"1,000 Years!"
Revelation 20:1-10
INTRO: Daniel 2:44 says, "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." This Prophecy looks forward to the 1,000 year reign of Christ upon the earth, which we call the Millennium.
The word "Millennium” is not found in SCRIPTURE, but has become to be known, by believers, as the hope of Israel and the reign of righteousness upon the earth. The term "Millennium" simply means "One thousand". This period of time will be a Blessed time for the Nation Israel and the inhabitants of the earth; in which Christ will reign from Jerusalem with a "rod of iron". Let us explore the aspects of the "Millennium" together tonight.
(1) The Reign Of Terror Ends
Revelation 20:1-3—“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 on 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.”
A. THE BINDING OF SATAN. Satan will be bound for a literal 1,000 years! Satan, as god of this world, has carried out his program of evil and deceit in an effort to defeat God's Purpose. But during the Millennial Reign, Divine Righteousness will Rule!
B. THE BLINDING POWER OF SIN. It will also be God's final test to fallen
humanity under the most ideal circumstances. All outward sources of
temptation must be removed so that man will demonstrate what he is apart
from satanic influence. (J. Dwight Pentecost. Things To Come. p. 477). Jesus
said in Matthew 15:11—“Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man;
but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”
(2) The Regal Reign Of Christ Begins
Revelation 2O:4-6—“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 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 hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”
A. CHRIST WILL LITERALLY REIGN FOR 1,000 YEARS.
Isaiah 9:6-7—“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of
the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the
throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with
judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD
of hosts will perform this." Luke 1:31-33—“And, behold, thou shalt conceive
in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be
great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give
unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of
Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
Five times in our text the phrase "thousand years" is used. It seems evident to the LORD that it is important!
B. ISRAEL WILL RECEIVE ALL ITS PROMISED BLESSINGS.
Þ Israel will be Restored. Amos 9:14-15—“And I will bring again the captivity of My People Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and they shall inhabit them: And they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD Thy God."
Jeremiah 12:15--"And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked
them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring
them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land."
Þ Israel will be Regenerated. Romans 11:26-27—“And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliver, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” Jeremiah 24:7—“And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their god: For They shall return unto me with their whole heart."
Þ Israel will be Messiah's Subjects. a) The Nation will once again be related to Jehovah by Marriage (Isaiah 54:1-17). b) She shall be exalted above the Gentiles. Isaiah 14:1-2—“For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: And the house Of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them for captives, whose captives they were: and they shall rule over their oppressors."
Þ Israel Will be God's Witnesses. (Jeremiah 16:19-21).
Þ Israel will be beautified to Glorify God. Isaiah 62:3—“Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God."
C. There Will Be Gentiles In the Millennium. Isaiah 62:2—“And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name." Jeremiah 3:17—“At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all nations shall be gathered unto it, unto the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk anymore after the imagination of their evil heart." Such admission is essential so that Messiah's dominion will be a universal dominion. (J. Dwight Pentecost. Things To Come. p. 508).
D. Jerusalem will Be The Center of The Millennial Earth (Isaiah 2:2-4).
E. The Millennial Will Be Characterized By:
Þ Righteousness. Malachi 4:2—“But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall."
Þ Holiness. Ezekiel 44:23—“And they (Priest of the Millennium) shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean."
Þ Truth. Isaiah 16:5—“And in mercy shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking Judgment, and hasting righteousness."
Þ Fullness Of The Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-29).
F. Conditions During The Millennium:
Þ Peace. Isaiah 2:4—“And he (Christ) shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
Þ Joy. (Isaiah 12:3-6).
Þ Holiness. Isaiah 60:21—“people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hand, that I may be glorified."
Þ Glory. Isaiah 35:1-2—“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God."
Þ Comfort (Isaiah 12:1-2).
Þ Justice (Isaiah 9:7).
Þ Full Knowledge (Isaiah 11:1-4).
Þ Instruction. Micah 4:2—“And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the Law shall go forth of Zion, and the WORD OF THE LORD from Jerusalem."
Þ Removal Of The Curse. The original curse placed on the earth shall be removed (Isaiah 11:6-9).
Þ Sickness Will Be Removed. Jeremiah 30:17—“For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD; because they called thee an outcast, saying, this is Zion, whom no man seeketh after."
Þ Healing Of The Deformed. This is accomplished at the beginning of the Millennium (Isaiah 35:3-6).
Þ Protection. Ezekiel 34:27--"And the trees of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I Am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them."
Þ Freedom From Oppression (Isaiah 42:6-7).
Þ Reproduction By Living Peoples. The living saints who go through the Millennium in their natural bodies will beget children throughout the age. (J. Dwight Pentecost. Things To Come. p. 489). Those born will have a sin nature and will need salvation!
Þ Labor (Isaiah 65:21-23).
Þ Economic Prosperity. Ezekiel 34:26—“And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season: there shall be showers of blessing."
Þ Unified Language. All language barriers will be gone! Zephaniah 3:9-“For then will I turn the people a pure Language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one consent."
Þ Unified Worship. Zechariah 14:16—“And it shall come to pass, that everyone that if left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles."
Þ The Manifest Presence Of God (Zechariah 2:10-13). This will seem like Heaven on earth, and it will be, yet some will inevitably rebel!
(3) The Release Of Satan and The Rebellion of The Ungodly
Revelation 20:7-10—“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.”
A. THE DEVIL RELEASED. At the end of the 1,000 year Millennial period, Christ allows Satan to be "loosed for a season" to make one final test of those born during the Millennial period.
B. THE DEVIL’S DECEPTION. Notice, “Satan …shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth…”. This is Satan's last drive to attempt to conquer the world and overthrow God. However, his attempt comes to utter defeat and he meets his eternal doom. (Salem Kirban. Guide To Survival. p. 280).
C. THE DEVIL’S DESTINATION. “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.”
CLOSING: Those born during the Millennium, even though they have lived in an almost
perfect environment, even though they have seen God's holiness and
power, yet they still rebel against God! WHY?
Jeremiah 17:9-10 gives the answer, "The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the
heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and
according to the fruit of his doings."