The Thousand Years (Revelation 20:1-6)

OPEN IT

1. What makes people interested in the future? 

EXPLORE IT

2. What did John see an angel carrying? (Rev.20:1)

3. Whom did the angel seize? (Rev.20:2)

4. By what assorted names did John call the dragon? (Rev.20:2)

5. What did the angel do to the dragon? (Rev.20:2)

6. Where did the angel throw the dragon? (Rev.20:3)

7. For how long was the dragon locked up? (Rev.20:3)

8. What else did John see in his vision? (Rev.20:4)

9. Why had some believers died? (Rev.20:4)

10. How had the “beheaded souls” defied the beast? (Rev.20:4)

11. What happened to the martyrs as John watched? (Rev.20:4)

12. When would the rest of the dead be resurrected? (Rev.20:5)

13. In what way are the people raised in the first resurrection blessed? (Rev.20:6)

GET IT

14. In what ways do God’s people already reign with Christ?

15. How can we show our allegiance to Christ the King over all the earth?

APPLY IT

16. In what ways can we give testimony of God’s word to the people you know?

Commentary

 

The restored and radically reconstructed earth of the millennial kingdom will constitute paradise regained. The thousand-year reign of the Savior over the earth is the divinely planned and promised culmination of all redemptive history and the realization of the hope of all the saints of all the ages.

The millennial kingdom is called by many names in Scripture. In Matthew 19:28 Jesus calls it “the regeneration.” Acts 3:19 describes the kingdom as “times of refreshing,” while verse 21 of that chapter calls it “the period of restoration of all things.” The apostle Paul refers to it in Ephesians 1:10 as “an administration suitable to the fullness of the times.”

The Bible’s teaching on the kingdom is not confined to the New Testament. The kingdom is an important theme throughout Scripture; it is the goal toward which all redemptive history progresses. Among the many Old Testament passages that speak of the earthly kingdom are Deuteronomy 30:1-5; 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 2:6-12; Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:1-10; 12:1-6; 24:23; 32:15-20; 35:1-2; 60:10-18; 65:20-22; Jeremiah 3:14-18; 23:5-6; 30:3; 31:35-40; 33:14-18; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 36:16-38; 37:15-28; Daniel 2:44-45; Hosea 3:4-5; Joel 3:18-21; Amos 9:11-15; Micah 4:1-8; Zephaniah 3:14-20; and Zechariah 14:9-11.

God’s kingdom may be broadly defined as the sphere in which He reigns. In its universal, eternal sense, God’s kingdom encompasses everything that exists, because God is the sovereign ruler over all His creation. David declared that truth in Psalm 103:19: “The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules overall.” Historically, God has mediated His rule on earth through His people, first through Adam and Eve, then Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, the judges of Israel (including Samuel), and the kings of Israel and Judah. In the present era, God mediates His rule politically through human governments (Rom. 13:1-7) and spiritually through the church (Acts 20:25; Rom. 14:17; Col. 1:13). In the millennial kingdom, the political and religious elements of God’s temporal, earthly rule will be reunited in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Taking the text of Revelation 20 (and the numerous other biblical passages that speak of the earthly kingdom) at face value leads to a premillennial view of eschatology. That is, Christ will return, and then establish a literal kingdom on earth, which will last for a thousand years. 

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. (Rev.20:1-3) 

The first matter for the King’s attention as He sets up His kingdom is the confinement of the chief rebel. The removal of “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), “the prince of the power of the air … the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2), will dramatically change the world. By this time, God will have destroyed all human rebels. Those who survived the Tribulation judgments will have been executed at Armageddon (19:11-21) or the goat judgment (Matt. 25:4146). The ringleaders of the worldwide rebellion, the beast (Antichrist) and the false prophet, will have been thrown into the lake of fire (19:20). The final step in preparation for the kingdom will be the removal of Satan and his demon hosts, so that Christ reigns without the opposition of supernatural enemies.

As it frequently does in Revelation (v 4, 11; 6:1, 2, 5, 8, 12; 7:2; 8:2, 13; 9:1; 10:1; 13:1, 11; 14:1, 6, 14; 15:1; 16:13; 17:3; 19:11, 17, 19; 21:1), the phrase kai eidon (Then I saw) indicates chronological progression. The location of this passage in the chronological flow of Revelation is consistent with a premillennial view of the kingdom. After the Tribulation (Rev.chaps.6-19) Christ will return (Rev.19:11-21) and set up His kingdom (20:1-10), which will be followed by the new heavens and the new earth (Rev.21:1). Thus, the millennial kingdom comes after Christ’s second coming but before the establishing of the new heavens and the new earth. 

The identity of the angel whom John saw coming down from heaven to bind Satan is not disclosed, but he may be Michael the archangel, the great adversary of Satan (12:7; Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9). Whoever the angel is, he possesses great power. He is sent to earth with a specific agenda: to seize Satan for the thousand-year duration of the kingdom, bind him, cast him into the abyss and seal it, and then release him at the end of the thousand years.

Abussos (abyss) appears seven times in Revelation 9:1, 2, 11; 11:7; 17:8, always about the temporary place of incarceration for certain demons. The abyss is not their final place of punishment; the lake of fire is (Matt. 25:41). Nevertheless, it is a place of torment to which the demons fear to be sent (Luke 8:31). The prisoners in the abyss are among the most vile and evil of all demons and include the “spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah” (1 Pet. 3:19-20). Those demons, who attempted to corrupt humanity by cohabiting with human women (Gen. 6:1-4), will never be released. They will be transferred directly from their temporary incarceration in the abyss to their permanent place of punishment, the lake of fire (Isa. 24:21-22). Other demons sentenced to the abyss will be released at the fifth trumpet judgment to torment sinners (9:1-12). 

The key given to the angel by God signifies his delegated authority (9:1); he has the power to open the abyss, and then to shut it after casting Satan inside. The metaphor of binding demons with a chain also appears in Jude 6. This chain is a great one, because of Satan’s greatness and power as the highest created being (Ezek. 28:14). The angel laid hold of Satan, who is unmistakably identified by the same four titles given him in Rev.12:9. First, he is called the dragon, a title given him twelve times in Revelation 12:3, 4, 7, 9, 13, 16, 17; 13:1, 2, 4; 16:13. It emphasizes his bestial nature, ferociousness, and oppressive cruelty. The title serpent of old hearkens back to the Garden of Eden and Satan’s temptation of Eve (Gen. 3:1-6; 2 Cor. 11:3). Diabolos (devil) means “slanderer,” or “malicious gossip” (1 Tim. 3:11; 2 Tim. 3:3; Titus 2:3)—an appropriate title for the “accuser of our brethren” (Rev.12:10). Satan is a malignant liar; in fact, he is “the father of lies” (John 8:44). Satanas (Satan) and its Hebrew root Satan are used fifty-three times in Scripture. Both words mean “adversary,” since Satan opposes God, Christ, and all believers.

The length of the period for which Satan will be bound is defined as a thousand years, the first of six precise and important references to the duration of the Millennium (Rev. 20 vv. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). The testimony of Scripture is that Satan is anything but bound in this present age but will be during the coming earthly kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only then that he will be incarcerated in the abyss, which will be shut … and sealed … so that he cannot deceive the nations any longer. His activity in the world will not be merely restricted or restrained, but totally curtailed; he will not be permitted to influence the world in any way. As will be explained later, that does not mean that the living people in the Millennium will be incapable of sinning. Amazingly, a vast part of the population, born of the believers who alone entered the kingdom, will in that perfect environment love their sin and reject the King. They will be judged with a rod of iron (Rev.2:27; 12:5; Ps. 2:9), and those who engage in open rebellion under Satan’s leadership when the thousand years are completed and Satan must be released for a short time will be utterly destroyed. 

Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. (Rev.20:4-6)

With Satan, his demon hosts, and all God-rejecting sinners out of the way, the millennial kingdom of peace and righteousness will be established. The supreme ruler in that kingdom will, of course, be the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (Rev.19:16), and “the Lord God will give Him [alone] the throne of His father David” (Luke 1:32). 

Yet the Lord God has graciously promised that His saints will reign with Him. They will rule subordinately over every aspect of life in the kingdom, and being glorified and perfected, they will perfectly carry out His will.

In this vision, John sees the panorama of God’s people resurrected, rewarded, and reigning with Christ. He saw thrones, symbolizing both judicial and regal authority, and God’s people sat on them, and judgment was given to them. The glorified saints will both enforce God’s will and adjudicate disputes.

The identity of the saints who sat on the thrones, but best be identified by determining who God promised would reign. Daniel 7:27 promises that the Old Testament saints will reign in the millennial kingdom: “Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.” Jesus promised the apostles that “you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt. 19:28). New Testament believers are also promised that they will reign with Christ. In 1 Corinthians 6:2 Paul wrote, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” while 2 Timothy 2:12 declares, “If we endure, we will also reign with Him.” In Revelation 2:26 Jesus promises, “He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations,” and in Revelation 3:21 He adds, “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Revelation 5:10 makes it clear that the saints will reign on the earth, not in a spiritual sense or in the heavenly sphere: “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

The present passage introduces the last group of saints who will reign with Christ in His kingdom. As his vision continued, John saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. These are the martyred believers from the Tribulation (Rev.6:9; 7:9-17; 12:11). Pelekizō (beheaded) literally means, “to cut off with an axe,” and is a figure of speech meaning “to put to death,” or “to execute.” The empire of Antichrist exterminated Tribulation saints because of their testimony of Jesus (Rev.1:9; 12:17; 19:10), because they faithfully proclaimed the word of God (1:2; 6:9), and because they had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand (Rev.13:16-17; 14:9-11; 16:2; 19:20).

Because the Tribulation saints were faithful to the death, evidencing their true salvation (Matt. 24:13; Col. 1:21-23; Heb. 3:14), they too came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Ezēsan (they came to life) cannot refer to a spiritual resurrection (regeneration or the new birth), since the Tribulation martyrs were already spiritually alive. When used in connection with physical death, the root form of ezēsan (zaō) is used throughout the New Testament to describe physical, bodily resurrection (1:18; 2:8; 13:14; 20:5; Matt. 9:18; 27:63; Mark 5:23; Luke 24:23; John 11:25; Acts 1:3; 9:41; Rom. 14:9; 2 Cor. 13:4).

Then John adds the parenthetical footnote that the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. These are the unbelieving dead of all ages, whose resurrection to judgment and damnation is described in verses (Rev.20:11-15. John calls the resurrection of the saints from all ages the first resurrection. That resurrection is also called in Scripture the “resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:14; Acts 24:15), the “resurrection of life” (John 5:29), the resurrection of “those who are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Cor. 15:23),and the “better resurrection” (Heb. 11:35). The use of anastasis (resurrection) offers further evidence that the resurrection described in verse Rev.20:4 is a physical resurrection. The word is used forty-two times in the New Testament, always of a physical resurrection (except in Luke 2:34, where the context clearly demands another meaning).

The phrase blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection introduces the fifth of seven beatitudes in Revelation 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 22:7, 14.. Those who have a part in the first resurrection are blessed first of all because the second death has no power over them. The second death, defined in verse Rev.20:14 as “the lake of fire,” is eternal hell. The comforting truth is that no true child of God will ever face God’s eternal wrath. “Having now been justified by His blood,” Paul wrote, “we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him” (Rom. 5:9). To the Thessalonians he added, “Jesus … rescues us from the wrath to come…. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9).

Those who participate in the first resurrection are also blessed because they will be priests of God and of Christ (1:6; 5:10). Believers are already “a royal priesthood,” called to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called [them] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). Believers now serve as priests by worshiping God and leading others to the knowledge of Him and will also serve in that capacity during the millennial kingdom.

A final blessing for the participants in the first resurrection is that they will reign with the Lord Jesus Christ for a thousand years, along with believers who survived the Tribulation. Politically and socially, the rule of Christ and His saints will be universal (Ps. 2:6-8; Dan. 2:35), absolute (Ps. 2:9; Isa. 11:4), and righteous (Isa. 11:3-5). Spiritually, their rule will be a time when the believing remnant of Israel is converted (Jer. 30:5-8; Rom. 11:26) and the nation is restored to the land God promised to Abraham (Gen. 13:14-15; 15:18). It will be a time when the Gentile nations also will worship the King (Isa. 11:9; Mic. 4:2; Zech. 14:16). The millennial rule of Christ and the saints will also be marked by the presence of righteousness and peace (Isa. 32:17) and joy (Isa. 12:3-4; 61:3, 7). Physically, it will be a time when the curse is lifted (Isa. 11:7-9; 30:23-24; 35:1-2, 7), when food will be plentiful (Joel 2:21-27),and when there will be physical health and well-being (Isa. 33:24; 35:5-6), leading to long life (Isa. 65:20).

THINK ABOUT THIS: Though the church suffers and struggles on earth, Christ’s kingdom has come. Satan was defeated once and for all at the cross and empty tomb. Christians today live in the paradox that they are conquering Satan spiritually, even as he seems to conquer them physically. The worst thing that this world can do to us—death—is our entrance into the heavenly reign of the saints. Therefore, let us neither fear for the church nor for our own future if we belong to Christ. Jesus reigns.