The Millennium of Revelation 20 - "3 Things you should know"
“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.
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The Millennium refers to the period of 1000 years after the coming of the Lord Jesus in the clouds of heaven, during which the eminently just rise, and reign with the Lord over the nations which are spared in the world. So the millennium starts at the second coming of Christ. Therefore it’s only when God’s people “come to life” in the resurrection at Jesus’ second coming that Revelation’s millennium can begin.
There’s however, one significant thing that happens at the Second Coming. What is that?
The significant event that occurs at the Second Coming is the raising up of the Saints (those who died in Christ) and the righteous living being rewarded to eternal life. Immediately the evil are struck dead at the brightness of Christ’s coming. This is the first resurrection.
However we are going to take this in strides and address some key points found in Revelation 20 which is the chapter that introduces the Millennium.
1. The Bottomless Pit
The first verse speaks about the bottomless pit and that an angel has with them the key and a great chain. He uses this chain to bind the serpent in the bottomless pit for a thousand years. One big question that comes to mind is, “where is this bottomless pit?”. Most of us would know what a bottomless pit is, at least in theory, but where would we find such a thing? It's pretty much a pit with no end. You just keep falling. Well mercifully, scripture tells us where this bottomless pit is. To find out, we head to Genesis 1:2
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
Sis White states in “The Great Controversy” that the expression “bottomless pit” represents the earth in a state of confusion and darkness as evident from other scriptures. Concerning the condition of the earth “in the beginning,” the Bible record says that it “was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” [The Hebrew word here translated “deep” is rendered in the Septuagint (Greek) translation of the Hebrew Old Testament by the same word rendered “bottomless pit” In Revelation 20:1-3.] Genesis 1:2.
Excerpt From: Ellen G. White. “The Great Controversy.” chapter 41
In Jeremiah 4:23-26, the vision he saw of Judea being destroyed was reminiscent of Genesis 1:2 as he used similar words and phrases which denotes that the earth during the last days in some way will revert to its desolate form at the time the devil is chained up. The desolate nature of the earth would have been as a result of friction between the forces of good and evil people that dwell on the earth. The evil would have been destroyed by His brightness and He would make the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. [ Isaiah 24 ]
2. Satan’s Fate
Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a thousand years. Limited to the earth, he will not have access to other worlds to tempt and annoy those who have never fallen. It is in this sense that he is bound: there are none remaining, upon whom he can exercise his power. He is wholly cut off from the work of deception and ruin which for so many centuries has been his sole delight.
Isaiah also prophesied Satan’s fate in the Old Testament in chapter 14:12-17
“Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: ... I will be like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”
Here we see as early as the Old Testament how Satan will spend his last days. Sis. White says in the Great Controversy “For six thousand years, Satan’s work of rebellion has “made the earth to tremble.” He had “made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof. His [ Satan] punishment is right and just as he has now ended up not only on a physically desolate earth, but one that has been rid of its human component. With no one to tempt or to trouble for a thousand years, Satan will wander to and fro in the desolate earth to behold the results of his rebellion against the law of God. During this time his sufferings are intense.
In the book “The Great Controversy” it says; “Even the wicked are now placed beyond the power of Satan, and alone with his evil angels he remains to realize the effect of the curse which sin has brought.” Isaiah 14:18-20 tells us, “The kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, everyone in his own house [the grave]. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch.... Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people.”
It is so interesting the language that is used in scripture to describe death. Isaiah says the kings of the nations lie in glory. How can one consider death glory? The Hebrew translation for glory in this passage is “Kabod Kabod” which one of its meanings translate to ‘dignity’, or honour. How stressed do you feel in this world sometimes that you (not that you wish to die) just long for the suffering to end, the temptation, the struggle. In death these tempted souls have found dignity or rest from the taunting of the devil and for a time have found themselves ‘at peace’ so to speak. But behold, The Lord says to Satan that he CANNOT join them, because….“ thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people.” [ Isaiah 14:20 ]
His punishment will be more severe, left to consider the results of his decisions, Sis. White continues to say in The Great Controversy;
“Since his fall his life of unceasing activity has banished reflection; but he is now deprived of his power and left to contemplate the part which he has acted since first he rebelled against the government of heaven, and to look forward with trembling and terror to the dreadful future when he must suffer for all the evil that he has done and be punished for the sins that he has caused to be committed.”
3. The Risen Judges
By contrast, heaven will resound with celebration as the redeemed praise God for their deliverance from the earth. And what sights will meet their eyes! Their most fantastic dreams about heaven won’t have come near to what the reality will be—the brilliance of the green grass, the vastness of God’s throne room and the joy of seeing Jesus with their own eyes and hearing His voice with their own ears! - “What the Bible Says About the Millennium by Dean Edgar”
“It shall come to pass in the day that Jehovah shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy trouble, and from the hard service wherein thou wast made to serve, that thou shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon [here representing Satan], and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! ... Jehovah hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers; that smote the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, that ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.” Verses 3-6 [ Isaiah 14 ]
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Those found faithful at the Second Coming were finally able to rest from their sorrows and persecution to find not only deliverance but eternal life at the side of Jesus and Our Heavenly Father. Amen!
There will be an issue however, people will search for friends, families and loved ones but realize that some will be found, but others not. Those who were once abused or ridiculed by will be found standing tall on the sea of glass, while your seemingly loving Church brethren remain in their graves awaiting sentencing. But why is this you say? How can these persons make it to heaven while others who were more complete as a person did not? 1 Corinthians 4:5 answers this question.
Paul states,
“Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts”
But who then, will be the judges at the time The Lord comes? Daniel answers this in chapter 7:22
“...judgment was given to the saints of the Most High.”
Revelation 20:4 corroborates this by saying
“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 worshipped 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.”
This is plain text. The righteous shall be judges over the wicked at the end of time. They shall be afforded the privilege of opening their books for reviewing the life that they lived while on earth.
“In union with Christ they judge the wicked, comparing their acts with the statute book, the Bible, and deciding every case according to the deeds done in the body. Then the portion which the wicked must suffer is meted out, according to their works; and it is recorded against their names in the book of death.” [ The Great Controversy, Ch 41 “The Desolation of Earth” ]
Satan too will be judged by God and His people to be forever cast into the lake of fire, for it has been prophesied in 1 Corinthians 6:3
“Know ye not that we shall judge angels?”
And Jude declares that “the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Jude 6.
In the record books of heaven we will find stories of triumphant grace. We will read breathtaking accounts of souls rescued from deepest depravity and transformed into radiant piety. Unfortunately, we will also read tales of grace spurned. God’s unerring records will peel away the pious veneer of outward appearance, revealing the pride, spite and pettiness within human hearts. The faults of all human beings who are lost will be on display—along with God’s efforts to redeem them. - “What the Bible Says About the Millennium by Dean Edgar”
This great opportunity to leaf through the books over the course of a millenia will provide us with the closure we need to confirm God’s judgment for ourselves and why some of our friends and loved ones did not make it to the Kingdom. However, the onus is on us to ensure that we have a saving relationship with our Lord and Creator. That is the only way we can be honorary partakers of the judgment of the unfaithful, but above all else, our faithfulness and salvation via the grace of God will vindicate Him of all accusations from the devil and in turn we will glorify His name by proving that, he that destroyed and tormented God’s people, is the same one that is guilty of all accounts that he directed towards our Lord. Because of the millennium, all will know that, beyond a doubt, God is faithful and just in all His ways. They will know that He reluctantly ended the existence of the others only after they had rejected every opportunity for change.
The good news is, YOU can be apart of the heavenly council of judges that vindicates God of all accusations and now is not too late to give your heart fully unto God.
To learn more about the Millennium and the end of Earth’s history, join our Bible Class on zoom, every Saturday afternoon at 3:30pm. For links to the zoom meeting visit our social media pages below:
My next article will look at the topic “The End of Evil”