Lessons From Revelation – Lesson 14
We need to spend time in the Bible for ourselves. The need for Christians to know what the bible teaches is because so many people teach things that are wrong.
One thing I remember is a preacher used to use wrong teaching as a high pressure way to get people to go out on Saturday. He would teach that God is waiting until that last soul is saved and then the rapture would happen.
But we learned better. Souls still get saved after the rapture. People get saved all the way thru the tribulation. God wants His word to go out all thru the tribulation. He calls and seals 144,000 witnesses and sends the 2 witnesses and when the beast and the wicked one kill all of those witnesses God sends angels flying over the inhabitants of earth preaching.
God is not waiting for the last soul to be saved before the tribulation starts.
Another thing that is mistaught has to do with the one world church of the tribulation. Many teach that it will be the Catholic Church. Well they might be messed up with worshipping Mary and saints and idols and rituals, and in saying man can forgive sins, and well the list is too long to go thru.
But they cannot be the one world church of the tribulation. Why? The world at that time hates Jesus. And yes the Catholic Church does not know Jesus. They are not saved. However, they do use His name and they do associate themselves to His name. In the tribulation they are going to kill anyone who associates with Jesus. They are going to kill anyone who does not worship the beast.
And we learned that the religion of the tribulation is one that actually worships the beast and the devil. The one world religion at that time has nothing to do with the name of Jesus it is literally beast and devil worship.
Another thing that is taught wrong is what is the point of it all for us today. So we had to take a break from Revelation to see what Jesus taught was the point of it all.
Jesus taught thru a series of parables that He is coming back without warning. One will be taken and another left. Jesus taught that whatever state you are in when He comes back is it. There will be no time to change anything.
There will be no, Jesus give me just 15 min. to get ready.
Jesus taught that He leaves and expects His servants to be busy doing the work and if they are found doing it when He comes back that they will be rewarded.
Matt 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
Matt 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
Matt 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Rev_5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
You put it all together and we are to voluntarily be busy for the Lord. He will reward us for it. We will have jobs to do during the 1,000 reign and those jobs will be handed out according to how we work for Him in this life.
We are not given the information of what happens in the future for our amusement and we are not given that information to try to deduce who the antichrist is.
It is given for many reasons. One to know we are on the winning side. Two to know how much Jesus wants His word to be given out. Three to know that even in judgment Mercy is offered and is available. Four to know that there is going to be a 1,000 year reign and that rewards and jobs will be handed out then based on what we do for Him now. Five to show just how bad the human heart can get without the Lord. Six to give us motivation to want to rescue people from having to go thru the tribulation. Seven to realize the seriousness of life. Life is not to be all about entertainment. Eight to get us to live for Jesus and be busy for Him every day of our lives. Nine to give us a heart to save as many as we can now so they do not have to go thru the awful tribulation.
That is not an exhaustive list. You can think of more. Knowing these reasons helps you understand why there is a blessing attached to reading and keeping the book of Revelation.
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
The blessing is not in knowing how many seals there are or in memorizing their order. The blessing is in realizing the reasons the book is given and then living every day accordingly.
We pick up in our survey at chapter 20.
The Thousand Years
Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 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.
Rev 20:4 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.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 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.
That is all that Revelation has to say about the 1,000 reign. 6 verses. That is why we had to pause and go take a look at what Jesus taught about it. The 1,000 year reign is important and is to be a motivation for our service for Him today. Some might say then why only 6 verses. Why did Jesus not give more in Revelation? Because He already gave us that information in Matthew.
People who restrict themselves to only verse by verse study and preaching really deprive themselves of the big picture. Scripture is to be compared to scripture. What was given in Matthew was given to go along with Revelation.
Next the end of the 1,000 years and the Defeat of Satan
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 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.
Rev 20:9 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.
Rev 20:10 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.
The final picture of just how bad the heart of man can sink to without Christ has been shown.
The perfect son of God is on the earth for all to see. Anyone can go and see Him. They can see the holes in His hands and the hole in His side. They can see Him rule in perfect love, judgment, and Holiness. They can see that in Him and in all He does is no unrighteousness.
They can ask any question that they have. Jesus will be here to see face to face and talk to.
And still after seeing Him for 1,000 years, they will choose Satan over Jesus.
To all that Love the Lord, this just boggles the mind. To choose sin and Satan and hell over Jesus. But that is what a huge number of people do. The number of whom is as the sand of the sea. That is a mob so large that you cannot count it.
Now it is time to end all of this and have the final judgment.
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 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.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
The Devil will be no more. People rejecting Jesus and fighting against Him will be no more. Sin will be no more. Justice will be done.
See more lessons from Revelation