If you have your Bibles with you this morning, open them to Revelation chapter 20. Revelation chapter 20. We'll concentrate today on those first three verses in Revelation 20. But today I want us to read the chapter to get a feel for where we're going over the next few weeks, and to get a sense of what's being communicated on the whole in this section of Scripture, so that we can have a grasp on what's happening in these first three verses. The first three verses that we're dealing with this morning have been referred to as among the most difficult in Revelation, which is quite amazing since the whole book is among the most difficult in the whole Bible. But there is hope for us. God has not left us in the dark, and if we apply the same principles that we've been applying to the rest of this book, it will become clear what we're dealing with here in chapter 20. And we read, then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan. and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ 4,000 years. Excuse me. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. Over such, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. And when a thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth. Gog and Magog to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence, earth and sky fled away. and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. excuse me and they were judged each one of them according to what they had done then 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 poses many difficulties, not least of which is its placement. Its placement after Revelation 19 can make it a bit confusing, since in Revelation 19 we seem to have had an end of all things and an end of judgment. But we've seen this before, have we not? where we see the culmination of God's righteous judgment and then a recapitulation, if you will, or a retelling of this picture of God's righteous judgment. Here in chapter 20, I believe we have another such recapitulation, another retelling of God's righteous judgment, but from a different perspective. And so as we see these four vignettes in Revelation chapter 20, we see a picture of what God is doing and how God is judging and how God will judge the world in finality. But the picture here becomes more specific as we see how he deals with Satan himself and what the ultimate end of Satan the unholy trinity and those who accept the mark looks like. Today, what we deal with is those first three verses. And in those first three verses, we're introduced to perhaps the most controversial idea in Christianity, the idea of the millennium, the millennial reign of Christ. We'll find it very interesting for a number of reasons, not least of which is you won't see any of the specificity here with which people talk about the millennial reign of Christ. None of it. It's just not here. This idea of the thousand years and what's happening during that thousand years, not very specific at all. It's just mentioned in a sort of matter of fact way. But we'll look at it here and make some observations. Look at those first three verses again. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit, and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil, and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be released for a little while. I want to introduce this idea. There'll be more said about it in the next week, but I want to introduce this idea. First of all, let's understand, this is not the gospel, but in other words, there are respected scholars who hold each of the various eschatological positions concerning the millennium that we've discussed up to this point and we'll discuss today. And they are respected scholars. Our confession, like all the confessions, leaves room for disagreement here. Our confession doesn't say, here's the particular millennial view that you must hold. No confession does that, because we recognize that there are differing views. Nevertheless, there is a new test of eschatological orthodoxy that has arisen in recent days. As we've said throughout our time in Revelation, dispensational premillennialism dominates the current landscape. It is assumed by most Christians that that's the way you view the end times. This has risen in popularity because of a number of things, not least of which are these. The Schofield Study Bible. which was the earliest of the study Bibles with study notes, and it was written from a dispensational premillennial perspective. So people now had a study Bible that was telling them what these things meant, and this study Bible was from that perspective. The rise of Dallas Theological Seminary. which has produced numerous scholars, and the difference is that Dallas Seminary, unlike most seminaries over the years, has been very specific and particular as to what is appropriate eschatology. And they have been unwavering in promoting the idea of dispensational premillennialism. The Bible College movement, which accompanied Dallas Seminary, but moved down into the college level to teach from the same perspective. The Zionist movement, which connected these things with Israel, and also popular literature, like the late great planet Earth. Anybody see hands out there? Late great planet Earth, or I won't say who it was, who just sheepishly put their hand up in the back like this. like the late great playing earth or the runaway hit series left behind, which was only supposed to be a couple of books long, but it was so huge. It was ginormous. So they just kept producing book after book after book in this series that was only supposed to be, I believe it's supposed to be maybe three books in the series. And because of that, people have set in their minds a particular understanding of the end times. My first ministry position, I faced this. I did not have a sort of set in stone eschatological position and was really overwhelmed by all of it. I was a new seminarian in my first year in seminary, and I was going to interview for this particular job, and I understood when I sat in that interview that there was room for disagreement on philosophy of ministry. I could have a different philosophy of ministry when I was in that interview. I knew that. I had talked to people about that. I knew that there was room for disagreement on spiritual gifts. I knew that, that this church had a particular position on spiritual gifts. I didn't have to hold to that position on spiritual gifts. There was room for disagreement on the role of women in ministry. I knew that. The church that I had come from before I went to seminary in Fort Worth had a different position than this particular church that I was interviewing with. That wasn't going to be a deal breaker. It wasn't a big deal. However, there was no room for disagreement on eschatology. If I sat in that interview and said that I held to anything other than dispensational premillennialism and a pre-tribulation rapture, I would not have gotten that position. Period. All those other things were negotiable. This one was not. Nor is this my experience alone. Listen to this from Kim Riddlebarger. He writes, another problem encountered when examining this subject is that discussions of it often generate a great deal of heat, but not very much light. One local prophecy pundit has quipped that the people in heaven with the lowest IQs will be amillennial. Hal, late great Lindsey, goes so far as to label amillennialism as anti-semitic, demonic, and heretical. It's not uncommon to hear prophecy teachers label amillennial Christians as liberal or accuse them of not taking the Bible literally. Sam Storms, a graduate of Dallas Seminary. who moved gradually away from the dispensational premillennialism that he was taught, the first thing that went for him was the idea of a pre-trib rapture. He just couldn't hold it together, even before he left seminary. And then the rest of it sort of caved, and he talks about his experience in this regard. He says, It wasn't long before Ladd, Hoekema, and Gundry, together with a few others, had persuaded me that there is no basis in scripture for pre-tribulational rapture of the church. That was, in the eyes of many, bad enough. Indeed, I distinctly recall the horror, trust me, horror is by no means an exaggerated term to describe the reaction I received, in my church when I made it known that I could no longer embrace pre-tribulational rapture. More than a few were convinced that I was well on my way into theological liberalism. But when, in the early 1980s, I abandoned premillennialism in all its forms, public reaction was such that you would have sworn I had committed the unpardonable sin. I'm not suggesting that all or even the majority of dispensational premillennialists feel this way today. I hope and pray that few do. But the atmosphere in the 1970s and 1980s, and again my experience was in the 1990s, was something less than amicable for those who departed from the accepted eschatological faith. So while I say to you this is not an issue central to our understanding of the gospel. Know that this is an issue of importance, of more importance to some than to others. Nor do I argue that it shouldn't be held as something that is very important. This'll say much about the way you read the scriptures as a whole. It'll say much about the way you view the Great Commission. It'll say much about the way that you view geopolitics. It will influence the way you view culture, and it will influence the way that you view the future. So it is of consequence. So as we look at this, keep those two things in mind. One, we're not talking about something that is central or cardinal doctrine, but two, We are talking about something with a great deal of significance to all of us as believers. There are several issues we need to address. Number one, the issue of where we are. In chapter 20, one of the questions that determines the way we read these first several verses and determines the way we understand the idea of the millennial reign of Christ is the question of where we are. Remember these seven visions. I'll recap them again. Vision number one, the church on earth. That's chapter one, verse nine through 322. Vision two, God's throne and the seven seals, 4-1 through 8-1. Vision three, the seven trumpets, 8-2 to 11-19. Vision four, there's an interlude, warfare and salvation, 12-1 to 14-20. Vision five, the seven bowls of judgment, 15.1 to 16.21. Vision six, we just finished, the victory of Christ, that's 17.1 to 19.21. And then vision seven, the new heavens and the new earth, 20.1 through 22.5. We're in that seventh vision, we're in that retelling. So the idea here is that In Revelation 17 to 18, we see the destruction of Babylon the great. In Revelation 19, we see the fate of the beast and the false prophet. And then in Revelation 20, we see the fate of the dragon and the consummation of all things before we see the new heavens and the new earth. So we need to understand that this is another one of those recapitulations. that chapter 20 doesn't follow chapter 19 chronologically. That's not what John is doing. Chapter 20 reintroduces the idea of the chronology of God's judgment of the world. We're starting again, kind of like we did chapter six into chapter seven, if you remember that. Who can stand? Remember that the world has been judged there in chapter six and then in chapter seven, we go answer the question, who can stand? So we go back in the midst of the judgment. Here, we go back to the beginning in order to see what God is doing, which leads us to question number two, the millennium. This is the issue. First issue is where we are, context. The second issue is the millennium. It's really simple. It's a thousand years. Verses one and two. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and the great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. Question number one is what is the millennium? What is the millennium? It's this picture of Christ's reign. Question number two, when is the millennium? And that's where people disagree. you have people who hold a premillennial position. That position argues that the millennium comes after Christ's second coming. So Jesus is going to return to the earth, and when he returns to the earth, there's going to be a thousand years where he reigns on the earth. And then the consummation of all things. These people usually interpret the thousand years literally, though not always. There are some premillennialists who won't interpret a thousand years literally. They're usually pessimistic about the future. Things are going to get worse and worse and worse, and then Jesus is going to return. Sometimes this can lead to a kind of why bother mentality as it relates to the culture. Why bother? We know things are just going to get worse and worse and worse, and then Jesus is going to return, so why bother? Why rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic since we're all going to sink? Okay? Then there's the post-millennial view. This is the idea that the millennium comes before the second coming. that this 1,000 years of Christ's reign actually occurs, this 1,000 year golden age actually occurs, and then Christ comes at the end of the age. These individuals usually, almost always, see the millennium as symbolic, not a literal 1,000 years, but a symbolic 1,000 years. and are very optimistic about the future, obviously. Things are going to get better and better and better. The gospel is going to spread and spread and spread. The world is going to become more and more and more Christianized. Then there's the amillennial view. The amillennial view, again, a lot of people just go and they say, ah, that means no or not, millennial, there is no millennium. That's not actually what the Amillennial View is. The Amillennial View sees the millennium as the age between Christ's first and second coming, which is now. The Amillennial View is that Christ is reigning now. The Amillennial View says that what happens at the end of this period of time is that Christ returns at the consummation of all things at the end of the age. Therefore, people who hold this view always view the thousand years as symbolic and have an already not yet approach to the future. Christ is reigning here and now, in and through his church, and yet his reign is not consummated until he returns in the future. As we've said on a number of occasions, the approach that we've taken to revelation is from a millennial perspective. And here's where sort of the rubber meets the road in explaining what we mean about that. One of the issues is, do we see this millennium as literal or symbolic? And to be quite honest with you, this is one of the things that kind of gets under my skin the most. when I deal with people from differing perspectives. Because oftentimes, as you heard, in my own experience, in Sam Storm's experience, in Riddle Barker's experience, in others' experience, there is this charge of liberalism, this charge of not taking the Bible literally and not taking the Bible seriously if you view the millennium as not being a literal thousand years. That is so incredibly disingenuous. Why? Well, first of all, the nature of the book of Revelation. It's filled with symbolic numbers. It's filled with symbolic numbers. In fact, at the beginning of the book, the author makes it clear that he's using symbols. So how can it be not taking the Bible seriously when you interpret Revelation symbolically, just like Revelation says it's supposed to be interpreted? Secondly, the use of numbers, the use of numbers here and the use of numbers throughout the book would point us to the idea that we use this symbolically, not literally. Thirdly, there's other things in this text that are obviously symbolic. Let's look again, shall we? Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key. Are we talking about a literal key? No, to the bottomless pit and a great chain. Is the devil going to have a literal chain around him in the bottomless pit? Again, those individuals who would interpret the thousand years literally look at these things and say they're symbolic. And he sees the dragon. I thought the devil was an angel who was a fallen angel. Now he's a dragon? And of course, those individuals who say it's liberal, If you interpret the numbers symbolically, don't look here and say the devil is literally a dragon. So again, they don't have a problem with symbolism unless and until it disagrees with them. So revelation filled with symbols. The numbers used in the book, overwhelmingly used symbolically. The number 1,000 has been used symbolically. We've already talked about that. And there are other things right here in this same paragraph that have to be interpreted symbolically. Listen to Kistemacher. Revelation on the whole, and chapter 20 in particular, demonstrates symbolism. For instance, the chain with which the angel binds Satan is not a customary string of metal links. Neither is the key to the abyss a metallic object, nor are the thousand years chronologically ten centuries. The term key appears in chapter 1, verse 18, where Jesus notes that he holds the keys of death and Hades. In 3.7, Jesus says that he holds the key of David. In 9.1, an angel, described as a star, holds the key to the abyss. In all these passages, the word signifies authority. It is clear that a spirit cannot be shackled with a chain. but can be restricted by a divine command. And the expression 1,000 in a book that is filled with symbolic numbers intimates a multitude, that is, a large number. That is the most natural sense in which this term can be read. Issue three, the binding of Satan. Look at verse three. And threw him into the pit and shut it and sealed it over him so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be released for a little while. The objection. If you believe that this millennial period refers to the here and the now, then how do you explain all the wickedness in the world? If Satan is supposed to be bound, how do you explain all the wickedness in the world? And this is a legitimate question. It's an important question. But in order to answer the question, we gotta look at a couple of things. First, what Revelation 20 does not say. It does not say that evil is gone from the world. Revelation 20 doesn't say that anywhere. By the way, most of the evil that you do, devil doesn't have anything to do with it. It's the world and the flesh. Amen, somebody, okay? Satan is an actual being. He is not omnipresent. Amen? God is omnipresent, Satan is not omnipresent. Satan can only be in one place and one time. And here's a little newsflash. You're probably not important enough for him to bother with you personally. Don't mean to bust your little bubble, okay? Here's the other issue. Your flesh does enough of a number on you, the devil don't have to worry about you at all. You can't overcome your own flesh. You think you need Satan personally? Your flesh. So Revelation 20 doesn't say that the flesh is gone. Amen? You're gonna deal with that until you get your new body. Amen? Come Lord Jesus. Or the world, okay? So again, when individuals say, how can Satan be bound and there's still all this evil in the world? Text never says evil is gone. Text doesn't say that sin is gone. Revelation 20 doesn't say that. He doesn't say he binds Satan so that evil can be gone. Doesn't say he binds Satan so that sin can be gone. It also doesn't say that Satan is completely powerless. Let's look at it again, verse three. and threw him into the pit and shut it and sealed it over him. Why? So that he might not deceive the nations any longer. In other words, this binding of Satan has a very specific and particular application. And that specific and particular application has to do with the deception of the nations. And that's all, nothing else is mentioned. Nothing else is mentioned. Out of all the stuff that Satan does, out of all the stuff that Satan is, there's this binding of Satan for a thousand years and the one thing that's mentioned is deceiving the nations. That's all. Not the rest of it. Nor does it say, because there are others who would still object, let's say, okay, Satan is bound so that he can't deceive the nations, but there are still nations out there where Christ is not known. The text doesn't say that every nation will receive the gospel. It's not what the text says. The text does not say Satan is bound so that every nation will receive the gospel. And again, nations here, still using that same word from which we get our word, ethnicity. What Revelation 20 does say, it says that the binding is specific and limited, not comprehensive. It says that the binding is specific and limited, not comprehensive. This is another issue that I have with the idea of Jesus having an actual earthly reign, physically and personally, ruling the world with a rod of iron, and the only thing that Satan's not doing is deceiving the nations. Secondly, Satan's ability to blind the nations is limited. Thirdly, it implies that the gospel has room to thrive among the nations, which is exactly what has happened during this age. The gospel has thrived among the nations. Folks, we do not have to go to Israel to find God's people, amen? The gospel has thrived among the nations. Listen to this, just in the book of Acts, just in the book of Acts. And remember also, you have to keep this in context, when we're talking about the nations, Usually what we're talking about is Israel versus the nations, or the Jews versus the Gentiles. So we're talking about the gospel proliferating among the Gentiles, among the non-Jewish nations of the world. Listen to Acts chapter nine, verse 15. But the Lord said to him, go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. Acts chapter 11, verse 18. When they heard these things, they fell silent and they glorified God saying, then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life. Acts 13, 48. And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord. And as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. Acts chapter 14 verse 27. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. Acts chapter 15, verse three. So being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers. Acts chapter 15, verse seven. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you. that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe." Finally asked 2828, therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles. They will listen. Why? Because Satan is bound from deceiving the nations. And the gospel is going forth. And the kingdom of Christ is expanding and extending during this age where he reigns here and now in and through his church. That's why. What does the rest of the New Testament say? The rest of the New Testament gives us insight into this. First of all, Satan is defeated, but he still fights. Don't we see this? That Satan is a defeated foe and yet he still fights? So it wouldn't be inconsistent that Satan would be bound and that we would still see evidence of his work and his evil in the world. Colossians 2, 13 to 15. And you who were dead in your trespasses in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. So the rulers and authorities have been disarmed and Christ has triumphed over them and put them to shame. So that means they don't do anything anymore, right? You know better than that. So why does Revelation 20 have to mean that Satan doesn't do anything anymore? Especially when Revelation chapter 20 is much more specific than Colossians chapter 2. Colossians chapter 2 is much more comprehensive in what has happened, not just to Satan, but to all spiritual opposition as a result of what Christ has accomplished on the cross. So why is that we can look at Colossians chapter two and understand that this victory has come, this triumph has come, and yet the war still rages on for now, already, not yet, but when we get to Revelation chapter 20, we see something that's much more limited and we can't understand why there would still be satanic influence. Satan is bound, but he's still active. Luke 11, 22. But when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusts and divides his spoils. This is what Jesus was doing to Satan. John 12, 31. Now is the judgment of this world. Now will the ruler of this world be cast out. Jesus said that. Now, during his time. Revelation 12, nine. And the great dragon was thrown down, the ancient serpent who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him. They're cast out of heaven and yet they're active. Thirdly, Satan is powerless to stop the proclamation of the gospel. You remember when Jesus sent out the 72? They come back. Here, Luke 10, 17 to 20. The 72 returned with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, over all the power of the enemy, over all the power of the enemy. And nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." What's the context here? Of the gospel going forth. These 72 going out preaching the gospel. And there is great authority as they go out and preach the gospel. Why? Because the kingdom has come. Matthew 28, 18 to 20. This relates directly to this issue of Satan being bound concerning the deception of the nations during this particular period. Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. It leaves no room for anyone else to have any authority in heaven or on earth. All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. And behold, I'm with you always to the end of the age." Jesus gives this great commission before his ascension. Now, if the binding of Satan, so that he doesn't deceive the nations, doesn't happen until some future time after the so-called church age, then how is the Great Commission accomplished? Seems to me that Jesus makes it very clear that Revelation 20 is the reason that Matthew 28 can be accomplished. because of the binding of Satan specifically during this period of his reign in and through his church so that the nations can be evangelized. Saints, can you see this? In the scriptures, we have this picture of two ages, not three. We don't have in the scriptures a picture of the present age and in the millennial age and in the age to come. We don't find that anywhere. In the New Testament, when Jesus speaks and when his apostles speak, they speak about the present age and the age to come. And that's it. When they speak about Christ's return, they don't speak about Christ's return in stages. They speak about Christ's return and the end, period. Not he comes and does a few things and then there's a different... No! He comes and that's the end of the age. There's this present age and there's the age to come. Which is another reason why I believe that what we're dealing with here is the present age. Listen to just a few of these things. Titus 2, 11 to 13, for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. This age and the age to come. Listen to Matthew 12, 32. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. Matthew 13, 37 to 43. The sower who sows the good seed. Again, a reference to this age and the age to come. Luke 18, 29 to 30. Let's read that one. And he said to them, truly, truly, I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this age or in the age to come. Ephesians 1, 19 to 21. And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might, that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. It's clear there are two ages, only two ages. There's this age and the age to come. People ask, do you believe we're living in the last days? I don't believe we're living in the last days. I know we're living in the last days. How do I know it? Well, because according to Acts 2, 15 to 18, Hebrews 1, 1 and 2, The New Testament defines the last days as the period between Christ's first and second coming. There's no other definition of the last days. The only other reference is a reference to the day of the Lord, which is not the last days. That's the last day. Amen? So when the Bible talks about the last days, when the New Testament makes reference to the last days, it is making a reference to now, right now. We're in the last days. Peter was in the last days. Paul, John, they were in the last days, just like us. But what about the end of the age? Let me address these two. First, these cardinal passages to look at in this regard. 1 Corinthians 15, 20 to 24. Turn there. I want you to turn there and look at this. 1 Corinthians 15, 20 to 24. And I'm going to want you to turn to the last one as well. So we see that this reference to the last days in the New Testament is a reference to the time between the first and second coming. We see that there's a reference to two ages, the present age and the age to come. But there is no other division. Now I want you to see two of the clearest passages about the return of Christ that make it clear that this is what we're talking about. 1 Corinthians 15, 20 to 24. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as Adam and Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming, those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end. Let me read that again. But each in his own order, Christ, the first fruits, he's already been resurrected. Then at his coming, those who belong to Christ. So when he returns, those who belong to him are gonna be resurrected just like he was. Then comes the end. When he delivers the kingdom to God, the father, after destroying every rule and every authority and power. There it is. When Christ returns, he doesn't return to establish a millennial reign. When he returns, that's a wrap. And again, 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 to 18. Turn there. 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 to 18. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. There it is. The return of Christ is the end of the age. That's it. When he comes, it's over. Which further testifies to the fact that this idea of the millennial reign of Christ has to be now. There's no room for it anywhere else. What are the difficulties? We've already talked about the difficulties. Well, one difficulty is, well, it's supposed to be a thousand years. Well, okay, again, symbols. In this passage, we see symbols. In the numbers in this book, we see symbols. A thousand years is a great age, a long time. It doesn't have to be a literal thousand years. It doesn't make sense that it's a literal thousand years when you read this book in its context. What's the other problem? The binding of Satan. Well, we've dealt with that problem. The binding of Satan does not mean that all evil everywhere is gone. The binding of Satan is very specific. The binding of Satan is referred to here as his ability to deceive the nations, which when you look at the Great Commission and the fact that in this age, we are called to and have been taking the gospel to Pantatea Ethne, every people group, that it makes sense that that binding is related to the Great Commission that is going on right now in the church. If we were to see a show of hands right now in this room and talk about people's ethnic roots and backgrounds, there may be dozens of different ethnicities and backgrounds that are represented just right here in this room. Why? because the gospel is going forth to the nations. Are there nations that haven't been reached yet? Yes. Yeah, there are. But the end of the age hasn't come either. Amen? So there's that problem dealt with. There's something remaining. It's ominous. After that he must be released for a little while. I don't like that. I don't like that. After that, he must be released for a little while. We've read on a number of occasions about this great battle that is to come, about how nations are going to be deceived. And as these nations are deceived, they rise up against God and against the people of God. And there is this great outpouring of persecution against God's people. We've seen that on a number of occasions in Revelation. That has not been hidden from us. John has not hidden that from us. But because we've read that all these times, when you see this phrase, it's even more ominous because you know what he's talking about. That right now, we're in the midst of that time where the gospel is going forth. Right now, we're in the midst of that time where we're seeing this rule and reign of Christ in and through his church. Right now, we're in the midst of that time where entire cultures have been transformed by the gospel. Do you realize that? Entire cultures, entire parts of the world have been transformed by the gospel. And much of it you absolutely take for granted, but the world has never been the same. And the spread of the gospel impacts cultures and has impacted cultures and continues to impact cultures. We're seeing it right now. he must be released for a little while. It won't always be like this. Before the end of the age, there will be a great reversal of fortune, if you will. Before the end of the age, there will be a rising up against God and God's people. And yet, Jesus reminds us, do not lose heart, because I've overcome the world. Amen? We've seen it before. In fact, John saw it and has alluded to it earlier. On next week, we're gonna look again at this idea of martyrs and people who have refused to take the mark over the years. There have been these periods of history where we've seen little pictures of this, where the people of God have been persecuted en masse, and yet Christ is victorious, and yet he will have the fullness of the reward for which he died. So, what do we do with this? We recognize that there is an open door for the proclamation in advance of the gospel, and we take advantage of it. There is an open door for the proclamation in advance of the gospel, and we need to take advantage of it. The gospel is being preached all over the world. The gospel is bearing fruit all over the world. There are countries that never ever would have thought about being open to the gospel that are open to the gospel now. All over the world it's happening. And it oftentimes is accompanied by great persecution. But great persecution doesn't necessarily mean the gospel's not flourishing. Sometimes the opposite is true. Sometimes great persecution is the evidence that the gospel is beginning to flourish and people have to rise up against it to try to stamp it out by persecution, which inevitably leads to even greater increase of the effectiveness of the gospel as God's people endure hardship. There's a great open door. Secondly, this door won't always be open. The end is coming. And when Christ returns, he won't return to bring a great thousand years second chance. When he returns, he will judge the world in righteousness and it will be over. Which means there needs to be an urgency about us. An urgency to see the gospel go forth. Not just amongst those closest to us, but amongst all those in the world. By the way, why? Why would we do that? See, the natural tendency is for me to be selfish. The natural tendency is for me to say, I got mine. But when I understand who Christ is, when I understand that he is Lord, when I understand that he saved me in order that he might exercise his reign in and through me, now all of a sudden I can't be satisfied with just me being saved. When I realized that the one who rescued me and saved me is about the business of rescuing and saving the nations. then all of a sudden I too have to be about the business of proclaiming the gospel among the nations. Nothing else makes sense when I understand this. And here's the good news. We are guaranteed success. Amen. Why? Because he will save his people. That's why his name is Jesus. Amen? You should call his name Jesus. Why? Because he'll save his people. His name is not Jesus because he might kind of have a chance to maybe save some people if that. No, his name is Jesus because he saves his people. He will save his people. He will. And he hasn't returned yet, which means he's still about the business of saving his people. And the gospel is still bearing much fruit. So when we preach the gospel, the gospel will bear fruit. Our success is guaranteed. Amen. It may not look like we want it to look. That doesn't mean we get everybody we want. But that means he gets everyone for whom he died. But there's another thing. This goes straight to the heart of our own personal holiness. If Christ is ruling and reigning, you remember how he taught us to pray? Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. You're connected to that, will be done on earth as it is in heaven. His kingdom is the place where he rules and reigns. If I believe that his kingdom is here, that his kingdom is now, if I believe that his kingdom is being expressed in and through his church, that I believe that his rule and his reign must be expressed in and through his church, which means that I believe his rule and reign has to be expressed through me. Which means that I seek to live in obedience to my reigning king. And I ask myself, am I living like I believe Christ is reigning? Forget whether or not I believe Christ is reigning out there. Do I believe Christ is reigning in here? Do I believe that? My life will bear evidence to that effect. Let me say something to those of you who have loved ones, family members who are not saved. That's all of us in this room. That's every last one of us. there is hope. Because there is a gospel to preach. Because there is a king who reigns. Because there is a season for the gospel to flourish. And we must hold out hope. We have to. We have to. Because that's the age in which we live. I don't know who that person is to you. They may be seated next to you today. My prayer for you is that you will hold out hope, and that more importantly, you will hold out the gospel, because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. Christ will have the fullness of the reward for which he died. We know that. We can hope in that. We can hold onto that. We can believe that. And praise God, if we open our eyes, We can see that. If you are here today and you have not come to repentance and faith in Christ, I beseech you, bow the knee to Him. If you are here today and you're depending on something other than the finished work of Christ, to see you through what we're about to look at in the rest of this chapter, help you. There is no hope for you apart from Christ. Run to Him. Receive Him. Repent of your sin. Repent of your independence. Repent of your trust in yourself. Repent of your feeble attempts to find sufficient righteousness in doing the right thing. Repent and holding out hope that somehow God will grade on the curve and that you'll get by because you were better than somebody. Repent. Christ died for sin once for all, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us back to God. If you believe anything other than that death will suffice for you, that is blasphemy. Because you believe you can do a work that is more significant in the sight of God than the death of His only begotten Son. You know better than that. Turn from that. Receive Christ. Rejoice in Him. Let's pray. Father, as we bow before you, we bow before you as a grateful and humble people. Grateful because we recognize that you have called us to live in such a time as this. a time where you are ruling and reigning in and through your church, in a time when the gospel is going forth and bearing much fruit among the nations. Because we live in a time where we have identified unreached people groups and have plans underway to reach them with the gospel. And you're, Lord, humbled We're humble because we recognize who we are and that we are wholly unworthy. Grant by your grace that we will not wallow in our unworthiness, but that we might embrace Christ's righteousness. grant us boldness to proclaim the gospel, and grant us much fruit as we do so. Not that we might make much of ourselves, but that we might make much of Christ, our ruling and reigning King, in whose name we pray. Amen.