We’re gonna look at the book of revelation ch 20 today.
I said in previous videos that the book of revelation can be dissected to 3 sections and all the sections, they match with each other in terms of sequence of events.
And the ch 20 is in the 3rd section which starts in the chapter 17 and it continues through to ch 22.
And in ch 17 and 19, it talks about what happens during God’s judgment. So in ch 17 and 18 we saw about the harlot and Babylon and how they will fall during God’s judgment.
So the Babylon is the capital city of the world at the time of Great Tribulation and Babylon will be destroyed when God’s judgment starts to fall upon the earth. God will judge the world with fire and the great city Babylon will be burnt with fiery judgments including hailstone burning with fire and blood.
And in ch19 we see about the wedding banquet of the Lamb. So after the fall of Babylon during God’s judgment, those who have been raptured or took part in the first resurrection at the time of second advent of Jesus, they will meet Jesus in the air and they will go to the Kingdom of Heaven with Jesus to have a Wedding Banquet of the Lamb.
And after that, in ch19 we see about Jesus touching down Jerusalem with raptured saints. And after that the kings of the earth will march from the east to fight with Jesus and his armies in the Armageddon war. And this Armageddon war will happen at the 6th trumpet and bowl judgment.
So I told you many times that the trumpet judgments and the bowl judgments are the same thing. So the raptured saints will have wedding banquet of the Lamb with Jesus while God’s Judgments are falling upon the earth and at the 6th trumpet and bowl judgment, they will come back down on the earth in Jerusalem and the army of the Antichrist will march toward Jerusalem and they will fight in the Armageddon war.
So the 3rd section starts in ch17 and 18, 19 with what will happen in God’s judgment period. And it matches sequentially with all the other sections of the Book of Revelation.
So after that we see in ch20, the thousand years kingdom which is after the 7 trumpet/bowl judgment and it talks about the first resurrection and after that it talks about the white throne judgment.
The Thousand Years Kingdom
So we’re gonna first look at the thousand years kingdom and this is ch20 verse 1, “then I saw and angel coming down from heaven holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain and he seized the dragon that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the pit and shut it 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 while.”
So after the Armageddon war, Satan will be captured and he will be bound in the pit which is hell and he will be kept there for a thousand years and during that time, the thousand years kingdom will be on the earth.
The First Resurrection
And it talks about the first resurrection, verse 4, “then I saw thrones and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the soul of those who have been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast or image and has not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
So this first resurrection happens at the time of Jesus’ second coming. In 2 Thessalonians, it talks about, those who are asleep will be resurrected first to meet Jesus in the air and then those who are alive will join them. So this first resurrection will happen when Jesus returns in the air.
And this verse 4, it’s talking about who will take part in the first resurrection. And it says, “those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and has not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.”
So this verse confirms that the Great Tribulation will happen before Jesus’ return.
Who takes part in the First Resurrection?
And there’s a crucial information here about who will take part in the first resurrection; verse 5, “the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.”
So what it means is, at the first resurrection, those who died during the Great Tribulation, only they will be resurrected, in the first resurrection. And the rest of the dead which means all the old testament saints and all the people before the great flood of Noah and all the people who died in the new testament times; it says here, “they did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.”
So in the first resurrection, only those who are killed during the great tribulation will be resurrected and the rest of the dead will be resurrected at the great white throne judgment. That will be the second resurrection.
So why do only those had been killed in the great tribulation resurrect in the first resurrection? I believe because God will resurrect those who have died in the great tribulation only because they have been persecuted by the Antichrist and his followers during the great tribulation so God will resurrect them in the first resurrection to repay them for what they have done. And because they have been persecuted, they will be given a chance to repay them in the Armageddon war and all the armies of the Antichrist will be captured by the saints from the first resurrection and that’s how God will repay all the Antichrist followers in the Armageddon war.
And then those saints from the first resurrection, they will reign with the Christ for a thousand years. It says here, “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. They will be priests of God and of Christ and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”
So these verses are clearly talking about the kingdom that will be on the earth for a thousand years in which Jesus will rule all the world with the saints.
So some of you might have questions like, then who are the people that will be ruled by these saints and Jesus? And what exactly is the thousand years kingdom?
The Thousand Years Kingdom (Continued..)
So the thousand years kingdom is the kingdom in which Jesus will rule all the world after the Armageddon war from Jerusalem because at the end of God’s judgments, he will descend onto Jerusalem and after he defeats Antichrist he will rule all the world from Jerusalem.
So inside the Jerusalem there will be Jesus and the raptured saints and the saints from the first resurrection. And at that time, they already have the immortal bodies because it says, verse 6, “blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power.” So they already have eternal life and they already have the incorruptible flesh but outside of Jerusalem will be those people who are mortal. So the Bible gives us clues about who these people are.
This Isaiah ch66 verse 16, “for by fire will the Lord enter into judgment and by his sword with all flesh. And those slain by the Lord shall be many.” So this is talking about God’s judgment with fire and his sword.
In the Book of Revelation it talks about Jesus striking all the nations with a sword coming out of his mouth and in the Armageddon war, one third of all mankind will be killed and it says here, “those slain by the Lord shall be many” so this is talking about the judgment of God by fire and the Armageddon war.
And in verse 19 it says, “and I will set s sign among them and from them I will send survivors to the nations to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud who draw the bow to Tubal and Javan to the coast-lands far away that had not heard my fame or seen my glory, and they shall declare my glory among the nations.
So after the judgment it says God will send people to all the coast-lands far away to proclaim about God to those had not heard God’s fame or seen his glory. So in verse 16 it says, “those slain by the Lord shall be many”, so in God’s judgment many people will die but there will be survivors who will remain on the earth and enter into the thousands years kingdom and because they didn’t know about God they are not saved yet. So they are still mortal. So those people will be on the earth and they will be governed by all the saints from Jerusalem. Inside Jerusalem will be all the immortal saints and Jesus and outside Jerusalem will be mortal people.
And during the thousand years kingdom they will multiply and at the end of the thousand years kingdom there will be so many people on the earth, because during the thousand years kingdom, people will live for hundreds of years just like the time before the great flood of Noah so they will live to be a thousand years old and keep on having children so they will multiply quickly to cover all the earth. So that’s the thousand years kingdom.
So because there will be many people on the earth who have not been saved, they will have to be saved, too. So how will they be saved? By believing Jesus? No, because at that time, Jesus will be present on the earth in plain sight because he will be physically present in the city of Jerusalem and everybody will see Jesus. So believing Jesus doesn’t mean anything. Jesus is there in plain sight so believing Jesus doesn’t have any significance.
How are they saved in the Thousand Years Kingdom?
So how will they be saved during the thousand years kingdom?
Now in the thousand years kingdom, God’s law will go out from Jerusalem to all the earth and people outside of the Jerusalem city, they have to by the law and they have to serve Jesus as the king of the earth. And just like during the old testament, to be saved they have to repent and be a law abiding citizen of the earth and obey Jesus. And if they do that during the thousand years kingdom, then they will prove themselves to be righteous citizens of Jesus and they will enter into the everlasting kingdom of God after the thousand years kingdom. So that’s how they will be saved.
The principal of salvation has been always the same.
So what I’d like to say is, the main principal of salvation by God has been always the same, during the old testament times and the new testament times and in the thousand years kingdom, and that principal is those who repent to correct themselves to be righteous citizens of God who obey God and abide by his law and who become the true servants of God, they will be saved.
And for those who repent like that, God provides sacrifice. In the old testament times it was animal sacrifice and in the new testament times it was Jesus. So the principal of salvation by God has been always the same and it will be the same in the thousand years kingdom.
So that’s one of the purposes of the thousand years kingdom, to save more people in different setting. Many people will be saved during the thousand years kingdom.
And after that, verse 7, “and when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea and they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city but fire came down from heaven and consumed them.”
So at the end of the thousand years kingdom, just like in the Armageddon war, people of the earth will once again march toward Jerusalem, the beloved city to make war but the fire will come down from heaven to consume them. And it says, their number is like the sand of the sea. So at the end of the thousand years kingdom, there will be so many people on the earth.
So one interesting thing about this is, why would they attack Jesus and Jerusalem? I believe because maybe Satan will go out to deceive all the nations and say to them, because in the thousand years kingdom, the Bible talks about the people, they will be mainly farmers. And it talks about how they will work and then will be rewarded for the works of their hands and there will be no commerce because it says they will eat from the labor of their hands. So in the thousand years kingdom, it’ll be back to basic ways and farming. And for a thousand years they will be farming and Satan will deceive them by saying, “there’s no future for you. You just have to work and keep on farming to bring all the products to Jerusalem” and people will be very tired through all that farming so Satan will say to them, “there’s no salvation, You just have to keep on working and farming to serve Jesus and his people and keep on giving them products of your hands and there will be no future for you.” And he will say to them, “I can defeat Jesus and make you a ruler instead.” So I believe that may be how Satan will deceive all the nations on the earth and attack Jesus and Jerusalem.
But at the end, it says, verse 10, “and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were. And they will be tormented day and night, for ever and ever.”
So after the thousand years kingdom, Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire and all the rebellious people. And after that there will be the great white throne judgment.
The Great White Throne Judgment
Verse 11, “then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence, earth and sky fled away and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne and books were opened. Then another book was open which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done.”
So what is this great white throne judgment? And who takes part in it?
Now many Christians falsely believe that this great white throne judgment is for only the non-believers because it says, “the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they dad done.”
So the Christians believe that because it’s being judged by according to what they had done, by their works, this must be the judgment that judges only the non-believers. And they will be judged for what they have done.
But I believe this great white throne judgment is for all the people except those who have been killed during the Great Tribulation.
So in the beginning of this video, we saw that only those people who have been killed during the Great Tribulation will be resurrected in the first resurrection and at the time of the Great White Throne Judgment there will be the second resurrection. And all the people who died before the Great Tribulation will be resurrected.
How do we know that? because it says, verse 15, “and if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” So if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that means it implies that there will be those whose name will be found in the book of life.
So at that time, all the people will be judged and there will be those whose name will be found in the book of life and they will not be thrown into the lake of fire.
So how are they being judged? It says, “Books were opened and then another book was open which is the book of life and the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done.”
So there are two kinds of books here. First, the books were opened. I think these books have all the records of their actions during their lives and they will be judged according to what they had done with their lives. And those who had been judged worthy, their names will be written in another book which is the book of life. So the book of life contains the list of names who have been saved.
So unlike many Christians believe falsely, in this great white throne judgment, all the people who have died before the Great Tribulation will be judged and they will be judged by their works in their lives.
And after this great white throne judgment, God’s eternal kingdom will start and it will be described in the chapter 21 and 22.
And after the great white throne judgment, it says here, verse 14, “then the death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”
After the great white throne judgment, the death and Hades which is hell, which is supposed to be in the center of the earth, will be thrown into the lake of fire. So I believe this old earth and the Hell with it will be thrown into the lake of fire.
And there will be new heaven and new earth. It says here, verse 11, “from his presence, earth and sky fled away and no place was found for them.” So, all this old earth will be removed and there will be new earth and new sky for the eternal kingdom of God.
The difference between the Thousand Years Kingdom and the eternal kingdom of God
So there are many verse in the Bible which talk about the thousand years kingdom and the eternal kingdom of God. So one of the clues you can use to distinguish between the thousand years kingdom and the eternal kingdom of God is, for the eternal kingdom of God there will be new heaven and new earth. So whenever you see the new heaven and new earth then it’s talking about the eternal kingdom of God, not the thousand years kingdom.
So just like we saw here, in the thousand years kingdom, it will still be on this old earth and there still will be the sea and the ocean during the thousand years kingdom. But in the eternal kingdom of God, there will be no more sea on the earth and there will be new sky and new earth.
So that’s how you distinguish between the thousand years kingdom and the eternal kingdom of God.
And in the thousand years kingdom, only Jesus will rule all the world from Jerusalem but in the everlasting kingdom of God, the New Jerusalem city will come down from heaven and in that city, God himself will be present to rule all the world with Jesus. So that’s another difference between the thousand years kingdom and the eternal kingdom of God.
Conclusion
So we looked at the chapter 20 today and we saw this third section is sequentially identical to all other sections of the Book of Revelation, and we saw about the thousand years kingdom and the great white throne judgment.
And we’re almost finished with the Book of Revelation and in the next video, we’re gonna look at the chapter 21 and chapter 22 which talk about the eternal kingdom of God.
