Read Revelation 20.
Armageddon will not be the end. There is much more ahead.
1. Satan temporarily Contained. (vv.1-3)
When Jesus returns He will put down the rebellion and deal with the chief
instigators (19:19-21). Satan will then be "bound",
"shut", and "sealed" for a time until his final judgment
takes place. Jesus will establish His earthly rule and reign, sitting on
"the throne of his father David" (Luke 1:32). How long will
Satan be restricted and how long will the earthly kingdom last? Six times
in the first seven verses the time is stated to be 1,000 years. There is
no hint anywhere in the Bible that this is a grammatical hyperbole or that this
is a comparative statement such as 2 Peter 3:8.
2. God's kingdom on Earth. (v.4a)
A number of thrones will be set up for those who will judge matters during this
1,000 years of earthly reign. Who will these judges be?
-Believers in Jesus-"Or do you not know that the saints will judge the
world?" (1 Corinthians 6:2
-12 Apostles-"...that you may...sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes
of Israel." (Luke 22:30)
-Jesus-"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with
him, then he will sit on his glorious throne."
All believers in Jesus "will be priests of God and of Christ, and they
shall reign with him for a thousand years." (v.6)
3. The first Resurrection. (vv.5-6)
These events complete the stages of what is called the first resurrection.
-Jesus was the first to be resurrected, guaranteeing the rest. (1 Corinthians
15:20-23)
-The dead who belong to Christ will be raised at the "catching away"
according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53.
-Tribulation believers will be last (Revelation 20:4b).
4. The final War. (vv.7-10)
At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be released again. He knows he
is a defeated foe. He knows he cannot win, so he will try to take as many
people with him as possible to eternal punishment. The global rebellion
will come from a group called Magog whose leader is Gog. As in the battle
of Armageddon, the fight will be over quickly. Satan will be thrown into
the Lake of Fire to be tormented forever and ever.
5. The final Judgment. (vv.11-15)
It is clear that believers in Jesus have already been judged for their works
and rewarded previously. This judgment is for all those who throughout
earth's history have never repented and turned to God. The first death is
physical. Being thrown into the Lake of Fire for the purpose of eternal
torment is called the second death.
Jesus said that people need a second birth. In order to "see the
kingdom of God" we need to be born spiritually into God's family.
Physical birth gives us temporal life. The second birth gives us
eternal life.
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