Will there be a Millennium? In this episode of The Voice of Hope, J. Mark Horst examines Revelation 20:1-6, a controversial passage about the coming reign of the Messiah. He explores how Satan will be bound, the saints will reign with Christ, and the resurrection will unfold. While Christians hold different interpretations of the Millennium, we can share in the joyful hope of Christ’s return and look forward to the day when He will reign in righteousness and justice.
In Romans 13:1-2, Paul wrote, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.”
Earthly governments come and go. Some are good and just; their leaders truly care for those under their authority. Others are corrupt and unjust; they’re only interested in enriching themselves at the expense of those they’re supposed to serve. But all of them are led by men and women who are sinners by nature. That’s why no earthly government has ever been perfect.
However, a government is coming that will be perfect in every way because the King of Kings will administer it. Of course, I’m referring to the reign of the Messiah that’s described for us in Revelation chapter 20. “The Reign of Messiah” is the title of this teaching.
Isaiah spoke of this time when he wrote, “And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The increase of His government and peace will have no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”
In today’s study, we open the Scripture to Revelation 20:1-6.
1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;
3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Before I begin my exposition, a few comments. I’m not sure why, but this is one of Revelation’s most controversial passages. The controversy centers around the interpretation of the 1,000 years that are referred to six times in the first seven verses of this chapter. This 1,000-year period is called “The Millennium.”
The three major views regarding this time are premillennial, amillennial, and postmillennial. Each, however, has many variations and subdivisions. We don’t have time to explore these in depth, so, at the risk of oversimplifying, I’ll summarize each of them.
Fundamentally, these differences stem from differences in hermeneutics, or the rules of interpretation. The crux of the matter is: are the 1,000 years literal or symbolic?
Premillennials accept the plain reading of the text. They believe Christ will return to earth before (the ‘pre’) this literal thousand-year period. During this time, Christ will rule over the nations of the earth, fulfilling the promise to David that his kingdom and throne would continue forever over the house of Israel.
Amillennialists see this time period as non-literal or symbolic. The ” a ” before millennial means “no.” Amillennialism denies that Christ will have a millennial reign after His second coming. Augustine advanced the theory that the thousand years is an unspecified length of time that we call the “church-age,” the time between Jesus’ first coming and His second coming. In their view, we are living in the millennium now.
What about postmillennialism? The ‘post’ before millennialism means “after,” indicating that Christ will return after the millennium, which is characterized by a time of gospel expansion and human flourishing. In their view, the Church will usher in the kingdom. This has contributed to contemporary movements like Reconstructionism and Christian Nationalism.
Now, I’m sure some may find those definitions inadequate, but that’s all I will say for now.
This wonderful text presents several compelling STATEMENTS about the Messiah’s reign.
The First Compelling STATEMENT about Messiah’s reign is,
Satan Will Be Bound
As we begin to unpack these verses, note that almost every verse in this chapter begins with the word “and.” The events reported one after another are undoubtedly real events that will happen just as John reported them.
John sees an angel descending from heaven holding the key to the abyss in his hand. Some commentators believe this is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, based on Revelation 1:18, but that text doesn’t refer to the abyss; it only refers to death and Hades, the place of departed spirits. Regardless, it is still the act of Christ, and part of his victory, whether done by himself or by a created angel. Michael the Archangel fought Satan in the battle in heaven (chap. 12:7), but that was more of a rhetorical contest. This is a different work: grasping the Devil’s person, chaining him, and casting him into prison.
I further believe that the abyss and Hell are not the same place. Jesus described Hell (Gehenna) as a place of eternal torment in Mark 9:48. This will be the ultimate abode of Satan. He is not there yet (Revelation 20:10). According to Revelation 19:20, the beast (Antichrist) and the false prophet are the only inhabitants of the lake of fire at this point.
The abyss seems to be a sort of “fore hell,” a place where evil spirits are confined before their final judgment. In my exposition of Revelation 9:1-2, I explained that the angel with the key to the bottomless pit is a fallen angel, likely Satan himself. When Jesus confronted the demon-possessed man in Luke 8:31, the demons requested not to be sent to the abyss.
The angel who descends is also carrying a great chain. Paul mentions his chains in Acts and several of his epistles. Some may ask, “Is this a literal chain?” Perhaps the prior question should be, “Is this a literal transaction?” I believe the battle is literal; the taking of the Beast and the False Prophet is literal; the slaying of the kings and their armies is literal; Satan is literal; and his binding must be equally literal.
Some have asked, “How can a chain of iron or brass bind a spirit, and that spirit an archangel?” But the text doesn’t say it is a chain of iron, brass, steel, or any other earthly material. It is a chain of divine construction, similar to the sword that proceeds from the mouth of the Son of God. It is a spirit-chain, as the horses of the celestial army are spirit-horses. It is a chain of a character that can bind and fetter angels. Jude tells of such chains, which are holding now (Jude 6), and that not even the angels can break them.[1]
As John watches, the angel seizes “the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan…” (Revelation 12:9 describes him this way as well) and binds him for 1,000 years. Those who take the literal view, as I do, read this as exactly what it says. Some critics cite 1 Peter 5:8 to refute the literal meaning, but Peter is not commenting on the literal meaning of the years; he is simply comparing man’s view of time with God’s. Belief in a millennium predates the New Testament, appearing in the Babylonian Talmud and other Jewish writings. Some Jewish sages saw the age of man as 6,000 years, the millennial Sabbath rest as 1,000 years, and then olam haba, “the world to come.”
Once chained, Satan was cast into the abyss. Then, the place is shut up, and a seal is placed on Him so he can no longer deceive the nations until the 1,000 years are fulfilled. After this time, he will be released briefly (v. 3) for one final attempt to deceive the nations (v. 8).
This binding of Satan creates a challenge for those who take these verses figuratively. Some teach that we are in the millennium now and Satan is bound. If that is true, why then does Peter warn us to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
In my experience, Satan is not bound now, but he will be in God’s timing. That act of his binding leads us to the next compelling statement about the Messiah’s reign.
The Next STATEMENT is
The Saints Will Reign
Next, John “saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
Notice that three groups of people are mentioned here. I believe they represent all the redeemed; however, several distinct classes are identified. First, those who sit on thrones. In my earlier teaching from Revelation 4:4, I said these elders likely represent the raptured, glorified, and crowned church that sings the song of redemption in Revelation 5:8-10.
This aligns with Christ’s prophecy in Luke 22:29-30: “And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” These words, addressed to the twelve disciples, indicate that they will share in Christ’s rule over the nations of the world (See 1 Corinthians 6:2-3). As members of the church, the Body of Christ, the twelve apostles represent the church.
The word rule (19:15) can be translated as “shepherd.” The rod of iron in the Conqueror’s hand is for shepherding, providing for, and bringing the nations into a new, better order. The battle of the Great Day of God Almighty is one thing; the shepherdizing with the rod is another. The saints will join Him in ruling over the nations of the world.
The next group is the souls of those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus. These are the martyrs, those “axed” to death for the witness of Jesus. In Revelation 6, they are presented as under the altar, crying out for vengeance. The final group refused to accept the mark of the beast or worship his image. These, together, live and reign with Christ for 1,000 years. They will have varying degrees of authority, perhaps based on how faithfully they served while on earth. This promise of saints reigning with Christ is scattered throughout the New Testament.
The Final STATEMENT is
The Scope of the Resurrection
“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is [completes] the first resurrection. Verse 4 introduces an important truth: a thousand years separate the resurrection of the martyred dead from the resurrection of the wicked dead.
One challenge in these last two verses is the mention of “the first resurrection.” In what sense can the resurrection of the tribulation saints be labeled “the first resurrection”? Jesus referred to “the resurrection of life” and “the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29), and so had Daniel (Daniel 12:2). Still, here it is revealed for the first time that the first resurrection will be completed a thousand years before the second.
Christ was the first one raised from the dead with a resurrection body, the firstfruits from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20). Matthew mentions that at the death of Christ, “the graves were opened” and that later “many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many” (Matt. 27:52-53).
This difficult passage is best explained as the resurrection of a token number of saints, in keeping with the symbolism of the feast of the firstfruits, when a handful of grain was presented to the priest. Clearly, Matthew 27 did not include all the righteous saints up to that time. Daniel 12:2 seems to place the resurrection of the Old Testament saints immediately after the great tribulation described in Daniel 12:1.
Paul sheds further light on this in 1 Corinthians 15:20-24. “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came by man, so also the resurrection of the dead came by Man. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.” The phrase “Each in his own order” implies that more than one resurrection will occur.
Just as there are two kinds of physical death, namely, the first death which results in burial, and the second death which is described as being cast into the lake of fire (20:14), so there are two kinds of resurrection, a first resurrection having to do with the resurrection of the righteous, and a second resurrection having to do with the wicked. They are separated by at least one thousand years. Just as the first death did not occur in one single moment but was experienced individually over a long period, so the first resurrection is fulfilled according to the groups in view.
The final verse of our text introduces the 5th beatitude or blessing of the seven that are contained in the Apocalypse. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”
The “second death” is the eternal kind. Verse 14 defines it: “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.” This is the second death.” Over the redeemed, that death has no power or authority. Hallelujah! Furthermore, the saints reign with God and Christ and serve as priests. What will that service involve? We’ll have to wait until we get there to learn exactly what that involves. However, the concept of God’s people functioning as priests goes all the way back to Exodus 19:6, and is reiterated in the well-known verse, 1 Peter 2:9.
In closing, I borrow from Lance Lambert. Because I read this text literally, I [personally] believe that there will be a millennium. However, if I am wrong, that period not existing will not alter my faith or joy in the Lord. Though I believe in a literal 1,000-year reign of Christ, I cannot hold such a conviction in an argumentative or hotly dogmatic spirit. I acknowledge that the varied views on this text raise hard-to-answer questions. The vital need is to be ready for the Lord’s coming and all that will follow.[2]
Are you ready to meet the Lord today? If not, you cannot expect to be a part of the reign of Messiah when it comes in its fullness.
[1] Seiss, Joseph, Lectures on Revelation, p. 446
[2] (Lambert, Lance, Till the Day Dawns, Eastbourne: Kingsway Publications, 1982, p. 160)
