Revelation, Chapter 20
20:1 ¶ And I saw an angel come
down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his
hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon,
that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 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. 4 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. 5
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection. 6
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. 7
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of
his prison, 8 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. 9 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. 10 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 for ever and ever.
Having already determined that the
bottomless pit is the center or heart of the earth and Hell, we see here that
Satan is bound for a thousand years. We also see that the martyred saints of
the beast and the false prophet will rule with Christ for a thousand years.
Revelation 6:9 ¶ And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw
under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for
the testimony which they held: 10 And
they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost
thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?11 And white robes were given unto every one of
them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season,
until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as
they were, should be fulfilled.
This resurrection of the martyred
saints is the first resurrection. Here is information on what the conditions of
the Millennial reign of Christ will be like. What follows is a general prophecy
about the end of time, including the Millennium. Remember that prophecies in
the Old Testament are incomplete, based on incomplete knowledge given to the
writers, but giving a general sense with timeframes a little off with this is
cleared up in the New Testament. I think it is only possible to sort out the
Old Testament prophecies by using the New Testament fulfillment as a sort of
key or map legend to them.
Isaiah 65:17 ¶ For, behold, I
create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor
come into mind. 18 But be ye glad and
rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a
rejoicing, and her people a joy. 19 And
I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping
shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. 20 There shall be no more thence an infant of
days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an
hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
21 And they shall build houses, and
inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22 They shall not build, and another
inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are
the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labour in vain, nor
bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and
their offspring with them. 24 And it
shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are
yet speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf
and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the
bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
66:1 ¶ Thus saith the LORD, The
heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye
build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? 2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and
all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even
to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. 3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man;
he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an
oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he
blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul
delighteth in their abominations. 4 I
also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because
when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did
evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.
5 ¶ Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at
his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake,
said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they
shall be ashamed. 6 A voice of noise
from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth
recompence to his enemies. 7 Before she
travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man
child. 8 Who hath heard such a thing?
who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day?
or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought
forth her children. 9 Shall I bring to
the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring
forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God. 10
Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her:
rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: 11 That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the
breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the
abundance of her glory. 12 For thus
saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory
of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne
upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. 13 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I
comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14 And when ye see this, your heart shall
rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD
shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.
15 ¶ For, behold, the LORD will
come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger
with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD
plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. 17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify
themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh,
and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their
thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they
shall come, and see my glory. 19 And I
will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the
nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to
the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory;
and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. 20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an
offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in
litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem,
saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel
into the house of the LORD. 21 And I
will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD. 22 For as the new heavens and the new earth,
which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed
and your name remain. 23 And it shall
come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to
another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. 24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the
carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not
die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto
all flesh.
Zechariah 8:20 Thus saith the
LORD of hosts; It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people, and the
inhabitants of many cities: 21 And the
inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us go speedily to pray
before the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts: I will go also. 22 Yea, many people and strong nations shall
come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD.
23 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In
those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all
languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a
Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.
There are other verses that have
to do with the Millennium and you can tell, because they have no application to
the time in which they are written such as some of the verses in the passage
from Isaiah I just showed. There are also incomplete, general, and summary
statements in the New Testament that give little detail but make statements
clearly about the Millennium.
2Timothy 2:12 If we suffer, we
shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
At the end of the thousand years
Satan is released temporarily, but long enough to gather together a great army
of those who had been ruled by the iron rod of Christ during the millennium.
Again, start reading in Ezekiel 38 about the war with Gog and Magog. Remember.
Revelation 2:26 And he that
overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over
the nations: 27 And he shall rule them
with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers:
even as I received of my Father.
Revelation 12:5 And she brought
forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her
child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Revelation 19:15 And out of his
mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he
shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the
fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
They will chafe at Christ’s rule
and rebel. Obviously, there are a great many people alive in the Millennium who
are not saved. The point is that at the end of the Great Tribulation not every
unsaved person is killed and not every government or nation is eliminated but
that for a thousand years they are all under Christ’s authority until Satan is
allowed to stir them up again and they are destroyed.
Psalm 2:1 ¶ Why do the heathen
rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? 2
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel
together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, 3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast
away their cords from us. 4 He that
sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his
wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 ¶ I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said
unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen
for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of
iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
10 ¶ Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be
instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish
from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that
put their trust in him.
Those who died in the Lord up to
the beginning of the Millennium are the first resurrection. The second
resurrection is of a substantially different nature, the description of which
comes next.
20:11 ¶ And I saw a great white throne, and him that
sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was
found no place for them. 12 And I saw
the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and
another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged
out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which
were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and
they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of
fire. This is the second death. 15 And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire.
The Great White Throne judgment is
at the end of the Millennium after Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire where
the Beast and the False prophet were thrown a thousand years earlier.
Notice that this judgment is in
space. Earth and heaven recede away or flee. They are not there.
Proverbs 20:8 A king that
sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.
We know that the taint of sin
corrupted the universe.
Job 25:5 Behold even to the
moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.
Isaiah 24:23 Then the moon shall
be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount
Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
Isaiah 60:19 The sun shall be no
more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto
thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy
glory. 20 Thy sun shall no more go down;
neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting
light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
These dead are not judged by
Christ’s righteousness, but by their own, their own works.
James 2:10 For whosoever shall
keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Their names have been removed out
of the Book of Life because they rejected Christ.
Exodus 32:32 Yet now, if thou
wilt forgive their sin — ; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of
thy book which thou hast written.33 And
the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out
of my book.
Philippians 4:3 And I intreat
thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the
gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are
in the book of life.
Revelation 3:5 He that
overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out
his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father,
and before his angels.
Revelation 13:8 And all that
dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book
of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 17:8 The beast that
thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go
into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were
not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they
behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Revelation 21:27 And there shall
in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination,
or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 22:19 And if any man
shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take
away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book.
Note that death and hell are cast
into the Lake of Fire. Hell is not the Lake of Fire as some fundamentalists
claim. Also notice the reference to the sea.
Chapter 21
21:1 ¶ And I saw a new heaven
and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and
there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw
the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a
bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with
men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall be with them, and be their God. 4
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no
more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away. 5
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And
he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of
the fountain of the water of life freely. 7
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and
he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful,
and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Isaiah 65:17 ¶ For, behold, I create new heavens and a new
earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
Isaiah 66:22 For as the new
heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the
LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
2Peter 3:12 Looking for and
hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire
shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
In the new heaven and new earth
there will be no more sea. It is not certain if that means the world’s oceans
as it would by the first mention of sea in Genesis or by its linkage with
heaven and earth here if it refers to the space between the earth and the third
heaven now, which will not be in between God and man as we see with the New
Jerusalem coming to earth. The question here, as elsewhere in Revelation, is
the word sea a metaphor for something
else?
Remember, the church is the bride
of Christ so there is something linking the church with the city of the new
Jerusalem.
2Corinthians 11:2 For I am
jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
God will be with His people for
eternity and there will be no more death, sorry, crying, or pain. All things
will be made new by the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end of all things.
Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was,
and which is to come, the Almighty.
I will discuss water of life in the next chapter where
it is mentioned twice as literal.
Who he is that overcometh and
shall inherit all things has been defined previously.
1John 5:4 For whatsoever is born
of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world,
even our faith. 5 Who is he that
overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Also, in verse 7 remember who we
become when we receive Christ.
John 1:12 But as many as
received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name: 13 Which were
born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but
of God.
There is a list of people whose
character keeps them from the New Jerusalem. These are things worth examining
in your own spirit as they are all impediments, even in the Age of Grace where
the Holy Spirit has sealed us, to growing in grace with Christ.
21:9 ¶ And there came unto me one of the seven
angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked
with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
If the church is the bride of
Christ and the new Jerusalem is the bride of Christ then it only follows, as
per the next chapter it is safe to believe that the church is the servants who
serve him in 22:3. It is reasonable to believe that our eternity will be
praising and serving God, just being with Him physically present, a glorious
event that makes even the most intense experience pale by comparison.
21:10 And he carried me away in
the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the
holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
This city, coming down from space,
which may already be on its way, is
physically visible so this is not simply a spiritual event.
21:11 Having the glory of God:
and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone,
clear as crystal; 12 And had a wall
great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names
written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of
Israel: 13 On the east three gates; on
the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
14 And the wall of the city had twelve
foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
So far, this is pretty obvious
although one would presume that Paul was included in the twelve and not Judas,
of course.
21:15 And he that talked with me
had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall
thereof. 16 And the city lieth
foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city
with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the
height of it are equal.
The city is a cube with
measurements of about 1500 miles on all sides. Note that it’s sides are not
just 1500 miles but its height is 1500 miles so that consists of space inside
of this cube is 1500x1500x1500 miles. This is over 3 billion cubic miles of
space available within this cube. That seems like plenty of room for anything
you can imagine. This is God the Father’s house.
John 14:2 In my Father’s house
are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you.
Our modern understanding of a
mansion is a large manor house. An older definition is a luxury apartment in a
manor house. It is clear in the New Jerusalem there is room for anything you
can imagine.
21:17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred
and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the
angel.
The city has a wall and I don’t
know how that works out with a cube so that may be an argument against the cube
or either way you see it the wall may be evident. It is around 225 feet high
depending on the length of a cubit, as there are small variations in the
measurement. Here is further evidence of what an angel looks like as it is
likened to a man. There are no angels with wings in the Bible and the phrase,
“angelic creatures,” does not exist either except in the imagination of some. I
defined angel from the Bible, early
on.
18 And the building of the wall
of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.
The wall is jasper. In antiquity
jasper was usually considered to be green and likened to an emerald while today
it includes a stone of red, yellow, and brown as well. Other mentions of jasper
in Revelation are;
Revelation 4:3 And he that sat
was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow
round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
Revelation 21:11 Having the
glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a
jasper stone, clear as crystal;
Revelation 21:19 And the
foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious
stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a
chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
Pure and clear are synonyms in
this verse giving us the meaning of both. See again that this is done later.
Revelation 22:1 And he shewed me
a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne
of God and of the Lamb.
The city is pure gold, without
imperfection. Here are other references to pure gold.
2Chronicles 3:4 And the porch
that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the
breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty:
and he overlaid it within with pure gold.
2Chronicles 9:17 Moreover the
king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
A glass that you can see through
is also without imperfections.
21:19 And the foundations of the wall of the city
were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was
jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth,
sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the
tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
Precious stones like these cover
the priest’s breastplate of judgment in
Exodus 28 and in Satan/Lucifer’s clothing in Ezekiel 28.
Exodus 28:17 And thou shalt set
in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a
sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row.
Eze kiel 28:13 Thou hast been in
Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius,
topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the
emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy
pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
Be careful, if studying what these
individual stones might represent in reading back modern definitions of them
into the Bible, which would have defined them by ancient definitions as I
explained regarding jasper. Think of them as precious stones like rubies and
emeralds and remember that quibbling over definitions today and reading them
back into the Bible like reading Linnaeus’ taxonomic classifications of
creatures back into the Bible, which are modern definitions, will lead to a
dead end. The great fish or whale, because of its large size, was a
specially prepared creature and in the Bible whale does not refer to a marine mammal of the order, Cetacea, but
to a large sea creature. Read Jonah
1:17; Matthew 12:40; and Genesis 1:21. Keep that in mind when you try to read
back modern definitions into the Bible. God couldn’t care less about your
labeling and definitions created for your own benefit.
This also brings to mind some of
the problems with modern science. Such designations and classifications are
merely social constructions designed to place things in categories in our own
minds and do not have a necessary reality in the physical universe. In the same
regard philosophers of science have noted that for some experimental scientists
who deal in real, tangible evidence that some things that cannot be seen with
the naked eye like photons and electrons might not even exist but are,
“fictions, logical constructions, or parts of an intellectual instrument for
reasoning about the world.”(20)
My point is when you are reading
the words mammal or reptile, do not read them back into the Bible, written
before they came into use for science. Also, do not read the modern definitions
of a precious stone and presume that the Bible must conform to what we have
decided to use as a label or classification after the Bible was penned and
translated.
(20) Ian Hacking, Representing and Intervening: Introductory
Topics in the Philosophy of Natural Sciences (New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1983), 27.
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