THE THOUSAND YEARS' REIGN
Rev. 20:1-10
By David J. Riggs
Intro.
A. We often hear people say that the Bible teaches that Christ
will return to reign on earth for a thousand years.
1. Certain words such as "Rapture," "Ar-Megedden," and
"Millennium" are connected with this theory.
B. When we ask, "Where does the Bible teach that Christ will reign
on earth for a thousand years?" they invariably will say, "In
Rev. 20:4-6."
1. Thus, this is the great proof text of the millennialist.
C. The premillennial theory is, "At the second coming, Christ is
coming back to the earth to reign on the throne of David in
Jerusalem with all the saints for a thousand years." ("Pre"
means "before" and "millennial" means "thousand").
1. Don't you think it's strange that those teachers can see all
of those things in a passage which mentions none of them?
a. Old time gospel preachers would put the premillennial
theory on the blackboard and erase the things that were
not found in Rev. 20:4-6.
b. For example, it says nothing about the second coming
(erase it); it says nothing about Christ coming back to
earth (no passage anywhere in the N.T. teaches it--
erase); it says nothing about the throne of David
(erase); it says nothing about Jerusalem (erase); it says
nothing about all the saints reigning (only that "souls"
reigned--erase).
c. Thus, the only thing left is the thousand years.
I. PREMILLENNIALISTlS INSIST THAT THE VERSE IS LITERAL.
A. They say that this is a literal thousand years and insist that
all prophecies must be taken literally.
1. John says he wrote in "symbols" (Rev. 1:1; this is what the
word "signified" means).
2. They are not consistent.
a. A literal chain cannot be put on a spirit being--20:1-2
b. Verse 4 says only the souls reigned, not bodies.
c. Also, only those who were beheaded reigned. They
want to drop their literal rule on these things.
3. The word "thousand" is not always literal.
a. Deut. 7:9 -- Will God only keep covenant and loving-
kindness a literal thousand generations?
b. 1 Chron. 16:15 -- Did God command His word to a
literal thousand generations, no more and no less? Thus,
the word is figurative for a great number.
c. Psalm 50:10 -- Does God only own cattle upon a literal
thousand hills?
d. Psalm 90:4 -- Would 1500 years also be as yesterday
when it is past?
4. Thus, the number "thousand" is sometimes used figuratively
for a great, complete number. This is the way it is used in
Rev. 20:4-6.
II. WHO ARE THOSE ON THE THRONE?
A. Premillennialism was taught in churches of our Lord in the
thirties and much division resulted.
1. In most of the writings of preachers in the thirties, they
only explained what Rev. 20:4-6 does not mean. They seldom
showed what it did teach.
2. We will now try to go beyond most of their efforts and
endeavor to show what the passage means.
B. John was speaking of those in his day and not some who lived
far in the future.
1. Prophetic speculators are very good at leaping over the
immediate application of prophecies.
a. For example, invariably they will take a prophecy of the
O.T. and completely jump over the N.T. age and apply
it to a future age.
b. They have done the same with Rev. 20:4-6.
2. John was speaking of the ones in his day -- 2:13; 6:9-10;
7:14-17; 16:6-7; 17:6; 18:24; 19:2; and thus, in the context
of the book, those in 20:4 are the ones to whom he was
referring who lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years.
3. John showed that it was the ones who "did not worship the
beast...neither received his mark" etc.
a. Who are these? See 13:16-17; 14:9-10; 15:2; 16:2;
19:20.
b. Thus, these souls--the ones who had been martyred in
John's day--were the ones who lived and reigned with
Christ.
4. They were with Christ after their death as is every faithful
Christian. Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:8; Luke 23:43; 16:25
a. The Bible harmonized on all of its teaching and we
understand the difficult passages on the basis of the
plain.
III. WHO ARE THE "REST" IN VERSE 5?
A. Premillennialists have a marvelous time with verse 5. They say
it teaches there will be two resurrections, one at the second
coming of the saints to reign with Christ, and one after the
1000 years of the wicked.
1. This contradicts plain passages. John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15
a. They have another trump after the "last trump" (1 Cor.
15:52), days beyond the "last day" (John 6:44), and time
beyond "the end" (1 Cor. 15:24).
2. Their misunderstanding of verse 5 resulted from their
misunderstanding of verse 4.
a. They have put verse 4 out in the future and naturally
would place verse 5 out in the future.
B. The "rest" in verse 5 are the ones mentioned in 19:21. The
"remnant" (trans. "rest" ASV) represents those who were slain,
even though they didn't have the mark of the beast like those
in 19:20; thus, they were like the good moral man.
1. They didn't go along with the persecutions of the Roman
Empire, yet they did not submit to the will of Christ and
thus were like our good moral people today who are not
Christians.
2. Therefore, in verse 5 John is simply saying that these
people, the remnant or the "rest" in verse 21, did not live
and reign with Christ through the 1000 year period.
IV. WHAT IS THE FIRST RESURRECTION?
A. The latter part of verse 5 goes better with verse 6; the verses
could have been divided that way.
B. What is the first resurrection? It is when one dies and goes to
be with Christ.
1. On these the second death has no power.
C. What is the second death? John tells us plainly in 20:14-15;
21:8.
D. Again, what is the first resurrection? It is when any saint
dies and departs to be with Christ.
1. What is the second resurrection? It is when our bodies will
be raised.
2. What is the first death? It is when one dies physically.
3. What is the second death? It is when one is cast into the
lake of fire.
V. WHEN AND HOW IS SATAN LOOSED FOR A LITTLE SEASON?
A. In verse 3 Satan was cast into the bottomless pit, shut up and
sealed, so that they could "deceive the nations" no more until
the thousand years were fulfilled.
1. The term "deceive the nations" is used often of Satan and
his efforts in the book of Revelation. Rev. 13:13-14; 18:23;
19:20; 20:8,10
a. He deceived the nations and, among other things,
caused them to kill the saints.
2. After Satan is loosed again for a short time (20:3,7), he
comes forth to deceive the nations again (20:8).
3. It is certainly true that Christ bound Satan at this death;
however, here Satan was put down or bound when God
brought an end to the Roman Empire (the meaning of Rom.
16:20).
4. Thus, during the thousand year period Satan would not have
control over the nations as he once had and, consequently,
will not have power to cause the saints to be slaughtered as
he once did.
B. In verse 7-10 we can determine the duration (the exact length
no one knows, Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32) of the thousand year
period.
1. After the thousand years, Satan is loosed for a short time
(vss. 3 and 7); he makes war again and is immediately cast
down into the lake of fire and then comes the judgment.
a. The thousand years, therefore, precedes the second
coming of Christ in which He will come to judge. 2 Tim.
4:1; Matt. 25:31-32
b. It is not to begin at the second coming, but will end at
the second coming.
c. Consequently, the reign of the saints for a thousand
years began with the faithful martyrs of John's day and
remains until the second coming of Christ.
2. When Satan is loosed just before the final judgment, he
comes forth deceiving the nations as he has done before.
a. He makes a world-wide gathering of an innumerable
host, Gog and Magog, to war with the saints.
b. Ezekiel's Gog (a chief prince) and Magog (the land over
which Gog ruled) represented a wicked nation who
were the enemies of God's people (chs. 38 and 39).
(1) Many terms and figures in Revelation have their
symbolism in the O.T.
c. Thus, John prophesies that toward the end of time there
will be a great host gathered and led by Satan, and he
and his allies will make one last furious effort to
destroy the church.
d. This means that persecutions and martyrdom will be
revived (or will be more intense than in John's day) in
that last great conflict.
3. However, as Satan and his allies compassed the camp of the
saints, and the beloved city (the church, Rev. 11:2), fire
came down out of heaven and devoured them.
a. This represents the second coming (2 Thess. 1:7-9; 2
Pet. 3:7-10) for the scenes that follow are the judgment
(Rev. 20:10-15) and the final states (chs. 21 and 22).
b. The devil that deceived the nations is cast into the lake
of fire and brimstone; thus, his deception is forever
ended.
Concl.
A. John was referring in verse 4 to the martyrs who died for their
faith.
1. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
a. They are living and reigning with Him now and will
continue to do so through this long complete period.
2. This is the first resurrection, and any Christian who dies
faithfully will also reign with Christ.
B. The "rest" in verse 5 are the "good moral people" and they will
not take part in living and reigning with Christ.
C. Those who take part in the first resurrection (verse 6) will be
freed from the possibility of the second death destroying them.
D. After the 1000 years, Satan will be loosed again for a little
season.
1. He gathers his forces to fight against the church.
2. However, God intervenes and destroys them with fire, and
then comes the judgment and the final states.