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REVELATION - Behold, I am Coming Soon
Studies in the Book of Revelation
BOOK 7 - YES, I AM COMING SOON! (REVELATION 19:11 - 22-21)
PART 7.3 - THE MILLENIUM RULE (REVELATION 20:1-10)

2. Statements About the Millennium in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 20:1-4b)


Who Are the Reigning Souls? Next John saw a number of thrones on which did not sit ordinary, mortal men and also not divine angels, but “souls” who died as martyrs because of their faithfulness to God and Jesus. The idiom “soul” means in the Middle East among other things the self of man, his character and his personality. One does not think of psyche of man in the sense of Greek philosophy at first, which is supposed to be separated from the body during the process of dying and return into the realm of ideas. According to oriental understanding on the contrary the soul is waiting as the self of man after death in the realm of the dead for its resurrection and the Last Judgment.

John had a spiritual view of souls of the departed. And so he heard in a vision various details about where the souls sitting on the thrones come from:

  • Some of them had been beheaded with an axe and dismembered in the time of the Roman Empire as they had borne witness of Jesus the Messiah and King of kings.
  • Others were Jews who had been killed with an axe in the same way because of their faithfulness to the Torah and because they did not want to worship other gods except Yahweh and denied to worship Cesar.
  • In the time of the last Antichrist, the beast in human shape, many Christians and Jews will be threatened with martyrdom by the claim to worship him and his image. But they will have already placed themselves at the mercy of their Lord and prefer to die instead of bearing the mark of the beast on their foreheads and arms.


3. The First Resurrection of the Dead (Revelation 20:4c-6)


REVELATION 20:4c-6
4c … They lived, and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead didn’t live 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 these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years.

Souls Are Revived: Now John saw a hardly conceivable event: many souls became revived and received a spiritual body which is similar to the body of Jesus after his resurrection and which made him able to penetrate walls and rocks soundlessly. So the martyrs were conformed to the image of their Lord (Romans 8:29; Philippians 3:21; Colossians 3:4; 1 John 3:2 and other verses).

Again and again there are efforts in science fiction movies to illustrate the transformation of men into various states of being. These are efforts in vain to enlighten an obscure intuition of man of the existence of the souls and the upcoming resurrection. Eventually, these efforts are great dreams or suppressed fears. But John saw the overwhelming event of the first resurrection in advance.

The seer emphasizes that the resurrected martyrs do not live, act and reign independently but only in closest relation to and in Christ. He is the vine and they are the brunches of him. He acts and works much fruit through them. Apart from him they can do nothing (John 15:5). J.A. Bengel points out that Christ does not reign with them but they reign with him. For him this is a hint that Jesus is sitting furthermore on the throne of his Father in heaven (Revelation 3:21; likewise in Matthew 19:28) and reigns the world together with him. The revived souls, however, are qualified by him to share in his majesty, authority and radiance.

So the most faithful of the faithful will reign with Christ a thousand years over the inhabitants of the earth who have been left after the judgments of the bowls of wrath. They will teach the people entrusted to them the commandments of Moses and the new law of Christ and put the blessing or the punishments of their Lord upon them. As during this long time of grace no demonic inspired opposition can arise, full blessings can be expected in all areas of life.

Some expositors assume that during the Millennium a strong evangelizing movement will be started among the nations on earth. In China, India and the Islamic countries so far only three to five percent of the inhabitants are Christians. Two thirds of mankind do not yet know Jesus and his salvation. Therefore during the Millennium the proclamation of the gospel remains a main task of all who are born again by the Holy Spirit. They will pray without ceasing and believe what they have prayed, “Your kingdom come!” (Matthew 6:10)

John does also not state that when Christ appears so as to destroy Antichrist all the dead will arise. He also does not confirm that those you died in Christ together with the believers who are still alive would be translated towards their Savior (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). He only testifies that the martyrs and all who had suffered for Jesus' sake will arise at first. By this testimony the risen Lord may encourage his Churches in Minor Asia not to fear martyrdom!

The Coming of Christ so as to destroy Antichrist is therefore not his final coming but prepares it. Either does his return occur according to the reports of the Book of Revelation in stages or it consists of various aspects which have to be considered separately.

John refers to the reviving of the souls of these martyrs as the first resurrection, which represents the beginning of the Millennium. The second resurrection of the dead will occur only after the interim dominion of Christ on earth together with his authorized representatives.

Who is Blessed and Who is Holy? The patriarch in Patmos was told that those participating in the first resurrection are all “blessed and holy".

Blessed are those, according to this text (Revelation 20:6), on whom the second death has no claim and power and who therefore do not perish any more. These blessed ones live in eternity and do not know any subliminal fear of death. They are secure in Christ and in his grace. In them the fruits of the Holy Spirit grow: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). All beatitudes of Jesus Christ will be realized in them (Matthew 5:3-12; 13:16; 24:46; Luke 11:28; John 13:17; 20:29 and other verses). With regard to the Millennium Jesus has in particular blessed the meek and promised them that they will inherit the earth and reign (Matthew 5:5). The Lord Jesus himself is the prototype of meekness (Matthew 11:29). According to this the globe will be given to him as his inheritance and property.

The blessed ones, on whom the second death has no power, are according to this text also holy. The saints have devoted themselves to God and His Lamb so as to be His property and committed themselves to him totally so as to serve Him. They are called “kingly priests of the Almighty” and can enter at any time the throne room of The All Merciful. Endowed with this authority they will intercede with the threefold Holy One for the nations entrusted to them, pray for them without ceasing and put the blessing resulting from the sacrificial death of Jesus upon the unclean nations. During all of their priestly activities the blood of the Passover Lamb will cover and protect the saints (Leviticus 9:6-9; 16:6.11.15; Romans 3:21; Hebrews 7:26-28). In eternity they will live on the blessing of the atoning sacrifice of Christ and are holy only in Him (Hebrews 10:14). The Lamb is alone worthy to receive honor (Revelation 5:9-12).

These kingly priests not only bless the nations entrusted to them, but also reign over them and judge them. However, they have his authority only in and with Christ (John 15:5.16).The thousand years of their priestly and executive ministries in the theocracy of Jesus prepare the new creation of heaven and earth.

The revealing angel and the apostle John attach in this passage great importance to specific wordings which occur several times:

  • “... until the thousand years were finished” Revelation 20:3.5
  • They “came to life” or “did not come to life” Revelation 20:4.5
  • “the first resurrection” Revelation 20:5.6
  • The martyrs “reign with Christ” Revelation 20:4.6

Whoever thinks about the promises referring to the Millennium based on these four phrases and confines oneself to them, will know the spiritual focal points in this passage of the Book of Revelation.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the King of Kings, and You will reign over the nations with Your saints in the peace of the Holy Spirit. Those who were cut and burnt for You will stand with You in perfect bodies, representing the authority of Your power and the atonement of Your pure blood. Establish us in Your grace, for without You we are nothing. Amen.

QUESTION:

  1. Who are the blessed and the holy ones, and what will they do after the first resurrection?

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