In the previous chapter nineteen, we witnessed the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew chapter twenty-four regarding the removal of the wicked. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left (verse 40). I imagine that this event coupled with the visible return of the Lord Jesus, and His previous removal of the righteous and the resurrection of the dead, has rendered the remainder of earth’s inhabitants, those who are “left,” in a state of awe.
     Jesus has descended on the mount of olives (Zechariah 14:4), the exact location of the place where He sat to prophesize of His return to His disciples (Matthew 24:3).
     The war in the Middle East with Israel has been brought to a sudden halt at His return, and those of Abraham’s lineage are mourning at the realization that they have rejected the Son of God and are seen weeping in His presence.

     And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn (Zechariah 10).

     I assume this is a righteous remnant that recognized that the beast’s mark was evil and resisted it, even though they were not believers. There may be many Muslims in this camp as well, who are also of Abraham’s seed that will be mourning for their rejection of Jesus as He was revealed in the Scriptures.
     God in Messiah has returned to earth once again, this time not as a suffering servant, but as rightful king to rule and reign.

     And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one (Zechariah 14:9).

     As the fowls are feasting on the remains of those who have been slaughtered by the power of the descent of God’s absolute truth, we return to our place with the Apostle John, as the vision he is experiencing continues.

     And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand (verse 1).

     The key to the pit is given to the angel by Jesus, the Overcoming One, who has won the keys of hell and death by His victory over the devil. The angel in this vision, has been given the supreme honor of removing the devil from his influence on mankind.

     And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years (verse 2).

     Because the angel has been given this assignment by the Lord, the power of this angelic being is the Lord’s power and absolute. The devil is immediately rendered helpless and imprisoned for a designated period of time that is called the millennial reign of Christ.

     And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season (verse 3).

     In the devil’s glory days, he previously roamed the earth seeking those whom he could devour (I Peter 5:8). These were people who did not love the truth, and therefore their minds could be blinded by the evil one (II Corinthians 4:4). The people who were thus enslaved, always had the ability to choose who they were going to serve, God or the devil. Those who allowed their spirits to be influenced by evil and chose to be led by lust instead of the Lord’s Holy Spirit, were marked and set apart to be removed from the righteous, as we witnessed in Rev. 19:21. They were tested and failed.
     For the first time since man allowed Satan to rule the planet though their disobedience, the devil is severed from his connection with mankind. Human beings are now to be given a second chance. In this season people will be have the opportunity to experience life under the perfect rule of the Messiah.
     The earth will be restored to its pristine beauty through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 14:8). All the remnants of mankind’s pollutions will be removed and oxygen will be supernaturally restored to the oceans allowing sea life to flourish there once again. The sun will subside from its God ordained role of affliction upon the beast’s empire. Man’s artificial manipulating of the weather as an agent of war will cease as the technology that enabled it is dismantled by the Lord’s decree. The climate will return to normal.
     After John witnesses the removal of the devil’s influence on the earth, he sees the reward of the faithful.

     And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them…

     These are the ones that God has rewarded to be Jesus’ administrators upon the earth and will rule with Him (Rev. 2:26,27).

     …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;…

     All those who are seated on these thrones of honor are martyrs in one way or another. Among those who have been martyred physically, are those who have followed Jesus’ instructions to take up their crosses and follow Him (Matthew 10:38). This is the ruling elite.

     …and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years (verse 4).

     This season correlates to Zechariah chapter fourteen, fulfilling the prophecies that the Messiah would be a conquering ruler. Jesus’ first appearance on earth fulfilled the prophecies that the Messiah would be a suffering servant (Isaiah 53). The remaining prophecies that picture a righteous world under the Messiah’s rule are fulfilled at this time. Here are just a few of them, - Psalm 72, Isaiah 11, Daniel 7:13,14, Isaiah 2: 2-4, Isaiah 65: 17-25, Jeremiah 3:17,18.
     There are those who reject the millennial reign of Jesus, and they are referred to as amillennialists. The amillennialist view originated from Augustine and is parroted by many. It is important to understand that Augustine was not an Apostle. He was a Platonist who tried to combine pagan philosophy with Christianity. He was a polluted vine and his interpretation is merely an opinion that cannot be supported by a careful scrutiny of the Scriptures. The Apostle John’s description of the millennial reign of Jesus is very orderly, specific and was given to him directly by the Lord. Whenever man’s opinions begin to be preferred above apostolic doctrine, we run the risk of having our understanding removed by God. –

     Wherefore the Lord said, “Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men:
     Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among the people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of the prudent men shall be hid” (Isaiah 29:13, 14).

     This is why it is so difficult for people who have preferred the precepts of men, to see the pure simplicity of the Scriptures. They are actually under a judgment from the Lord.

     It is during the millennial reign that the Lord gathers those of the remaining nations who have been left (Matthew 24:40, 41, 25:32) and judges between His sheep and His goats. God refers to those of the nations that the sheep have served as “The Least of These.” The sheep who have obeyed Him in their lifetimes, sharing the gospel and serving others, especially the poor, are rewarded. The goats who served themselves and disdained the poor are punished. There are more Scriptures concerning God’s care for the poor, than any other moral issue in the Bible. The example in Matthew twenty-five, serves to remind us that as caring for the poor is a major issue in God’s word, so it must also be a major issue in our hearts as well. The sheep illustrate the reality of their salvation through their service.

     But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection (verse 5).

     As we were shown, the first resurrection occurs when Jesus returns, the dead are raised first (I Thessalonians 4:16) and Jesus gathers His elect, those who are alive and remain after the tribulation (Matthew 24: 29, 31, I Thessalonians 4:17). The remainder of the dead, unbelievers and apostates who did not qualify for the first resurrection, are resurrected after the planet is destroyed (Rev. 20:11) and they are judged at that time (Rev. 20:13-15).

     Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him one thousand years (verse 6).

     Again, the amillinialists who refute the Apostle on this issue are steeped in one man’s opinion only, which clearly contradicts the scripture we have just read. While these are supernatural visions and are subject to interpretation in some instances, other correlating texts in the Old Testament must be considered and they find their fulfillment in these passages of Revelation. The only way the millennial reign can be disputed is by spiritualizing the texts beyond the boundaries of God’s word.

     Our God is the God of the second chance and I believe that this is what this period of time is for. The Lord is giving humanity the opportunity to experience what life is like under His perfect rule. It is also a season where the Lord will be adding many more souls to His kingdom. It will be a season of life, in vast contrast to the devil’s reign of death during the tribulation.
     The souls that are birthed at this time are not part of the first resurrection. These souls are still subject to death (Isaiah 65:20) because the curse is not removed until the finalization of all things and the planet is destroyed (Rev. 21:4, 22:3). They must stand before God at the great white throne judgment, but many will have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life.

     And when the thousand years are expired, Satan will be loosed out of his prison (verse 7). The world has been privileged to experience what life is like under God’s perfect, righteous justice. In spite of this, the nations once again allow themselves to succumb to the devil’s deceptions and the seeds of rebellion are planted in the hearts of mankind.

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

     The multitudes that are assembled to fight against the Lord and those who are faithful to Him, are united under the names of Gog and Magog. While these names are associated with specific countries, they also represent demonic principalities that have rule over these geographic areas.

     And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about and the beloved city:

     The capitol of the Lord’s one world government is Jerusalem, the “beloved city.” Once again this city is surrounded by apostate armies. The devil, who has from the beginning tried to motivate mankind to thwart God’s authority, never learns his lesson. Satan is motivated by lust, and he has to consume it, no matter what the outcome.
     Again, man has allowed himself to be influenced by evil in place of the the Lord’s Holy Spirit. Humanity has fully tasted of the beauty and peace of the Lord’s reign and rejected it in favor of the devil. They have committed the ultimate blasphemy and this time there will be no second chance.

     …and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them (verse 9).

     We need to correlate this verse with verse eleven. This fire that removes the devil’s army, also causes the heaven and earth to be destroyed.
     There are many things that can be hurled down from outer space that would instigate the destruction of the planet. A massive meteor or asteroid, would do the job, - or a holy supernatural fire from God’s righteous indignation.

     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 forever (verse 10).

     We look back at the shining image of the fallen angel that tempted Adam and Eve. This being most likely was the first angel to be created. The firstborn of the angelic host was gloriously favored by God. We now witness the corrupter of the world writhing in the torment of his own stupidity. This should be a lesson to all those who would be foolish enough to follow his example. God desires to adorn all of us with His glory and perfection. Can we learn from this illustration and seek to retain the treasure of knowing Him? If we don’t value the truth, we are being shown the future of all those who would follow in the devil’s ignorant and foolish footsteps.

     And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them (verse 11).

     The rebellion has instigated the destruction of the planet and all those upon it. I assume that the Lord, His ruling elite and those who remained faithful to Him, were transported back to heaven before the disaster that wipes the earth from the blackboard of God’s universe.
     The world’s inhabitants now find themselves standing before the Creator, far removed from the world that their evil has helped to destroy.

     And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; …

     We need to see here that these verses are not in chronological order. In verse twelve we see that all the dead that had not partaken of the first resurrection are standing before God. The details of how they arrived there are recorded in verse thirteen.

     …and the books were opened:…

     These are the books that were written by the lives of the people who are being judged. Every word, deed and action has been recorded by God. Each one of us has a biography of our lives embedded in God’s eternal library.

     …and another book was opened, which is the book of life: …

     The book of life records the names of all those who have received the Messiah Jesus and God’s plan for the redemption of mankind.

     …and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works (verse 12).

     God is omnipresent and because of this, He can judge each individual at the same time. In other words, no one will be waiting in line.
     These souls will be experiencing what it is like to be in the presence of God’s pure love, joy, peace and perfection. As the security of being in His presence bathes over their souls, their Divine Judge is pouring over the record of their lives, even though He already knows every thought and deed they have produced from the moment of their births until this moment before His throne.
     Their lives are compared to the book of life, and the decisions made by the individuals in their earth lives, has determined if their names have been included in God’s Holy record book of names.
     While we are contemplating this vast multitude before God’s throne, the next verse tells us how they have arrived.

     And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works (verse 13).

     Here we see that not everyone was extracted from hell. Some were removed from “the sea.” The ocean’s waters are figurative of the world. Can we assume that these souls were not evil? While all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), not everyone is evil and deliberately practices things that would bring harm to another human being. Thus these souls would not be cast into the hell that is reserved only for the wicked. Would these then be disembodied souls trapped on another level of existence on earth? Are they ghosts that experience another form of hell?
     I assume then that those who are extracted from the literal hell, have been experiencing a level of torment that is in proportion to their evil deeds.

     …and they were judged every man according to their works (verse 13).

     We reap what we sow or don’t sow; our futures are our own responsibility. It’s important to realize that now while we still are gifted with life and breath.

     And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death (verse 14).

     Death and hell are relocated to the lake of fire showing us that these elements are no longer being permitted to operate, as the realm, or dimension they were designed to function within has been destroyed. They no longer serve a purpose and they are being replaced by the lake of fire, which may actually be a cold outer darkness that floats in the vacant space where the earth had previously rested in space. The fire is symbolic of intense spiritual torment.

     And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (verse 15).

     The decisions that were made in their lifetimes, has determined the outcome of this moment. These souls have no one to blame but themselves.
     God is loving and merciful; but He is also just and righteous. The new heaven and earth that is to be created is designed for only those souls He knows will be faithful and obedient to Him, and would never rebel against His authority. This new dimension is their reward. Humanity was sifted; the faithful gold remained and those who rejected the Lord’s plan for their lives fell through the sieve of their testing’s into the lake of fire like failed dust. There will never be another rebellion and the subsequent misery and suffering it causes to God and the redeemed who cleave to Him.
     The previous history of earth’s turmoil, the result of violating God’s truth, is eliminated. A new history is about to be inscribed in the heavens, with the holy pen of God’s loving perfection.

Copyright 2018 by H.D. Shively

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