I invite you to turn in the Scriptures tonight to the last book of the Bible, Revelation chapter 20. We sort of hit a climax tonight, and then we begin this final look at the new heavens and the new earth in Revelation 21 and 22. Tonight we come to the important chapter 20 that deals with the millennial reign, and we will consider verses 1 through 10 tonight. I'd like to treat the final judgment, the white throne judgment next time, and we'll look at specifically that judgment and how that will take place and what that will mean. But tonight, we're looking at the first 10 verses of Revelation 20. This is the word of the Lord. Let's give our attention to it. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he sees the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan. and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or its image, and have not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands, they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until a thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. Over such, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for battle, their numbers like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city but fire came down from heaven and consumed them and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever and there ends the reading tonight of god's word revelation of the book itself has really helped us to look at things from a little bit different perspective than we normally do. It's been showing us through figures and symbols the awful battle that we are in and what this present evil age is like and what we have to face in this present evil age. I don't know how you have felt so far all the way through. We've made it to chapter 20. This has been a great goal of mine in the ministry. I wanted to preach revelation at least once maybe we should start it over um i don't know how you felt going through the book especially as we began to get toward the end here uh even though it's showing us things over and over in different ways i think it could become a little bit easy to get discouraged in this book and feel like is there any perspective of victory until we get to heaven um do we just have to sort of hang our heads and grin and bear it until we get there are we really you know just have to we really just have to continue to go through defeat now i think it would be easy um to end up there in this book but that's not god's perspective that's not god's perspective at all and as we approach the end of the book of revelation he's making sure we understand this. Actually, every way that you have looked at things, as you naturally look at things in life, and we see the news, and we see the media, and we see everything that's happening, all the evil that develops in the world, and the things that we face, Revelation sort of flips on its head and helps us to look at things correctly. And it's interesting to me that the very last chapter before we deal with the new heavens and the new earth where righteousness shall dwell the very last chapter gives us the kind of perspective about life now that the book wants to leave us with which is the heart of this book this is the final take when looking at history in this chapter the final take he's going to provide for us one more sweeping description of history you get your last one tonight all to say one thing as i said in the beginning of the series. Remember? Remember the little story that I told in the beginning of the series when these seminary students were playing basketball and they saw the janitor reading and they rocked up and said, what are you reading? And he said, revelation. They said, do you know what you're reading? Do you understand what you're reading? Pulled a Philip, didn't they? They were going to help him. And he said simply yes jesus is going to win remember that well that's revelation 20 and he is providing us this last description of history to say jesus is one he's one and the truth of the matter that everything that you're looking at at the things that you're looking at in an earthly way as we see them and as we experience them is not the ultimate truth of the matter if we look at this from a heavenly perspective it's a chapter meant to say you are victorious now it's a chapter meant to do that and don't forget that don't forget that as we leave this study soon and now he's going to show us that so let's let's uh begin with this tonight the first thing uh that he does for us is show us something that's rather surprising it's actually telling us that satan is very limited that satan is very limited and that he in fact is the shackled one he is scriptures have always told us this we think of what jude said about the angels who fell they are reserved in chains of darkness for the judgment of the great day you're kind of understanding that here you're getting a perspective of that they have no hope of redemption they are merely awaiting their judgment the fallen angels. So notice here then in verse 1 of chapter 20, then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he laid hold, seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the pit and shut him up and set a seal over him that he might not deceive the nations any longer until a thousand years were ended and after that he must be released for a little while. Remember that we are in this last cycle of the book of Revelation and it's essentially showing us the dismantling of the devil and his kingdom. Everything so far now has already been systematically dismantled if we're looking at it as Revelation has presented it. We've been systematically studying the judgment that is falling on the kingdom of darkness. babylon has been judged the false prophet has been judged the beast has been judged all that's left is the dragon and that's who's left to get it in this chapter but he wants to give you perspective about satan in the present uh the the the chapter is helping us to understand what satan is doing and how he is limited and what he is subject to in this great defeat that has already happened and not yet fully happened, but will happen when he's cast into the lake of fire. I want you to think of this then for a minute. What you have pictured here at the beginning of chapter 20 is this angel. We've had a lot of language of a strong angel, an angel standing in the sun. This is just an angel. This is nothing big about this angel. I saw an angel coming down from heaven and he grabbed him um sense of that is to say this wasn't very hard this wasn't very hard god gave the command an angel grabbed satan the angel grabs him here the angel lays hold of him the dragon you'll notice it's made clear so we understand who this is this is the ancient serpent all the way back in the garden this is clearly satan this is the called the devil and satan this angel has a great chain in his hand and the imagery is boys and girls that he takes the chain you could imagine a cowboy at a rodeo and he takes the chain like a lasso and he throws it out and he captures this raging beast that no one can control this beast is out of control this thing is ferocious and the angel lassos him the angel lays hold of him and casts him into a dungeon and he is sealed up out of control devil thrown into a dungeon and you'll notice here that the only time in the bible this great thousand year reign is mentioned is right here. He is bound up for a thousand years. Now we've looked at numbers in Revelation and we've looked at the symbolism of all the numbers. Everything is symbolic. But we come to a lot of different views when we come to this chapter. I've tried to stay away from all of that. I can't really avoid it for a minute now. I really wanted to look at this without talking about every view under the sun sometimes it's just not helpful but it is important so that it helps you understand because people have heard this so much in the left behind series and and the rapture and all these ideas that are out there about the millennium that one of the predominant views that has been in place in our country for some time in dispensationalism is that at some point there is going to be a secret rapture of the church any moment it could happen the church will be raptured out you will have a seven year period of tribulation the first three and a half relatively calm the second three and a half terribly fierce against those who didn't get raptured out and that's when they say the 144 000 of the jews will be delivered following that jesus will return on the clouds of heaven bringing his raptured church who was raptured out they would say hey the church hasn't been mentioned since chapter three and four therefore the church is already gone the church is raptured out he will bring the rapture church and then set up an earthly reign in jerusalem in a rebuilt temple reinstituting things that the old jerusalem temple had and have a thousand year reign of jesus there and then the nations will come to him think of the psalm that I read tonight that talked about the nations are going to come to the feet of Jesus. So that's a view that has been very prevalent, very popular. It's popular in many of the writings in the Christian bookstores. Well, I'm going to be bold tonight and say I have 110% saying without any measure of a doubt, that view is wrong, that view is unbiblical, that view robs us of comfort, that view is missing everything the Bible is saying to us about the here and the now. Let me show you here tonight the big picture that you know in the Scriptures. Right now, Satan's bound. You believe me? He's got a big chain around his neck. Well, not literally. Some want to take that literally. Right now, we're in the thousand-year reign of Jesus. That's the claim. That's the statement of what some have called amillennialism. And you say to me, are you kidding? what world are you living in, right? This can't at all be describing what we're living in now, can't it? Did you see Texas last week, Pastor? Did you see Vegas? You look at the state of the church. Are you telling me Satan's bound? Perspectives. This is why I love this chapter. This is perspectives. This chapter is turning everything on its head in terms of how we think things are going. That's the full thrust and point of this chapter because it's full of so many surprises. You look at things and say, oh, it's so bad out there. I say it all the time. What generation has it? I still remember my grandma when she was living. Oh, you're going to see the end because it's so bad. Every generation says it. Every grandma and grandpa says it. Don't they? It's so bad out there. This is the worst evil we've ever seen. It's bad. I'm not arguing that. You can look at it that way. But I think Revelation 20 is helping us in a different way to look at things and what the Lord is doing for us. Looking at things from a heavenly perspective and understanding the reign of Jesus a little bit differently than establishing an earthly setup in the nation of Israel. The Lord is saying, I want you to look at this a little bit differently from a different point of view for a minute. The whole thing is going to hell in a handbasket. Not because of the devil, but because it's under judgment. So here's the question. You think guns can stop my reign? You think church shootings stop my reign? you think an axis of evil stops my reign you think nations stop my reign you think satan's winning do you think that you think all this mess that we're in right now is frustrating my plan says the lord you think so you know what revelation is saying to us what revelation is saying to us in this chapter very very strongly and throughout the whole of the book is jesus is reigning now now martin luther uh had such a perspective of this because he used to he used to say which confused people sometimes until they understood exactly what he was saying he used to say the devil is god's devil what does that mean the devil's not an independent actor doing whatever he wants apart from the lord in other words he's not he's not he's not messing with the decree of the Lord and operating contrary to the Lord's power. The Lord is in control. Think about the message you know for a minute. And I think if we can look at the whole message of how it's been preached to you, you're going to see exactly what this is saying to you tonight. What do you know? What have you learned about the gospel? What has been preached to you your whole life? If you've been in the church and a pastor has been preaching the gospel to you, what have you learned? Well, think about the life of Jesus with me for a minute. The Son of God, the eternal Son of God comes here. From the beginning, he's in a cradle, a little tomb-like existence. Not even Herod can take him out. Not even Herod can take him out. Upon his growth and years, as he advances, he goes out into the wilderness, and the devil himself has a direct confrontation with the devil himself. and beats him. Beats him. In fact, Jesus was so adamant about this, he says in the course of his ministry, no one, now listen to this, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up. I got to bind him. Get that. You can't go into a strong person's house unless I first put a chain around him. Then he can plunder the strong man's house. How did he plunder it? Beaten, whipped, flogged, assaulted, hated, mocked, bloody, dying. Come the great words in the midst of it all it's finished what he won he won you would never have looked at the life of jesus and thought he was winning you would have never looked at him and thought he was a winner there was nothing glorious about him outwardly they hated him he won they were laughing at him on the cross god is laughing in heaven the rulers of the world take counsel together against the lord and against his anointed and as satan smiled jesus says it's finished think of that dear disciples dear disciples i saw satan fall from heaven like lightning when he's told us john 12 31 now is the judgment of this world now the prince of this world will be driven out and i when i am lifted up from the earth will draw all peoples to myself in other words when i am resurrected and i am seated it begins you hear him jesus looked at the people and he said it so clearly the time of judgment has come the prince of the world is driven out and i'm going to plunder his house i'm going to plunder his house by binding him up and when i'm lifted up to the throne i'm going to draw everyone to me so jesus dies he um he rises he enters into glory and what happens he's seated before he left he said to his disciples all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me go therefore i'm reigning power it's a rain isn't it it's it's the way that the scriptures have described it for us all the apostles understood it this way they kept speaking of it this way think of think of how paul would encourage christians about their freedom their freedom in christ that not to be caught back up into bondage with saying this you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh god made alive together with him having forgiven us all our trespasses what did he do he canceled the record of death that stood against us this he set aside nailing it to the cross he disarmed rulers and authorities and put them to open shame triumphing over them in it where cross hebrews you made him a little low a little while lower than the angels you've crowned him with glory and honor putting everything in subjection under his feet now think of the call to worship tonight now in putting everything in subjection to him he left nothing outside of his control at present we do not yet see everything in subjection to him you don't see it with your eyes but we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels namely jesus since therefore the children share in the same flesh and blood he himself likewise partook of the same things that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death that is the devil and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery you hear it over and over in their uh in their mindset the cross defeated the cross defeated he reigns they're all coming now you say what do you mean he's bound look again what does revelation say he's bound as he's bound for a thousand years so that here's here's how he's bound he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years are finished he's not bound in the sense that evil's eliminated yet it will be he's bound in the sense he's not bound in the sense he can't roam around like a roaring lion he's bound in the sense, he can't deceive the nations. What does that mean? Is it really so hard? We've been studying Acts, haven't we? What is the whole program of Acts? Gospel begins in this little room in Jerusalem, and it goes out to Judea, to the ends of the earth, to Rome we're at by the end of Acts. Isn't that a marvel? So all throughout the Old Testament, the gospel was in Israel, but you think of Egypt, Philistia, Canaan, they didn't have the gospel. He wins. He's resurrected. He's caught up. It's gone out now to Judea, to the ends of the earth. Where is it today? It's just an absolute marvel. I am 2,000 years later preaching the gospel in Escondido, California. You know there's a rain if it made it to Escondido, let me tell you. I am preaching today, and you just witnessed today the sign that Peter spoke about in Acts 2, the promises to you and your children. You just saw the very same thing that was happening in Acts happen right here this morning. And you have a, from a, I mean, you think about this, from an Irish, Scottish, German with some Jew in me, mutt preaching to you. You should be laughing at that. And my wife, Spanish, Basque, and Swedish. You can't see this? You're telling me you can't see this? See how it's a different perspective? You can't see the reign of Jesus right now? How many languages has the Bible been translated into? What's our brother Bill Green doing right now? How many nations are hearing it today? And the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness, and then the end will come. That's a reign. You see it in Ephesians 2. This great power was worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places far above all principalities and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but in the age to come. Isn't He reigning over you? Hasn't He captivated your hearts? Hasn't He brought you out of darkness? How great of a work is that? hasn't he given you power from on high haven't you known his love haven't you known his care how many people are we praying for from this pulpit all the time and he hears an answer you know what this is saying satan's really not very strong when faced with this rain because he didn't stop a lick of it peter satan's asked to sift you satan even has to come and ask but i've prayed for you your faith should not fail the nations have believed it's made it a long way across the earth it's gone all over the earth and back all the promises of the old testament about the nations coming what i read tonight has happened and you're at the end of history coming to his feet you're at the end of history he considered you and brought you to his feet that's where you are tonight that's what worship is now maybe somebody's still struggling with this maybe somebody's still struggling with this just can't quite accept it i don't know how not but i'll just make that assumption for a minute maybe you're struggling with still pastor look what we're living in look what our children are facing our children are a mess the church is falling apart the nations are in upheaval they're crushing us what do you mean what is the worst thing that could happen to us well the next section tells you you could be martyred well let's look at that for a minute verse 4 and i saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge and i saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about jesus and because of the word of god they think everything we've learned now in revelation so far. They had not worshipped the beast. What had they spent their life doing? Worshipping Jesus. They had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and they reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until a thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed, Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. Let's take what is the worst thing that could happen. In Roman society, Paul knew it. John knew it. Soldier would take you out. You going to confess Caesar as Lord? I can't do it. Kneel down. Kneel down. Out comes the sword. Head goes rolling right off. I saw those. Did you see it there? Did you see it in those first sections? The souls of those who had been beheaded. Maybe this will help. The other day, Devin Kelly walks into a church. A church that's worshiping Jesus. One week ago. With his AR, he shoots up the whole thing. Awful. absolutely awful. Think about what just met there. The worst, murderous, violent act of hatred under the sun. It met unarmed worshipers of Jesus. The most pure act you can do in this life, the most pure thing you can do in this life is worship Jesus. It met beast worshiper coming in to destroy they never came out they never came out little baptist insignificant folk country folk don't have much don't have much at all singing praise with their children a man under demonic control and a crooked heart comes in shoots up them all if you're looking at the situation what are you thinking well i'm thinking of romans 8 we're counted as sheep for the slaughter not defended worst tragedy we say worst tragedy and it is from the perspective of what is right and wrong and god's justice that is an evil under the sun that's hard to even bear this is why i said and and and i appreciate someone saying to me you know we often run around saying, you know, God will never give you more than you can bear. You want to tell that to those people who made it out of that? God can bear it. They can't bear that. From the perspective of what's right and wrong, it's just awful. From the world's perspective, they're going to talk about it the way that they talk about it. You get a Hollywood response with things like this. They were in church. They had prayer. The prayer shot right out of them. Maybe try something else. the murdered victims were in a church if prayers did anything they'd still be alive huh that's another perspective but i've got a better one for you did you hear what was just said and i looked and i saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the word of god they're with jesus and they're reigning they're victorious they've won the gospel made it to sutherland texas sutherland springs population 600 sarah and dennis johnson was appointed there a church elder who served in the U.S. Navy Reserves and the Army National Guard. Dies that way. Sarah Johnson was remembered as an adoring mother and grandmother. She volunteered in the church nursery for more than three decades. Whoever noticed that? Whoever noticed it? Haley Kruger, the 16-year-old, had helped out with breakfast that morning in the church. Joanne Ward, 30, and daughters Brookward five and Emily Garza seven. A visiting pastor. Look at this scenario. Not to mention the pastor who's gone, his 14-year-old daughter. Visiting pastor brings his whole family. Eight members of that family, the Holcomb family, died in the shooting as well as an unborn child and i saw and i saw up in heaven the souls of those who had been beheaded the souls of those who had been shot in texas for the word of god for the word of god when a madman under satanic influence wanting to destroy which is what satan wants to do comes in they're praying you know what's happening i think of stephen as he's being stoned to death you know what he's doing he's praying lord don't charge them with this as they stoned him stephen prayed lord jesus receive my spirit it's one of the few times it's ever pictured in the scripture of Jesus standing in heaven because He's receiving Him. So, as those shootings are happening, those people are entering into Jesus in victory in heaven. Who won? Who won? And that man goes out and kills himself. Where did he end up? You see what it's showing you? That right now in heaven, and they are doing what? They are entering into the judgment that Jesus is giving and giving that judgment. It's a righteous judgment. But we have to have a doctrine of justice and judgment and righteousness. You see what it's showing you? All right now, all the saints who have died is using the worst thing, the worst thing that we fear. This seems to say everything's wrong. What it's saying to us is all the saints are reigning right now with Jesus. And here's the ultimate encouragement. That's the first resurrection. In other words, what I just said to you was their death was a resurrection it was a resurrection of their souls to glory they went to be with him immediately and you know what that means this is why I love this anyone who wants to talk about a final judgment according to works and all these things notice this verse just puts it all out the second death can't touch them the white throne judgment can't Touch them. There's no power it has over them. They're reigning now. They're reigning now. Oh, death, where is your sting? Oh, Hades, where is your victory? Thanks be to God who gives us the victory in Jesus. No condemnation. This is why the New Testament is continuing to say to us that our citizenship is in heaven. I want to close with this thought tonight. We'll have the sermon on the great white throne judgment next time. And I really want to spend some time on that. In verse 7, it says here, when the thousand years were finished, Satan will be released from his prison, will go out to deceive the nations, Gog and Magog. It's pictured from the Old Testament, Ezekiel, a collective stance. Satan's going to give one last big hurrah to try to rally the troops. And he's going to be allowed to do it. I don't know exactly what that's going to look like. But in every period of history before the final judgments happen, God described a period of greatness of tribulation and darkness. And what it's saying, I believe, is being said here is at some point God will allow that deception to again engulf the nations and great darkness will come and they will try to crush the church with everything they have and the Lord Jesus in bright glory and in flaming fire will come and put an end to it forever. In a display of something so awesome 2 Thessalonians 1 says all you're going to do is stand there and say, there's my champion. This is why I said, you ever watched a good movie where the protagonist comes out and he wins? How excited you are for your hero? You're not scared of him? There comes your deliverer, your champion. I hope you see the effect of this tonight. It's meant to encourage you to look at the big picture, Satan is already conquered now. The gospel is winning. Every one of his elect are being brought in, and then the end will come. No matter what happens to us along the way, we've already overcome by the blood of the Lamb. That's what Revelation's telling us. You've already come, overcome by the blood of the Lamb. That doesn't give me, the struggle right now doesn't give me a pessimistic outlook on things. It shouldn't. It should give us the greatest optimism about what we're doing. It should give us a lot of excitement about our project, not fear. The disciples prayed for boldness in the midst of the hardship and threats, didn't they? You're reigning with Him. You're reigning now. It struck me the other day, and I'll close with this thought. In Acts, when they were praying the other day, remember the sermon, how they started that prayer? After the threat of severe threats against them for the gospel, remember what they prayed? Sovereign Lord, remember? Give us boldness in the face of this that the name of Jesus would be heard and proclaimed. You know, I was thinking the other day, there's another time that prayer is made in heaven. It's in Revelation. How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood. Remember what he said? Just wait a little bit longer until the rest of your fellow brethren who would be martyred as you are come in. That's not a pessimistic outlook from Jesus' perspective. He's assuring you he hears that prayer and will strengthen you and give you the boldness that you need to be a witness for him. And as we pray as a church that the church would be faithful to him and even when we're hated for this message, and we will be hated, you will be hated. Be bold. Remember, you've already won. You're already a victor. You have everything given to you in Christ. Be confident that you are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and died for us. Let's pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, what a wonderful perspective tonight as we consider the book of Revelation on such a powerful chapter that leaves us on this note before we consider the new heavens and the new earth. Thank You for, again, snapshotting history for us and showing us what Jesus has done for us. We think of all of our brothers and sisters who've gone ahead of us, who have died for the faith, and we are so thankful for that witness that You gave through them. Ultimately, the witness of Your Son who lived and died and rose again and is reigning on the throne and the nations are coming to His feet today so that when we get there we will see a multitude no man can number of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Thank you for such wonderful words. Give us this perspective this week in the struggles and in the hardship. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you.