The marching cry of most who profess to be members of the body of Christ is: “we need book, chapter, and verse for all that we do.”  There is great nobility in that statement.  The Lord wants us to be a book, chapter, and verse kind of people (Deuteronomy 12:32, Luke 4:17-21, I Corinthians 4:6, Galatians 1:10-12, and I Peter 4:11).   However, so many are misusing the claim that they follow book, chapter, and verse.  Too many are only willing to attempt to provide scriptures for what they are doing in justification of something they’ve done already.  This is backwards!  Authority must come before we act (Colossians 3:17).

Those who’ve fallen into practicing things and have never sought out the Scriptural authority first are just as guilty as those who deny the Bible as the standard for authority.  The reason being is simple, if one does not seek out the Scriptures for what they are doing it is obvious that they do not believe they need to for whatever reason.  The Pharisees and certain of the scribes practiced vain worship for this very reason (Mark 7:1-9).  Though, of course, they would still proclaim being a people of the book just like the many in error do today, saying and doing not (Matthew 23:2-3).

While loudly proclaiming to be a people of the book, there are those “brethren” who often look to men to justify their practices.  How many times have you heard someone say “if you can do this, I can do that”?  Some will believe that if you are inconsistent (whether you are or not) that gives them a license to do as they so choose.  One cannot use himself or any others as our standard (II Corinthians 10:12).  The only time men are to be followed is if they are following Christ (I Corinthians 11:1).  What you or someone else does or does not do cannot equate to biblical authority for anything.

Then of course, you have those who say they are Scripture following folks, but when tested on a number of matters they will use their conscience as their guide.  Our conscience is to be guided by the word of God (Romans 14:22-23; cf. 10:17).  Our conscience alone, without guidance from God, will mislead us (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).  It is the word of God that fully equips us to all good works (II Timothy 3:16-17), not what we “feel” is right!

If we shall be a people who walk according to all that God has said we must choose to leave behind our thoughts as we enter the Scriptures in our studies.  Our ideas mixed with God’s word will produce a perverted Gospel (Galatians 1:6-8).  If we will call ourselves a people of the book, let’s fit the description.  It will be the word of God that judges us in the end (John 12:48).  Though, there will be those content to try and tell God why He has it all wrong, I am sure.  Don’t be the one to challenge God and find out why He is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).  – B.A.Y.

Introduction Thoughts:

The time has come, “the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.  And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:20-21).  The Lord has judged Rome which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and He hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.  It is fascinating to compare some of the things we have read with prophesies that Daniel set forth about Rome (Daniel 7:1-10).   In chapter nineteen we saw that Rome was cast into the lake of fire just as Daniel foretold: “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame” (Daniel 7:11).  It is Satan’s time to be dealt with now.

Satan will be restricted in his power.  His war against the church is not over, but he is forever wounded as he is kept sealed until the Judgment Day.  The devil is now a leashed predator, but a predator he still is (I Peter 5:8-9).  Our studies in chapter twenty must be kept within the scope of the book of Revelation and interpreted in light of other clear passages.  Many get the idea of Christ setting up an earthly kingdom for 1,000 years by misunderstanding this chapter of the Bible.  As we study this chapter let’s remember that the kingdom has come (Psalms 2:6-7, Isaiah 2:2-3, Daniel 2:31-45, Joel 2:23-32, Mark 9:1, Acts 1:8, Luke 24:47, Acts 2:1-38, Colossians 1:13, and Revelation 1:9).  Let’s remember that Christ will not lead a battle on earth or set His kingdom upon the earth, for He himself will never step foot on this earth again (I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Hebrews 4:14, 7:14; 17, and 8:4 cf. John 18:36).  It is also clear that Christ is not aware of the time of His return (Matthew 24:35-36).  When Christ does come He will not begin a period of reign on earth, He will however judge mankind (I Timothy 4:1).

20:1 “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.”

• An angel comes down from heaven with authority over the bottomless pit and the ability to restrict in the symbol of a chain (II Peter 2:4).
• We know from our studies in chapter nine that the bottomless pit is the dwelling place of one whose name in Hebrew means destruction and in Greek it means Destroyer (9:11).  We studied and found that this is the home of Satan though the earth is his kingdom and working place (Job 1:6-7 and II Corinthians 4:3-4).

• In chapter nineteen we saw Rome and the False Prophet judged.  Now it is Satan’s time.  This angel is not Satan, for Satan cannot bind himself (Matthew 12:24-26).
• In chapter nine it is Satan who has power to open the pit (9:1-2), but we now see that authority has been taken from Him in essence.  Satan has become a prisoner in his own house.
• The deep abyss is the home of Satan and his angels (Luke 8:30-31).  Satan can no longer deceive the nations and raise up kingdoms to carry out his will as he has done with Rome (Revelation 13:1-2; 14).
• The period of one thousand years is not literal, just as the 144,000 in chapters seven and fourteen were not literal.  It is not literal just as God does not just claim the cattle of the earth on only one thousand hills (Psalms 50:10).  We talked in our introduction of this great book of how the numbers five and ten mean human completion.  Thus, one thousand would be man’s complete number of ten multiplied by itself three times (10x10x10x = 1,000).  Thus, this a time of completion that is not determined and specific (II Peter 3:7-12).
• When this period of time ends Satan will be freed to have another go at it (cf. vs.7-8).  Consider how hungry for souls he will be when he is fully set free.  The analogy of a pit bull that has been fed mere strips of meat in a small cage being set free after years of that in a crowd.

• In chapter six (vs. 9-11) we saw the martyred saints cry for their blood to be avenged from under the altar.  God has carried this out on their behalf (Revelation 18:20).
• They are with Christ in the spiritual realm, not on earth.  They, not us, refused to bow to Rome and have their minds and hands corrupted with the thoughts and works of Rome.  Their cause, which is the Lord’s work, is being carried forth and that serves as a resurrection.  We will discuss further how this refers to the furtherance of the kingdom in verse five.
• Those who teach this is a one thousand year reign on earth of the saints with Christ have grossly abused the context of this chapter and the book of Revelation.  If this is to be taken literally it will only be those who have been beheaded for the sake of the Lord that will reign anyway.

• The first resurrection is those martyred saints being sat upon thrones and being avenged in a spiritual resurrection.  This is not literally a first resurrection, for the first had already occurred (Acts 2:22-24, Romans 8:29, and Colossians 1:18).  Thus, this must be interpreted in a figurative way or else it is a contradiction of the simple passages we know that reject the theory of three, four, or five resurrections as there will only be one (John 5:28-29).  This is vengeance and the resurrection of the cause of Christ triumphant over the work of Satan.
• To speak of the cause of the kingdom like this is consistent with examples like the resurrection of Judah from Babylonian captivity and her work in bringing about the church (Ezekiel 37:10-14; 21-28).  Similarly, we talked of the two witnesses in chapter eleven that were resurrected which symbolized the continuation of the Lord’s work (11:7-12).  We discussed in chapter eleven the following from our studies: “When Rome would fall, they would see they had not destroyed the church, only forced it underground, and when it emerges, it will be like a resurrection from the dead.”  This is consistent with what we read here.
• The rest of the dead (remnant or those remaining) refers to those who were slain with the sword (Revelation 19:21), whose cause is now dead.  We know that they will open their eyes, thus this death is not literal (Luke 16:19-31).  So, the fact that they will not live again for one thousand years simply indicates that the only resurrection for them will be their bodies in judgment and not their cause on earth.

• Those vindicated saints are blessed.  Physical death is an appointment from God for all, with the exception of Enoch and Elijah (Hebrews 9:27; cf. Hebrews 11:5 and I Kings 2:11).
• Those who have been vindicated are the faithful who have made it through the works of Rome who was empowered by Satan.  They will have no fear of Hell, which is the second death (Revelation 20:14-15).
• Their cause will continue for the period of time that Satan is bound (Hebrews 12:28).
• As Christians, we all are priests who offer sacrifices unto God (I Peter 2:5; 9, Romans 12:1-2, and I Corinthians 6:19-20).  This verse serves to show that this will continue through the victory that has been gained.

• When the completion of Satan’s limitation comes to be, he will be loosed.  He will then seek to deceive the nations of the world.  This will be for a brief time (20:3).  Consider the first judgment of the earth as a thinking point on this verse wherein God determined to punish the wickedness of man, gave a time for Noah to prepare the ark, wickedness increased, and God flooded the earth (Genesis 6:5-8, Matthew 24:36-39, Hebrews 11:7, I Peter 3:20, and II Peter 2:5).
• Gog was the king of the land of Magog who stood against Israel (Ezekiel 38-39).  Thus, symobically, we see that Satan will call together a vast people who are opposed to God and the people of God for his battle.  This is not a physical battle.  Our warfare is not carnal (II Corinthians 10:3-5 and Ephesians 6:10-18).
• This sure does hurt the idea that chapter sixteen is the battle of Armageddon.  For if it was, there will be another.

• The vehicle Satan will use is certainly large enough to affect Christians all over the world.  The city of God is the church (Hebrews 12:22-23), thus Satan and his deceived followers shall wage war once again upon the church.
• This does not mean that Satan stopped at anytime from fighting against the Saints.  Nor can we conclude that time has come or will be with any certainty.  Some would argue that world religions are Satan’s Gog and Magoog.  Others would argue that the Catholic Church is Magoog with the Pope being Gog.  Some would conclude that humanism, atheism, secularism, etc. is Satan’s tool.  All we know as Christians is that we are in a battle that can get worse or better at times.  Either way, we are to be ready to face persecution and rejoice in our sufferings for Christ (Matthew 5:10-12 and II Timothy 3:12).

• Satan then faces the doom that the beast and false prophet have faced.  Interestingly, it was at the end of the battle that Rome and the false prophet waged against the Lord that they faced this punishment (Revelation 19:19-20).

• Now we see the universal judgment scene being set forth.  The destruction of the earth marks the end of time and the beginning of the Judgment Day (II Peter 3:9-10).
• The sea (humanity), the dead, and those in the lake of fire will be resurrected and judged (Matthew 25:31-46, I Corinthians 15:24; 45-58 and I Thessalonians 4:13-18).
• Our works will be judged by the books, or the word of God (John 12:48, Matthew 16:27 and Revelation 22:12).
• The second death comprises of eternal damnation to not only the beast, false prophet, the devil, and his angels; but also to those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life.  The righteous are those named in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 21:27).

Studies in Revelation Continued in Next Week’s Bulletin...

1. All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.
2. Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, (Reprint by Hendrickson, 2002, original copyright 1896).