Revelation 20:1-15

[8/21/11]

 

Review:

Revelation 19:19-21) (GW) I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army.

20) (GW) The beast and the false prophet who had done miracles for the beast were captured. By these miracles the false prophet had deceived those who had the brand of the beast and worshiped its statue. Both of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

21) (GW) The rider on the horse killed the rest with the sword that came out of his mouth. All the birds gorged themselves on the flesh of those who had been killed.

QUESTION: What happens to the Anti-Christ and the false prophet?

ANSWER: They are captured and thrown alive into the Lake of Fire.

QUESTION: What happens to everyone else at Armageddon?

ANSWER: Note the following passage from Zachariah:

 Zechariah 14:12-13) (GNB) The LORD will bring a terrible disease on all the nations that make war on Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot away while they are still alive; their eyes and their tongues will rot away.

13) (GNB) At that time the LORD will make them so confused and afraid that everyone will seize the man next to him and attack him.

NOTE: Think “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” No wonder the blood will read to the horse’s bridle.

 

On To This Week’s Lesson:

Revelation 20:1-15) (GW) I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key to the bottomless pit and a large chain in his hand.

2) (GW) He overpowered the serpent, that ancient snake, named Devil and Satan. The angel chained up the serpent for 1,000 years.

3) (GW) He threw it into the bottomless pit. The angel shut and sealed the pit over the serpent to keep it from deceiving the nations anymore until the 1,000 years were over. After that it must be set free for a little while.

QUESTION: What happens to the devil?

ANSWER: He is thrown into the bottomless pit for 1000 years.

QUESTION: What will happen to him after that?

ANSWER: He will “be set free for a little while.”

QUESTION: What do we notice about the devil be “overpowered”?

ANSWER: An angel overpowered him. God didn’t need to bother Himself with the task. Again, the devil is no match for God.

4) (GW) I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were allowed to judge. Then I saw the souls of those whose heads had been cut off because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its statue and were not branded on their foreheads or hands. They lived and ruled with Christ for 1,000 years.

5) (GW) The rest of the dead did not live until the 1,000 years ended. This is the first time that people come back to life.

(KJV) But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is the first resurrection.

6) (GW) Blessed and holy are those who are included the first time that people come back to life. The second death has no power over them. They will continue to be priests of God and Christ. They will rule with him for 1,000 years.

QUESTION: Are verses 4-6 telling us that only Tribulation martyrs reign with Christ for 1000 years, and that we won’t resurrect until the end of that 1000 years?

ANSWER: Like many prophecy teachers, I believe this verse is telling us that this resurrection of Tribulation saints, who I believe are converts of the 2 Witnesses, are the last phase of the First Resurrection. I also believe that the “rest of the dead” are the unredeemed.

 

Revelation 2:26-28) (GNB) To those who win the victory, who continue to the end to do what I want, I will give the same authority that I received from my Father: I will give them authority over the nations, to rule them with an iron rod and to break them to pieces like clay pots. I will also give them the morning star.

NOTE: The above passage shows us that all overcomers will reign with Christ, not just Tribulation martyrs.

7) (GW) When 1,000 years are over, Satan will be freed from his prison.

8) (GW) He will go out to deceive Gog and Magog, the nations in the four corners of the earth, and gather them for war. They will be as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.

9) (GW) I saw that they spread over the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s holy people and the beloved city. Fire came from heaven and burned them up.

10) (GW) The devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were also thrown. They will be tortured day and night forever and ever.

QUESTION: When Satan is set free from the bottomless pit is he able to deceive very many people?

ANSWER: Those deceived “will be as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.”

QUESTION: Why would people who have been living in a perfect environment, the Millennium Kingdom of Christ, rebel against Jesus and follow Satan?

ANSWER: Those surviving the Tribulation Period, who then enter the Millennium Kingdom, are natural people with a fallen nature. All children being born during the 1000 years are natural people with a fallen nature. This means that many will not enjoy the reign of Christ, and will therefore be easily deceived by Satan.

QUESTION: Will this be a hard fought battle?

ANSWER: No! God speaks! Fire falls! Battle over!

QUESTION: Then what happens to Satan?

ANSWER: He will be thrown into the Lake of Fire where the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet are.

QUESTION: Will the Lake of Fire destroy them?

ANSWER: No! “They will be tortured day and night forever and ever.”

11) (GW) I saw a large, white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the sky fled from his presence, but no place was found for them.

Regarding this Great White Throne Judgment,

“Many – even most – Bible scholars believe that Christians will never appear before this great white throne. It isn’t because we can hide from it – no one can. The idea is that we are spared from this awesome throne of judgment because our sins are already judged in Jesus at the cross. We don’t escape God’s judgment; we satisfy it in Jesus” [Guzik].

II Corinthians 5:10) (GW) All of us must appear in front of Christ’s judgment seat. Then all people will receive what they deserve for the good or evil they have done while living in their bodies.

I Corinthians 5:13-15) (GW) The day will make what each one does clearly visible because fire will reveal it. That fire will determine what kind of work each person has done.

14) (GW) If what a person has built survives, he will receive a reward.

15) (GW) If his work is burned up, he will suffer the loss. However, he will be saved, though it will be like going through a fire.

Hebrews 4:10-16) (GW) Those who entered his place of rest also rested from their work as God did from his.

11) (GW) So we must make every effort to enter that place of rest. Then no one will be lost by following the example of those who refused to obey.

12) (GW) God’s word is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts as deep as the place where soul and spirit meet, the place where joints and marrow meet. God’s word judges a person’s thoughts and intentions.

13) (GW) No creature can hide from God. Everything is uncovered and exposed for him to see. We must answer to him.

14) (GW) We need to hold on to our declaration of faith: We have a superior chief priest who has gone through the heavens. That person is Jesus, the Son of God.

15) (GW) We have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he didn’t sin.

16) (GW) So we can go confidently to the throne of God’s kindness to receive mercy and find kindness, which will help us at the right time.

12) (GW) I saw the dead, both important and unimportant people, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened, including the Book of Life. The dead were judged on the basis of what they had done, as recorded in the books.

QUESTION: Who will be at this judgment?

ANSWER: This judgment is primarily for the unredeemed. However, it’s possible some of the Tribulation martyrs could be there as well.

QUESTION: On what basis will people be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment?

ANSWER: They will be judged according to “what they had done.”

QUESTION: Will they be judged on the curve; i.e., highest score = A, then downward from there?

ANSWER: No! A perfect score is necessary to get to Heaven.

QUESTION: Why does God have the “Book of Life” at this judgment?

ANSWER: If someone fails to get a perfect score, and everyone will, then God will check the Book of Life to see if they have accepted Christ as their Savior.

QUESTION: If God knows everything, then why does He have to check the Book of Life to see if someone is saved?

ANSWER: He doesn’t have to. He will do it to show that His judgments are fair. When they are found guilty of sin, He will show them that their name is not in the Book of Life, meaning they didn’t accept the remedy for their sin that God has provided for them at great expense to Himself.

13) (GW) The sea gave up its dead. Death and hell gave up their dead. People were judged based on what they had done.

14) (GW) Death and hell were thrown into the fiery lake. (The fiery lake is the second death.)

15) (GW) Those whose names were not found in the Book of Life were thrown into the fiery lake.

QUESTION: What’s the difference between Hell and the Lake of Fire?

ANSWER: Metaphorically speaking, hell is jail and the Lake of Fire is prison.

James 2:26) (GNB) So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.

QUESTION: Why is the Lake of Fire called “the second death”?

ANSWER: In Scripture death = separation. One is physically dead when the spirit separates itself from the body. One is spiritually dead when his/her sins separate him/her from God. One is eternally dead [the second death] when he/she is eternally separated from God.