Revelation chapter 20. And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed. After these things he must be released for a short time. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus, and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. this is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection over these the second death has no power but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years and when the thousand years are completed Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth Gog and Magog to gather them together for war. The number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also. And they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it, from whose presence the earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, And death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation chapter 20, and this is A chapter, I think that we will be able to cover without too much difficulty. There is an outline in the bulletin that you can follow along. If you care to make any notes, you are encouraged to do so. As we come to this portion of the word of God, Revelation chapter 20, I want to make two or three introductory comments. First of all, it has been my desire and it continues to be my desire to have as the main purpose of our study the glory of God. And it is my hope that we come to grips in our study at least a little with the greatness and the wonder and the glories of our God. So that's the primary purpose, and for those of you who are visiting with us this morning and plugging in at this late date in our exposition, I want you to understand that that is the case. And since that is the case, we are not able to cover everything in detail. I'm anxious for us to get the big picture. As we do so, I also want us to understand that we are entering into the last great section of the book of Revelation. which covers chapters 20, 21 and 22. I've been approaching the book of Revelation. In this way, I think that the time period between the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ is covered essentially seven times in the book of Revelation. And I'm laying that big picture before you. And in that big picture, I want you to see how God in His grace is in control of all of history. I think that's our theme. In this particular section of the book of Revelation, beginning with chapter 20, we see the millennial reign of Christ assures the advance of the gospel, the binding of Satan, and the victory of God's people. And so we plug into that same theme once again of the glories of God. Let's look at chapter 20. And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him so that he should not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed. After these things, he must be released for a short time. Satan is bound and the gospel is advancing. That's our first three verses. Now, it has to be said, doesn't it, that Revelation chapter 20 has evoked no small controversy. I think it ought not to evoke a lot of controversy. Because we are looking at a book which is highly symbolical. And as we enter this chapter, we ought to see, first of all, that we have a great picture which is set before us of this angel coming down from heaven with a key in his hand and a great chain draped across his hand. Now, is that a literal chain? I think not. Is that a literal key? I think not, because this is a great picture. It is a vision. We have to keep reminding ourselves that this is the case. And I think, unfortunately, too many of us, especially when we enter the 20th chapter of the book of Revelation, we come to an undue literalism. Let's be reminded once again of the symbolic nature of these visions. What does this angel do? This angel descending from heaven lays hold of The dragon, that dragon which was first presented to us in the chapter, the twelfth chapter of the book of Revelation, that serpent of old, the devil. And that angel lays hold of that dragon as it were by the scruff of the neck and shakes that dragon. Let's get a hold of that picture, folks. I'm struck with the fact that too many people in the evangelical church today think wrongly that we are in a situation in this world in which two equals are in mortal combat, God and the devil. And that's not the picture that is being set before us at all. The sovereign God is the one who is in absolute control of all things, and the picture which is given to us here is that although the devil has been permitted to roam the face of the earth, he is grabbed by another angel and he is bound and he is cast into the abyss, the bottomless pit, and that pit is sealed and the devil can only do what God permits him to do. You realize that that's the case, do you not? Now, what about this thousand years? We could spend several hours talking about that, but here's my take on it. I think this thousand years is a picture of a representation of the time between the first coming of Christ and the second coming of Christ. The number 10 is a number of wholeness with reference to The purposes of God being worked out among human beings. There are ten commandments. In other words, God lays before us ten primary ways in which we may show God that we love him. A complete picture of righteousness. As it ought to be lived. The thousand. given to us in this text is ten times ten times ten, a great period of time. Given by God in which his purposes for mankind are worked out. I think that's the essence of it. This devil is bound. In Matthew, chapter twelve, Jesus. is confronted by the Pharisees because he cast out devils. And Jesus says to those Pharisees that no one can plunder the strong man's house unless first the strong man is bound. And by that, Jesus means that he has entered into the world binding the activity of Satan so that he can plunder the kingdom of darkness. And dear friends, that is exactly what has been transpiring low these centuries since Jesus Christ has come into the world. Hallelujah. Why was the devil bound? The scriptures tell us in verse three, And he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him so that he should not deceive the nations any longer so that the gospel could go forth so that people from every tribe and tongue and nation under the face on the face of the earth could be brought to Christ. I've said it before, and I say it again, that if we were to place a light on a globe, Where the word of God was present before Jesus Christ came into the world, where would we place lights on that globe? In one place. Where Israel is located, that's where the word of God is present. If we were to place lights on a globe today where the word of God is present, where would we place lights on that globe? Literally all over that globe, because the word of God has gone forth. You see, that's the picture that is presented to us, that this word of God could go forth and people like us could hear graciously from the hand of God. That gospel. And come to Jesus Christ. Let's move on our second point, ah, the millennium. We reign. with Christ, verses four through six. And I saw thrones. And they sat upon them and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast and his image and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Here is that great period again of a thousand years. And I am simply laying that before you, that that is the present era in which we live. And the dead are raised again, the dead spoken of here, I think, are the spiritually dead. And they are brought to life. How are they brought to life? They are brought to life in a resurrection through the Holy Spirit in new birth. And that, dear friends, is the first resurrection. Moments ago, we read from Ephesians, chapter two, and in Ephesians, chapter two, we have these words. Verse four and following, but God being rich in mercy, Because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ. By grace, you have been saved. And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ. Think of it, friends. Do you trust Christ? As Lord and Savior. You have been raised with Him. You have been given new life from Him. You have been raised from the grave of sin and death. How good that is. And not only so, in principle you have been placed on the throne with Jesus to rule with Him. That's what Paul tells us. And that appears to be the import of Revelation chapter 20 and verse four. And I saw thrones and they sat upon them and judgment was given to them. Who is it that John is speaking of here? Well, in the vision, we see those who were beheaded Because of their testimony and love of Jesus Christ, they are martyrs. That's the vision. And I have said this before in an earlier part of the book of Revelation, where we saw martyrs, that the word martyr in the New Testament is simply the word witness. All of those who are witnesses for Jesus Christ are martyrs. That's the meaning of the word. And so the picture is of all those who are martyrs, who are witnesses for Christ. And they are raised from the grave of death to live with Christ. And judgment is given to them. Not too long ago, I had a question come to me about particular Psalms in the Old Testament Psalter. imprecatory songs, songs which speak of judgment. And we don't much like to sing those songs. We don't much like to pray that way. We don't much like to think about the judgments of God upon the wicked. And many of the songs speak in those terms. What are we to think about those songs? Well, the Bible is telling us, dear friends, that judgment is given to the saints of God. How is that the case? We are to pray that evil in the world is to be judged. We are to ask that God would do that. How else is the kingdom of God going to be advanced? Well, it is going to be advanced as God judges evil and as the gospel is proclaimed. I think a good example of how evil has recently been judged was in 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell and many individuals found a freedom they had not formerly lived under. And in some of those countries in Eastern Europe, it was literally Reformed churches and Reformed pastors who stood for truth, who brought down that evil empire. See, this is an amazing thing. We are to pray that this would be the case. It seems to me, again, that this is the import of our text, let's read the rest of this section, the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection over these. The second death has no power. But they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. During this era, dear friends, God is calling men and women to himself to be none other than priests and kings in his domain. What a great message that is, the people of Israel were called to be a kingdom of priests and the Church of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that Old Testament body of people. I'm thankful that that's the case. I think one of our problems as a church in this era is that we do not fully comprehend the power of the gospel and the greatness of Jesus Christ. And we look at ourselves and we say we're a pitiful few. In comparison with the hordes of the world, what can we do? Oh, friends. Jesus Christ is the king. And he is moving forward in the plans of purpose and purposes of God. Are moving forward and we are being caught up in those purposes. To me, that's a great message. Again, verse six, blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection over these, the second death has no power. Are you born again? Do you love Jesus Christ? Then that ultimate second death has no power over you, although you may pass from this life, you will go directly into the bosom of Abraham, into the arms of Jesus. into the glories of the life to come. That is your destiny. Hell and its flames have no power over you. Again, I say. Hallelujah. Moving on, Satan is also loose. The millennium is not only a period, but a state of affairs. verse seven and following, and when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war. The number of them is like the sand of the seashore. They came up on the board on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the And the beloved city and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Yes, the question is asked, how is Satan bound? Well, we spoke of that briefly. the fact that Satan is bound with regard to literally deceiving the nation so that the gospel cannot go forth. There are limits on his power, but he is also, as Peter says, roving around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. And he does plead to be able to exercise a modicum of power within the earth, within his domain. And so I submit to you that the thousand years is not only a period of time, but also a state of affairs in which we find ourselves. That state of affairs is prophesied in Genesis chapter three and verse fifteen, where God said to the devil, I will put enmity between you and the woman and between her seed and your seed. He shall bruise you on the head and you shall bruise him on the heel. And that struggle, that enmity has been present in the world. It is present now and it will be visual in the life to come. God will always have his people And there are always a reprobate people in the world. They fight tenaciously against the church of Jesus Christ. And the picture which is given to us in verse 8, they will come out and deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war. The number of them is like the sand of the sea. Here is a picture of the spiritual battle which obtains, which is present. We have talked about this spiritual battle in the past. It is called Armageddon. And we all at one time or another meet our personal Armageddons. Decisive battles in which Christ is the victor and in which our lives are substantially changed. That's the picture which is given to us in this text. It says, and they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. Yes, it is always the fire of the Word of God coming which devours the enemy. And we always have these warlike symbols which are set before us because we are in mortal combat, dear friends. Yet Christ is the victor, is this not the case? And what do we see in the end? Verse 10 tells us, and the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Formerly, we saw the beast who arose from the sea. Governmental power. Utilized. In opposition to Jesus Christ. That power cast into the lake of fire. We saw the false prophet. Educational power. scientific power, power registered in the arts, all in opposition to Jesus Christ. Now, that doesn't mean that education or science or that the arts in themselves are evil. No, they were designed to be used by God for the propagation of his truth. Yet they are perverted. And the false prophet is also cast into the lake of fire. And that power which animates the beast and the false prophet is also cast into the lake of fire. How amazing this is. The devil himself finds his place there. You know, I'm fascinated by this. And I'll tell you why I'm fascinated by this. There are so many people in the world today who are caught up. With the good things, quote unquote, of this life. And they are fascinated, for example, by what the media can do. Some of the things that The filmmakers are doing look astounding to us. This picture, Twister, which has just come out. I haven't seen it, but I'm told that it's quite the thing. And that you do literally sit on the edge of your seat, thinking that you're going to be sucked away by that tornado. The special effects really grab you. And we think of that as wonderful and of Great power. Yet those who do these things and do not love Jesus Christ are lost, dear friends, and the power of God is so much greater, that's what we need to grasp. That's the message which is set before us. Let's go on in our text. Verse 11 and following, God judges the dead in Christ according to their deeds. And I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it from whose presence earth and heaven fled away and no one was found for them and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne and the books were opened and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them. And they were judged, every one of them, according to their deeds. And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. Grasp the picture, friends. I'm saying the dead are being judged according to their deeds. And what I mean by that is the spiritually dead. You know, we have this notion. We have this notion that God is somehow sitting in heaven and he takes some pleasure in casting poor souls into this lake of fire we see represented in the book of Revelation. I don't think that's the case. I think what we have before us is a graphic representation of why people suffer that awful demise. They suffer that awful demise because, one, they want to, And you say, what? They don't want to follow the living God. But they want to follow in their own desires, and they want to accomplish their own deeds of evil, and they revel in those things. And they will be judged on the basis of those deeds. and they will be cast into this lake of fire. We shudder as we think about it. Let me attempt to explain to you in a very small way what this means. The book of Galatians speaks of the fruit of the spirit and the deeds of the flesh. And the deeds of the flesh involve lying, and cheating and stealing and hatred and malice and these kinds of things. And there are those in the world who pursue the deeds of the flesh. You know this is the case as well as I do. They are dead. in sin. See, this is the beauty of the spiritual resurrection. Revelation speaks of being lifted from that sort of thing. But those who desire to persist in that way of life are cast into this lake of fire where the hatred and the enmity is expanded exponentially, and there will be no, dear friends, there will be no joy in that place. But everyone will hate everyone else infinitely. That's the horror of it. And when the scriptures tell us that death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire, This is the picture which has been given to us. Finally, verse 15, if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. I say finally, then there is no double jeopardy in God's universe. That there are those who suffer damnation because of their deeds, and there are others who are blessed beyond description because Jesus Christ has paid the penalty due to them for their sins. And there is no way in God's universe that they are going to suffer this second death. They have been raised spiritually from the grave of sin and death. And over them, the second death has no power. Their names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Is that you? Is that the prospect you have? You see, that's the great question, isn't it? When we understand this book of revelation in these terms, we understand that there is, dear friend, supreme blessing that comes to us. Who of you in this room can say to me, yes, I really deserve heaven. You know, I can't say that. But I know this, that if Jesus Christ has paid the penalty due to me for my sins, that if He did die on Calvary's cross for that purpose, my name is written in this book of life and over me. The second death has no power. And I submit to you, dear friends, if you trust Jesus Christ, that is exactly the case with you. Let's pray together. Father, I thank you for this book. Yes, it's hard. And we don't understand it the way we should. I know that's the case. But I know, Father, that you are the one who has us in your hands. You are the one who is working out your purposes. And that if we truly trust in this Jesus, whom you sent into the world, Our names are genuinely written in the book of life. I thank you that that's the case. And I pray, Father, that you would bring that home to us. And I pray, Father, that the graphic descriptions given to us in the book of Revelation would come home to us. the torments of hell on one side, and the felicity of heaven on the other. May we see it, and may we, O God, groan for the heaven which is ours through Jesus Christ. Help us in that, we pray. I ask, in Jesus' name, Amen.