Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: Revelation 20:1-10

Theme: The rule and reign of the saints in the Millennium.

Date: 03/03/19 File name: Revelation40.wpd

ID Number:

Sir Thomas More was a 16th century English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist, and deeply religious.

In 1516, More published his most famous literary work.

It’s full title is "A truly golden little book, no less beneficial than entertaining, of a republic's best state and of the new island Utopia" Over the centuries that lengthy title has simply been shortened to Utopia.

In Utopia, More writes of a perfect world.

It’s a place of equality in economics, government and justice.

It’s a free and peaceful society.

All the citizens of Utopia are satisfied with their culture and their place in it.

More’s Utopia is an ideal society.

Ever since he wrote his book, the word utopia has come to mean an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.

Even today there are those who believe that if humans are given enough time they will eventually create a perfect world.

Ever since the dawn of time, man has dreamed of a better world.

There has always been a desire to make things better, to create a happier and more peaceful existence.

Unfortunately, More knew that his Utopia was a dream since, according to More, too many “greedy, unscrupulous, and useless” men are in the world.

But what men cannot achieve, God will.

While Moore’s Utopia was fictional, our Lord’s Millennial Kingdom is not.

Extent of the Millennium

Explanation of the Millennium

Essentiality of the Millennium

I. THE EXTENT OF THE MILLENNIUM

“And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended.

After that, he must be set free for a short time.”

(Revelation 20:1–3, NIV84)

1. very few verses in the Bible are more critical to the interpretation of end-time events than the opening verses of Revelation 20

a. it gives us the scope of Christ’s earthly kingdom

b. it gives us the script outlining the events of Christ’s earthly kingdom

c. it gives us the central cast of characters involved in Christ’s earthly kingdom

A. THE SCOPE OF CHRIST’S KINGDOM

1. it will last one-thousand years

a. interestingly, this is the only place in all the Scriptures that mentions the length of Messiah’s Kingdom on Earth

b. hundreds of Old and New Testament passages describe the events of the millennium, but only Revelation 20 tells us how long it will last

1) as if in an effort to drive home the point, six times in seven verses John tells us that it will last one-thousand years

B. THE SCRIPT OF CHRIST’S KINGDOM

1. repeatedly we hear John say, “I saw”

a. in rapid succession John sees Christ come, John sees and angel inviting the birds of the air to the great supper of God, he sees Christ coming in power and glory to defeat the world’s armies in the great battle of Armageddon

b. now John sees Satan bound and cast into the Abyss

c. the scenes of God’s script for the end of the world are rolling by clip after clip

2. since his introduction to us in Genesis 3 as the architect behind mankind’s fall into sin, Satan has been our great archenemy

a. he is the dragon — the Great Red Dragon — of Revelation 12 who leads a third of the angels into open rebellion against God, and who stands ready to kill the Christ child and nip God’s redemptive plan in the bud

b. he is the ancient serpent watching Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and waiting for the opportunity to whisper in their ears, “God is not good because He is withholding the tree of knowledge”

c. he is the Devil, literally “the adversary” who opposes us in all our spiritual pursuits lest we come to Christ, or if we do, keeping us from knowing him better

d. he is Satan, the accuser of the saints of God reminding God regularly how disobedient we are, and reminding us how undeserving we are of His grace

3. at the 2nd Coming of Christ, Satan is not thrown into the Lake of Fire along with the Antichrist and the False Prophet

a. instead, he is bound with a great chain by an angle of God, and thrown into the Abyss for the duration of the millennium

ILLUS.

I read this and can’t help but think of the Mutchkins in the Wizard of Oz.

They’ve been harassed and persecuted by the Wicked Witch of the East forever, but when Dorothy’s house falls on her and kills her, they break out into jubilant song; Ding-dong the wicked witch is dead.”

b. there can be no one-thousand years of righteousness, and peace on earth while the great Enemy of God and men is at large

c. at the binding of Satan God’s people will undoubtedly break out into jubilant song

4. his residence for that one-thousand years is the Abyss

a. the Abyss is a mysterious place referred to nine times in the New Testament — all but one of those instances in Revelation

1) it’s a place where especially foul, and evil demonic beings are imprisoned

ILLUS.

In Luke’s gospel we have the account of a demon-filled man who is possessed by a demon named Legion, and Jesus heals him.

As Jesus prepares to cast them out, we’re told that the demons repeatedly begged him not to send them into the Abyss.

It’s a place where even demons don’t want to go!

b. for one-thousand years Satan’s influence on Earth is non-existent — he will no loner be able to deceive the nations

1) as the great deceiver he seduced the kings of the earth with the glitz and glamour of his Great Babylon

2) but for one-thousand years his seductions are silenced

C. THE CENTRAL CAST OF CHARACTERS OF CHRIST’S KINGDOM

1. Jesus, of course, has the staring role in his 2nd Coming, but there is a host of “extras” in God’s redemptive drama

a. again we hear John say, “I saw” — he sees thrones, and seated on those thrones are those who have been given authority to judge

b.

John also sees all the saints who were martyred during the Great Tribulation

2. I think these two groups are representative of the totality of God’s Elect from throughout the ages

a. they include all of the Old Testament Saints

“But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever — yes, for ever and ever.’”

(Daniel 7:18, NIV84)

b. they include the Apostles of Jesus

“Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits 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 fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”

(Matthew 19:28–29, NIV84)

1) Jewish believers will judge all the Jewish non-believers of the ages

c. they include all New Testament Saints

“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?

And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels?

How much more the things of this life!”

(1 Corinthians 6:2–3, NIV84)

“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’— just as I have received authority from my Father.”

(Revelation 2:26–27, NIV84)

“ ... with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.””

(Revelation 5:9–10, NIV84)

1) not only will we judge the unsaved of this world, but we will also judge the angels who rebelled with Satan

2) but our judgments will be exercised under the authority of God as we serve Him

3. our rule and reign will be accomplished in perfect holiness and righteousness

a. John says of the saints, they came to life — this is the first resurrection

“According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

(1 Thessalonians 4:15–17, NIV84)

1) this has always been the Christian’s hope

a) of course our hope includes heaven, but even more important than heaven is our resurrection — the hope of glory

b. at our resurrection we will be totally conformed to the image of Christ

1) our sanctification of heart, and mind, and will is completed and perfected