Please turn in God's word back to Revelation 20, and we'll be considering particularly some matters from verse 1 to 6. It will not be an exposition of the passage as such, but more as seeking an understanding of particular parts of it. quite difficult passage, but as bears on the error, the heresy of dispensationalism, which I've been addressing. So as Mr. Barton mentioned, this is number six of the series seeking to show the errors of dispensationalism, which is a teaching in the church today which is very prevalent, very popular. very popular in this town, in most of the churches, we would have to say, would hold to this error and be teaching this from time to time with more or less emphasis. And so today, the particular topic as regards dispensationalism is that dispensationalism mistakes and misplaces the millennial reign of Christ. Dispensationalism mistakes and misplaces the millennial reign of Christ. And I want to explain all those parts of the title also. Dispensationalism is not only about eschatology, it's not only about the study of the last things. Eschatology has to do with a part of doctrine and theology to do with the things at the end of time. Sometimes, perhaps, when we think of dispensationalism, we think automatically of their views as to the end times, including of the millennium, including as their view of the secret rapture, their view of the antichrist, and such things. But that's not all of dispensationalism. We've been dealing with their view of scripture, their wrong view of Christ, his reign as king, their wrong view as to Christ and the work of the atonement, their taking away from Christ's glory in these things. Even though eschatology isn't all of this sensationalism, for most it is an important part of their system and of their self-identity. Many when they would think of themselves as dispensationalists, they would be thinking of the end times. So I want to finish this series on dispensationalism concerning two of the errors about the end times, the first of today about the millennium, and then next week, God willing, concerning the adoption of the secret rapture. Now perhaps you might ask, and it has been asked, why would we think about what's going to happen at the end? Why is it important to think about the end times? Surely God has it all in hand, surely it will all happen. It's such an area of difficulty, why would we even be concerned about it? Well, firstly, we should be concerned about it because God has revealed in his word the truth about what will happen. He's shown us in his word the truth as to what will happen at the end. And so it's important that we seek out and hold the truth. But it's also important to know our view of the end times affects how we live now. It affects how we live now. It's not just it will happen then and so it doesn't matter what will happen as to how we live. In 1 John 3 verse 3, the Apostle says this, that hath this hope, that is the hope of Christ coming again and being made like Christ, every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. So what John is saying is, if you have this hope in the coming of Christ and that you'll be made like him, that affects how you live now, because you'll want to be pure now, you'll want to be holy now, because one day you will be perfectly holy, as Christ is. And so what you believe now, what you believe about the end times in general, and the events of the end, affects how you live now. What you believe about whether Christ is reigning now, considered some weeks ago, affects how you live now. If you believe that Christ isn't reigning now and he's only going to reign at some future period later on after he comes, that will affect how you live now. What you believe about the millennium period that we've read of here in Revelation 20 and Christ coming will affect how you live now. What you believe is seen in how you live. Today we want to look at the millennium. What's a millennium? A millennium is a thousand years. Decade is ten years, a century is a hundred years, a millennium is a thousand years. There are other references to a thousand years in the Bible, you know, a day is to the Lord a thousand years is as a day and so forth. But this passage we've read is the only reference to this millennium, to this thousand year period in the scriptures. And what we see here, as regards the thousand years, is that it has to do with a binding of Satan, it has to do with a reign of Christ, and it has to do with the reign of a certain group of people with Christ. Before we consider, in considering the millennium, this thousand year period, we want to see a true view of it, but what is the dispensational view of the millennium? Now again, as I've been doing, I want to, I could try and summarise all these different views, but I want to just quote a few lines from one of their teachers, Charles Ryrie, in his book Dispensationalism, and he says this. After the Second Advent of Christ, the Millennial Kingdom will be set up in fulfillment of all the promises given in both Testaments, and particularly those contained in the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants. The Lord Jesus Christ, who will personally take charge of the running of the affairs of the world during that age, will be the chief personage of the dispensation. It will continue for a thousand years, and man will be responsible for obedience to the King and his laws. Satan will be bound, Christ will be ruling, righteousness will prevail, overt disobedience will be punished. Now, in that brief quote, just to fill in the gaps, I suppose, in terms of what Mr. Ryrie is saying, so we understand he's saying dispensationalist belief. After Jesus returns, there'll be this millennium when Christ will personally be reigning on the earth. But what they also, what he doesn't say here, but what we've already seen that they believe is that there'll be no church then. The church will be gone. This reign will be on the literal throne in Jerusalem, the Jerusalem in Palestine. And the temple will be rebuilt according to them. There'll be priests in that temple and Levites, and they'll be offering sacrifices. That's all part of their vision of a thousand years. And see, he's saying that Millennium Kingdom, that's when all the promises will be fulfilled. and particularly those promises to Abraham and to David. at the error of the dispensational view of the millennium. And that is, as I said in the title, they're mistaking it, they're wrong about the nature of the millennium as to what it is, and they're misplacing it. They're wrong as to when it is. The issue isn't. The issue isn't whether the thousand years is a literal thousand years or whether it is symbolic of a large period of time. That's not the issue and I won't enter into that today. But what is the nature of the millennium? What is it like and when is it? confess up front that this is a very difficult passage and many, many books have been written with many different views on the book of Revelation, but also on this particular part of it. And I'm not professing to have such a great understanding that I'll give you the one true view, but I think that there are And there has been faithful teaching with much agreement in it, also from the time of the Reformation, that helps us see the key aspects of this passage that we can know that we're on the right track of understanding its meaning. And so I want to consider, firstly, the nature of the millennium. Dispensationalism sees the millennium, this thousand years, sees it as a time when those Old Testament prophecies of Israel in the land, the Old Testament prophecies of a king, a son of David on the throne will be fulfilled. They see a temple rebuilt. They see priests back in that temple offering sacrifices. They see Christ as the Son of David reigning on a throne in Jerusalem. They see, I mean in terms of just references to the different prophecies, that they would see the nations of the world literally coming to Jerusalem At least once a year for the Feast of Tabernacles, everyone coming to Jerusalem to celebrate that in the temple. They would see all these things literally happening in the thousand years and the ones that don't come, they'll be destroyed as their interpretation of Zechariah. They see world peace. We read in Isaiah 2 about sword being beaten into plowshare and peace and so forth. These are the things that they see at that time. We could spend a long time seeing what is wrong with all of that, but I think what we've covered already in the week's past helps us to see what's wrong with that. First, that they are, as we saw in their understanding of the scriptures, they are taking a literal understanding of the Old Testament promises and prophecies And they are holding on to that steadfastly and refusing to listen to what the New Testament says about the fulfillment of those things. Because Jesus and the Apostles quote, they refer back to the Old Testament promises and say, these things are being fulfilled now, in Jesus, in the Church. That those promises to Abraham are being fulfilled in all who believe in Christ and so on, Galatians 3. And so they are elevating their view of the Old Testament over the New. They are wrongly dividing the people of God. Rather than seeing that Christ has His one people from the beginning of time to the end of time, all who believe in Him, adjoined to Him by faith. There's only one way of salvation, one Saviour, one way of being saved, by faith in Jesus. repentance from sin and faith in Jesus, they totally separate Israel and the Church. And so they would have, in reality, Israel they would see as the main has been involved in the main plan of God. And then when Israel rejected Christ, then the church comes in. But with the church taken out of the way, Israel in the millennium is again God's back onto the main theme, the main plan. They reserve this separate purpose for Israel in the millennium. They also, they refuse to accept that Christ is reigning now on the throne in the heaven, that Christ at the right hand of God is the fulfillment of those promises to David. There's nothing else to come. No more power for him to receive. No more authority. He has all power in heaven and on earth. if we would consider the idea of the temple being rebuilt again. What was the temple for? What was the tabernacle and the temple for? What were the priests for? What were the sacrifices for? They were there so that the people of Israel would have a picture of what was necessary for the forgiveness of their sins. That they needed someone to die for them. They needed blood to be shed. And so when Christ came, that was all finished, that was all done away with. And so the idea of the temple being rebuilt, of priests being established, of sacrifices being made, is to really spit on the once and for all sacrifice of Christ. It's to ignore much of the teaching of the New Testament as regards what Christ has done. The whole book of Hebrews and how it shows the fulfillment of all these things. I just want to read some verses from Hebrews 10. In verse 1 to 4, we can see that the absolute ridiculousness of the temple being established again. For the law, having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never, with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually, make the comings thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. They could not take away sins and that's why they were offered again and again. Now Christ has offered the one sacrifice, his own body, he offered himself as the only true substitute, the one who could take our place, that he would die the death that we deserve, that all who believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And so it would be not only ridiculous, but to spit upon the sacrifice of Christ to be offering these sacrifices again. And again, we see the dispensationalist. They had this view. They think that these certain prophecies in the Old Testament have to be literally fulfilled. And so they therefore would twist these scriptures so that that will come to pass. But Christ, as we saw from Daniel 9, has come to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins. He has done that. Also, as regards this view of the millennium and the nature of the millennium as being this Israel-focused, Jerusalem-centred view, There is nothing of that here in Revelation 20. There is no mention of that at all and in the New Testament. It is only from a certain view of Old Testament prophecies that is then read into here without any basis and ignoring the rest of the New Testament teaching. And so, even in considering the nature of the millennium, we must have a right understanding of scripture, and of prophecy, and of Christ and the Church, and of His fulfilment of all that has been promised. Now, is this just academic? Well, no. If the dispensational view of the millennium is the kingdom promised, if Israel in the land, a rebuilt temple, everyone going to ultimately making pilgrimages to Jerusalem is the goal, what should be our focus now? And what is the focus of those who had this view? It is indeed that. It is seeking a desire for Israel to be back in the land, a desire. People are praying for the temple, professing Christians praying for the temple to be rebuilt and seeking to do things so that Israelites or those Jews would be brought back to Israel and those who aren't Jews would be going there and seeking to help Israel be established in the land. and not even from some sort of humanitarian looking after oppressed people, but in the name of fulfilling prophecy and seeking the kingdom to come according to their view, their focus and their prayers and their goals and their money are towards Israel as a nation. But if we see Christ If we see that the promises of the Old Testament are fulfilled in Christ and His Kingdom, our focus won't be on Israel as a nation. It will be on serving Christ. here and now, and seeking his kingdom to advance. Seeking indeed, yes, that Israel may come in, that the Jews would be brought to repentance and faith, along with all men and women and children. But the focus is Christ and not Israel. So the nature of the millennium, that the dispensationalism gets it dead wrong. Secondly, the timing of the millennium. Mr. Ryrie says, after the second advent of Christ, the millennial kingdom will be set up. After the second advent of Christ. There are three There are three basic views of the millennium in regards to Christ's return. Three basic views as to the millennium and the timing of the millennium. And firstly is the pre-millennial view. Pre-millennial, that means Christ comes before the millennium. Before the millennium. This is the distensational view. There are also pre-millennialists, those who would hold a millennium after Christ's return. There are those who are not distensational. There are those who would be otherwise sound in many ways. But this is the dispensational view. And their view of the world and history in the end is in general like this, that they would see the current age, the age they would call the church age, as an age generally of decline, that things will get worse and worse and worse, until Christ returns and then there will be the millennium reign, the church will be taken out of the way, that's their doctrine of secret rapture, which we'll deal with next week, God willing, and then after this thousand years, whether literal or symbolic of a long time, then will be the end. And in between all this, There are a number of resurrections of the body. They would have a resurrection, a number to be raised to life with new bodies at the beginning of the millennium and at the end of the millennium. They would have Christ coming a number of times. He would be coming to take his church to himself and then coming after their tribulation to set up the millennium and then coming again at the end. to destroy Satan, there would be multiple judgments. There would be judgments of the nations, judgments of Israel, judgment at the end. All sorts of great schemes are set forth. Without going into all the details of that scheme, I'm going to set that out and show why each little part is wrong. We should see the key problem with this view is that it separates and breaks up and adds to what the scriptures hold to be one event at the end. That the scriptures show the day of the Lord to be at the end of history and that at that time, There is Christ's return, the resurrection of the righteous and the wicked, the resurrection of all, the general resurrection. That is when there will be the destruction of the present heaven and earth, and the making of new heavens and a new earth, and the Great Judgment. And this is all happening together, one after the other. There is no thousand years in the midst of it. Acts 3, so I want to refer to a number of other scriptures, we want to compare scripture with scripture, we want to move in our understanding of scripture from the clearer parts to the less clear. And given the amount of difficulties that would be in this passage, even in the book of Revelation, We should certainly not be starting with our view of the end in Revelation 20. We want to start in other teaching portions of the Word of God and then come to Revelation 20. Acts 3 verse 21. Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things. So Christ remains in heaven, at the right hand of God, until the time when all things will be restored. 1 Corinthians 15. I'm going to read a few verses from there, so you might wish to turn there. 1 Corinthians 15, verses 22 to 26. The context is the resurrection. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Christ, the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign until he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." So we see them. Paul is saying that Christ's resurrection, He's been raised from the dead, and that's a proof, that's the first fruits of the resurrection of all His people, a proof that we will be raised, an assurance that we have for that hope. When will all Christ's people be raised? At His coming. And when is that? Well, immediately after His coming is the end. And what happens at the end? He delivers up the kingdom to God and the Father. There is no thousand years in between here. This is all happening at once. Christ comes, His people are raised, He delivers up the kingdom and then's the end. We saw in Daniel chapter 9 how the dispensationalists want to insert a period of at least 2,000 years and growing between verse 26 and 27, between the so-called gap between the 69th and the 70th week. Here again, they would want to insert their millennium between Christ's coming and the end, but there is no gap. the end. See, it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you. And to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels. flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them that believe. Because our testimony among you was believed in that day. So there again we have, all happening together, Christ being revealed from heaven, coming to be glorified in His saints, there's the glorification of His saints, and the judgment and the destruction of the wicked, all at once. The Scriptures hold out not many appearings of Christ, many more comings of Christ, but two comings of Christ. He came once, Hebrews 9.28 He was once offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation. The testimony of Scripture is that Christ will remain in heaven until the end of time. Then He will come and all will be raised to life. He will take His people to Himself. He will judge the living and the dead. All things will be made new. The righteous will be with Him forever. Those who do not believe in him will be cast into hell forever and ever. also as regards the premillennial view, that's whether it's dispensational or non-dispensational, but the Church's testimony as regards the teaching of scripture shows that Christians have believed from the earliest times that there is one coming of Christ at the end and that is the end with no great intervening period. So we would have There is an early creed of the Church called the Apostles' Creed from sometime in the 3rd or 4th century which, in speaking of the work of Christ, he ascended into heaven and it says, from thence, from heaven, he shall come to judge the living and the dead. Christ is in heaven and then will come to judge the living and the dead. Also in the Westminster Confession of Faith, the same thing, chapter 8, concerning Christ who shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world. And when will the dead be raised? Chapter 32 of the Westminster Confession, at the last day, all the dead shall be raised, not some here and some there, all the dead shall be raised at the last day. So the premillennial view, which is the dispensational view of the timing of the millennium is wrong. It is not, we will not find a period after the return of Christ. In the scriptures, because at the return of Christ is the resurrection of all men and then is the final judgement after which there is no more history. Also, and briefly, we're dealing with dispensationalism, but while looking at this chapter there is another view. which is different from what we would hold to be true, which is called the amillennial view. Amillennial or amillennial view. Now when we put a in front of a word in English, then it means no. So if we say someone is amoral or amoral, then they have no morals. If someone is an atheist, they believe that there is no God. And so the amillennialists, believe there is no millennium, or no millennium as a separate, distinct period. Now we have to say that the amillennialists are orthodox and that they believe that at the end, when Christ comes, that that is the end. That Christ will come, he will raise all the dead to life, that will be the final judgement and the renovation of the heavens and the earth. But they would say that this thousand years is that whole period between Christ's first and second coming. They would hold that Christ is reigning now, that Christ has all power in heaven and on earth, that he is reigning now, and that this thousand years is the whole period of what the scriptures call the last days. Not the last. Today, often people might hear last days and think of just the very last few years before Christ returns, so-called. But the scriptures, the New Testament, speak of the last days as the whole period between the first and second coming of Christ. And the amillennialists would hold that this whole period is the thousand years. And so they would say that Satan was bound when Christ was on the earth and particularly at the cross that Christ bound Satan and he is now bound so that he cannot deceive the nations. A particular reason why they would If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come unto you. Or else, how can one enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house? So you see, Christ is saying that he has come and he has bound the strong man, as it were, and he's spoiling his house. He's casting out demons and he's plucking sinners out of the kingdom of Satan and gathering them to himself and showing that he is the victory over Satan. And we would see that particularly at the cross. We see something of the victory of Christ over Satan in many parts, but also in Revelation 12. Revelation 12 and verse 10, I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now has come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren cast down, which accused them before our God day and night, and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death. His people. He's cast down the accuser. He's taken away any reason for the accusation because Satan would come and say, come to us and say, look how terrible a sinner you are. And if we are by ourselves, then that accusation would stand. But if we are trusting in Christ, then we can hold before Him the work of Christ and what Christ has done on our behalf, that Christ has paid the penalty. and that we need not pay it because we trust in Him and that Christ has obeyed God's law and therefore, though we cannot obey it, we are accepted of God. So the accuser has been cast out. These are testimonies of Scripture, and they could lead us to imagine, perhaps, that this millennium is speaking of this whole period between Christ's first and second coming. But there is a fatal flaw to this understanding, and that's in the text here itself, because before Christ returns, we're told that Satan will be loosed. So yes, there is a binding. Verse 2, he laid hold, this great angel, most probably Christ, the angel of the Lord, the messenger of God. 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 pits and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years be fulfilled. And after that, he must be loosed, a literal Caesar. And we see that explained more in verse 7, when the thousand years are expired, Satan will be loosed out of his prison and go out to deceive the nations. And he tries to bring this rebellion against Christ and against the people of the camp of the saints, but it's destroyed by God. So, can you see how the problem with the amillennial solution They're saying that Christ, in His ministry at the cross, bound Satan. And He has. But that has to be a different binding than what's here. Because what Christ has done at the cross will never be unbound. Christ came to destroy the works of Satan. and He did destroy them, in principle, once and for all, that the accuser of the brethren has been cast out. Christ, to say that the millennium, this thousand years, is the same as that period of the last days between the first and second coming, is to say that in some way, just for a little season, Christ's work will be nullified as regards Satan. whereas Christ's victory over Satan at the cross is irreversible. Colossians 2 verse 15, having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Hebrews 2 verse 14, He came that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. And so this millennium cannot be that whole period between Christ's first and second coming. The way that a millennialist would understand the nature of the millennium is that they would see the first resurrection and those who are reigning with Christ, some of them would see that to be reference to the church on earth, we'll look at that in a minute, but others would see it to be the the reign of the souls of believers in heaven. And so that the first resurrection is made to be then that when believers die and their bodies are laid in the grave, that they are taken to be with Christ and to reign with him there. Now there is true doctrine there. The scriptures teach that if we are absent from the body, we are present with the Lord. But the problem with that is that The scriptures never refer to the death of believers and their spirits ascending to heaven as a resurrection. Resurrection is life from the dead, the dead coming to life. And when we will die, if we trust in Christ, we are alive already. We will not be made alive when we are taken to heaven to be with Christ. Our spirit will be translated to heaven, will be taken to heaven, will ascend to heaven in that sense, but it's never called a resurrection. So the Amillennials also fall short of the standard of scripture, also this passage and particularly that little season of Satan. The third view that has been in the church and which I believe and is the true biblical view, is called post-millennial. Post-millennial. That means that Christ comes after the millennium. Christ comes after the millennium. Even as, I mean, the amillennialists would say that as well, that they would explain away the millennium itself, but that Christ comes after the millennium, and that the millennium is a period within the last days, between Christ's first and second coming, a period in which there is greater blessing greater spiritual prosperity through the earth than there has been before. That yes, Christ definitively defeated Satan at the cross, but that at some point in history there will be an even greater binding of Satan, so that now we would see him going about roaming about as a roaring lion, as the scriptures describe, and that he is deceiving the nations. But there would be a time when he would be shut up. He is now on a leash. He is totally under God's control. But then he will be totally put down. And so the post-millennial position is that within the last days, there will be this time of great blessing, which the rest of the scriptures speak of at different times, which here is referred to as a thousand years, a time when Christ is reigning and acknowledged to be reigning, a time when his people are reigning with him, a time when Satan is bound. I want to look at a couple of aspects in Revelation 20 which would help us to understand that. The fact that Satan will be loose after the thousand years, but before Christ's coming, shows that the millennium is a period within the last days. It's not the last days themselves, it's not the gospel age itself, it's a period within the last days. Also that while here there is this, the language is used of a first resurrection and then those being raised after. So it says there, end of verse four, 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 passed 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. Now, yes, this was the only part of God's Word that mentioned anything of a resurrection. We might start to think that there were some various bodily resurrections, but as we have seen, the testimony of Scripture is that there is one resurrection of the body at the end of time. And so we would ask them, what is meant here by first resurrection and second resurrection? And we are helped in an earlier writing of the Apostle John, in John chapter 5. John chapter 5, verse 24 to 29. Words of our Lord Jesus, where he speaks of two resurrections. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life. and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. and have given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in the which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice and shall come forth, they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. And so we have there Christ referring to two resurrections. He's referring to one that happens in verse 24 and 25 whenever the spiritually dead are called to life and given faith in Christ to trust in Him and have everlasting life. Remember, resurrection is that which was dead becoming alive. And when the scriptures describe us as dead in trespasses and sins. And Christ says that when we come to Christ, when we believe on him, when we hear his word and believe on him, and believe on the one who sent him, we have passed from death to life. We've been raised to life. And in verse 25, He says the hour is coming and now is. This is the resurrection that is happening whenever a sinner is converted and believes on Christ. Whenever they are born again, given life where there was only death before, then that is the first resurrection Christ is referring to here. That is the first resurrection, which is referred to in Revelation 20. But also there is this other resurrection, which Christ says in verse 28, the hour is coming when all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, not just those who believe, but those who have done good to the resurrection of life, they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. And so there is the resurrection of all in their bodies at the hour that is yet coming, which is the last day. This is referred to also in 1 Corinthians 15. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. description of us as being dead in trespasses and sins in chapter 2 verse 1, and there also the work of salvation and regeneration, being born again, is described as a resurrection. Verse 5, even when we were dead in sins, he hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace he has saved, and hath raised us up together. So we've been made alive. And so with this understanding from the rest of the scriptures, we can also refer to other scriptures, Colossians 2, another passage, speaking of this regeneration, being born again, as being a resurrection, Ephesians 1 as well, that we come then to Revelation 20, The last book in the scriptures and we see what is this first resurrection? It is the resurrection from spiritual death to spiritual life. It is being joined to Christ and so blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. He's blessed because he's a Christian. He believes in Christ. He's been given life. He was spiritually dead. He's been raised to life. On such, the second death has no power. What's the second death? It's being cast into hell. Whereas Christ says, who so believes on him has passed from death to life. Even though our bodies would die, yet we have eternal life already. The second death has no power over us. So these are raised. They live and reign with Christ. The Scriptures describe how believers are raised with Christ, they live with Christ and they reign with Christ. Revelation 1 verse 6. Christ hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father. Revelation 2 verse 26 He that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter, shall they be broken and shivers as I receive of my Father. It's a rule with Christ in the language of Psalm 2. Also Revelation chapter 5, where is this rule? Revelation 5 verse 10 9 They sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth. So it's not just a reign in heaven of souls, it's talking Christians, we shall reign upon the earth and not just after Christ returns and the new heavens and new earth, but here we would also see that there is a reign with Christ upon the earth. 2 Timothy 2 verse 11 says, if we suffer, we shall also reign with him. There are other aspects of this passage which might still be difficulties, but with these aspects in place then, as we would consider that Satan's binding is something Extra too, as it were, the binding has been bound in the ministry of Christ and at the cross. It is a period here that is within the last days, a period in which Christ is reigning now, but in which Christ would be seen to be reigning. His kingdom would be seen in the earth and his people Those who have been raised from spiritual death are reigning with him. That we are seeing here a time when Satan's influence is particularly curtailed. What we have here before us in imagery and is a reference to what we see elsewhere in the scriptures, that as Christ would rule, as he would build his kingdom, it would start small, even as a mustard seed, yet it would become a great tree that fills the earth. It would be, as it were, a small stone. that in the prophecy of Daniel would hit into the feet of that statue representing the kingdoms of the world, but that small stone, uncut by human hands, would fill the earth, becoming this kingdom that would take over all and would never end. That that bit of yeast would leaven the whole lump of Doe, that we would see, while we have seen in the Kingdom of Christ, we've seen times of reformation, times of revival, times of blessing, that there is a promise held out of greater blessing, that now Satan yet roams around as a roaring lion. At a time to come, he will be bound by Christ so that he won't deceive the nations and that for a great period of time, even as it were a thousand years, his Opposition would be so far limited and there would be great blessing and increase in the Church and Christ's glory would be seen throughout the world more and more. One other place where this is confirmed is in Romans 11, where we see a time of greater blessing yet to come. in regards particularly to the gathering in of the nations and the calling of Israel and even greater blessing for the nations. So we see there in verse 12, so remember as we looked at this passage, speaking of Israel was cast off, was set aside, the branches were broken off the tree as it were for their unbelief. If the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness? And the Gentiles have come in, but it's looking forward to them coming back in and greater blessing among the nations. Also verse 15, for if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead? 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits. 26 For that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be coming, and so all Israel shall be saved. So there's a picture here which matches up with the picture then in Revelation 20, that we have the nations coming in, as they are coming in now, and that the prophecies in the Psalms and the prophets that have been given of the nations worshipping God, bowing before Christ, honouring Christ, that that will be seen more and more, not just as individuals, but as nations, as corporate bodies, that the rulers will be supporting the church, honouring Christ in their role as rulers, and that Israel would then be grafted back in to that one tree. They don't have a separate future of themselves, but they'll be grafted back in with the nations, with all believers, back in to Christ, back into the Church. And when they come back in, there'll be even greater blessing for the church. And then looking back in the promises and prophecies of the old, this is something that is set forth before us in the binding of Satan and the ruling of Christ for this thousand years and his people with them before Christ comes again. So what's the difference? What difference does it make? There are those who would see these different positions, pre-millennial, a-millennial, post-millennial, and they'll throw up their hand and say, well, what does it matter? I'm a pan-millennialist. I don't know if you've heard someone say that to you. And they'll say, I'm a pan-millennialist. I believe it'll all pan out in the end. Because God has it all in Him. Well, why does it matter? Because God has revealed to us something as to the end of time. Something as to the coming of Christ. Something as to what we're to expect before Christ will come. Something as to what will happen when Christ comes. And we are bound, as His creatures, and as His people particularly, to believe what God says, to understand what God says. Yes, there are difficulties. No, we should not be proud and think that suddenly we have mastered what others have, but none have been able to master before us. But that we should be seeking to know the truth. But also because we want God's glory now. Christ has declared His power. He said, all power in heaven and on earth is given to me. He's given a command, go, therefore, teach the nations, baptize them, teach them all things that I have commanded. He's given this promise, I will build my church. With the promises in the scriptures of the nations coming in and worshipping Him, He's given us also, by the Word of His power, He's given us the means by which His promise will be fulfilled. He's told us what to do. Preach the Word. Preach this Gospel of Jesus Christ in the world. Baptise, disciple the nations. Teach all that Christ has commanded. and he hasn't left us as orphans, he hasn't left us as fatherless. Christ went to heaven and he sent out his Holy Spirit to teach us, to enable us that we would be able to live and keep his commands by his grace and be faithful witnesses. The dispensational system, also as it comes to eschatology in the millennium, is an excuse not to believe Christ. It's an excuse not to believe the promises of God. An excuse not to put off the authority and reign of Christ to another day. An excuse not to carry out the command that He's given. Dispensationalists, the Amillennialists also somewhat, see, look about in the world. They see trouble in the world. They see the church persecuted. They see great, they see heresy in the church. They see worldliness. They see the church not getting on very well in the world. They see the name of Christ blasphemes. They see the hard times and then come back to the scriptures and seek to justify their unbelief. They explain what is happening by denying the authority of Christ, by rejecting the promises. by saying that while Christ has given, declares all power to himself and has given the command to disciple the nations, but it won't happen, it can't happen. That we have to wait for Christ to return and to do that himself as he is sitting in Jerusalem. That the word of God and the spirit of God is not enough. but Christ calls us to faith, to receive His Word, to hear His declaration. All power has been given to me to believe Him. He is sitting at the right hand of God. All things are in His hands. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He has given us all that we need in His Word to know what is pleasing to Him. and to know how He would have us live. He's given us the means for working in this world and for the subduing of this world to Christ. He's given us His Holy Spirit to teach us and to enable us. Faith does this. Faith waits for Christ. Faith uses, obeys Christ, even though it doesn't see the results now. So we seek to do what Christ has said. We seek to worship as Christ has said. We seek to preach even though preaching isn't popular. We seek to worship in a way that would be pleasing to God, although the world would not love it, but looking to God to bless in his time and knowing that he will because he's promised. Dispensationalism, in a sense, we should say, is walking by sight and not by faith. Believing what it sees in the newspapers, not what God has promised in His Word. We are called to live by faith and not by sight. We're not to be trusting. in the means that God has given, not to be trusting that, well, if we just do these certain things, then God will certainly bless us, as if we can just go through the motions, but using the means God has appointed, seeking to be faithful as a church and our families in this world, and trusting that God will bless the weapons that we have are mighty through God. to the pulling down of strongholds. Christ will build his kingdom. These times are yet ahead of us. We don't see them now. We've seen times of blessing in the world. We might not see them now, but we are called to be faithful, to believe Christ, to use the means he's appointed, and trust that he will bring about what he has promised. help us to believe. Amen. Let us stand up and pray. Our Father in heaven, Almighty God, we thank Thee that all things are in Thy hands, the beginning and the end, and that all in between, and that indeed Thou dost know the end from the beginning. We thank Thee that Thou hast not left us alone, Thou hast given us Thy Word, that we also would know what will happen, not in specifics and dates and times, but in the coming of Christ, the return of Christ set before us. And all that will happen at the end, the resurrection of the dead and the judgment of the righteous and the wicked and life in the world to come, but also the reign of Christ now. in His Kingdom that will fill the earth. We ask, Lord, enable us to be those who are not walking by sight, but by faith. Believing the Word of Christ, believing the promises that are set forth, using the means, obeying the commands that are set before us. is hear us and help us, we ask in Christ's name. Amen.