Revelation 20:1-15 Part 10
REVELATION 20:1-15 Part 10
1) Then I saw a messenger holding the abyss key and a great chain in its hand coming down out of the heaven,
2) and it laid hold on the dragon, (the old serpent that is diabolos and the satan) and bound it a thousand years
3) and cast it into the abyss and locked and sealed over it so that it couldn’t further deceive the Gentiles until the thousand years is complete; afterward it is necessary to loose it a short time.
4) Then I saw seats; and the lives of those who had been stricken because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the Word of God, and who did not adore the beast or its image and did not take its mark on their forehead or on their hand, sat on them; and judgment was granted to them; and they did live; and they prevailed with The Christ a thousand years.
5) The remaining dead did not live until the thousand years was completed. This is the first resurrection.
6) Blessed and hallowed is one having part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over them! They will be priests of God and The Christ and reign with Him a thousand years!
7) And when the thousand years is completed, the satan will be loosed from its confinement.
8) And it will come out to deceive the Gentiles in the four extremities of the earth (the gog and magog, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9) And they arose over the breadth of the earth and encircled the fortress of the holy ones and the city of the beloved, and fire descended from the heaven and consumed them).
10) And the devil (the one deceiving them) was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone (where also are the beast and the false prophet), and they will be tormented day and night into the ages of the ages.
11) Then I saw a magnificent white seat, and One sitting on it at Whose appearance the earth and the heaven did vanish, for no place was found for them;
12) and I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the seat, and books were opened. Then the other book was opened which is of the living. And the dead were judged from what was written in the books according to their works.
13) And the sea did yield the dead in her; and death and hades did yield the dead in them, and they were judged according to their works;
14) then death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death (the lake of fire).
15) Anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
During all the years that the satan is bound, the glorious light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ would illumine all the nations and peoples of the earth!
The River of Life would reach the farthest and most obscure places! And the gross darkness of the satan’s domain would be increasingly decreated until the Lord Jesus Christ is acknowledged world-wide as King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
As the prophets prophesied; and as our Lord’s apostles taught, there would be, in all the years decreed, an ever-increasing light and life and peace and justice and prosperity in all the nations of the world… as redemption of humanity and redemption of the creation itself is accomplished by the Savior of the world.
During all the years, along with the hundred and forty four thousands of the tribes of Jacob, there would be added multitudes of the seed of Abraham from the nations and tongues and tribes of the earth… as many as the sands on the seashore… as many as the stars in God’s creation.
During all the years, the ones who would become “members” of Christ’s body by re-birth into Him in the first resurrection would sit with Him – in Him – as priests of God and judges of the earth.
And at the end of all the decreed years, the satan would be loosed to find the sea of humanity healed by the River of Life, and all the nations (its former domain) in the full light of the glory of the Redeemer! And any scheme it would have devised about deceiving all the nations once again would go with it as it is cast into the lake of fire.
Then (verse eleven) John says “then I saw……” - the sixth one!
One more time, so that we all remember the last seven things John is shown while in God’s tabernacle: First, he was shown the imminent Parousia of The Christ of God – The Savior/Redeemer of the world.
As he looked on, the Parousia was “near”. It was shortly to come. Jesus Christ would appear in the glory cloud… King of Kings and Lord of Lords, having authority over all created things. And with Him – IN HIM – would be the holy ones of old (the seed of the woman who He had kept for Himself), and there would be the hundred and forty four thousands of the house of Jacob who He had come to seek and to save. That would be the total number of the ones In Him – in union with Him – at His Parousia.
While I’m here let me just say once more that our Lord Jesus Christ – Son of God/Son of man - was raised out of death bodily; and He ascended into the glory cloud bodily; and, as humanity raised up out of death, He pierced the veil of the firmament to take His place at the Right of Glory. And He was given the authority to rule from the heaven.
This is a man! He is the express image of the Father; David’s Lord and David son!
This isn’t some nebulous, spirit-world concept dreamed up by a false prophet. Our Lord is a real man! He is the second “Genesis”… the second “beginning” of humanity. He is the human express image of the Father.
The first man sinned against God, and he died; and he didn’t take dominion of this earth as he was commanded to do. Paradise was denied him.
But the second one was raised up out of death; and He would take dominion! And it is a physical – bodily – dominion! He is a man; and this concrete, physical cosmos would come under His dominion and would be returned to its original “paradise” state; and all those resurrected into Him are rebirthed into His humanity, and would reign with Him – In Him – during all the years until the multitudes of mankind from all the nations (promised to Abraham) would fill the earth.
This is a physical dominion of a real creation – not some ethereal, other-worldly, celestial creation of the human imagination! Our Lord Jesus Christ reigns bodily over this tangible, material world from His Seat above the firmament. And this world will reflect the glory of Almighty God and His glory-cloud tabernacle.
That’s a “promise” from Him; and it’s one that you and I can count on… anticipate!
Okay, let’s go on:
The “second” of the last seven things that John was shown was the imminent execution of the harlot by the Sword that proceeded from the mouth of the Christ at His Parousia.
Rather than being the “paradise” on earth and the light of the world, Israel was the prostitute of the nations. She caused all the nations of the earth to drink of the wine of her fornication; so she would “die the death” required in the Law.
Then John was shown the third of the seven final things of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. As prophesied by Moses, the seed of the serpent and harlot of the nations was not only to be executed by the sword, but she would lie in her own blood, unburied, for the vultures to consume her body.
Then John writes “then I saw….” It was the fourth of the final seven shown to Him. At our Lord’s appearance the serpent of old – the devil – the satan would be bound and sealed in the abyss so that it could no longer deceive the nations. And it would remain bound for all the years decreed… until the promise to Abraham was fulfilled.
And in conjunction with the binding of the satan, John is shown the fifth of seven. John sees the “seats”… not only the seats of the holy ones of old, and not only those of the remnant of Jacob; but he sees the seats of all who, by way of the first resurrection, would become priests and judges of the earth In Christ.
Not only are they to be reborn into His humanity (the first resurrection from death unto life), but they would also be co-members of His high Priesthood and co-judges of the earth with Him… IN HIM.
Through all the years, in the fullness of the promise to Abraham, a great multitude of mankind from the nations and tribes and tongues of the earth would constitute the seed of Abraham In Christ.
No longer would they be members of dead humanity in Adam. They would be members of humanity IN CHRIST. Therefore they would be seated with Him – In Him – as He reigns, and as He rules this creation.
And the earth itself, having suffered the curse, and having groaned for its redemption, would be freed from its gross darkness and from the enmity of the seed of the serpent.
Through all the years decreed, the light would increasingly destroy the darkness. And the River of Life would heal the raging sea of depraved and dead humanity until the earth would be filled with the knowledge of God as the water covers the sea.
And then the satan would be released from the abyss to find its former domain in the full light of the Savior of the world. And its release from its bondage is to the end that it would be cast into the lake of fire.
And now, at verse eleven, we read the sixth thing John is shown at the coming appearance of the King of Kings. Let’s read it once more:
“Then I saw a magnificent white seat, and One sitting on it at Whose appearance the earth and the heaven did vanish, for no place was found for them;
and I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the seat, and books were opened. Then the other book was opened which is of the living. And the dead were judged from what was written in the books according to their works;
for the sea did yield the dead in her; and death and hades did yield the dead in them, and they were judged according to their works;
then death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death (the lake of fire).
Anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
After all the years decreed for the satan to be bound and sealed in the abyss… after all the years decreed for our Lord to judge the seed of the serpent and their enmity for the seed of the woman… after all the years decreed for our Lord to rebirth His people and take dominion over the kingdoms and peoples and tongues and tribes of the earth (as promised to Abraham)… after all the years decreed for the earth to yield its increase… after all the years decreed for the knowledge of God to cover the earth as the water covers the sea, John is shown the judgment of mankind. Those alive in Christ would be judged “just”; and those dead in Adam would be judged “cursed”.
After all the decreed years are complete, John is then shown the judgment of death itself and the place, or state, of those who are dead.
He’s already seen the judgment of the satan itself; and now he’s shown what would be the judgment of its seed!
Let me call your attention to a small (but very significant) change in the translation at the end of verse twelve and the beginning of verse thirteen. As we comment of the text it will become apparent as to the necessity for doing so.
The period at the end of verse twelve is changed to a semi-colon, and the connective at the beginning of verse thirteen is changed from “and” to “for”. The reason for doing so is that verse thirteen is definitive of what is written just before, rather than being new and further information.
And since this change in translation is described and explained in the preaching this morning, I’m going to leave all the former translations the way they were. You can go ahead and change yours if you’re going to keep a copy. But if I went back and changed all ten of the former readings of this text, then anybody reading these sermons in the future would have no idea what today’s explanation would be about, because they would never have seen the former translation!
But since there are no punctuation marks in the Greek text, and since the Greek connective words between sentences are somewhat fluid, the exegetical work is especially vital to a sensible English reading. Hopefully that will all become clear as we go.
But as I said, what John is shown here is the judgment of the dead and the judgment of death itself and of hades at the end of all the years.
In a few minutes we’ll spend some time on some of the popular evangelical musings and notions that John was NOT shown! But, for now, we need to hear – once more – apostolic doctrine regarding rebirth into Christ.
You’ve heard the preaching before! The birth of Jesus the Christ of God (Anointed of God) was THE cosmic revolution; for mankind from Adam to Jesus’ birth was cursed of God, totally depraved… and dead.
Jesus – born in the fullness of time – was the second Adam… the second “beginning of humanity” INTO WHOM humanity would be re-born… into Whom dead humanity would be made alive!
As all mankind is born in Adam’s heritage, and with Adam’s nature, so all re-born into Christ are born into His heritage, and in His nature.
As all mankind is dead in sin and cursed of God, all who are re-born into Christ are made alive.
There are two “races” of humans: those who are descended from Adam, and those who are IN CHRIST.
This is what John records in verses five and six of our text. It is “the first resurrection”. Those re-born in Christ are “resurrected” from death and made alive!
In addition to the holy ones of old and the hundred and forty-four thousand of the house of Jacob, during all the years there would be multitudes of the dead in Adam who are made alive in Christ. As John is shown, they would be resurrected from death unto life!
By the preaching and teaching of apostolic doctrine by His messengers, our God would give faith to many who are dead in Adam; and He would bless His Own gift and cause them to be alive in Christ.
As Jesus was raised out of death, so all who belong to Him are raised out of death. As all in Adam are dead, so all in Christ are alive.
Humanity in Adam is dead; but humanity in Christ is alive! Even as our old bodies fail, we are alive in Him. We live; for HE lives! At our re-birth we are alive eternally; for He lives eternally!
This is apostolic doctrine! Paul wrote these very things to the Church in Rome twenty five years before; and John is shown them here in the Revelation of Jesus Christ!
So when we read what John writes here in verses eleven through fifteen, we mustn’t be confused at all. The “dead” are those who are dead in Adam; and those who “live” are alive in Christ. And John is shown the judgment of those who are “dead”.
Now. Not only are we filled with awe and wonder at all that John sees and writes to the Churches; but we also must be provoked (at the same time) by the conspicuous absence of the fictitious schemes taught by many evangelicals.
The absence of those things here in the Revelation of Jesus Christ by the apostle John ought to be vexing and distressing to us. Why don’t they appear here! Why are they teaching things that don’t appear in the text? What have they done with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
And we have to be ready to defend the faith once delivered to Jesus’ apostles. We are messengers of the Gospel! We are not messengers of a mythology that has grown up around the Gospel!
Where, for example, in all that John is shown, is there a return of Jesus in the clouds of the earth to “rapture” believers out of this evil, doomed world?
Where, in all that John is shown, is there just a “remnant” to be saved… a relatively small number of “pilgrims” wandering in a wilderness… holding on against all odds?
Where, in all that John is shown, is there “warfare” between two mighty cosmic powers? And where is it revealed that the satan is present and active and ubiquitous… still deceiving nations – and even indwelling individuals?
Where do we find Jesus returning to set up a kingdom in Jerusalem? And where does John (or any other apostle, for that matter) ever mention building a new temple and re-installing a sacrificial system?
Where do we find, in all that John writes, another (future) gathering of the nations to destroy the modern state of Israel and the current city of Jerusalem? (That may yet happen, by the way; but it won’t be because it’s prophesied. If it does happen, it will be because there are the seed of the serpent out there who think that messiah hasn’t arrived yet!)
Where, in all that John is shown, is there a future seven-year tribulation? And where is it found that Jesus would return to the earth… either pre-tribulation, or mid-tribulation, or post- tribulation?
Where is it even found anywhere in John’s Revelation of Jesus Christ, that Christians are transported into heaven where Jesus is… where His Kingdom is; and that they live with Him there eternally?? What’s that all about? What are they thinking… who are they listening to, when it’s said that their loved ones have died and gone to heaven? Where does John say that? Where, exactly, is John shown that?
Much of this is fictional, mythological Christianity that’s been “attached” to the Gospel; it has little or nothing to do with apostolic doctrine. It’s apostolic doctrine and preaching that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
It’s apostolic doctrine and preaching that’s the “good news”! It’s apostolic doctrine and preaching that is the Sword of The Spirit! It’s apostolic doctrine and preaching by which mankind is gifted with Faith and re-birthed into Christ! It’s apostolic doctrine and preaching through which men are resurrected from death and made alive in Christ! It’s apostolic doctrine – the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – through which this creation that God SO loves is redeemed!
And it’s apostolic doctrine and preaching through which we receive our Lord’s virtues and character… through which we’re convicted of sin… through which we grow in grace… through which our love for God and for one another is made strong!
And it is the Spirit of Christ and apostolic doctrine that sharpens our anticipation of the completed work of Jesus Christ!
What is our heritage? What do we inherit by being united to Christ the Second Adam? We inherit the earth! The meek shall inherit the earth (meek meaning submissive to God’s will and purpose). How does a dispensationalist fit that in to his imaginative end-times destruction of this evil creation in a fiery holocaust!
How does an amillennialist fit that in to his pre-conceived notion of a “spiritual” kingdom in heaven?
John was an apostle; and he was the last prophet – the one who received the Revelation of Jesus Christ. And he wasn’t shown any of those things!
John writes “……then I saw” (verse eleven).
In the tabernacle of Almighty God in the heaven, John is shown what will occur after all the years of our Lord’s reign and rule over the kingdoms and nations and tribes and tongues of the earth!
After all the years decreed, the earth will be in the full light of the Savior of the world. After all the years the raging sea of humanity will be healed and quieted and stilled by the River of Life, and there will be justice and peace and prosperity. And even the earth itself will bloom with fruitfulness due to the lack of enmity from the seed of the serpent!
This is our inheritance in Christ! This is what we are to anticipate! It is the completed work of the Savior of the world for the glory of the Father.
And when He’s finished (as John sees here, beginning at verse eleven), He is to appear in judgment.
Listen to it again:
11) Then I saw a magnificent white seat, and One sitting on it at Whose appearance the earth and the heaven did vanish, for no place was found for them;
In order to remind you of who this is that John is shown in verse eleven, I’m going to read from one of our Lord’s parables… this one from chapter twenty-five of Matthew’s Gospel. Listen carefully:
31) And when the Son of Man shall come in His glory and all the messengers with Him, then He shall sit upon His glorious seat;
32) and all the peoples shall be convened before Him, and He shall set them apart from each other just as the shepherd sets the sheep apart from the goats.
33) And He shall set the one, sheep, out from His right, the other, goats, out from His left.
34) Then The King shall say to those out from His right, “Come, the ones blessed of My Father, receive possession (inherit) the Kingdom having been prepared for you from creation’s foundation…
41) Then He shall say to the ones out from His left, “Cursed ones, go away from Me into the eternal fire having been prepared for the devil and his messengers”…
46) And these shall go away into eternal punishment; but the just ones into eternal life.
John’s vision here (at verse eleven), what he is shown, is limited to the ONE – the Judge of heaven and earth. Nothing else is visible to him except our Lord Jesus Christ as He appears seated on His glorious white seat. The tabernacle isn’t visible to him; the earth isn’t visible to him… just God the Son, the Son of God/Son of Man at the seat of judgment.
As the Anointed One of God, it is all His to judge. When He returns it to The Father for His glory, it is all to be clean. No sin; no satan; no enmity; no death; no hades.
His is the glorious white seat of judgment; and it is Him only that John is shown. All that has been shown to Him in the tabernacle; all that has been shown to him of things on the earth… all of it now disappears from his view as the King of Kings appears in judgment of all in His domain.
Our post-apostolic forebears in The Faith got it (essentially) right, though all the language may not be as pristine as we would wish.
The battle for Biblical integrity and apostolic doctrine took place in the fourth and fifth centuries as pastors and evangelists and elders convened to hammer out creeds – statements of belief – for all the Churches. And they all agreed that our Lord Jesus Christ is exalted in judgment, for He saves His people to the uttermost!
He completes their redemption, justifies them publicly, and removes the last consequences of sin.
Here’s the statement in the Apostle’s Creed:
“(Jesus Christ) ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”
The “quick” is the word that was used for those who are “made alive” in Him.
And here is the language in the Nicene Creed:
“He ascended into heaven and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And He shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead…Whose Kingdom shall have no end.”
And in The Te Deum:
“Thou sittest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father. We believe that Thou shalt come to be our Judge. We therefore pray Thee, help Thy servants whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood. Make them to be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting. O Lord, save Thy people; and bless Thine heritage. Govern them, and lift them up forever.”
Lastly, here is the language in the Athanasian Creed:
“He ascended into heaven; He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At Whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give an account of their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.”
As I said, the language isn’t perfect in any of them; but these “general assemblies” of the early Church exalted the Christ in His capacity as Judge of all things to the glory of The Father. And that’s what John is shown here in these five verses.
And His exaltation includes the complete impotence of all His enemies. Under His feet is the lake of fire. The satan is already cast into it. Then all of the seed of the serpent are cast into it; and lastly death itself, and hades, are cast into it! And the Scripture is fulfilled when it says that He will reign until all His enemies are put under His feet! He will have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River unto the ends of the earth!
Please note once again that the “dead” are those who are not written in the Lamb’s book of life (which we’ve already seen in chapter thirteen, verse eight). The book of life is mentioned here by John to reveal that the names of the dead do not appear in it! They are the dead in Adam; they are the seed of the serpent.
They only are convened here before the Judge. They only are judged by their works; for their works are the works of their father the devil. The “sea” of depraved humanity has given them up; hades, the place of the dead, has given them up. And each one of them stand condemned by the Judge for their works.
The ones who are alive in Christ are not convened here before the Judge. They are not judged by their works, for they have already been judged “just” through faith given to them as a gift, and they’ve been “resurrected” from death unto life! They are alive in Christ… and written in the Book of Life.
In First Corinthians chapter fifteen, the apostle Paul proclaims that on Judgment Day at the end of all the years of our Lord’s Mediatorial Kingdom, “the last enemy that will be abolished is death”.
And that’s exactly what John is shown here, isn’t it? Death itself, and the place of the dead (hades), would be cast into the lake of fire beneath the feet of the Christ. So, death and hades are ultimately as powerless as the satan and its seed.
There is no power, there is no authority, there is no dominion but that of Jesus Christ the Lord. All else is completely impotent! Everything and everyone outside of Christ is subjected to remediless ruin.
On this day of judgment, all who are alive in Christ (the first resurrection) were already written in the Lamb’s Book of Life from the foundation of the world! All who are not inscribed in the Lamb’s Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire. This, John is shown, is the “second death”.
Death itself is cast into it with them; hades is cast into it with them; and there is no remedy.
Universalists will not believe. But what John is shown here puts them to shame.
Purgatorialists will not believe. But what John is shown puts them to shame.
Arminians will not believe. But their unbelief is absolutely shameless in the light of the apostle/prophet John.
Our Lord Jesus said, as recorded by this apostle in the fifteenth chapter of his Gospel, “if anyone does not abide (LIVE) in me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up and is gathered and cast into the fire and burned.”
No doubt he was reminded of what Jesus had said as he watched all that was shown to him here in our text.
The dead will never live; for there is no life outside of Jesus Christ. Their works are the works of their father the devil; and there is a record of their works; and they are judged by their works.
And our Lord will empty every place and every space where they are found, and rid this creation of every vestige of sin and enmity and vengeance and depravity and death.
John sees it. By His limitless power and authority, He will make it happen for the glory of the Father.