Revelation 20:1-6

What Will Change When Jesus Comes Back?

A sermon by Pastor Joe Haynes

Preached on June 13, 2021 at Beacon Church.

Is there any point to prayer? Is it just a mental exercise like meditation? Or does God really hear, and does God really answer some prayers? When Jesus taught His disciples to pray He said, "Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.’"  (Mat 6:9-13 ESV) Christians have been praying that prayer for almost 2000 years, and you know what? His Kingdom still hasn’t come, His will is not yet being done on earth as it is in Heaven, and we have not yet been delivered once and for all from evil. You could argue that His Kingdom has come in a spiritual sense, and that we have been delivered from evil in a way, but neither of these prayers has yet been fully answered. And God’s will certainly is not being done on earth like it is in Heaven. There is a partial sense in which that is true, when believers yield to God and obey Him but the prayer says, “on earth as it is in Heaven” and if you compare those two I think anyone would have to agree God’s will is surely done perfectly in Heaven but only imperfectly, so far, on earth. So when will God finally answer what Christians have been asking Him for 2000 years, the prayer that Jesus Himself taught us to pray?

If that is how Jesus taught us to pray then it’s not presumptuous to pray like that, is it? It’s not like we’re asking for every day to be Christmas or for a bazillion dollars to appear in our bank accounts! No, we’re praying in accordance with God’s will and in obedience to God’s Son when we pray the Lord’s Prayer. But if God never fully answers the petitions of this prayer then doesn’t that raise serious questions? Like “Is there any point to prayer? Does God really hear? Is God good?” Over the last few Sundays in Revelation 19, we’ve seen that when Jesus comes again, He will by that time have punished the false bride, the Great Prostitute called Babylon, and He will claim His true Bride, the Church—and we learned that this will also involve a great conversion of Jews to faith in Christ; we’ve learned that from that day on, Jesus will always be with His people, forever, personally, physically, permanently; we’ve seen that on that day, He will destroy the Antichristian Beast and Falseprophet and slay all the armies who gather against His people in the terrible Last Battle at Armageddon. And as we turn the page now to Revelation chapter 20, we find John describing three things that will be different after Jesus comes again, that show you God really does answer prayer.

There is so much that can be, and should be, said about this chapter of the Book of Revelation. Christians have debated among ourselves the things taught in this chapter for centuries and we are no closer today to solving those debates than we were 300 years ago. I know that some of you are keenly interested in those sort of discussions, as am I. But today, I’m not going to approach this portion of Scripture in light of those theological debates but in light of what these verses show us about God, and His faithfulness to those who belong to Jesus. So I see three main points in verses 1-6, as I said, “three things that will be different after Jesus comes again.” So the first of three things John sees in these verses is all of God’s people, the Church…

Rescued from evil

In the Lord’s prayer, we ask God to deliver us from evil. This is when God will finally and fully answer that request.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain.  2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,  3 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. (Rev. 20:1-3 ESV)

There is some similarity here with Revelation 9, but there is also a lot that is different. In Revelation 9, we read about a fallen angel, otherwise known as a demon, who was given the key to the bottomless pit and who was called, Apollyon and Abbadon—the Destroyer. The key, the pit, and the smoke that poured out of the pit and filled the earth were all symbols. The fulfillment, I’ve shown in my sermon and devotional videos, was a Satanic-inspired religion that spread among the nations deceiving people into worshiping a false god in the name of Islam. That’s not the only time Satan deceived people with religious deception. Jesus accused the Pharisees who wanted to kill him of being deceived by Satan: He said, "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." (Joh 8:44 ESV) All religion, apart from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is deception. The original lie was Satan’s attempt to convince Eve that God’s Word wasn’t true: “The serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die.’” (Gen 3:4) And John wrote in his epistle, “Little children, let no one deceive you. …Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."  (1Jo 3:7-8 ESV) This is when Jesus finishes doing just that, so that the devil won’t deceive the nations anymore.

Here in chapter 20 the symbols are similar, therefore, to chapter 9 but the scene is different. John doesn’t see a fallen angel but an angel coming down from Heaven. He doesn’t see a key given to a demon, he sees an angel holding the key to the pit and a great chain in his hand. And John doesn’t see smoke obscuring the light of the sun and blinding the nations to the truth, he sees the deceiver captured so that he will no longer be able to deceive the nations. In these verses, the bottomless pit, the key, the chain, and the dragon are all symbols. But what they represent is the literal capture and binding of Satan so that he will no longer be able to fill the world with his lies.

2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,  3 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.  (Rev. 20:2-3 ESV)

Satan is no longer going to be allowed to continue doing what he’s been doing since he deceived Eve into doubting God’s Word; what he’s so effectively done among all the nations of the world ever since. Just think of it: John sees a future in which every nation and culture on earth will realize at last what Eve forgot, that God’s Word is true. Nobody will ever again be able to blame Satan for their choices. For 1000 years.

John repeats this reference to “the thousand years” 5 times in 5 verses. He says it again in verse 7 too. And it stands out, the way he says it, “the thousand years” (vv3, 5, 6) like he and his readers know which “thousand years” he’s talking about. Because they did. At least some of them in those churches would have known about what Bible scholars back then thought about the end-times. There was a first-century Jewish book called 2nd Enoch, written while there was still a temple in Jerusalem, that talked about the end times and described a thousand-year Sabbath era at the end of time (2nd Enoch 32:1-33:1). Other leading Jewish rabbis talked about a  1000 year era of redemption based on their reading of the Old Testament.[i] Another well-known example of Jewish literature back then referred to a future period of justice on earth similar to the imprisonment of Satan here waiting until the final judgment; a period when the wicked would also be bound and buried “for seventy generations in the valleys of the earth, till the day of their judgement and of their consummation” (1 Enoch 10:4-7, 12-13). 70 generations is more like at least 1400 years but the idea is similar. The idea of something like a thousand-year future era of victory on earth for Israel was well-known. So when John keeps talking about “the thousand years” as if his readers would know what he was talking about, well, they did.

It’s worth noting that John doesn’t correct that idea of “the thousand years” and say it’s an indefinite period of time, or that it’s a spiritualized way of looking back to the difference Jesus makes in the lives of His people already. No, although what John saw is communicated in symbolic terms, he is describing a world in the future very different from the way it is today. John says this happens after Jesus comes back—after the events of chapter 19. John says Satan won’t be able to keep on doing what Satan is doing now. Not even a little. He doesn’t say that Satan will have one hand tied behind his back or that the Dragon will just have his wings clipped. John says Satan will be bound him and thrown into a bottomless pit. The evil spirit that rules this present darkness will be taken off the board altogether. This prediction is of a future that’s not like how the world is today. Are the nations being deceived into doubting God’s Word right now? Yes. Do the nations of the earth follow many different religions now? Yes. Are there supernatural evil spiritual forces at work in this present age? Yes. When Jesus comes back that’s all going to change. And this planet will be different for a long but limited number of years. Satan’s lies will be exposed and Satan’s lying mouth will be shut and Satan will be totally incapacitated and incarcerated for a specific, definite period of time John defines here as 1000 years. And then, for a brief time, which we’ll learn more about next week, verse 3 says, "After that he must be released for a little while," (Rev. 20:3 ESV). So first, John saw the world delivered from evil. The second thing John sees in these verses is the Church..

Ruling with Christ

In the Lord’s prayer, we ask God to bring His Kingdom. This is when God will finally and fully answer that request.

4 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 worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.  5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.  (Rev. 20:4-5 ESV)

The famous English preacher, John Gill, once said about the rule of Christ as King,

His reign of grace takes place at the conversion of men, when, as King, he sets up his throne in their hearts, and reigns there; and such a reign has been from the beginning of the world, as soon as the first man was called by grace; and has continued ever since, more or less, in every dispensation, and will continue until the last man is converted.[ii]

But as Gill says, this is different: that reign of Jesus now among believers is Him reigning “in them”, in Rev 20:4, this reign is not Christ “in” us but “with” us, and us “with Him.”[iii]

Verse 4 is so amazing that if it was not Scripture it would be impossible to believe. John writes down what he saw in a way that preserves and carries some of the wonder of it all. Look how he lays it out: at the beginning of the verse he sees people sitting on thrones and at the end of the verse he describes people ruling with Jesus. So at the beginning of verse 4 the thrones are a symbol of ruling; the end of verse 4 is a description of people ruling. Then, just after the thrones, John saw the souls of martyrs; and just before the end of verse 4, he describes them coming to life. So in verse 4, you have throne, souls… and at the end of verse 4 you have, souls coming to life, and ruling (on those thrones). And in the middle, once again highlighted by the same chiastic pattern we encountered last week, we find the answer to this mystery that makes this verse so amazing. Here’s the mystery: how on earth can human beings ever be given the honour of ruling on earth “with Christ”? And here’s why Christians will be given this highest of all honours, the highest possible honour any of God’s creatures could ever receive:

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 worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Rev. 20:4 ESV)

In the middle of verse 4, John sees two groups of Christians: those beheaded on account of the testimony of Jesus, and those who would not worship the beast or its image or receive its mark.

Let’s ask that question again: “How on earth can human beings ever be given this incredible honour?” And the answer we find in the middle of verse 4 is that all believers chose to honour Christ. Some believers were killed because of the “testimony of Jesus and the Word of God.” These martyrs were faced with a choice to either save their own lives or share the Gospel; stop preaching God’s Word or else. But they could not keep silent about Jesus, and they could not stop preaching Scripture, so they were killed by people who hated what they preached; by Roman authorities, by heretical emperors, by the followers of the Antichrist in the Church of Rome. And some believers were simply faithful to stay loyal to Jesus and worship him only, to not give the Popes or anyone else what belongs only to Christ; to come keep themselves apart from counterfeit Christianity and refuse to go along with a false Gospel. But all of them chose to honour Jesus Christ, to stay loyal to Him, no matter what it cost them. And the honour they gave to Him is the reason God gives them such honour when Jesus comes again. When Peter and James and John saw Jesus transfigured in glory on that mountain, a cloud overshadowed them and the voice of God spoke from the cloud and said, “This is my beloved son; listen to him.” (Mark 9:7). And they did. And so do all Christians who keep the testimony of Jesus, who keep the Word of God, who believe the Gospel, and hold onto what the Bible teaches. We listen to God’s beloved Son. And God loves that. And God honours the one who honours His Son. The writer of Hebrews says, “God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name…" (Heb 6:10 ESV) And Jesus said, "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  (Mat 10:37-39 ESV) This is when that is finally and fully true: “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years,” (Rev. 20:4 ESV).

"Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?"  (Mat 16:24-26 ESV)

"Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life."  (Mat 19:28-29 ESV)

"The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.  22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'" (Rev 3:21-22 ESV) That’s the Word of the Lord. A promise Jesus makes to those who persevere in the faith. He will grant to sit with him on his throne—those who believe in Jesus will rule with Him. But what about unbelievers? What about those who start off liking the idea of being saved and belonging to a local church but who, when things get hard, walk away from Christ? What about them. They are the ones who did not persevere, who forfeited their souls, who tried to save their own lives their own way, who loved other things and other people more than they loved Jesus, who did not listen to Jesus. They are not the ones who honoured Jesus like we see in verse 4. They are the others. This honour is not for them: “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection,” (Rev. 20:5 ESV).

Now then, in these verses we’ve learned that John saw the Church delivered from evil, and ruling with Christ. The third new reality John sees in these verses is all of God’s people, the Church..

Resurrected without sin

In the Lord’s prayer, we ask that God’s will be done on earth like it is now in Heaven. This is when God will finally and fully answer that request, and every believer will never again doubt that He hears our prayers, or keeps His promises, or that He is good, or that His Word is true. “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,” (Rev. 20:6 ESV). Can you imagine being able to love God and do His will perfectly, like it is in heaven? Me neither, not really. But I dream of it. This is what faith looks forward to, what believers have long waited for, as it says in Hebrews 11,  "And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised,  40 since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect."  (Heb 11:39-40 ESV)

This is the first resurrection. The resurrection of those who belong to Jesus. This is what we’ve been waiting for! "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Phi 1:6 ESV) We saw that the world will be different after Jesus comes back because Satan will be bound and imprisoned, and because the Church will rule with Christ. Whether or not there will be literal thrones, the symbol of thrones in verse 4 predicts a literal Kingdom. And those Christians who believe in Jesus now will be part of Jesus’ government in His Kingdom. So let’s ask another question: “What will the government be like in the Kingdom of Christ?” And verse 6 gives us two words that will be finally and fully true of those who rule with Christ: “blessed and holy.” “Blessed” means “happy”. The world will be ruled by a happy government. And it will be a holy government. The world has never yet known government like this. It should have, Adam and Eve were assigned the mission of ruling the world like this. When God finished creating the Universe, Genesis 1:28 says He turned to Adam and Eve, and "[He] blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth."" (Gen 1:28 ESV) But Satan deceived Eve into doubting God’s Word, and Adam sinned against God and instead of blessing and holiness, plunged the world into darkness and rebellion against God. But after Jesus comes back, all that will change. In place of Adam and Eve and their children, Jesus will take Adam’s throne and share the government of the world with those people HE redeemed and resurrected, happy and holy people who in the name of the King will fill the world with justice. "Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore." (Isa 9:7 ESV)

AT that time, "the oppressor [will be] no more, and destruction [will have] ceased, and he who tramples underfoot [will have] vanished from the land, then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.""  (Isa 16:4-5 ESV) Daniel prophesied, "And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." (Dan 7:14 ESV) And, “the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.'" (Dan 7:18 ESV) And, "And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.'" (Dan 7:27 ESV)

And God pledged His Word to Ezekiel,

My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes.  25 They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever.  26 I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore.  27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  28 Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.  (Eze 37:24-28 ESV)

Peter says believers, in this present age we live in, have not yet received the inheritance God has promised, have not yet obtained what he calls, “the outcome of our faith”. So what do we find in John’s prophecy in these verses? A future, after Jesus comes back, when we are delivered from evil, ruling with Christ, and resurrected without sin, blessed and holy. In other words, this shows you that God really does hear the prayers of those who follow Jesus.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,  5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,  7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith-- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,  9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  (1Pe 1:3-9 ESV)