The Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ

Christ has returned and defeated the forces of evil on the earth (19:11-21). John now sees “an angel coming down from heaven,” coming down to earth. The phrase “I saw” occurs repeatedly at the end of Revelation (19:11,17,19; 20:1,4,11; 21:1). The most natural reading is to see this indicating chronological sequence and progression. These things happen one after the other (Mounce, Revelation, 361).

Second Coming ? Millennium ? Final Rebellion ? Great White Throne ? Eternal State

The millennium is the beginning of God’s restorative work “on the way” to the new heaven, new earth, and new Jerusalem of chapters 21–22.

The angel from heaven “has the key to the abyss.” The key indicates authority. The abyss is mentioned seven times in Revelation (9:1,2,11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1,3). MacArthur notes that in Revelation, the abyss, or pit, is always a “reference to the temporary place of incarceration for certain demons. The abyss is not their final place of punishment; the lake of fire is (Matt. 25:41). Nevertheless it is a place of torment to which the demons fear to be sent (Luke 8:31)” (Revelation 12–22, 234). The angel also has in his hand “a great chain” (20:1). The huge chain is for a huge prisoner and carries the ideas of binding and confinement.

This angel now seizes the one who was his former master before he rebelled against God (see Ezek 28:14; see above on Rev 9:1-5, pp. 180–85). Four names or titles are given that describe his character and devices (see 12:9). He is “the dragon,” mentioned 12 times in Revelation. He is terrifying, powerful, cruel, dangerous, and vicious. He is “that ancient serpent,” which recalls Genesis 3 (see 2 Cor 11:3) and the garden of Eden. He is our ancient enemy who deceived Adam and Eve ushering in the fall. He is “the Devil,” meaning the slanderer, the accuser. He is “Satan,” meaning the adversary, the enemy, our opponent. This is our archenemy who hates us and lives for our misery, our death, our destruction. Osborne says, “In this context the list of names might almost be official, as if the legal sentence is read to the condemned prisoner as he is being thrown into prison” (Revelation, 700).

Because this angel has the delegated authority of God, he can take authority over the one who “is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone he can devour” (1 Pet 5:8). Note the four steps taken to bind and confine our ancient foe: he “bound him for 1,000 years,” he “threw him into the abyss,” he “closed it,” and he “put a seal on it.” Satan’s activity, even his presence on earth, is completely curtailed and brought to a halt for the entire millennium. His deceptive work among the nations is stopped for a thousand years!

Only after the millennium is finished is he released, and then for only “a short time” (20:3). This short-lived release from captivity is discussed in verses 7-10. Mounce makes a perceptive and telling observation at this point when he says,

Apparently a thousand years of confinement does not alter Satan’s plans, nor does a thousand years of freedom from the influence of wickedness change people’s basic tendency to rebel against their creator. (Revelation, 363)

What an indictment once again on the wicked hearts of evil demons and evil humanity!

REVELATION 20:4-6

John provides only a brief description of activity of the millennial kingdom in these verses. Additional insights, as previously noted, are found in texts like Isaiah 11:1-11; 65:17-25; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Joel 3:17-21; Amos 9:11-15; and Micah 4:1-5. John sees thrones and “people seated on them who were given authority to judge.” Matthew 19:28 teaches that the 12 apostles will sit as judges over the 12 tribes of Israel. First Corinthians 6:3 speaks of believers judging angels. Revelation 2:26 says the saints will have authority over the nations. And Revelation 5:10 teaches that the followers of the Lamb “will reign on the earth.” These could refer to glorified saints ruling over natural-born persons in the millennium. In any event, these pictures are all good news for the believer, even if the precise details remain a mystery.

John then sees a second group: martyred saints. These are described as those who “had been beheaded [i.e., executed] because of their testimony [or witness] about Jesus and because of God’s word.” Further, they had not “worshiped the beast or his image, and [they] had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands.” These tribulation saints had remained faithful and true to the Lamb. “They did not love their lives in the face of death” (12:11). These faithful believers were previously seen in chapters 6 and 13. They are now rewarded for their faithfulness as they are gloriously resurrected! They come to life in bodily resurrection and are also granted the privilege to reign with Christ as coheirs for a thousand years (see Rom 8:17).

John calls this “the first resurrection.” It is a bodily resurrection in kind and the first resurrection in time. “The rest of the dead,” unbelieving humanity, are not resurrected until after the millennium when they will stand before God at the great white throne judgment (20:11-15). Believers in Jesus enjoy the first resurrection unto glorified eternal life. Unbelievers experience the second death (i.e., eternal separation from God) at the final judgment. The term second resurrection never occurs in Scripture.

Verse 6 provides a beautiful summary as to the destiny of the followers of the Lamb. They are called both “blessed” (i.e., happy, fortunate) and “holy” (i.e., set apart for God) since they participate in the first resurrection, the glorification of the body unto eternal life. But it does not end there! Three additional blessings are bestowed on the redeemed: (1) Over these “the second death [i.e., eternal and spiritual death] has no power”; (2) they “will be priests of God and of the Messiah,” serving their great God during the millennium and for all eternity; and (3) they “will reign with Him for 1,000 years.”

John MacArthur, drawing on various biblical texts, provides a wonderful summary of what life will be like in the millennium:

A final blessing for the participants in the first resurrection is that they will reign with the Lord Jesus Christ for a thousand years, along with believers who survived the Tribulation. Politically and socially, the rule of Christ and His saints will be universal (Ps. 2:6-8; Dan. 2:35), absolute (Ps. 2:9; Isa. 11:4), and righteous (Isa. 11:3-5). Spiritually, their rule will be a time when the believing remnant of Israel is converted (Jer. 30:5-8; Rom. 11:26) and the nation is restored to the land God promised to Abraham (Gen. 13:14-15; 15:18). It will be a time when the Gentile nations also will worship the King (Isa. 11:9; Mic. 4:2; Zech. 14:16). The millennial rule of Christ and the saints will also be marked by the presence of righteousness and peace (Isa. 32:17) and joy (Isa. 12:3-4; 61:3,7). Physically, it will be a time when the curse is lifted (Isa. 11:7-9; 30:23-24; 35:1-2,7), when food will be plentiful (Joel 2:21-27), and when there will be physical health and well-being (Isa. 33:24; 35:5-6), leading to long life (Isa. 65:20). (Revelation 12–22, 239)

The millennium will be a wonderful time under the cosmic and universal reign of King Jesus.

REVELATION 20:7-10

These verses record what can be called “the final battle” between God and Satan, good and evil. Osborne points out,

There are five aspects of this scene: the release of Satan, his deception and gathering of the nations for the final battle, their surrounding God’s people, fire descending from heaven to devour the nations, and the casting of Satan into the lake of fire. (Revelation, 710)

Why does our God allow the evil one a final desperate grasp at power? I believe the answer is twofold. First, to demonstrate the evil intentions of Satan that consume him now and forever. Second, to reveal that even in a near perfect environment with no Satanic temptation, man is capable of and willing to rebel against his gracious and loving God.

At the beginning of the millennium, two types of persons are on the earth: believers with glorified bodies and believers with nonglorified bodies who survived the tribulation. Nonglorified believers can and will have children. These persons, like all persons, will have the opportunity to say yes or no to Jesus. Outwardly it appears virtually all will say yes. Inwardly, however, in their heart, many will say no. When the opportunity comes to rebel against the most wonderful leader the world has ever known, they will jump at the chance. Their doom, however, is sealed even before the rebellion begins.

Satan is released from his prison (v. 7). Immediately he goes out with a twofold agenda: to deceive the nations and to gather a great army to war against the Lord (v. 8). “Gog and Magog” is a reference to Ezekiel 38–39. Here the phrase stands for the enemies of God among the nations of the world. They march on “the beloved city” (v. 9), the city of Jerusalem, where King Jesus reigns over His worldwide kingdom. Before they can achieve their goal, however, “fire came down from heaven and consumed them.” In a flash, in a moment, the final battle is over. An army “like the sand of the sea” is vaporized instantaneously! “Like Armageddon a thousand years earlier (19:11-21), the ‘battle’ will in reality be an execution” (MacArthur, Revelation 12–22, 242).

Our text ends with Satan finally receiving his just reward: he is “thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast [i.e., antichrist] and the false prophet are.” There this unholy trinity’s eternal destiny is to be “tormented day and night forever and ever.” Their just judgment is literal. It is eternal. No reprieve. No relief. No second chance. No end.

There is a lot to take in from Revelation 20, exegetically, theologically, and even personally. Osborne provides a helpful overview that addresses all three of these, reminding us that God is holy and sin is serious. God will not tolerate sin and evil forever. Their end is in sight. Osborne writes:

In 20:4-6 . . . the saints sit on thrones and judge the nations for the thousand-year period. In 20:5-6 the contrast between saint and sinner comes to the fore, and this has strong evangelistic potential. Every non-Christian must be aware that only believers will experience the “first resurrection.” For the unbelievers the only “resurrection” they will experience will be the one that leads to the “second death,” but that will have no “power” over the Christian. The believer will know only “life,” but the unbeliever will have only eternal “death.”

God allows Satan and his followers to have one last gasp, yet the purpose there is to prove beyond any doubt that the hold of depravity over the sinner is total. Though the nations have had a thousand years to experience the [benevolent] authority of Christ, as soon as Satan is released they flock after him. This tells the reader that God’s only response must be eternal punishment. The power of sin is eternal over those who have rejected Christ again and again, as seen in the repeated repudiations of God’s offer of repentance throughout this book (9:20-21; 16:9,11), culminating in the final refusal after experiencing the reign of Christ for a thousand years. So God can respond to eternal sin only with eternal torment. Thus, as the enemies of God and the saints surround his people, he sends fire from heaven to devour them as a prelude to the eternal fire that will be their destiny.

At that time Satan joins the other two members of the false trinity (19:20) in the lake of fire, where their followers will soon join them. God’s justice demands this response. Those who are offended by such teaching have too low a realization of the terrible nature of sin and the natural response that divine holiness must have toward it. We must remember the many times in this book that God sought their repentance, and those who did repent (11:13) no longer faced such judgment. But God cannot abide sin, and his reaction must be swift and final. (Revelation, 717)

Final judgment will be swift. It is truly final. Are you prepared? Are you ready? Only those who follow Christ will be.