Revelation, Chapter 20
1. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8. And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
There are chiefly three points in this chapter that engage the attention of the reader: (1) the period of a thousand years; (2) the condition of the Kingdom during this period; (3) the conditions that shall exist in the world after the expiration of this period. We shall treat these three different points in the order mentioned.
I. The Thousand Years
What is meant by the period of a thousand years mentioned six times in this chapter? We must choose one of two things—either accept these words in a literal sense, as denoting so many years of 365 days each, or in a figurative sense, as denoting a longer period of time. That question, whether a passage is to be taken in a literal or in a figurative sense, is usually determined by the context. In what sense is it to be taken here? We note that the number 1,000 occurs in a chapter replete with figurative terms of a symbolical meaning. Material, visible things are employed to make us familiar with things of the invisible world. Mention is made of an angel having a key and a chain in his hand; we are told of a dragon and a bottomless pit into which he was cast, and where he was shut up as in a dungeon, and upon which a seal was placed; and all this for a period of a thousand years. If anyone should be able to prove conclusively that the angel that came down from Heaven had a real, material key dangling from his side, and that he carried in his hand a real material chain, made up of a number of huge heavy iron links, that he found somewhere on the earth a live monster, called a dragon, and literally bound him with this chain, and that there was at hand a large opening in the earth through which he cast the dragon into the bottomless pit and then shut it up and set a seal upon it, we would be constrained to accept the thousand years in a literal sense also. But who would ever claim that an angel came down from Heaven actually carrying a material key and a heavy chain? These are things that symbolize authority and power, as the keys of the kingdom of heaven denote “the special power which Christ has given to His church on earth.” To accept the various terms in this chapter in a figurative sense and single out one of them at random and insist that this one must be taken in a literal sense is a procedure so arbitrary that it can hardly be thought worthy of serious consideration. We might with equal justice claim that the thousand years must be taken in a figurative sense, but that the chain was real, because the devil was bound with it. It is equally arbitrary to make the key and the chain, etc., symbolical and the thousand years, mentioned along with these literal. Yet this is the very thing insisted upon by many, that the thousand years here mentioned must of necessity be taken to be so many years of 365 days each; and, strange to say, of all the Bible this is the one passage that is perfectly clear to certain minds as being the logical basis for the “biblical” doctrine of the millennium, with its duration of one thousand years exactly.
Mystic Numbers in the Bible
But the fact cannot be disputed away that the Bible frequently states a definite number for an indefinite one, and in prophetic writings this is rather the rule: In Daniel 9:24-25 we read: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city . . . Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks.“ Here we have a definite number of sixty-nine weeks, or one year, four months, and seven days. Who would ever claim that the fulfillment of this prophecy would be limited to such a short space of time as sixty- nine ordinary weeks? All commentators agree on a symbolical meaning. “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel 12:11). This is a very definite number, just as in the following verse, “Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days”; yet commentators unhesitatingly seek the solution in a figurative meaning. “Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days” (Revelation 2:10). This is a definite period of time, the same as 1,000 years. Yet who would insist upon a literal meaning of ten days, as though the Spirit prophesied to the church a period of tribulation lasting exactly one week and three days? Commentators freely take these ten days in a mystic sense. Why not the 1,000 years in this chapter?
Literal Interpretations
But if the thousand years, with their marked peculiarities, are to be taken in a literal sense, there ought to be no difficulty in pointing out the exact time when they began. But here we get into a veritable labyrinth of conflicting opinions. Some say they began with the resurrection of Christ and ended in the year 1034. Others say the thousand years began with the reign of Constantine the Great and terminated with the year 1316. Some claim they began with the year 720; for what reason, does not appear. Some were of the opinion that the Reformation marks the period when the 1,000 years began. But if we would ask Luther whether this was now the long-expected millennium, he would tell us that the light of the gospel was shining brightly, indeed, but that there was still a great deal of wickedness in the world, and no real millennialist would mistake such imperfect conditions for his millennial age. We had been told that the world was growing better, day by day, that civilization was advancing at a rapid pace, and that things were moving on so nicely as to bring the millennium to our very doors, when World War I broke out, followed by World War II, and completely upset the whole scheme. That was the most unfortunate thing that happened in all the days of millennialism.
Others tell us that when the 1,000 years shall once begin, there will be absolutely no doubt about it; that Christ shall reign visibly on earth, that every form of iniquity shall be wiped out and that there shall be universal peace, prosperity, and happiness, world without end. But this fond hope runs counter to all Scriptures that speak of the second coming of Christ. The fact is that the 1,000 years, taken literally, cannot be made to fit in anywhere and harmonize with the Scriptures.
The One Era Foretold
Now let us take the 1,000 years figuratively as denoting, indeed, a definite period to the day and the hour as far as divine appointment is concerned, but indefinite as far as our human knowledge of it goes; let us see whether the twentieth chapter of Revelation is in harmony with the rest of the Scriptures, If we disregard for the moment the end of the period—treated later—can we find any period of time in the history of this world of such marked distinction that we can point to it with certainty and say: Here it began? Is there any time which the Bible points out as being clearly distinguished from the rest of the world’s history as an era in which a great deliverance shall be brought and heavenly blessings bestowed abundantly? There is, beyond the possibility of doubt. All Scripture, with one accord, points to just such an era, and what is conspicuously absent is any mention of a particular section of one thousand years characterized by a blessedness superior to that of this period in general. All prophecy, from Genesis to Malachi, without a dissenting voice, points to the coming of the Messiah as the beginning of an era of unprecedented blessedness for all nations, to continue as long as the sun and the moon shall endure. Jacob, in the spirit, foresaw the coming of Shiloh, the Peaceful, to whom would be the gathering of the people. Solomon, in the 72nd Psalm, writes a glowing eulogy on the Messiah and His reign: “In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust” (Psalm 72:7-9). The Prophet Isaiah, in many chapters, speaks of the coming of the Messiah as the blessed season to be looked for, when God would come to save men, to open the eyes of the blind, to convert the wilderness into fertile ground. Such Scriptures could easily be multiplied many times in which the entire Messianic era is spoken of as the one season of blessedness to be looked for.
When Jesus entered upon His public ministry, He declared: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel.” The one blessed time of which all the prophets had spoken was now fulfilled when Jesus, the Messiah, was come and His reign began. To His disciples Jesus said, lest they fail to notice the special season which had now begun, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them” (Luke 10:23, 24). The Bible itself marks this first appearance of Christ on earth as the beginning of the long-looked-for era of blessedness, which is to continue indefinitely, as far as our knowledge of it goes; for “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.” And this period continues for a longer time, as indicated by the mention of a thousand years, in which repentance and forgiveness of sin must be preached among all nations, as Christ said: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14).
This much is certain, if we make this period which John calls the thousand years to begin with the first advent of Christ, we are in perfect agreement with all Scripture, while the designation of any other period is purely arbitrary, visionary, or even contrary to plain Scripture.
II. The Kingdom During the Thousand Years
What shall be the condition of the Kingdom during this period of a thousand years? Is there any marked difference between the conditions during the thousand years and the conditions that characterize the messianic era in general? The outstanding features of the thousand years according to Revelation 20 are (1) The binding of Satan; (2) The judgment given to the saints; (3) The reign of Christ and His saints; (4) The first resurrection. Let those who rigidly insist on a literal interpretation of these things solve the difficulties which they must encounter. We shall view the matter in the God-given light of the Scriptures.
The Binding of Satan
Is the binding of Satan spoken of in this chapter peculiar to a section of one thousand years only, or is this not one of the distinct features of the messianic time in general? The very first promise of a Messiah makes mention of this very thing, that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head. Psalm 91:13 says, “Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.” Isaiah 61 says of the Messiah that He shall proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. And though the prison keeper is not mentioned in so many words, his captives could not have been liberated until the strong armed man was overcome. Hosea 13:14 says “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction.“ There is no doubt as to who had the power of death and the grave—Satan.
Now, what happened to the devil when Christ came? The very first thing Jesus did after His baptism was to manifest His power and superiority over the devil, whose temptations for once completely failed when Jesus said: “Get thee hence, Satan.” Jesus said, “Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected” (Luke 13:32). He cast out many devils (Mark 1:34). In John 16 Jesus said: “The prince of this world is judged.” “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). In Colossians 2:15 Paul writes: “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them.“ Jesus says: “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (John 12:3 1). “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out“ (Matthew 10:1). And having overcome the devil, He affords almighty protection to those who believe in Him, lest they be deceived and overpowered by the devil. Jesus said: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not” (Luke 22:31, 32). “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (John 17:15). “That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14, 15). And verse 18, “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:9, 10). The almighty power of Christ prevents Satan from deceiving those who keep His Word.
Now we ask: What has this 20th chapter of the binding of Satan (and casting him into the bottomless pit, lest he deceive the nations) over and above that which is common to all the messianic era, with Christ’s victory over the devil, and the almighty protection vouchsafed to His saints? Does this chapter offer us more on this point than other Scriptures do? For nearly two thousand years the church of Jesus Christ has been exhorted to give thanks unto the Father, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son,” and there is no time limit set on this exhortation. Why, then, should this gracious deliverance be unwarrantably restricted to just one thousand years? That is poor comfort to those who might be in doubt as to whether they lived in just that period.
Thrones of Judgment
As a distinct feature of the thousand years St. John “saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them.” What judgment is that mentioned here? A twofold judgment is plainly spoken of in this chapter. Verse four tells us of the judgment committed to the church, to the martyrs of Jesus, and to those who did not receive the mark of the beast, and verse twelve speaks of the judgment that will be held on Resurrection Day, when the books will be opened, and the dead will be judged according to their works. The two are not identical. For the first we are concerned only with the judgment that was given to the saints during the thousand years.
What does this mean? What is judgment but a solemn declaration of what is right and what is wrong? And God’s people have the sacred duty at all times to bear witness unto the truth and to reprove all error and works of darkness. In the 122nd Psalm David says: “1 was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord . . . For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.” The same holds good with reference to the Jerusalem of the Christian church. Wherever the kingdom of Christ is established by the preaching of the gospel, there are set thrones of judgment, a God-given authority to declare what is true and what is not, what is right and what is not. The right of judgment with reference to false teachers is given to all Christians to be exercised in their own time. In Matthew 7 Jesus says: “Beware of false prophets . . . by their fruits ye shall know them.” “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). They are given the right of judgment with reference to all works of iniquity. In Matthew 18:17, 18 Jesus says of the impenitent sinner: “If he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” This certainly is judgment given to the saints, just as in John 20:23, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” What stern judgment was that pronounced by Stephen upon the impenitent Jews at Jerusalem: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye” (Acts 7:51). In 1 Corinthians 14:24 Paul says of the church in her gathering: “But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all.” By the unanimous testimony of the church the unbeliever would find that he stand adjudged as being wrong in his unbelief. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 5:11-13 writes, “If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? . . . But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:11). This shows the power and authority which the Lord has given to His church to use the Word and apply it, to proclaim the truth, and to reprove error and wickedness; and where that is done, there are set thrones of judgment. Such judgment is not limited to the space of one thousand calendar years, but is given to the church to be executed at all times up to the final judgment day when God will judge the secrets of men’s hearts by Jesus Christ.
The Reign of Christ and His Saints
“And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” A somewhat troublesome question arises here. If the reign of Christ and His saints is to begin with, and to continue throughout one thousand years, and the thousand years have not yet begun, what have Christ and His people been doing all this while up to the present time? But is there no satisfactory answer to this question? Christ’s reign certainly began with His ascension, when the Father “set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet. and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all” (Ephesians 1:20-23). Christ reigns in the church, and the church reigns with Him, not in glory altogether, but they rule and reign and triumph nevertheless. “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following” (Mark 16:20). A new kingdom, with an entirely new form of government, was set up in the world; not, indeed, of a political, but of a spiritual nature. The special privileges enjoyed in this kingdom are “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” The new rules and regulations to be observed are: Repent, and believe the gospel. Proclaim the grace of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; and walk in love as Christ also hath loved us. Surely Christ reigns, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:25, “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.” And His saints reign with Him, “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:10). And as they reign, they conquer and triumph over their enemies and every evil thing. “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14). “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5). “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (1 John 5:4). From all these passages it is evident that Christ now rules and reigns and conquers and that the church rules and reigns and conquers with Him.
We wonder by what authority the Apostle John is unwarrantably converted into a modern millennialist, as teaching in this 20th chapter of Revelation that before the Last Day Christ shall appear visibly on earth to rule with the saints. There is not a single word in this passage to indicate a visible return of Christ; all it says is this: “And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” These words do not mention any coming of Christ from Heaven, to say nothing of a visible coming. That millennialistic idea had been carried into this text, and St. John is not the originator of it. And the claim of millennialists that Christ will establish a visible kingdom in this world is likewise without any foundation in this chapter whatsoever; on the contrary, that is an idea which Christ Himself emphatically rejected as we can see from the following Scriptures. “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo, there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20, 21). “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not” (Matthew 24:2 3). “My kingdom is not of this world“ (John 18:36). “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone” (John 6:15). The expectation of a visible, glorified kingdom of Christ in this world is a carnal idea contrary to all Scripture. By what right is the Apostle John made to contradict Christ and made to teach a visible return and a visible kingdom, when he does not say a single word about it? All that he plainly says is this: “They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” And Christ reigns now, and the saints reign with Him; and Revelation 20 is in perfect harmony with all Scripture.
The First Resurrection
Another feature peculiar to the thousand years is the first resurrection. Verse 6 says, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” In what respect does this first resurrection differ from the second, mentioned toward the close of this chapter? (We call this the second resurrection merely to distinguish it from the first resurrection, and not in the sense accepted by some.) The second resurrection is of a bodily nature, that is, the bodies will be raised, because it is expressly stated that “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” (verse 13). Is this first resurrection also a bodily one? There is no indication of that in the text whatsoever; on the contrary, the marks of it are of a purely spiritual nature, as we shall see later on. If we assume that the first resurrection is a bodily one, that only a certain number of those who had died in the Lord shall bodily be made alive, we get into a serious collision with other Scripture passages, in which plain speech is used relative to the general resurrection. In John 5:28, 29 Jesus says; “The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” The Lord here plainly states that on the day of the bodily resurrection all the dead shall rise, the just and the unjust. This leaves no margin for any partial resurrection of the just, who shall then reign with Christ a thousand years, but the bodily resurrection of the just shall be unto everlasting life. The first resurrection is not bodily either in part or in whole, but spiritual. In John 5:25 Jesus says: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” In this chapter the Lord plainly distinguishes between the first and the second resurrection. The first resurrection is going on now. “The hour is coming, and now is.” This resurrection is partial and of a spiritual nature; the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, but not all are going to live, but they that hear shall live. The second resurrection is future, bodily, and universal, for “the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth.” While in the second resurrection all the dead shall hear His voice and come forth, in the first resurrection only they shall live who hear. And what of those who hear not? These are “the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:5). They who do not hear the Word of God throughout this period of a thousand years, who throughout the gospel era fail to obtain the salvation of God, continue in the state of spiritual death. But they that hear shall live, and this is the first resurrection spoken of throughout the Bible. “The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God” (Psalm 69:32). “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1); raised from spiritual death to spiritual life. “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God“ (Colossians 2:12). “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above“ (Colossians 3:1). Is it possible to use plainer speech in declaring the fact of a resurrection which is taking place now as a result of the gospel preaching; that they who believe in Christ are risen with Christ to a newness of life?
In what respect, if any, we ask does this spiritual quickening differ from the first resurrection mentioned in Revelation 20? What are the peculiarities of those who have part in the first resurrection? Five things are expressly mentioned by St. John: (1) They are called blessed; (2) They are called holy; (3) They are pronounced free from the second death; (4) They shall be priests of God and of Christ; (5) They shall reign with Him a thousand years. It is worthwhile to inquire whether these very things are not peculiar to all who have been quickened with Christ in every age.
1. They who have part in the first resurrection are called “blessed.” How many are the “blesseds” which Christ pronounces upon those who hear him and believe in Him! “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). “Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28). “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17). “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). What blessedness does the first resurrection offer that is superior to the blessedness common to all true believers at all times? There is no indication of it in this twentieth chapter.
2. They who have part in the first resurrection are called “holy.” But are not all believers called holy? “To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints“ (Romans 1:7). The same title is given to the members of the church at Corinth, “Called to be saints”; “holy”; “The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 1:2; 3:17). “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). In 1 Peter 2:9 all Christians are called “an holy nation.” “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling“ (Hebrews 3:1). “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved“ (Colossians 3:12). We ask: “In what respect are the holy saints of Revelation 20 who have part in the first resurrection superior to the holy saints in the church at all times?” There is not the slightest indication of any difference.
3. Of those who have part in the first resurrection St. John says: “On such the second death hath no power” (Revelation 20:6), and the second death is the damnation of hell in the hereafter (verse 14). But does not Christ give this comforting assurance to all who believe in Him, that eternal death shall have no power over them? “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27, 28). If they shall never perish, but have eternal life, it is certain that eternal death shall have no power over them. “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die“ (John 11:26). “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life“ (John 3:36). These words assure us that death shall have no power over those who are Christ’s, but that they shall live with Him forever. If only a certain number of the martyrs shall have part in the first resurrection and the second death have no power over them, what comfort, then, have the rest of the believers in Jesus? Is not this the joyful hope and the living certainty of all Christians? “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life . . . nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38, 39). By what right are the promises of God restricted to just a few of Christ’s people when all are partakers of the same grace?
4. They who are a part of the first resurrection, St. John says, “shall be priests of God and of Christ.” Is not this one of the prerogatives of all Christians throughout the messianic era? Of the righteous in the kingdom of the Messiah, Isaiah already writes, chapter 61:6: “But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord.“ “Ye are . . . a royal priesthood“ (1 Peter 2:9). “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father” (Revelation 1:5, 6). It is unwarranted to restrict what is said in this verse about being priests of God and of Christ to a number of martyrs who have been raised from the dead, because this is one of the prerogatives that are common to all Christians in every age. And that they shall reign with Christ a thousand years has been sufficiently explained under that head. What Revelation 20 says with reference to the first resurrection does not add one single new feature to the rights, privileges, and blessings that are common to all those who are risen with Christ through faith in Him in every age, and there is no decent room anywhere for the millennial dream of millennialists.
III. What After the Thousand Years Are Finished?
What will be the conditions in the world when the thousand years are finished? The Scriptures are very explicit on this question, but millennialists are not. As much as we hear about the thousand years, so little do we hear about the time when those thousand years will be over. The people who are so eagerly awaiting the millennial establishment of a visible kingdom on earth from which all wickedness and war and woe is banished, seem content to see these happy conditions take place, and what may happen afterwards does not give them any serious concern. That this world which shall then be the scene of bliss and glory, should unhappily relapse into a former state of sin and sorrow and wickedness and war and satanic deception, intrudes like a jarring discord in their rapturous millennial symphony of beauties and blessings. To judge by the silence observed on this discouraging subject the general opinion seems to be, the less said about it the better. But that is not doing justice to this chapter, nor to other Scriptures that deal with this matter. People who are so enthusiastic about the thousand years with all their glories and ecstasies are not really entitled to a hearing if they simply disregard that part of this twentieth chapter which might tend to a wholesome sobering of their minds, namely, the distressing conditions that shall follow when the thousand years will have elapsed. Revelation 20 certainly gives no uncertain sound as to what these conditions are going to be, and what Jesus said with regard to the prophecy of Daniel: “Whoso readeth, let him understand,” applies to the prophecy of this chapter also.
The Little Season
The thousand years will be followed by what St. John in the third verse calls “a little season”, when Satan must be loosed. The “little season” marks the closing days of the present gospel dispensation, the time of the end, the days preceding the final Judgment Day. In distinction from the longer period of a thousand years this time is designated as “a little season,” being of comparatively shorter duration. This fact is also pointed out in other Scripture passages. “Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half“ (Daniel 12:5-7). So the last time shall not be complete, but be cut short by one half. This is undoubtedly what Christ calls the shortening of the days. In speaking of the latter times (Matthew 24:22), He says: “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
The “little season” is described by John as one in which Satan shall be loosed from his prison, when he shall go out to deceive the nations, which are in the four quarters of the earth, when a great battle shall take place, the warriors being in number as the sand of the sea. It is important that Christian people should know the characteristics of the “little season” and be able to judge the signs of the times.
1. Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. The restraints that were laid upon him during the thousand years shall be removed, and he shall be allowed greater power than he was permitted to use since the day he was fettered. “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Revelation 12:12). And the power of his wrath will be used for the destruction of the souls of men.
2. He shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog. Deception has ever been one of the clever devices of Satan whereby he would lure men into destruction and perdition, and during the “little season” when he shall be loosed such deception will be more general and of greater intensity. There is no indication here that he will undertake anything specifically new, or that he will abandon the approved methods for deception employed before by means of false prophets and ungodly men; all that St. John states is that Satan will be loosed to go out to deceive the nations. Hence the perilous times foretold by Christ and His apostles as the end approaches. Speaking of the time of the end, Jesus says, “There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before” (Matthew 24:24, 25). “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth” (1 Timothy 4:1-3). “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof “ (2 Timothy 3:1-5). “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3, 4). In such and like words the Scriptures portray the time of the end, and every expectation of more favorable conditions is miserable folly.
Among those whom Satan shall go out to deceive St. John mentions by name Gog and Magog. A great deal has been written as to what nations are meant by Gog and Magog, and it would be to no purpose to rehearse all the various interpretations that have been given. We cannot safely go beyond the information that we find in other parts of the Scriptures: Genesis 10:2 and 1 Chronicles 1:5 (Magog was one of the sons of Japeth), 1 Chronicles 5:4 (Gog was a son of Joel, but not of the prophet by the same name), and the Prophet Ezekiel in chapters 38 and 39 of his book. “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal . . . And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horse and horsemen, all of them clothed with . . . bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them“ (Ezekiel 38:2-5). “Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand” (Ezekiel 39:1-3). And verse 6: “And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord.” Gog and Magog are not, it would seem, so much the heads of distinct historical nations, such as the Babylonians, Egyptians, or Macedonians, but rather the representatives of hostile forces which Satan will bring forth to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they go up on the breadth of the earth, and compass the camp of the saints about and the beloved city; and fire comes down from God out of Heaven and devours them. And now comes the end of the “little season” and the end of all things, which St. John describes in the closing verses of this chapter.
A few timely remarks will be in order here. It is not for everybody who has read a few things in the Bible and formed an opinion to rise and pronounce a definite prophecy above, or even contrary to, that given in the Scriptures. We have had too much of that already to the extreme satisfaction of scoffers and unbelievers. It is, however, the duty of the church and of every Christian to mark the times and the seasons and with a sound and sober Christian mind to judge the facts as they present themselves to our view. And what are the facts? Vice and crime are disproportionately on the increase and violence and militant atheism are rampant in many parts of the world. In the churches there is a growing indifference to Christ’s command to “observe all things” taught in the Scriptures, as has been pointed out by church papers and even by secular magazines. If we consider what the Scriptures say with reference to the latter times and how St. John in this chapter describes the “little season” as one in which Satan must be loosed to go out to deceive the nations and to gather them together in battle, it is certainly in order for Christian people to inquire to what hour the hands are pointing on the world’s clock.
The End
Verses 10-15 of this chapter are plainly a description of the end of all things. In verse 10, St. John sees the devil cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are to be tormented day and night forever and ever. In verse 11, he saw a great white throne and Him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled; and there was found no place for them. He sees heaven and earth passing away, passing out of existence, repeated in the next chapter: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea” (Revelation 21:1). “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 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 death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:12-15). This is the end of Satan’s empire.
And what then shall be the state of Christ’s Kingdom is told in the sublime words of the following chapter, which gives a graphic account of the holy city, the New Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God, having the glory of God. That will then be the kingdom of God in its glorified state, from which sin and sorrow and war and grief and pain and death shall be banished once for all, and peace and joy and blessedness shall reign forevermore. The expectation, however, of a so-called millennium, with the restriction of celestial glories before the Last Day, is utterly without foundation in the Scriptures, and all who patiently or impatiently look for such things shall look for them in vain. All the Christian church is to look for in this present world is evil days and perilous times, with evil and peril on the increase as the end approaches. But beyond that we look for the restitution of all things; “we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness”; and this expectation is founded on the immovable Rock of our Salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let no Christian’s heart fail him on account of the evil conditions that are foretold in the Scriptures; for we have the unfailing promise of the Lord: “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world,” and the promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against His church. We are not to be hopeless, but to abound in hope; only our hopes must not be centered on the glories of this present world, but on the glories of the world to come.
Revelation 20 is a brief synopsis of the history of the Christian church with her privileges and perils from the first advent of Christ up to, and including, His second advent; and the second advent of Christ is not for the purpose of establishing a temporary kingdom, to last no longer than one thousand calendar years and be followed by we know not what. Christ’s second coming will be for the judgment of the world and for the final glorification of His kingdom, of which there shall be no end.
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:17, 20).