The Thousand Year Reign

1. Read: Revelation 20:1-15

2. About the Text:

1) This text is one of great controversy in the religious world.

2) There are three different interpretations of this text:

a. Postmillenialism – All nations will be won to Christ and then He will return.

b. Premillenialism – Christ will return, conquer the world, and reign for 1000 years on the throne of David.

c. Amillenialism – Christ is reigning right now as the gospel is preached to the world, and His return will begin final judgment.

3) Premillenialism is the most popular of these doctrines in the religious world today.

4) Perhaps you have heard of the “Left Behind” series by Tim LeHay and Jerry B. Jenkins.

5) Premillenialism is what is taught in those books.

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. There is a lot of misunderstanding about the thousand year reign because of the doctrine of premillennialism.

2. This doctrine confuses a lot of people because of its teaching of these verses.

3. Christ is coming back to live on the earth.

4. Revelation 20 (and other places in Revelation) are interpreted literally.

5. He will reign for a literal 1000 years.

6. He will sit on the literal throne of David in the literal city of Jerusalem.

1. Is Christ going to come back to live on the earth?

1) 1 Thessalonians 4:17 teaches we will be with him in heaven.

2) Notice the order in 1 Corinthians 15:23-24.

3) After Christ’s coming comes THE END.

4) There is no passage of scripture that teaches that Christ is going to come back to live on the earth.

2. Is the book of Revelation literal or figurative?

1) What does “literal” mean?

a. “in accordance with, involving, or being the primary or strict meaning of the word or words; not figurative or metaphorical”

b. For example, I have in my pocket a literal pen.

c. The expression, “The pen is mightier than the sword” employs a figurative pen.

2) Revelation 1:1 “signified.”

3) That’s the verb form of the Greek word for “sign.”

4) What is a sign?

5) It is something that points to something else; it’s not literal.

3. What about Revelation 20, is that literal or figurative?

1) Is the “key” literal?

2) Is the “pit” literal?

3) Is the “chain” literal?

4) The immediate context is obviously figurative.

5) We also know that number 1000 is used figuratively in the Bible also (2 Peter 3:8).

6) To suggest that this passage teaches a literal thousand years is to take it out of context.

4. Is Christ going to reign on the literal throne of David in the literal city of Jerusalem?

1) Acts 2:30-36 teaches that Jesus is sitting on the throne of David right now.

2) But this is not an earthly throne in literal Jerusalem; it is in heaven.

3) Consider Jeremiah 22:30.

4) Moreover, this passage in Revelation 20 doesn’t discuss the duration of the reign of Christ, but the duration of the reign of the saints.

5) It really doesn’t speak to the extent of Christ’s reign at all, except as concerns the saints reigning with Him.

a. Was Christ NOT reigning prior to this thousand years?

b. Will Christ NOT reign after this thousand years?

6) That is not consistent with 1 Corinthians 15:25.

1. In Revelation there are four great enemies.

1) The dragon.

2) The false prophet.

3) The beast.

4) The great harlot.

2. In chapter 19 we see the defeat of …

1) The harlot (Revelation 19:2).

2) The beast and the false prophet (Revelation 19:20).

3. Now in chapter 20 we see the defeat of the dragon.

1) An angel comes with a key and a chain.

2) He binds the dragon with the chain.

3) He casts him into the pit and seals the door.

4) Why? So that he can no longer deceive the nations/Gentiles.

5) The word “nations” here is the word which is normally translated “Gentiles.”

6) Those who were martyred and those who didn’t worship the beast—that is, the faithful saints—are the ones who reign with Christ 1000 years.

7) Again, the 1000 years is the reign of the saints.

8) The rest of the dead don’t live until the 1000 years are finished.

9) Then Satan is loosed for a short time.

10) Why? To deceive the nations/Gentiles.

11) Satan’s influence brings the nations/Gentiles into conflict with the saints and the beloved city, Jerusalem.

12) But instead of completely annihilating the saints, fire from heaven destroys the nations and they, along with Satan, are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.

4. Now, what is a plausible explanation?

1) The angel represents the messengers of the gospel (angel means messenger).

2) The key and the chain represent the gospel and its power to bind Satan (see Acts 26:18).

3) Satan is bound by the message of the gospel and Satan can’t break nor escape the gospel (Hebrews 2:14).

4) The pit and the seal indicate that the gospel has been believed by many and defeated Satan for a time.

5) And so Satan no longer deceives the nations/Gentiles as they now have the gospel.

6) In this period of time, it is those who believed, preached and taught and died for the gospel that reign with Christ for a long period of time (a figurative thousand years). (2 Timothy 2:12).

7) The first resurrection seemingly refers to Christian baptism (see Romans 6) and those who reign with Christ for 1000 years.

8) After the long period of time, Satan is loosed because many Gentiles stop believing the gospel.

9) During this time, the Gentiles rise up to fight against the saints and the Jerusalem, which is the church (see Hebrews 12:22).

10) Just as it seems that Satan is about to defeat the saints and the church, Jesus returns, destroys them with fire (see 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9) and sends them to the lake of fire.

11) Satan is finally defeated.

12) The church lives gloriously with Christ throughout all eternity.

1. The message of the book of Revelation is a message of hope.

1) Because Christ prevails against Satan.

2) Because Christians reign with Christ.

3) Because evil will one day be destroyed.

2. When Christ comes again, the end will come, and there will be no more opportunity to repent.

1) We don’t know when Christ will return (Matthew 24:36).

2) We need to prepare today for his return.

3) We prepare by undergoing the first resurrection.

4) The second death will not have power over us if we do.

3. Invitation