Cecil A. Fayard

Elliott Baptist Church

October 17, 2004

 

The Millennium

Revelation 20:1-10

 

INTRO: As we read Revelation 20:1-6, we find that the 1,000 year reign of Christ is referred to six times. We should not doubt the literal thousand year reign of Christ for this is what the Bible clearly teaches.  “The six mentions of ‘a thousand years’ in the passage are sufficient to establish the doctrine as scriptural” (Walvoord 289).

 

For a moment, let us think about the events leading up to the millennium or 1,000 year reign of Christ:

 

1. The time in which we live today is known as the “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph 3:2)or the age of grace.

2. The next major event on God’s prophetic calendar is the rapture.  This is when the saints of God, the saved, are taken up from the earth (I Thes 4:14-18,”For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again....”)

3. After the rapture, the world is plunged into a seven year period of time known as the tribulation (Rev 4:1-19:21).

4. At the close of the tribulation, Jesus Christ returns with His saints to defeat Satan’s army (Rev 19:11-16).

5. With the defeat of Satan’s army, the millennium (an English word coming from two Latin words: mille– meaning “thousand” and annum– meaning “year”) is ushered in.

 

I. VSS 1-3.SATAN IS BOUND

 

A. Vs 1, A literal angel, with a literal key, and a literal chain comes down from heaven.

1. There is no doubt that Christ has the key (Rev 1:18).

2. Christ owns the keys of hell and death by virtue of His finished work on the cross.  Revelation1:18 says: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; [Calvary] and, behold, I am alive for evermore [the resurrection], Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

3. The one who own keys can lend them to another and Christ may loan them to Michael or Gabriel.

 

B. Vs 2, We find in this verse that the chain carried by the angel is used to bind the most notorious, ruthless villain of all time.

1. This enemy of God and God’s people is called:

a. “That old serpent”– he is the slithering snake in the grass that brought ruination to the entire human race (Gen 3:1-6).

b. “The Devil”– this means he is our adversary, our foe (I Pet 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion....”

c. “Satan”– he is a slander; he is “the accuser of the brethren” (Rev 12:10).  He is the father of liars, slanderers, and gossips (Jn 8:44).

2. Satan is bound for 1,000 years.

 

C. Vs 3, The angel throws Satan into the bottomless pit which is not to be confused with the lake of fire the beast and false prophet were thrown into (Rev 19:20) and into which Satan will be thrown ten centuries later (Rev 20:10).

1. Satan will be shut up and sealed up for 1,000 years.

2. For one thousand years the influence of Satan will be gone.  When the wickedness of a man’s heart causes him to rise up Christ, with a rod of iron, will subdue him.

a. Satan will be unable to deceive human beings about themselves, God, Christ, or eternity” (LaHaye 323).

b. Lost people will enter into the millennium and to them children will be born.  Many of these will grow up without believing that Christ is the Messiah.  They will not believe the Gospel.

c. At the end of the millennium, Satan is loosed for a short time to deceive the unregenerate throngs.

 

II. VSS 4-6, SAINTS WILL REIGN

 

A. Vs 4, These upon the thrones are most probably the twelve apostles (Mt 19:28).

1. Tribulation saints will be resurrected at the end of the tribulation.

2. They will live and reign with Christ for 1,000 years.

 

B. Vs 5, the rest of the dead are the lost, the unregenerate, the unsaved.  They will be resurrected at the close of the millennium to be thrown into the lake of fire.

1. The lost are part of the second resurrection which is associated with the second death.

2. The first resurrection spoken of here points back to verse 4, and the resurrection of the just.

 

C. Vs 6, Those who have part in the first resurrection, the resurrection of the just, are truly blessed.  Blessed because they are saved, not lost!  These are holy because they are washed in the blood or cleansed from sin.

1. We who are saved are blessed because the second death, spiritual death, separation from God has no power over us.  We can never be lost (Rom 8:1; 5:1).  If you are born once, you die twice; but if you are born twice, physical and spiritual births, you only die once– physically.  What you believe determines what resurrection you’ll be in (I Thes 4:14).

2. The saints will rule and reign with Christ for 1,000 years.

 

III. VSS 7-10, SATAN LOOSED

 

A. Vs 7, Why is Satan loosed?  He is loosed to fulfill the purpose of God.  This purpose is stated in verses 8-9.

 

B. Vs 8, Thousands and thousands of folks will be born to those who enter the millennium in human bodies.  Because of the perfect environment of the earth during the millennium, millions will be born and living at the end of the 1,000 year reign.

1. Satan will go out and deceive the nations, peoples from all over the world.

2. Gog and Magog speaks of Russia and the people of Russia.

3. Even living in a perfect world, man without the wooing of the Holy Spirit will not trust Christ.

4. The millennium “...will be a reign of law, and yet law will not change man’s sinful heart. Man still will revolt against God” (Wiersbe 142).

 

C. Vs 9, Satan leads these, unregenerate hordes, against the city Satan hates most– Jerusalem.

1. The armies of Satan encircle the beloved city.

2. “The camp of the saints” – the word “camp” is a military term meaning “fortress” or “citadel.”

3. Christ allows Satan to encircle the city so that He can destroy them by fire from heaven.

 

D. Vs 10, After Satan’s armies are destroyed, he is cast into the lake of fire.  His deceit and lying will be forever ended.

1. He joins the beast and false prophet in hell.  He also joins all of the lost of all the ages.  All unbelievers will spend eternity in hell.

2. Hell is a place of torment.  Satan, the beast and the false prophet as well as all the lost will forever be tormented.

 

CONCLUSION: How many times have you been born?

 

For additional copies of the sermon CD's, please contact the church office:

Elliott Baptist Church
566 Nat G. Troutt Road
Elliott, Mississippi 38901
Phone: 662-226-4425
Pastors Email: cecilafayard@msn.com