There are three predominant perspectives on the Millennial Reign

and timing of the second coming of Christ. Those three are

Amillennialism, Premillennialism and Postmillennialism.

Amillennialism is a Christian eschatological view that interprets the

thousand years as a symbolic period representing Christ’s current

reign in heaven and on earth through the church. It teaches that the

church age is the millennium, occurring between Christ’s resurrection

and His second coming, with Satan currently bound from deceiving

the nations to the extent necessary for the gospel to spread.

Postmillennialism is a bit more straightforward and believes again that

the millennial reign isn’t necessarily a literal thousand years but rather

a time when Christ is ruling spiritually from heaven through His

people. The world will not necessarily get worse. This view is

sometimes called the “hopeful” view because it holds that the church,

empowered by the Holy Spirit and the Great Commission, will

increasingly influence culture, society and government. Jesus will

return visibly and bodily only after this period of widespread Christian

influence and victory.

Premillennialism is essentially what you’ve been taught as we have

dissected literally the Book of Revelation. This view holds that the

Bible teaches that there will be a catching away of the church, a seven

year literal time of Tribulation upon the earth, followed by a literal

thousand year earthly reign of Jesus Christ, culminating in Christ’s

second return and Him ruling and reigning for a thousand years on

earth prior to the Great White Throne Judgement.

Revelation Chapter 20 Verses 7 - 10

 My first thought here is, are all the Bibles gone? I mean, during

the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ, you would think that

the Word of God is prevalent. Bibles everywhere! People

spending time in the Word, being taught the Word of God by

the Word Himself… Any of these folks being led astray by the

devil pick one up and just sort of been like, “well this is

awkward.” HA!

 At any rate, this is the deceiving power of the deceiver himself.

Even though this is written in plain text then just as it is today,

he will somehow be able to deceive enough people to amass an

army and come against Israel and Jerusalem once again to take

on God Most High in an extremely futile last attempt to hold

onto the world.

 It will be a different time. A time of spysical. So, the work of

Satan will be more potent than ever before. People living under

the rule and world culture and system of complete

righteousness and now enters the tempting pull of darkness and

self service. They’ve never seen anything like this. This part

of their nature always being there but suppressed, and many

will fall victim to the call of the flesh.

 Notice, Satan is released from HIS prison. Not from prison,

from his prison because he has put himself there. The angel

that was the most beautiful to behold at one time finds himself

in his own prison. Watch and be sober, walk in wisdom, so that

you don’t end up in your own prison, which I’ve seen honestly

far too many times, that folks built for themselves by serving

themselves. In the end, your state, your life is what you have

built it to be with your actions yes, but also with the decisions

you have made. Everyone wants to blame everyone else, but

those that are awake and aware hold themselves accountable

for every element of their life experience.

 Many verses to walk in to avoid your own personal prison. Let

me give you the one that perhaps challenges me the most.

Ephesians 4. Really the whole chapter. Go read it. This is the

chapter of freedom but man is it tough. Walk against it and you

will find prisons. Some people don’t care, they get comfortable

in the clink. Not me. I want to know God, and to know Him

you have to fold into Him. Ephesians 4 challenges me in this.

 Just one part of it, Ephesians 4:1, “I, therefore, the prisoner of

the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which

you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with

longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to

keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

 The problem is you can either be great or you can be

comfortable. We all have to choose. If you want to be great,

you have to be ok with being uncomfortable. If you want

comfort, then you have to sacrifice great. It’s as simple as that.

If you don’t fail, you’re not trying. If you don’t try, you won’t

have, and if you don’t go for what’s best, you’ll never have

what’s best. It’s really that simple. Your life is your life.

Satan’s prison is the one he made for himself.

 He goes out into all the world, all four corners because

everyone knows that the world is flat. HA! Save your emails, I

don’t care. LOL. Maybe the world is shaped like a pyramid.

Who cares? Are we alone in the universe? How big is the

universe! Look, I can’t even figure out how to do my taxes

what do you think we are going to do with all of this

information people argue over! HA!

 Interestingly, the four corners of the earth are named by John as

God and Magog. What’s going on there? There are enough

pointed differences between what’s happening in this chapter

and what’s described in Ezekiel 38 and 39 to conclude that

these are two different encounters with Gog and Magog. Point

after point after point can be made using the text. One example

is Ezekiel 39:12, where we read, “For seven months the house

of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land,”

while we read here in Revelation Chapter 20 that fire comes

down from God out of heaven an devoured them.

 So most conclude that the mention of Gog and Magog here is

either a reference to Satan and the army that he has assembled

or that it is a harkening back, a title given to the rebellious

forces of the earth coming against God. Now, do me a favor

and just say, “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.” Did you hear that?

That’s the sound we will be hearing for about the first million

years in heaven when all this is being explained to us and we

all find out that we all had imperfect understanding! HA!

 Just like the Battle of Armageddon, it’s over before it begins.

Those that had been deceived by Satan are consumed by the

fire from heaven and Satan is finally cast into the lake of fire

and brimstone. This is a place called Gehenna which is the

eternal absence of God. Jesus spoke of this place eleven times

in His earthly ministry and it is the eternal destination of

everything that is not perfect and holy.

 There are many false doctrines out there relevant to death and

hell such as annihilationism however the Bible knows nothing

of that thought. It is very clear that there is an eternal place of

torment, a fire that gives no light yet is never quenched, where

there is suffering day and night for a period of time of forever

and ever.

Revelation Chapter 20 Verse 11

 So, the scene here is wild. What we just read, what John just

described for us, is a white throne suspended in a place apart.

Where? Not sure. Perhaps heaven, perhaps not. Heaven is only

for those that are perfect. Could be though as we recall Satan

would present himself to God from time to time as we read in

the Book of Job. At any rate, this is a place I call, “apart.”

Because the earth and the heaven flee. This is the Great White

Throne Judgement.

Revelation Chapter 20 Verse 12

 A literal scene of final judgement and precisely how it’s going to

happen. This is the truth behind the thought, “God knows my

heart.” Each person standing before the white throne judgement

will go line by line, day by day, thought by thought through

their lives and give an account for it all. That is without a doubt

what is meant here when John says, “And books were opened.”

 Books filled with works. A book being written even now of

every thought, every action, every step, every decision. One of

the books open is also no doubt the Word of God. The standard

by which all people will one day be judged according to Jesus.

John 12:48, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My

words, has that which judges him, the word that I have spoken

will judge him in the last day.”

 And then there is one more book that is open which is the Book

of Life. Let’s take this to the end of the chapter and address this

book…

Revelation Chapter 20 Verses 13 – 15

 Anyone not found in the Book of Life. It doesn’t say the books

of works justify anyone. I just want to be overly clear about that.

The book of works is used only for those that were cast into the

lake of fire. Why? Because it is only through the accepting of

Jesus Christ, who has satisfied the lean of perfection on all

humanity, died for your sin and for my sin to bring us back into

right standing with a perfect and holy God, it is ONLY through

accepting Jesus Christ that anyone is ever able to stand in holy

judgement! And once you accept Jesus Christ, your name is

secured in the Book of Life.

 Secured. Very intentional word. Because everyone is born with

eternal life. It’s the destination that the books decide. If you

receive Jesus Christ, the one name under heaven by which all

must be saved, your name is secured. If you reject Jesus Christ,

your name is blotted out, Bible phrase, of the Lamb’s Book of

Life. Revelation 3:5, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in

white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book

of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before

His angels.”

 When you receive Jesus, your works get blotted out of the books

of works. Colossians 2:13-14, “And you, being dead in your

trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made

alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,

 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was

against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of

the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

 The Bible speaks of the lake of fire as outer darkness, constant

burning, filled with worms that eat the flesh, weeping and

gnashing of teeth, eternal separation for everything that is

anything good. How can it be all those things? Because it is not

what we know today. It is so terribly worse that Jesus pleaded

with us to not go there.

 There is no sun. There is no water. There is no morning. Even

the fire is not comparable to the fire we know. This fire burns

dark. There is no party. No Sex, drugs and rock and roll. The

description given to us by Jesus and in the Bible is eternal

aloneness buried in fire.

 Entire movements today reject the doctrine of hell. Jesus didn’t.

The Bible doesn’t. It’s right here, plain as day, but these folks

partner with atheists and universalists and speak of how can a

God of love create a place so vastly horrible and I say to them,

how can you accept Jesus’ sacrifice as payment for your sin, yet

reject the very hell He saved you from?

 You’ve missed that love offers choice. You’ve missed the hell of

the cross of Christ, and ultimately, where they’re going is to the

root of that false doctrine, which is the imminent rejection of the

cross itself. You cannot accept salvation through the cross of

Christ and yet reject eternal penalty if that salvation is denied.

You arrive at either universalism or straight up rejection of the

blood of Jesus.

 No, what Jesus did for you and for me was heavy. He saved us

from this moment of being rightfully and justly cast into the lake

of fire! Even more what He saved us from but what He saved us

TO! And that is the next chapter. The next chapter opens up with

all things made new. The end of the story for many, The

beginning for many. Which will it be for you?