exactly what we need right now, including the keys to recapturing civic virtue, pursuing reconciliation, and restoring civil society. The better choice, especially in a society guilty of either ignoring the Bible or twisting it to wrong ends, would be to heed the exhortation contained in this prayer written by Anglican theologian Thomas Cranmer:
“Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
In this moment of national crisis, rather than fighting over the optics around the Bible, we’d be far better off reading, hearing, and applying what it has to say. (Break Point)
Visit our Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.