I'm Darrell Bay. Thank you for tuning us in tonight as we continue on in our Doomsday Clock of Revelation. We'll be talking about a thousand years and beyond in Revelation chapter 20, verses 1 through 15, Wednesday in the Word. Here tonight, May the 14th, 2025, the 16th of A.R., 5785 of the Hebrew calendar. As we look and make our way through The book of Revelation, you can almost feel the book heat up in your hand because the fires of the tribulation, they burn hotter with each succeeding chapter. And with the opening of all the things that we saw thus far, we look and we see the doomsday clock of Revelation. Imagine a world where peace, righteousness, and joy reign supreme. a world where Christ himself rules with justice and love because this is the millennial kingdom described in Revelation chapter 20, a period that follows Christ's return and last 4,000 years. Tonight, we will explore this profound period and biblical principle, understanding its significance and the hope that it brings to us as born-again believers. A Thousand Years and Beyond, Revelation chapter 20, verses 1 through 15. I read about a house in Maryville, Tennessee, in which the builders boasted of a building, a house, that would last a thousand years. The house was built of marble stone and concrete by Mr. and Mrs. William Nichols. It took nine years to build, and there were no nails in any part of the house except for the doors, door facings, and parts of the windows. And there's no wood, even the bathtub. was concrete. Some walls are five feet thick. The owners built the house to last through the millennium, which they believe will come through the reign of Christ. Well, I cannot be sure about the Nichols house standing for a thousand years, but I am sure about the certainty of the millennium. The word millennium comes from two Latin words meaning years and thousand. And when we speak, of the millennium we're speaking a period of a thousand years on this earth because in revelation chapter 20 verses 1 through 7 six times we have reference to a thousand years this period of time will begin when Jesus comes back to this earth as we saw in our last study what will this period of a thousand years on earth be like well as we go forward let's get into a thousand years and beyond And so, J. Oswald Sanders has given us a description of Satan's activity and strategy throughout the course of history. In Job chapter 1 verse 7, we read of God asking Satan, whence comest thou? And Satan answered, from going to and fro in the earth and from walking up and down in it. And since the beginning of time, the devil has walked to and fro in and on the earth deceiving and destroying. And so here J. Oswald Sanders, he gives us this description of Satan's activity and strategy throughout the course of history. And so when we look, his overall strategy is to supersede and overthrow the kingdom of God. And It is a strategy of destruction. If he was too clever for man in his perfection in Eden, he has a much greater advantage over man in his fallen state. It's been said that he plans to destroy human government as well. And so, any student of history can trace this devil of his activities, of his malignant power, of poisoning the stream of human history, and he's the mastermind behind the present world system with its lustful power and its political and economic intrude. He also, he purposes to destroy human society. through debauchery. Any student of psychology can trace a similar pattern in the cycles of human history. And in our own day, we have seen the world flooded with moral filth to a degree unconceivable 50 years ago. He aims to destroy true religion through apostasy, the falseness that's out there. Any student of theology and church history can discern reoccurring heresies and apostasies throughout the centuries. And in our own day, there's been a widespread of many of the old heresies in the courts, which have been spawned and are now circling the globe. However, there will come a day when the devil will be both stopped in silence. And in our last study, as we look, that we want to invite everyone to come and be with us at Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church. We're located at 450 Island Hill Road, Taylorsville, Georgia. 301-78 on behalf of our pastor, Keith Dempsey. We'd love to have you come and be with us, Sunday school at 10 a.m., morning worship at 11, to come and join us. where we gather to worship, we grow in faith, we serve one another, whether we're seeking a place of worship, spiritual growth, growth, or a community that cares, you'll find a welcoming, loving environment here at Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church, because we believe in the power of prayer, the truth of God's word, and the joy of being a part of a family that supports and encourages one another in every season of life. And so come and be with us at Bethel Crossroads Baptist Church. Also, On behalf of our service for Christ, we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. And on behalf of our good friend at BibleNerdWife.com, the blog writer by the name of Bonnie that we know very well is a great teacher and she will share her blog with you ladies if you'll just tune her in. She'd love for you to look her up. Let's open up with a word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we come before you with hearts open. Your word, as we get into Revelation 20, we seek understanding, your wisdom, forgive us of our daily sins, cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Tonight, we pray for someone, Lord, that was wanting to commit suicide. And we pray, God, that you will wrap your loving arms around that person that's trying to give up and lose all hope and bring them back to reality of how precious life is. And Lord, I pray for that lost sinner that needs to be saved tonight. That's never accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Please, Lord, I pray that you'll get through to their hearts and their minds and all about them tonight. In Jesus's marvelous mighty name. Amen. All right, as we get in the word of God in the year 2000, all 191 United Nations member states pledged to meet the following goals by the year 2015. Well, the Millennium Development Goals, the MDGs established by the United Nations in 2000, as they set eight ambitious targets to be achieved by 2015. And by the conclusion of this period, a significant profits had been made globally through the challenges. And so the key achievements was to be able to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality, empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV, AIDS, malaria, and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and develop a global partnership for development. Well, The global population living in extreme poverty defined as living on less than $1.90 a day decreased from 1.9 billion in 1990 to approximately 836 million in 2015. And that represents a reduction from 47% to 14% of the developing world's population. And through education, the number of out of school children of primary school age worldwide fell by nearly half from 100 billion in 2000 to 57 million in 2015. To promote gender equality and empower women, significant strides were made in gender, partiality, and education with many regions achieving equal enrollment rates for boys and girls and to reduce child mortality. The global under five mortality rate declined by more than half from 90 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 43 in 2015. However, the MDG target of a two-thirds reduction was not fully met. The Guardian talked about it. They improve on material health. The maturity mortality ratio decreased by approximately 45% worldwide between 1990 and 2015, failing from 380 to 210 deaths per 100,000 live births. The combat of HIV AIDS and malaria and other diseases the new HIV infections declined by 40% between 2000 and 2013 in access to. a new therapy that expanded significantly, reaching 13.6 million people by 2014. To ensure the environmental sustainability, access to improved drinking water sources increased from 76% in 1990 to 91% in 2015, surpassing the MDG target. And so, We developed the global partnership for development official assistance from developed countries increased by 66% between 2000 and 2014, reaching $135 billion. The transition to sustainable development goals of SDGs, recognizing the need to build upon the successes and address the remaining challenges of the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, in 2015. This new framework comprises 17 goals aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity for all by 2030. Well, as of 2025, and all of the efforts that were going forth to continue globally to achieve the SDGs with varying degrees of progress across different regions and goals, the legacy of the MDGs serves as a foundation for ongoing international development initiatives. And so hopefully when we look at this, We see the question is Jesus is coming back to earth again and all of the glory and majesty of God. He's coming to eliminate all of the ungodly evil from off the face of the earth, no matter what the United Nations try to accomplish. They try to cut down. Eventually, the Lord is going to eliminate every bit of all of these horrible things that are happening in the coming days. If Jesus were to return tonight, Would he find you ready and faithful? Because he's going to eliminate all of the ungodly and evil from off the face of the earth. And he's coming to establish the rule and the reign of God upon earth. And the earth will be filled with the righteousness of God and know nothing but the righteousness of God. The day is coming when there will be no more sin. evil or unrighteousness upon earth, no more rejection or denial, cursing of God or Jesus Christ, no more savagery or murder or war, no more sickness or disease or ill health, no more pain or suffering or death, because the kingdom of God is coming to earth and the earth is going to be like the Garden of Eden once again, except it will be better. Because Jesus Christ, the son of God himself, is going to be ruling and govern the affairs of the world. And this is what is known as the millennial, which simply means 1,000 years and the 1,000 year rule of Jesus Christ upon the earth. No matter nation or technology or science can ever bring about the perfect earth. Man cannot create perfection. He cannot develop the perfect state and government, the perfect society and culture, or the perfect life and future. Only God can do that. And this is the most wonderful thing. Scripture declares that this is exactly what God is going to do. Scripture proclaims that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back to earth in power and glory, coming to bring about the perfect state, government, society and culture, life and future. And he's coming back in power and glory to bring the kingdom of God to earth to rule and reign of love, joy, peace, and righteousness. When? Right after the final war of history. Right after all of the ungodly and evil nations and armies of the world have been eliminated from the earth in Armageddon. This will be done at that great battle of Armageddon. And this is the discussion when we look at tonight in Revelation chapter 20. When we look, the first thing that we see is the binding of Satan. Right after Armageddon, no more thing needs to be done. Because the spiritual power that lies behind all of the ungodliness and evil of this earth, Satan himself has to be bound. Man can never be free from evil and lawless. He can never have a perfect world until the temptation to do evil is removed from the earth. And so long as there's temptation, man will be lawless and do evil. And therefore, Jesus Christ has to remove the possibility of temptation from the earth. And the only way this can be done is to remove Satan. This is the glorious news of this passage, the removal and the binding of Satan. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. Who is going to remove Satan from the earth? The angel of God's power. That angel comes directly out of heaven from God's presence. And remember the word angel, Agalon, it means messenger. A messenger from heaven is going to remove Satan from this earth? Some scholars believe this messenger is Jesus Christ. Note, though, that he has the key of hell and death, and they believe that Christ would never give those keys to anyone else. Whatever the case, the messenger holds two things in his hands. the key to the bottomless pit and this means that he has the power to cast satan into the abyss away from the earth a great shame this means that he has the power to bind satan and to keep him from tempting and leading people into sin and ungodliness and so Think what this means. There's a power great enough to remove Satan and all the evil and sin from this earth. That power is in heaven, the very power of God himself. And so, as we go forward, Satan is bound for a thousand years. A man recounted how he ignored multiple warnings about a severe storm. Approaching the area, confident in his home's stability, he chose not to evacuate. Well, when the storm hit, his house was destroyed. And he barely escaped with his life. This story mirrors the spiritual complacency that many exhibit tonight. Despite the clear warnings in scripture about the return of Christ, the final judgment, many continue to live unprepared. And so we see the binding of Satan. And in today's liberal society where moral relativism prevails, this passage reassures believers that God ultimately will restrain evil. And the first thing that we see is the angel's authority. Because John saw a vision of divine authority over demonic forces, and the angel symbolizes God's power, and the key in the chain represents control over evil. And so, Christians today can rest in the truth that God is still sovereign over Satan. And every spiritual force, even when society promotes evil, is good. Believers know God's control is absolute. And so the angel descends from heaven, holding the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain, signifying the divine authority over all. And then we look and we see, as it tells us this, that the judgment Satan is bound and thrown into the abyss. This is not his final punishment, which happens in verse 10, but it's a temporary restraint. And the purpose is to stop his deception of the nations bringing Christ's thousand-year reign. And the act of binding is a judgment of limitation, a suspension of his influence. And so, in verse 2, And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan and bound him a thousand years. Here's the impact of Satan's removal. The purpose of the millennial, the thousand-year reign of Christ, described in Revelation 20, varies on different viewpoints. But I thank God The main purpose when we look at is to fulfill God's promises to Israel. God made covenants with Israel to restore that kingdom. And so the land inheritance, amen, the universal blessing throughout Israel, amen. And so the millennium allows these promises to be literally fulfilled. Israel will dwell securely and the Messiah will rule from Jerusalem and the nations will come to worship. also to display Christ's visible rule on earth in righteousness according to Isaiah chapter 11 and Revelation chapter 20 verse 4. His rule will be undisputed and just contrasting the world's corrupt system and it proves that the kingdom of God is not just spiritual but physical and global and to vindicate the saints those martyred and faithful to Christ reign with him and believers share in his kingdom fulfilling promises. And so we see as we go on of the purpose, the scripture, and the outcome that fulfills God's promises to Israel. Genesis 15, Isaiah 2, Ezekiel 37, the outcome, Israel is restored and the kingdom is realized. And we see secondly, to establish Christ's reign In Revelation 20, verse 4, Isaiah 11, righteous rule over the earth, and reward the faithful. Revelation 20, verses 4 through 6, 2 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 12, the saints reign with Christ. They reveal human depravity. In Revelation chapter 20, verses 7, 8, and 9, the rebellion even under the ideal conditions, and they prepare for eternity. Revelation chapter 20, verses 10 through 15, and Revelation chapter 21, the final judgment and eternal kingdom. When we look at the purpose of the millennium, yes, it's fulfilling God's covenant is one of the central purposes of the millennium. And so when we look and take a closer look, We see the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis chapter 12 verses 1 through 3. In Genesis chapter 15 verses 8 through 21. The promise a nation from Abraham's descendants. And we see a Pacific land from the Nile to the Euphrates. Blessing to all nations through his seed. And that millennial fulfillment. Israel finally dwells securely in the promised land. According to Ezekiel chapter 37 verses 21 through 28. that I did in my Ezekiel study. Jesus, the seed of Abraham, blesses all nations through his rule. According to Isaiah chapter 2, the land promises never The land promises never fully realized in Israel's history are literally fulfilled and the millennium allows for a literal geographic and national fulfillment. The David covenant in 2 Samuel chapter 7 verses 12 through 16 promise an eternal destiny. A king from David's line will reign forever. A kingdom centered in Jerusalem and a millennial fulfillment that Jesus the son of David rules from Jerusalem. and he exercises earthly and heavenly authority over the nations. In the millennium, Christ's physical reign fulfills this promise literally and visibly. And then the new covenant of Jeremiah chapter 31, verses 31 through 34, and Ezekiel chapter 36, verses 25 through 37, a promise that a new heart and spirit for God's people, forgiveness of their sins and a universal knowledge of the Lord, the spirit of the indwelling of his people, and the millennial fulfillment that Israel and the nations experience spiritual renewal. According again to Ezekiel 37, and God's law is written on the hearts and the spirit is poured out according to Joel chapter 2 and a worldwide worship of the true God of Zechariah 14. The millennium is the visible outworking of the new covenant of the realities on a global scale and then the land covenant Deuteronomy chapter 30 verses 1 through 10 promise that Israel will be restored to the land after dispersion, obedience and blessings in the land, and God will circumcise their hearts for a lasting faithfulness and a millennial fulfillment that Israel is regathered and dwells securely according to the scripture of Isaiah chapter 11. And Ezekiel chapter 36 and 37, they live under the Messiah's rule in blessing and peace. And this covenant is only fully fulfilled in the millennial kingdom, not in past history. And so when we look at the covenant promises and see that the Abrahamic and when we look and realize the nation land blessings to nations is restored, that Jesus rules the nations. He blesses the David eternal throne and Christ reigns from Jerusalem and etc. etc. It goes on as we break it down. The covenant, the key promise, and the millennial fulfillment of the Abrahamic, the nation of the land blessed into nations. the Israel restored land, Jesus rules and nations blessed, and of the David covenant, the eternal throne and king that Christ reigns from Jerusalem over all, the new covenant, new heart, spirit, forgiveness, spiritual renewal, worldwide worship, and the land regathered in secure possession that the land inherits and dwells safely in the land of Israel. and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled. And after that, he must be loosened a little season. In verse three, you see the bottomless pit equals the abyss, the home of demons and unclean spirit. And a seal is placed upon Satan himself, making it impossible for him to escape or do any work during the millennium. And so I read about a missionary that was translating the Bible, and he had a native with him that was helping him. And when they reached the revelation, chapter 20, verses one, two and three, the native suddenly jumped up and ran out the door. And when the missionary followed him, he found him outside running up and down the yard in joy. And when he asked what he was doing, the native said, Good news. Too much. Master, no devil for a thousand years. Satan, the bottomless pit, where is Satan to be placed for a thousand years? In this bottomless pit. And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, Satan and the fallen angels and demons and the kings of the earth upon the earth. They shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit and shall be shut up in the prison. And after many days shall they be visited. That's the reading of Isaiah chapter 24 verse 21 down to verse 22. Why is Satan to be bound and removed? The reap is clearly stated so that he cannot deceive people and nations anymore. Right now, sin looks good. It tastes good. It feels good. Think about the things that look good and feel good and taste good. Food, sex, honor, recognition. Vehicles, money, pleasure, power, clothes, houses, possessions, stimulation of the flesh, popularity, position, comfort, but none of these are wrong. They are necessary to life, but the passion and the lusting after these things are wrong. And scripture says that Satan and his evil spirits are the ones who arouse these passions to lust within us. Satan is that evil, force and power that arouses us to lust after more and more food, lust after another person, to lust after power over others, to lust after more and more pleasure and possession, to lust after more and more positions and money. Think what society will be like when Jesus Christ comes to bring a utopia the kingdom of God to earth. Think about the love, the joy, and the peace, the self-control, the discipline, the personal strength, and the cooperation, the unity, and the oneness, and individuality, and the assurance, and the security, and the purpose, and the meaning, and the significance that people will have. Because when Satan is removed, there'll be no more deception of people or nations. There'll be only a society in which there will be no need and no lack. And this is the reason Jesus Christ is going to remove Satan. He's the son of God. He wants man to have the privilege of living in a perfect society on this earth and to do so while the earth is in its present created form, Satan will be bound and removed from earth. And so we see that here, the angels authority in verse one, In verse 2, Satan's imprisonment. In verse 3, we see a temporary nature because Satan is sealed away, unable to influence the nations, showing a type of peace and truth. We go on. Now, what power does Satan have? Well, when we look, we see that he performs science. He controls the weather. He causes war. And he causes illness and possession. And he performs wonders. All of these are the many things that Satan has power to manipulate. But it would be like a lion being put on a leash because God will have the ultimate control over him. And so if Jesus were to return tonight, would he find you ready and faithful? We see the binding of Satan. in Revelation chapter 20 verses 1, 2, and 3. But secondly, we see the reign of the saints in verses 4, 5, and 6. This is the first resurrection and the millennial reign of Christ. Because this is one of the most exciting passages of scripture in all of the world, in all of the Word of God for the born-again believer. The great millennial reign of our Lord and Savior here on earth. The word millennium simply means 1,000 years. When we speak of the millennium, we speak of 1,000-year rule of Jesus Christ on earth. And remember what has just happened in Revelation, the two great events that have just been revealed to us. First, Jesus Christ is going to return to earth as a conqueror, and he's going to destroy the Antichrist and all the war machines and armies of the world at Armageddon. I was there in 2008 and looked across the valley There'll be not a shot fired at Armageddon. When Jesus Christ appears in the heavens, he will give one blast of his glory and the most powerful laser beam the world has ever known will destroy the armies and the nations of the world. And secondly, Christ will take Satan and bind and remove him from the earth for 1000 years. For 1000 years, Satan will not be able to tempt, excuse me, or deceive people on earth. And this does not mean that people cannot sin or do wrong, for man will still have his human nature that comes short of God by that very nature. You see, there'll be people born during the millennial reign. We'll have glorified bodies, but they will still be born during the millennium. And so they'll have a fleshly nature that will sin, but it won't be as bad. Man will still have choices to make to follow Christ or not to follow Christ. But with Satan bound and removed, There will be far less evil and ungodliness in the world and government and society itself will be under the control of Christ himself. And that means no more war or killing will exist. No more assault or abuse or crime will go unpunished. No more hunger or homelessness or unemployment will exist. No more laziness that will happen. Unconcerned, that'll be allowed. No pushing of drugs or enslavement to drunkenness will be tolerated. And for the present passage, this is the first resurrection and the great millennial reign of Jesus Christ upon earth. And so let's get into it. Revelation four, we see, and he saw the throne. And they sat upon them, the judgment was given unto them, and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. And so. The resurrection and the rule of the believers. because John sees thrones and people sitting upon them with authority to judge and rule and he sees millions of believers who were martyred during the tribulation those who were killed for their witness for Christ and their stand for the word of God and those who refuse to worship and receive the mark of the antichrist who are the people sitting upon the thrones John tells us they are those who live again are come to life again and who reign with Christ and they are those who take part in the first resurrection and this tells us exactly who the people are. They are believers who have died and the dead believers of all time and those who ruin reign with Christ in the millennium will be believers whose bodies have come back to life again. All the believers who will take part in the first resurrection and John sets the martyrs of the tribulation off as a special group of believers. probably because they paid the ultimate price for Christ. They died for him. Their blood, especially, cries out for vindication and reward. They, among us all, should be rewarded and given the right to rule with Christ. The millennial reign of Jesus Christ is with a believer's glorious rule and reign with Christ. And so, We see, through that, the judgment details. Those who were faithful, especially the martyred saints, are resurrected, the first resurrection. They're given authority to judge and reign with Christ for a thousand years. This judgment is a reward and a form of vindication that they were persecuted. Now they rule and they likely participate in governments over the earth during the millennial reign. And so, the judgment details. of that judgment that we see Satan's binding Satan's cast into the abyss at the start of the thousand years to prevent deception of the nation and judgment of the saints faithful believers reign with Christ they start during the thousand years to be rewarded and empower the faithful to judge and so that we see but he says in verse five but the rest of the dead live not again until the thousand years will finish this is the first resurrection There is the resurrection of believers only. Scripture could not state it any clearer because the millennial reign of Christ will see only the resurrection of believers. The first resurrection is for believers only. Because when we get to verse six, it is for those who are blessed and holy and upon whom the second death, eternal death, has no power. The first resurrection will be only of those who are going to live forever. The rest of the dead, the unbelievers, will not live again until after the thousand years are finished. Exactly what John says he saw. And so as we look and realize that through this, the reign of the saints, we see the thrones of judgment in verse four. And John sees those thrones in judgment are given to those who were martyred for their witness of Jesus and the word of God. And they reign with Christ for a thousand years. And then here in verse five, the first resurrection, only the righteous are raised to reign with Christ at this point in the wicked remain until the final judgment. The rest of the dead live not again until a thousand years are finished. And this is the first resurrection, a blessing for those that partake in it. But then we go on to verse six in a minute. Who's included in the first resurrection? Well, the Old Testament believers in Daniel chapter 12 verse 2, the church saints, the resurrected at Christ's return in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 16 and 17, the tribulation martyrs mentioned in Revelation chapter 20 verse 4, and possibly believers who survived the tribulation are transformed. And all of these participants in eternal life rule with Christ. And so, We look and we see what is that first resurrection, because who it is, the believers, especially the martyrs and the faithful saints. And when at Christ is returned before the thousand years and the nature is the physical resurrection of the glorified immortal life. And the result, they reign with Christ during the millennium. And the contrast is the rest of the dead. the unbelievers are raised later and so as we look and we realize through this that first resurrection versus the second resurrection because when we do this we see first of all the resurrected of the righteous before the millennial believers only eternal life they reign with Christ the second uh is that of the resurrected of the wicked after the millennial the unbelievers will be raised for a final judgment for the lake of fire and this is based on Daniel chapter 12 verse 2 the two types of resurrection life versus shame and John chapter 5 verses 28 29 where the resurrection of life and the resurrection of judgment that we see so Daniel chapter 12 verse 2 many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And so it predicts a resurrection of the dead, but with two distinct outcomes, everlasting life for the righteous and everlasting contempt for the wicked. That aligns with John chapter 5, verses 28, 29. And so he told us an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out. Those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. understanding the resurrection timelines in light of Daniel's numbers Daniel chapter 12 includes the Pacific time frames tied to the end of age and the resurrection as we unpack them with a timeline Daniel's prophetic numbers of when we look at 1,260 days and the years of the Great Tribulation of the reign of the Antichrist 1,290 days days after we see this, the days after the 1,260 days possibly cleansing after the abomination of desolation is 1,335 days in Daniel chapter 12. 1,245 days after the 1,290 days possibly for the resurrection, the judgment, and the blessing of 30 days difference between the 1,260 and the 1,290 extra period after the tribulation because it ends a 45 days difference that takes place. And I'm talking about right here. And so between 1,290 and 1,335 here that when we talk about waiting period to the final blessing. And so Daniel chapter 12 verse 12, blessed is he who waits and comes to the 1,335 days. And so when we look at that, David's prophetic numbers, the timeframe, 1260 days of Daniel chapter 7, Revelation chapter 11, Revelation chapter 12, Revelation chapter 13 is three and a half years of the great tribulation or reign of the Antichrist. Then we also, as we do, we see 1,290 days of Daniel chapter 12 verse 11, 30 days after the 1,260 days, possibly cleansing after the abomination of desolation. And 1,335 days, Daniel chapter 12 verse 12, 45 days after the 1,290 days, possibly for the resurrection, the judgment, or the blessing. And then we see the 30 days, the distance between the 1,260 and the 1,290, the extra period after the tribulation ends. And then the 45 days difference between 1,290 and 1,335 days of the waiting period to the final blessing. And so we see this. Now, conclusion, what do the numbers reveal? Well, the 1,335 days mark a blessing time, probably when the righteous are resurrected and they begin to reign. The 1,260 and the 1,290 days refer to the end of the tribulation and the cleansing period. You see, I'm making very, very clear you understand what I'm saying. The first resurrection of Revelation chapter 20 verses 5 through 6 aligns with Daniel's prophetic chapter 12 verse 2a and John chapter 5 verse 29a and the second resurrection of the unbelievers. Revelation chapter 20 verse 5 and verses 11 down to verse 15 aligns with Daniel chapter 12, the second part of verse 2 and John chapter 5, the second part of verse 29. that we see this taking place. And so in verse 6, blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priest of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. And so we see the blessed and the holy because those raised with Christ will not face the second death, the eternal separation from God. As Christians face ridicule in 2025, We've got to cling to that promise that we're secure in Christ and will never be touched by eternal death. Those who are part of the first resurrection are blessed and holy. The second death has no power over them. They will be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. And so we come to the first resurrection and the role of the saints. But as we move on, if Jesus were ready to return tonight, would he find you ready? Would he find you faithful? Because when we see this, This is a shocking scripture. It tells us at the end of the millennial, Satan is going to be set loose from hell and allowed to deceive people again. Now I ask myself, why? Why are you going to let him loose again? Well, There are at least two reasons. Number one, Satan will be loosened for the same reason that he's allowed to tempt us now, to show man what is in his heart, to show man that he must turn to Christ or else face destruction. People during the millennial that were born during the millennial reign will be no different from any other generation of people. They will have a free will. They will still need to turn to Christ for salvation. And therefore, they have to be shown their need. And the fact that they turn to Satan so readily will show people their need for Christ in the most stirring way possible. And as with all other generations, most people will reject Christ. They will choose to go their own way in life. But most people will choose to follow Satan. How sad that it will be. Secondly, God will release Satan in order to vindicate the justice of God. That is, in order to show that people deserve to be judged and condemned. When people turn to Satan so readily and oppose Christ so easily, they will be without excuse, unable to say one word against the righteous judgment of God. God's final and eternal judgment will be totally vindicated. Therefore, Satan will be released so that people will see the utter corruption of their hearts and stand speechless before the righteous judgment of God. And so if Jesus were to return tonight, what do you find, you ready? What do you find your fate for? We talked about the binding of Satan in verses 1, 2, and 3. We also talked about the reign of the saints in verses 4, 5, and 6. But lastly, in closing, the final judgment of verses 7 all the way down to verse 15. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosened out of his prison. You see, Satan is loosened at the end of the millennial, and he immediately deceives the nations. Who are these nations? Were not all the nations destroyed at Armageddon? Well, Scripture says no. There will still be people upon earth after Mageddon, people who will go through the millennium. There will be survivors of the Armageddon who will become witnesses to the glory of Christ when they return home to their own nations. And we look and we see that out of this, we begin to realize that through this time frame that many people as we look and realize that there will even be some survivors of the bold judgments which fall upon the earth. Some survivors of the catastrophic earthquake that hits all over the world and destroys the ungodly cities of the world that we talked about back in Revelation chapter 16. Remember, the earthquake takes place at the same time as Armageddon, when Christ returns to earth. But there will be some survivors of Revelation chapter 16, verse 21, that talks about that, that says, and there were voices and thunders and lightnings, and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth so mindedly an earthquake and so great and great and the great city was divided into three parts and the cities of the nations fell and great Babylon came in remembrance before God to give under her the cup of the wine of fierceness of his wrath and every island fled away and the mountains were not found and there fell upon men a great hell out of heaven and every stone about the weight of a talent and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hell for the plague thereof was exceedingly great." And so, there'll be people who turn to the Lord during the millennium, that is, people will be saved during the millennial reign as well, that we'll see. And so, a lot of things that'll be happening during that timeframe. and that we look and we begin to realize all of these things that will, there will be nations that are in existence when Christ returns to earth. And this shows there will be some survivors within most, if not all of the nations, there will be few in comparison to the population before the trumpet and the bold judgment and before Armageddon. Nevertheless, some will survive and it will be the people of these nations and the future generations born during the millennial that Christ will rule with a rod of iron, and it will be these over whom he will execute judgment. And so we see the final judgment. And in verses seven and eight, we see Satan's release and deception as well. and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea, when Satan is set loose at the end of the millennium. He will immediately deceive the nations and scripture tells us that everyone on earth during the millennia will not be saved. There will be many whose hearts will not belong to Christ. And remember, Christ will actually be living in Jerusalem where his palace and rule will be centered. And yet the hearts of many will be hard toward him. How could this possibly happen? When Christ will rule for 1,000 years, he will personally guide the rebuilding of the world's cities, bring peace and prosperity to earth. But the answer is the same as what it is experienced today and has been experienced from the beginning of time. Listen to me. Never forget that God's own son, the Lord Jesus Christ, came to earth thousands of years ago, and yet people not only rejected him, Many denied that he was even God's son. And today, despite all of the clear and the unmistakable evidence, most reject and deny him. And remember this also, the millennium will be 1,000 years long. Think about it. 1,000 years. That's a long, long time. People around the earth, as we all intend to do, will begin to fall into some kind of a routine. year after year will pass, and then decade after decade, and century after century. Whew, God, wow. It will pass. Some people will not even meet Christ face to face. They will not even go up to Jerusalem for the great feast of the tabernacles that's spoken of in Zechariah chapter 14. And as a result, what will happen will be just what has happened since Christ came the very first time. People will begin to think of Christ in terms of a mere man. And to many people, he will be a mere ruler. And how many will follow the deception of Satan? They will be numbered as the sands of the sea. and they that are called by the name of Gog and Magog. These are the names that symbolize the nations that come from the north to fight against God's people. And Gog was the king of Magog, Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39. And so what it will be, whom is the sand of the sea. Oh my goodness, that's a lot of sand. Satan's release and deception. We look, don't fear the mob, fear the master. Boy, I'm going to tell you today, many people have a lot of fear. And so we see Satan's release and deception in verses seven and eight. But in verse nine, when we look. We see verses nine and 10, God's ultimate victory, the final battle, because God swiftly defeats that final battle. The final armies of the world will be destroyed and Satan condemned forever. And the nations will march against Jerusalem and the throne of Christ to take over the world for themselves. Here in verse nine, that it speaks about this, but there will be no battle. The nations will misinterpret who Christ is, the sovereign majesty of the universe. They will let the fact that he has come to earth throw them into thinking he is only a mere man as they are. And God will intervene and cause fire to fall out of heaven and consume the armies. And the devil will then be taken and cast into the lake of fire with the Antichrist and the false prophet. According to what I'm fixing to read in this next verse 10, I'm just giving you a heads up. They will be tormented. day and night forever and ever. Read it with me. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. And so the final armies of the world will be destroyed and Satan condemned forever. And the nations will march against Jerusalem and the throne of Christ to take over the world for themselves. But there will be no battle. The nations will misinterpret who Christ is the sovereign majesty of the universe, and they'll let the fact that he has come to earth throw them into thinking that he's only a mere man, as they are. God will intervene. He will cause fire to fall out of heaven, consume the armies. The devil will then be taken and cast into the lake of fire with Antichrist and the false prophet. And so how sad that it'll be. And I saw a great white throne in him that sat upon it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. The final resurrection and judgment of unbelievers. This is the second resurrection. The great white throne judgment. in verses 11 all the way down to the very end of verse 15 of the of the chapter because the final judgment is coming the great day when all unbelievers lost people shall stand before God and given an account to God And the final judgment is called the Great White Throne Judgment. Many deny a final judgment. They smile at the idea that there is to be future punishment for their sins. They laugh at the preaching and the teaching of hell. And this scripture stands diametrical opposed to these people. This scripture declares emphatically there is to be a final judgment for all unbelievers and lost people. Every unbeliever, small and great, shall stand before God. They will give an account to God. And the declaration is emphatic that all unbelievers shall be judged and punished for their rejection of Jesus Christ and for their works upon earth. Unbelievers shall be judged at the great white throne of God and that place of judgment, that great white throne that we see. And so we see not only Satan's release and deception in verses 7 and 8, God's ultimate victory in verses 9 and 10, but we look and we see the great white throne judgment, that final judgment scene where all people stand before God and they pay the ultimate price for all of the sins in their bodies. We see the timing after the thousand year reign ends, than the subjects the dead that includes all the unredeemed from all history not in the first resurrection they'll be judged God or Christ as judge see according to John chapter 5 verse 22 the basis of the judgment their deeds as recorded in the books of remembrance whether their names is found in the book of life the outcome those not found in the book of life are thrown into the lake of fire the second death and verses 14 and 15 and the finality of this is this is the final judgment no more opportunities it leads into the eternal state the new heaven and the new earth and their doom that's the finality of it all and so the awesome judgment of God when the at the satan's binding satan's reign of the saints reigning and the great white throne the beginning of the thousand years beginning and during the thousand years for the saints and the great white throne after the thousand years whose judge satan is bound the the saints reigning the faithful saints that uh come before as well whose judge against satan the faithful saints and the unbelieving of the dead of the great white throne see the three categories of the judgment those of the future of the wind the who is judged the nature the purpose and the result and that is satan's binding beginning of the thousand years satan restrictive temporarily and a heart of deception and satan is sealed in the abyss the saints reigning beginning during the thousand years the thankful saints and the rewarding of their glorified with authority rule with christ and the saints reign on the thrones the great white throne after the thousand year reign all unbelieving dead the final and the eternal determine their eternal destiny that unbelievers will be cast into the lake of fire and so Verse 12, And I saw the dead in small and great stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And so, They're the persons to be judged, both the small and the great. That'll be judged. Ordinary men and women will be judged. Those who are average and common people of the earth, the blue collar workers, the employees, the workers of the earth, they will be judged. Those who are the slaves, the servants of the world, they too shall be judged. Everybody will be judged. And so we see that through the great white throne judgment, that transpires and takes place through all of this aid man as we look and imagine a courtroom where every action is scrutinized and justice is served without bias God's judgment is fair and just ensuring that righteousness prevails and so John sees a great white throne in him that sat on it the dead the small the great stand before God the books are opened another book the book of life and it is open and the dead are judged according to their works death and hell cast into the lake of fire which is the second death whosoever is not found written in the book of life is cast into that lake of fire how sad a time that will be and we go on and it says the lamb's book of life and the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works and so There is the resurrection to judgment. The first resurrection will have already taken place 1,000 years before. It was the resurrection for believers in verses 5 and 6. This resurrection is the calling forth of the dead. It is the second and final resurrection of all unbelievers that God knows where all the atoms, He knows where all the particles of the person. He knows where the fish eat the bodies of those in the Titanic. There ain't not a soul gonna get away. The atoms and the particles of every person's body. That's why it won't matter whether you cremated or whether you put in the dirt. of a person's body may be scattered all over the world, but God knows where every minute of element is, and he's going to call forth every human body, every element, every particle of every unbeliever who has ever lived, where the dead unbelievers will come from. They will come from the sea, from the depths of the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, and the Persian seas, the black and the dead seas, from all of the seas of the worlds of the bodies of those sunken in the wars. of human history, and the merchant ships, and the ships of the pirates, and the bodies of those murdered, those dumped in the seas that will come forth. There will not be a body ever lost at sea or in any other body of water that will not come forth. All the bodies of unbelievers that have been scattered over the seas of the earth will be brought back together, raised up in all the flash of an eye, everybody from the seas of the world that will stand before the great white throne the judgment of God they will come from death itself and from the graves of the earth the word translated hell in the authorized version is grave in the Greek and all the bodies of the dead unbelievers who are in the earth are scattered over the earth shall be resurrected and God knows what every atom every particle will be and dead in hell will cast in the lake of fire this is the second death the terrorizing punishment, and if there is any one thing that believers should do is, as the great preacher E.V. Hill said in a sermon, the first reason he accepted Jesus Christ was because he did not want to go to hell and he did not want to be tormented and punished by being separated from God, not forever and ever. I hope and pray somebody's out there doing the same thing. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Wow. Listen, you know what? As I close out the conclusion of the Millennial Kingdom and all the things of Daniel's that his prophecy talks about, I don't have time to get into them, but I'm repeating myself. Listen, what is the significance of Satan being bound for a thousand years? Revelation 20 challenges us to live in readiness, maintaining our faith and our righteousness as well. Secondly, how does the first resurrection differ from the second resurrection? Ensure your salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, as those that are not found in the book of life face eternal separation from death. That is the second resurrection. They will be the last to be judged. And the last question. What does the millennial kingdom teach us about God's ultimate plan for all humanity? And that is the urgency of that final judgment should compel us to want to go and evangelize, warning others of the coming wrath and offering the hope found in Christ. And so as we get ready to go our separate ways. If you've not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, now is the time. He offers forgiveness, eternal life to all who believe. Listen, wherever you are tonight, would you come and ask the Lord to be the keeper of your soul and to forgive you of your sins and repent? He offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe. One of the last things of the Roman road in Romans 10, 13, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. He offers forgiveness and eternal life to all who believe. Come forward and commit your life to him tonight. If you're a believer who has grown complacent, rededicate your life to living in a readiness for his return tonight. And so Revelation 20, it paints a powerful picture. of Christ's return and the final judgment. And it's a call to live in readiness, submit to Christ's authority, share the gospel with urgency. And may we heed this call and be found faithful when our King of Kings and Lord of Lords return in John's day. The church was suffering under Roman persecution. Believers were tempted to give up a hope, but Revelation 20 was written to encourage them and us that God's justice is real. His promises are secure and his victory is eternal. And so for Christians tonight in 2025, where evil is celebrated and righteousness is mocked. Revelation chapter 20 is a wake up call to remain faithful, to live holy, and to reach the loss before they face the great white throne judgment. And so as I close out tonight, will you pray with me? Lord, save that sinner that's listening tonight. Bring that cold and indifferent and complacent Christian back into the fold in a relationship with you, Lord. Lord, We pray, help us to live in holiness and readiness, sharing your gospel with urgency. Forgive us for our complacency and powers to be faithful witnesses. May we be found ready when you come. Lord, as this chapter offers a powerful narrative of your ultimate victory over evil, the reward for the faithful and the certainty of judgment. Lord, I pray in tonight's society where moral absolutes are often challenged, Lord, I pray, may we serve as a beacon reminding all believers of the importance of a steadfast faith and the hope of an eternal reign with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, that we pray tonight. Thank you for tuning us in. God bless you. A thousand years and beyond. May God bless you.