REVELATION LESSON 50

REVELATION

LESSON 50

ARE WE LIVING IN THE END TIMES?

Revelation 20:4   ⁴ And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

 I saw thrones and those who sat upon them and judgment was given unto them, refers to the 24 elders who represent the entire plan of God. This plan pertained to the redeemed of all ages. We are not told who these men are.

The souls of those who had been beheaded refers to the martyred tribulation saints. They were beheaded for two reasons, because of their testimony for Jesus and to fulfill the word of God. These will be gentiles and Jews who refuse to worship the antichrist or his image and they refused to take his mark.

After Satan is bound and chained their souls will appear and they will be raised from the dead in the fourth and final phase of the resurrection. This is the kingdom age.

Revelation 20:5   ⁵ But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

John 5:28-29   ²⁸ Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

²⁹ And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

The first resurrection is called the resurrection of life or the resurrection of believers. The second resurrection is called the resurrection of damnation or the resurrection of the unbelievers.

This verse reveals that there will be a thousand years between the two. The believers who survive the tribulation period will not be resurrected since they will still be alive at the start of the millennium age.

Revelation 20:6   ⁶ Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

This is the resurrection of life, which will include every saint of God who has ever lived from able to the last tribulation saint. All will be given glorified bodies. The second death is to be cast into the lake of fire and to be there forever. All who are washed in the blood of the Lamb, Jesus, need not fear the second death.

They shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years pertains to all believers who have part in the first resurrection. These at the same time serve as mediators to speak between the population of the world and God and Christ. The thousand years portrays the kingdom age when Christ will reign over the entire earth.

Revelation 20:7   ⁷ And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

With Satan bound during the millennium people will be shielded from temptation and sinful ways, sickness and disease will not exist and people will live to be very old. A population explosion will occur. Since God is no respecter of persons, those born during the millennium will have to be tested just like people of today. When the millennium is over the abyss will be opened one more time so Satan can be released for a short time.

Revelation 20:8   ⁸ And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

When Satan is released, he will begin his same old deception as he always has. He will go out to deceive the nations again. Tempting those who were born during the millennium or the thousand-year reign. This will prove that elimination sin is not as simple as changing our environment. Something has to be wrong with the very nature of mans heart to have this kind of rebellion. Unless we are born again and seeking a relationship with Jesus, we will never see change.

At the battle of Gog and Magog Satan will repeat what he tried at the battle of Armageddon. He will try one final time to be greater than God by gathering great hordes of people from all over the world. This will include those people from Gog and Magog.

Because this rebellion is labeled Gog and Magog it is not the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39. This is not possible at all, for the conflicts described are not parallel as to time and place or participants. Only the names are the same.

Revelation 20:9   ⁹ And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

This pictures Satan coming against Jerusalem with his army which will be the last attack against that city. Satan’s army will march across the earth and surround the city, but just as God destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, he will again consume Satan’s army with fire from heaven.

Revelation 20:10   ¹⁰ And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Satan will not be allowed to lure people into destruction any longer. His deceptive career will be brought to an end when he is captured and thrown into the lake of fire where the antichrist and the false prophet already reside. Unfortunately for them they will not be destroyed but will suffer unending torment.