16. the millennial kingdom - amazon web...

Lesson#16

TheMillennialKingdom

(20:1-15)

1TheMillennialKingdom

A"erachorusofpraisefromthetwenty-foureldersandavastmul8tudeinheaven,Lesson#15presentedtheclimac8c“Ba@leofArmageddon”asChristreturned,ridingawhitehorseandleadinghisarmyofsaints.TheyquicklycrushedSatan’sforces,ledbytheAn8christandtheFalseProphet,whowerecapturedand“thrownaliveintothefierypoolwithburningsulfur”(19:20).

AlltherestofSatan’sminionsbecamecarrion,foodforthebirdsoftheair,whogorgedthemselvesontheirroSngcorpses.


.


WithChrist’sreturnandhisdecisivevictoryoverSatanandhisminions,Christandhissaintsreignfor1,000years.HeimprisonsSatanduringthis8me,butthenattheendofthe1,000years,Satanissetfreetodeceivetheearthoncemore!Histhirddefeatisfinal,andhispunishmentisswi"andsevere:Satanis“thrownintothepooloffireandsulfur,wherethebeastandthefalseprophetwere.Therethey[are]tormented

dayandnightforeverandever”(20:10).

Lesson#16presentsthe“millennialkingdom,”Christ’s1,000yearreign.OfallthetopicsinRevela8on,thisisperhapsthemostdifficulttofitneatlyintoRevela8on’[email protected],andweproposeasolu8on.

A"erthefallofBabylon,Christ’striumphalreturn,thevictoryatArmageddonandthedestruc8onoftheAn8christandtheFalseProphetinthelakeoffire,itwouldseemthathistoryhasfinallyreacheditsconclusion.

ButSatan,thoughdefeated,iss8llontheloose!

Here,inRevela8on20wecaptureSatan,throwhimintotheabyssandlockandsealitoverhim.WhileSatanisconfined,the1,000yearreignofChristandhissaintsbegins,onlytoendwithSatanbeingreleased.Truetocharacter,heleadshisthirdandfinalassaultonGod,andoncemorehesuffersdefeat.This8mehe,too,iscastintothefierypool,nevertoriseagain.



“Then I saw an angel come down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a heavy chain. He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, which is the Devil or Satan, and tied it up for a thousand years and threw it into the abyss, which he locked over it and sealed, so that it could no longer lead the nations astray until the thousand years are completed. After this, it is to be released for a short time.” (20: 1-3)

“SatanBound,”Apocalypse(miniatureillumina8on,YatesThompsonMS10,fol.34r),c.1370-1390.Bri8shLibrary,London.


• A"erthecatastrophicdefeatatArmageddonandthedestruc8onofthebeastandthefalseprophet,wecanonlyimagingSatanontherun,afugi8veinahidey-hole,quicklydiscovered,priedfrombeneathaslimyrockandtakenintocustodybyanangelfromheaven.

• “Heseizedthedragon,theancientserpent,whichistheDevilorSatan”—thevery“serpent”

wefirstmetintheGardenofEdenduringhis

seducOonofAdamandEve,theopeningofour

story—andtheangelcastshim“intotheabyss,”lockingandsealingitoverhim.InNewTestament8mes,thea“bussoß [ah’-bus-sos]—the“abyss”—isthelandofthedead,alandcrawlingwithdemonicspirits(Luke8:31).


• No8cethatSatanislockedintheabysssothathecouldnolonger“leadthena8onsastray,”[planavw,plah-nah’-o].In12:9,thebackstoryofthewarinheaven,thatisexactlywhatSatandid,he“deceived[planavw]thewholeworld.”

• IntheprologuetothebookofJob,SatanentersthecourtofheavenandtheLordasks,“Wherehaveyoubeen?”towhichSatanreplies,“Roamingtheearth...”(1:7).AndJohntellsusinhisfirstepistlethat“thewholeworldisunderthepoweroftheevilone”(5:19).

• Now,lockedintheabyss,Satan’spowerislimited.Importantly,heisnotdestroyed;rather,heisimprisonedandisnolongerabletoexercisehispoweroverthena8ons.Buthispresencecans8llbefelt.


Notme.


Andwhat’sthis1,000yearsall

about?

OK,Iunderstandthat.Satanlostthewarinheavenandheandhiscrew

werecastout.SatanandhisminionslostagainatArmageddon,andnowhe’slockedup8ghtintheabyss.Butonceunderlockandkey,whyintheworldwouldGodparoleSatana"er

1,000years!

9

Althoughsomereadersunderstandthe1,000yearstobealiteral1,000-yearreignofChristonearthinafuturephysical“MillennialKingdom,”the1,000yearsisbe@erunderstoodasafigura8venumberfor“along8me,”asin“athousandyearsinyoureyesaremerelyaday

goneby”(Psalm90:4).Wehaveseenthissymbolicorfigura8veuseofnumbersthroughoutScripture,withitsnumeroussetsof3s,7s,12sand40s.


Butthis1,000yearreignofChristisperplexing.Ifwesimplyreadourtextonaliteral,surfacelevel,itappearsthatthe1,000yearsfollowimmediatelya"erChrist’svictoryatArmageddonandthebindingofSatan,andtheyendwiththereleaseofSatan,hisfinalrebellion,defeatanddemise,bringinghistorytoaclose.

Suchareadingposesnumerousdifficul8es,however,[email protected],forexample,doweunderstandtworesurrec8ons(20:4,5)?A"era1,000-yearreignofChristonearth,howcouldSatanthen“deceivethena8ons”(20:8)andleadthemintorebellionandcatastropheagain?


Aswe’vealreadyseeninourstudy,Revela8ono"enusestheliterarytechniqueofrecapitulaOon,ofpausingthelinearnarra8ve,turningaround,anddroppingintoanearliersceneforacloserlook.Wesawthis,forexample,whenwepausedournarra8vetoviewthebackstoryofRevela8oninChapters12-14,andwesawitagaininchapters17-19,arecapitula8onthattookusto“groundzero,”theepicenteroftheseventhbowl’simpact.


Tohelpusfindourwaythroughthetangledthicketofthe“MillennialKingdom,”wemightturntotheearlyChurchfathersforguidance.

Someofthefathers—PapiasofHierapolis(c.70-163),Irenaeus(c.130-202)andTertullian(c.155-240),forexample—expectedaliteral1,000-yearreign,atransformed,Eden-likeearthlyparadiseoverwhichChristandthesaintswouldrule.Thisiscalledmillennialism.

Others—Origen(c.184-253),DionysiusofAlexandria(c.200-264),andJerome(c.347-420)—understoodthe1,000yearsasallegory,inwhichChristtriumphedoversinandimmorality,vividlyportrayedintheimageryandsymbolismofRevela8on.


St.Augus8ne(354-430)tookadifferent—andaveryinsighqul—turn,however,understandingthe“millennialkingdom”asstar8ngwithJesus’firstcomingandendingwithhissecond,aviewcalledamillennialism.

AsAugus8nestruggledwiththeparadoxoftworesurrec8ons,heconcludedthatthefirstresurrec8onisspiritualandoccursinbap8sm,whilethesecondresurrec8onisphysicalandoccursattheendofhistory.Thus,theMillennialKingdomisthe8meinbetween:the“AgeoftheChurch.”

Thisisasimpleandelegantsolu8ontoacomplexproblem.


Notme.


Goodpoint!

Icanseethat!St.Augus8neunderstoodthepersecu8onoftheChurchduringitsfirstfewcenturies,buthealsoknewthatConstan8nehadsignedtheEdictofMilanin313,andhelivedtoseeTheodosiusImakeChris8anitytheofficialreligionof

theRomanEmpirein380,whenAugus8newas26yearsold.

15

Ofcourse,noneofthisimpliesthattheChurchonearthisinanywayperfect.Quitethecontrary!ThroughouthistorytheChurchhasseenitsshareofrascalsandroguesanddownrightevilmen,aswellasofsaints:onethinksofJesus’parableofthewheatandthetaresinMa@hew13:24-30.

Ourbriefspanonthisearthinthe“Churchvisible”isamixedblessing,butthe“Church”isnotonlyhereonearth;thevastmajorityisthe“Churchinvisible,”thosebelieverswhohavegonebeforeus,thosewhoarealreadyinheavenenjoyingthebea8ficvisioninthecompanyofthesaintsandinthepresenceoftheLord.

Inonesense,westandtodayinthevesObuleoftheChurchinthislife;wefullyenteritinthenext.


WeshouldnotethattheRomanCatholicChurchrejectsmillenarianism(aviewembracedtodaybymanyconserva8veEvangelicals),theviewthatexpectsaliteral1,000-yearearthlyreignofChrista"ertheba@leofArmageddonandbeforethefinaljudgment.

ShealsorejectstheideathatChrist’skingdomwillcomeastheresultofasecularpoli8calprocessorofa“progressiveascendancy”oftheChurch...

“butonlybyGod’svictoryoverthefinalunleashing

ofevil,whichwillcausehisBridetocomedown

fromheaven.God’striumphovertherevoltofevil

willtaketheformoftheLastJudgmentaWerthe

finalcosmicupheavalofthispassingworld.”

CatechismoftheCatholicChurch,677.



“Then I saw thrones; those who sat on them were entrusted with judgment. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image nor had accepted its mark on their foreheads or hands. They came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were over. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over these; they will reign with him for [the] thousand years.”

(20: 4-6)

• Wenowlearnwhattakesplaceduringthe1,000yearsthatSatanislockedup,broodingandploSnginconfinement.

• InheavenJohnseesthrones,perhapsthoseofthetwenty-fourelderswhoareseatedaroundthethroneofGod.Theyareentrustedwithjudgment.

• Withthemarethemartyrsandallthosewhohadnotgoneovertothebeast.Wemetthemartyrswhenthefi"hsealwasopened,“thesoulsofthosewhohadbeenslaughtered

becauseofthewitnesstheyboretothewordof

God”(6:9),andwemetthe144,000“whohadhisnameandhisFather’snamewriZenontheir

foreheads”(14:1),Christ’sarmy.



“Then I saw thrones; those who sat on them were entrusted with judgment. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image nor had accepted its mark on their foreheads or hands. They came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were over. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over these; they will reign with him for [the] thousand years.”

(20: 4-6)

“FirstResurrec8on,”Apocalypse(miniatureillumina8on,YatesThompsonMS10,fol.34v),c.1370-1390.Bri8shLibrary,London.


• ThemartyrsandthosewhohadnotgoneovertothebeastareresurrectedandtheyreignwithChristfor1,000years,theen8reeraofthe“AgeoftheChurch.”Thescenerecallsmanyothersfromancientliteraturewherethesonofaking,withhisloyalbandoffollowers,engagestheenemyinba@le,defeatstheevilkingandhisforces,andreturnshometriumphant,wherehereigns,surroundedbyhisfather’sloyalinnercircleofadvisors,withhiswar8me“bandofbrothers”ashisfriendsandcompanions.

• Thisisthe“firstresurrec8on.”Thosewhoarenothis“friends”willberesurrecteda"erthe1,000yearsareover.

• Thosewithhiminthefirstresurrec8onneednotfearthe“seconddeath,”thepooloffire.Theirposi8oninheavenissecure.


Ifweviewthissceneastakingplaceduringthe“AgeoftheChurch,”weseethemartyrsandJesus’companionsasthosewhohaveshedtheirbloodforChrist;thosewhoare“bornfromabove”(John3:7),bap8zedbelieverswhobelongtohiminthe“Churchvisible”;andthosewhohavepassedfromthislifetothenextandarepresentwithhiminParadise.



“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, God and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. They invaded the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the holy ones and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. The Devil who had led them astray was thrown into the pool of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

(20: 7-10)

• “Whenthethousandyearsarecompleted,Satanwillbereleasedfromhisprison.”Thebigques8on,ofcourse,is:“Why?”SatanfoughtGodinthewarinheaven,andhelost;hefoughtGodatArmageddon,andhelost;now,heisreleasedfromprison,hewillfightGodagain,andhewilllose.Godknowsthis,sowhydoesheparoleSatan?



I’lltellyouwhy!Ineverhadachance.Thewholesystemwas

riggedagainstme.Godsetmeupfromtheverybeginning.Hehatedme—ME,themostgloriousofall

theangels!

Not3

me.


No.Satanhadthreechances,three8mestorepent,three8mestoaskGodforforgiveness.A"erhisreleasefromtheAbyssSatancanneversay,“Ididn’t

haveachance.I’vebeentreated

unfairly.”Hehadeverychance,andheblewthemall.

27

Threestrikesandyou’reout,

Buster!



(20: 7-10)

• Lockedinhisprisonfor1,000years,Satan’spowerhasonlybeendiminished,notended.Hehashad1,000yearstobroodandtoplothisrevenge.It’sanobsession.

• Hegathersthena8ons“forba@le.”TheGreekisei∆ß tovn povlemon,“fortheba@le,”thedefinitear8cleemphasizingitsfinality.

• OnceagainJohninvokesEzekiel,alludingtoEzekiel38-39,whereGog,kingofMagog,a@acksIsraelandGodhurlsfiredownuponthem,destroyingGog’sarmyinaflash,feedingtheircorpsestothebirdsoftheair.

• Satanlaunchesanotherfu8lea@ackonGod,againassemblingthekingsoftheearth—whofoolishlyfollowhim.Theyaredefeatedintheblinkofaneye.




(20: 7-10)


Hegotwhathedeserves,roas8nginthefiresofHell

foralleternity.Goodriddance!

Perhaps.Buthere’sanintriguingthought.IfGodislove,howcouldhecondemnanyone—evenSatan—toeternalpunishment,withnopossibilityofredemp8on?

Origen(c.184-253)isthefirstonetoplantthisseedof“universalsalva8on,”includingthatofSatan:

“ThedestrucOonofthelastenemy...istobe

understood,notasifitssubstance,whichwasformed

byGod,istoperish,butbecauseitsmindandhosOle

will,whichcamenotfromGod,butfromitself,areto

bedestroyed.ItsdestrucOon,therefore,willnotbeits

non-existence,butitsceasingtobeanenemy....”1

1TheWriOngsofOrigen,trans.FrederickCrombie,2vols.,Ante-NiceneChris8anLibrary(Edinburgh:T&TClark,1895),1:268.


That’saninteres8ngargument...butit’sonethatgotOrigencondemnedatthe2ndCouncilofConstan8nopleinA.D.553andthatearnedthescornofbothJeromeandAugus8ne.2

Yet,theargumentpersisted,reachingfullbloomwiththeCambridgePlatonistsofthe17thcenturywhoarguedthatifGod’spower“isnothingbuthisgoodnessstrongly

reachingallthings,fromheighttodepth,

fromthehighestheaventothelowesthell,”

ifGodistobecome“allinall,”astheCambridgePlatonistsbelieved,thenSatanmustbeincluded.3

2C.A.Patrides,“TheSalva8onofSatan,”JournaloftheHistoryofIdeas28(1967),pp.467-478.

3RalphCudworth,“ASermonPreachedbeforetheHouseofCommons,atWestminster,March31,1647(Cambridge,1647)”;reprintedinTheCambridgePlatonists,pp.106-107.


Thislineofthinkinginfluencedmany17thand18th-centuryphilosophersandtheologians,includingBarrowandBoyle,TillotsonandLocke,RayandSha"esbury,LeibnizandNewton,BerkeleyandKant.

Buttheoppositeviewwontheday.

JohnDonne(1572-1631),poet,theologianandDeanofSt.Paul’sCathedralinLondon,statedempha8callythat“whentheAngelsweremade,andwhentheyfell,we

dispute;butwhentheyshallreturn,

fallsnotintoquesOon”(Sermons,5,86).


Today,theRomanCatholicChurchaffirmsJohnDonne’sposi8on:“Itistheirrevocablecharacteroftheir

choice,andnotadefectintheinfinitedivine

mercy,thatmakestheangels’sin

unforgivable.Thereisnorepentanceforthe

angelsaWertheirfall,justasthereisno

repentanceformenaWerdeath.”

CatechismoftheCatholicChurch,393.



“Next I saw a large white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the sky fled from his presence and there was no place or them. I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls. The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. (This pool of fire is the second death.) Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the pool of fire.”

(20: 11-15)

• Now,Johnseesanothervisionof“alargewhitethroneandtheonewhowassiSngonit.”Describingitasmevgaß[me’-gahs,“large”or“great”]andleukovß [lyi-kos’,“white”]dis8nguishesthisthronefromtheonesbelongingtothetwenty-fourelders.

• WearenottoldwhoissiSngonthethrone,whichappearstobeGod’sthrone,butwemightrightlyinferthatitisJesus,forinJohn’sgospelwearetold:

“ForjustastheFatherraisesthedeadandgiveslife,

soalsodoestheSongivelifetowhomeverhewishes.

NordoestheFatherjudgeanyone,buthehasgiven

alljudgmenttohisSon,sothatallmayhonortheSon

justastheyhonortheFather.”

(5:21-23)




(20: 11-15)

“BooksAreOpened,”Apocalypse(miniatureillumina8on,YatesThompsonMS10,fol.35r),c.1370-1390.Bri8shLibrary,London.


• No8cethatnowALLthedeadareraised:1)themartyrsandthosewhoborethenamesofGodandtheLambwhowereraisedin20:4andhavereignedwithChristashiscompanionsduringthe1,000-year“MillennialKingdom”;and2)thosewhoareraisednow,thosealliedwithSatanandhiscrewwhoborethenumber666.

• Thela@erhavetheirnameswri@eninbibliva [bee-blee’-a,“books”plural];theformerhavetheirnameswri@eninabiblivon [“book”singular],the“bookoflife.”Thissuggeststherearefarmorenameswri@enthethe“books”thanthereareinthesingular“bookoflife,”recallingJesussaying:

“Enterthroughthenarrowgate;forthegateiswideandthe

roadbroadthatleadstodestrucOon,andthosewhoenter

throughitaremany.Hownarrowthegateandconstrictedthe

roadthatleadstolife.Andthosewhofinditarefew.”

(Ma@hew7:13-14)


Notme.


IhopeI’minthe“BookofLife!”

Weareapproachingthe“LastJudgment”sceneinRevela8on,butno8cethatthenamesarealready

inscribedinthetwosetsofbooks,the“BookofLife”andthe“otherbooks.”So,howdothenamesgetthereinthe

firstplace?

41

Me,too!

Beinginthe“BookofLife”orbeinginthe“otherbooks”—thatis,beingamongtheredeemedorbeingamongthelost—isnotama@erofGod’sjudgment,notama@erofrewardorpunishment;itisama@erofourindividualchoiceinthislife.

IfwechoosetorespondtoGod’sgracethroughfaithinhisSon,thenoursinsareforgivenandwemovefromtheworldintothefamilyofGod,theChurch.Conversely,ifwerefuseGod’sgi"ofgrace,andifweadamantlyandsteadfastlyrefusehisfreely-givengi"ofredemp8on,thenweremainintheworld,outsidethefamilyofGod.AsJohntellsusinhisgospel:

“WhoeverbelievesintheSonhaseternallife,but

whoeverdisobeystheSonwillnotseelife,butthewrath

ofGodremainsuponhim.”

(3:36)


Notme.


IthinkIknow!

Isee!So,whatistheLastJudgmentallabout,then?

43

Me,too.I’mou@ahere!



(20: 11-15)

TheLastJudgmentdoesn’tdeterminewhetheryouareinheavenorhell,foryouhavealreadydecidedthat;rather,itdeterminesyourposiOoninheavenorhell.

DanteillustratestheconceptbestinhisDivineComedy.Dante’shell(theInferno)consistsofnineconcentriccircles,eachonedeeperwithinthebowelsoftheearth,andeachoneresidenceforthosewhoselivesaredefinedbyincreasinglyserioussins:

1.   Limbo(theabodeofvirtuouspagans)2.   Lust3.   Glu@ony4.   Greed5.   Wrath6.   Heresy7.   Violence8.   Fraud9.   Treachery


SandroBoScelli.“Inferno,CantoXVIII,”(coloreddrawingonparchment),c.1485.Gemäldegalerie,Berlin.


Conversely,Dante’sparadise(theParadiso)consistsofnineascendingspheres,eachonedrawingclosertothepresenceofGod,andeachoneresidenceforthosewhosewhoaredefinedbyincreasinglyvirtuouslives:

1.   TheMoon(TheInconstant)2.   Mercury(TheAmbi8ous)3.   Venus(TheLovers)4.   TheSun(TheWise)5.   Mars(TheWarriorsoftheFaith)6.   Jupiter(TheJustRulers)7.   Saturn(TheContempla8ves)8.   TheFixedStars(Faith,HopeandLove)9.   ThePrimumMobile(TheAngels)


Notme.


Idon’tcarewhatposi8onIhave,aslongasI’mthere!

Isee!SoSt.FrancisandMotherTeresawillhaveahigherplaceinheaventhan

Iwill.Thatseemsfairenough!

48

Me,too!

Ofcourse,we’dberemissifweclosedthislessonwithoutseeingMichelangelo’s“TheLastJudgment”frescoonthealtarwalloftheSis8neChapelinVa8canCity.

CommissionedbyPopeClementVIIin1534,theoriginalsubjectwastobetheresurrec8on,butwiththePope’sdeath,hissuccessor,PopePaulIII,requesteda“LastJudgment”scene.

Michelangelospentmuchof1535preparingthewall,andhecompletedtheworkinfouryears,1536-1541.


Michelangelo.“TheLastJudgment,”(fresco),1536-1541.Sis8neChapel,Va8canCity.


Thefrescowasnotwellreceived.ThePope’sMasterofCeremonies,BiagiodaCesena,complainedthat“itwasmostlydisgraceful

thatinsosacredaplacethereshouldhave

beendepictedallthosenudefigures,exposing

themselvessoshamefully,”observingthatitwasmorefit“forthepublicbathsandtaverns”thanforthepapalchapel.

MichelangelorespondedbyincludingCesena’sfaceonthefigureofMinos,judgeoftheunderworld,wearingassesears,withasnakecoiledabouthimbi8nghispenis.

WhenCesenacomplained,thePopelaughinglyrepliedthathisjurisdic8ondidnotextendintohell!



BiagiodaCesena,Michelangelo’scri8c,wearingassesearswithasnakecoiledaroundhim,bi8nghis...

1.   WhydoesGodlockSatanupfor“1,000years,”ratherthansimplytossinghimintothepooloffire,alongwiththebeastandthefalseprophet?

2.   Satanistaken“offtheboard,”buthisinfluenceiss8llfeltintheworld.WhataresomeexamplesofSatan’sinfluencetoday?

3.   Whatisthefirstresurrec8on?4.   Whatisthesecondresurrec8on?5.   Howdoyouknowifyournameisinthe

“bookofLife”orinthe“otherbooks”?


Copyright©2016byLogosEduca8onalCorpora8on

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthiscourse—audio,video,photography,maps,8melinesorothermedia—maybe reproducedor transmi@ed inany formbyanymeans,electronicormechanical, includingphotocopying,recordingorbyanyinforma8onstorageorretrievaldeviceswithoutpermissioninwri8ngoralicensingagreementfromthecopyrightholder.


16. the millennial kingdom - amazon web...

Documents