The Reign of Christ and the Judgment
of the Great White Throne (Chap. 20)
AS I HAVE OFTEN REPEATED, at the end of the Tribulation Christ comes all the way to the earth to establish His reign of righteousness. In chapter 19 we have seen that our Lord is to return, and that He will come back as a warrior and put down all opposition in order to establish His reign of righteousness.
Much confusion exists in the world today concerning the Millennium. There are those who take the position that Christ's coming to the earth precedes the Millennium. Those who thus believe are called premillenarians. On the other hand, there are those who hold to the theory that the world is getting better, and that by the preaching of the gospel the era of righteousness and peace and joy will be introduced. Then Christ will reign through the gospel for one thousand years. Those holding this position are known as postmillennialists. Very few people hold this hypothesis today. A third theory is that which is known as a-millennialism. Those who hold this position believe that there is to be no Millennium whatsoever, but that what is spoken of as the Millennium is to be understood spiritually, or figuratively.
Notwithstanding the fact that in the first six verses of Revelation, chapter 20, we are told that Christ will come, will bind Satan for a thousand years, and will reign on this earth for that length of time, those holding these nebulous theories still insist that there is not to be any literal reign of Christ upon this earth. Notwithstanding the fact that the language is crystal clear, these theorists, while they admit that the language actually and literally says that Christ will reign for a thousand years, yet insist that this passage is very highly figurative, and that we cannot, in view of that fact, accept it literally. Thus there are false theories that have been devised to explain that which is quite evident.
I wish to give my testimony here. Before I was a Christian, and while still a boy in my teens, I was seeking to learn how to be saved. I purchased a New Testament which I took with me while working for a railroad company. Every moment of my spare time I pulled out my Testament and read it. I read straight through the New Testament. Finally, I came to the twentieth chapter of Revelation. I took this passage at what it says and believed it. Accepting God's Word at its face value, I became a premillenarian. Shortly after that I entered a Bible college, where the Scriptures were frequently explained according to the following principle: "Yes, the Scriptures say this, but they mean something else." I thought this was very strange, but considered that my professors knew what they were talking about. I therefore was confused and did not know what to believe. Finally I heard a man preaching who said that the Bible means what it says and says what it means. Then I returned to my original understanding of the Millennium, and I have maintained that position ever since. God is honest; God is capable of expressing Himself; He said what He meant and meant what He said.
The Binding of Satan for One Thousand Years
In Revelation 20:1-3 we are told that, when Christ comes, Satan is bound and is put in the pit of the abyss, which is sealed, over him. There he will remain for a thousand years, during which Christ will reign upon the earth. This is in perfect alignment with the prophecy that is found in Isaiah, chapter 24. In the first 20 verses we have a vivid, graphic description of the Tribulation Period. At the end of that time, God incarcerates the hosts of the high ones on high (the evil spirits that inhabit the air). "And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison; and after many days shall be visited"--or, punished (Isa. 24:22). Here is the Old Testament prediction to the effect that God will incarcerate Satan and his hosts in the pit of the abyss for "many days," that is, a thousand years.
During the time that Christ reigns for a thousand years, the people living on earth will not be deceived by Satan. The people who at that time will live upon the earth will be those who survive the Tribulation, who have been truth seekers, and who will be permitted to enter the Millennium. The gospel, however, will be given to them by converted Israel. They will accept Christ and will re-populate the earth. These
are the ones who will be put on the right hand of Christ when He judges the living nations (Matt. 25:31-46).
Christ's Reign Upon the Earth for One Thousand Years
"4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as worshipped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived (lit., came to life), and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years should be finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: over these the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years'' (Rev. 20:4-6).
The Saints
There are three groups of people who reign with Christ according to this verse. Who are the ones referred to in the clause, "and they sat upon them [thrones]"? The only possible antecedent of this pronoun is the "armies of heaven" found in Revelation 19:14. These are the saints of the present age, who are raptured before the Tribulation, and who come all the way to the earth when Jesus returns to reign upon the earth.
In the next place, the second group that reigns with Christ is mentioned in these words: ". . . And I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God." These are doubtless the martyrs who are slain during the first half of the Tribulation, and who are mentioned in Revelation 6:9-11.
The third group that is mentioned is spoken of in this statement: ". . . . And such as worshiped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand." These are also the Tribulation martyrs--those slain under the Antichrist during the latter half of the Tribulation. They are killed because of their faith, but they come to life and reign with Christ a thousand years. While all of these reign with Christ, there is a distinction between those constituting the body of Christ, that is called out during the present age, and the Tribulation saints.
The Wicked Dead Come to Life After One Thousand Years
"5 The rest of the dead [that is, those who are not raised before the thousand years begin] lived not until the thousand years should be finished" (20:5); namely at the judgment of the great white throne which occurs after the thousand years.
Thus there are two resurrections, the first and the second. The first resurrection embodies all who are raised before the thousand years begin. The second embraces all who are not raised until after the thousand years are finished.
The Saints of the First Resurrection to Be Priests
Those who come up in the first resurrection are blessed forever and ever. ". . . over these the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (20:6).
Satan's Activities After the Thousand Year's Reign of Christ
In Revelation 20:7-10 we have a prediction that Satan, at the end of a little period of time which follows the Millennium, will be released, will come forth, and will deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth. These he stirs up to come against Jerusalem in order to intimidate Christ, to war against Him, but not with actual weapons of war. There is a war going on now, a war between the East and the West, a psychological war. It is as real as a shooting war. Thus there will be a war of words, a war of psychology, that will be backed up by demonstrations. There will go forth from the four corners of the earth a mighty host of unregenerated, unsaved people, who will try to intimidate Christ after His having reigned for a thousand years.
I am convinced that those who are in this host are unsaved people. People will be born all during the Millennium. All who are born during that period will be allowed to live at least one hundred years. If they accept Christ before their one hundredth birthday, they will continue to live on through the Millennium. But if they refuse Christ and postpone their salvation until they reach their one hundredth birthday, the curse of God will fall upon them and they will be blotted from the land of the living. (See Isa. 65:19-21). Thus I am convinced that this is a "youth" movement, consisting of unregenerated people who go up from the four corners of the globe to intimidate our Lord. They are spoken of as Gog and Magog, terms that are echoes of Gog and Magog who invade Palestine before the Tribulation, and who are overthrown when they meet God Almighty. God speaks of this hostile group which marches against Jerusalem and their destruction in terms of the destruction of Gog and Magog before the Tribulation.
After Satan does his worst in stirring up this movement against Christ, he will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, "where are also the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever" (20:10). The Antichrist and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire at the beginning of the thousand years. At the end of the thousand years they are still there in conscious existence and in punishment, just the same as at the beginning of that time--and they will continue there throughout all eternity. It is an awful thing to pass out of this life, not having accepted the peace and the reconciliation which the Lord Jesus Christ purchased freely and offers as freely to one and all.
In Revelation 20:11-15 we have a prophecy concerning the judgment of the great white throne. In our considering this, let us differentiate between this judgment, which follows the Millennium, and the judgment of the nations, which precedes the Millennium.
The Great White Throne Judgment
Not The Same as that of Matthew 25:31-45
When Christ, comes back, according to Matthew 25:31-45, He will gather those nations that survive the Tribulation and will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Those being put on the right hand, and who are represented as sheep, are allowed to enter the Millennial Age and to repeople the earth. There is nothing said about a resurrection in this judgment, nor about anyone's accepting Christ--or anything of that nature. This fact is important for us to remember. The judgment described in Revelation 20:11-15 occurs after the Millennium. Those appearing here are all raised from the dead.
Passing Away of the Material Universe
At the judgment of the great white throne the entire material universe passes out of existence: ". . . the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them." John saw them vanish. He looked in every direction, to the farthest limits of space, and said that the material universe did not flee into any place. It simply vanishes, disappears. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matt. 24:35). This passing away of the heaven and the earth is the fulfillment of the prediction which our Lord made.
The Dead Judged and Rewarded
At the judgment of the great white throne "books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life." Everybody whose name was not found in the book of life is judged and is caused to go off into everlasting punishment. Everybody's name was originally put in the book of life. ". . . it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment" (Heb. 9:27). Whenever a man goes out of this life, not having accepted Christ and not having his name written in the Lamb's book of life among the righteous, his name is erased from the book of life. Now everyone whose name has been erased from the book of life will be sent off into "the lake of fire that burneth with brimstone" forever and ever.
Death and Hades Cast into the lake of Fire
At that time "death and Hades," which represent the power of death and the place where the dead--the lost--are cast into the lake of fire.
As said above, it is an awful thing to be banished from the presence of God and from the glory of His might forever and ever. God does not wish "that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (II Peter 3:9). Christ made ample provision for the salvation of every soul.
May God move upon the hearts of men and women everywhere and open their eyes to see the necessity of salvation and the importance of accepting the Lord Jesus Christ before it is eternally too late!
The Book of Life
Punishment is everlasting, just as life eternal is everlasting. There is bliss, happiness, and joy for all who will accept the Lord Jesus. Have you done that, my sinner friend? The Lord bless you and enable you to do that, is my prayer.
