REVELATION 19-20 REVELATION REFRESHER SERIES PART 82021 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Revelation 19-20 Revelation Refresher Series Part 8

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2021.

Amen. Well, this evening we are here now in Revelation chapters 19 and 20 as we continue on the Revelation refresher series. Now, before we dive into these chapters, I want to just walk through the timeline a little bit to help us have the context of what it is that we're talking about. The book of Revelation covers a huge portion of time because it starts out looking at the church age in chapters 1 through 4.

And that really began in the book of Acts chapter 2 with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the church and continues on until the present day and up until the rapture of the church. And so those early chapters really cover thousands of years as the Lord was ministering to those churches and to you and I today.

But then we transitioned from that period of time to the tribulation period, and that's Revelation chapters 5 through 18. And

And we saw in great detail, it's the majority of the content of the book of Revelation is focused on that tribulation period and all of the judgments that will be taking place as the wrath of God is being poured out upon the earth. We finished that up last week in chapter 18. And now as we move forward tonight, we'll be looking at chapters 19 and 20 and talking a lot about the return of Jesus Christ and the millennium. And then we'll wrap it up next week

with chapters 21 and 22, looking at eternity. But before we jump into the millennium, I wanted to walk through those judgments that we saw over the past several weeks to help set the stage and remind us, because it's kind of like all building to the return of Jesus that we'll get to in chapter 19. And so you remember back in chapter 5, there was that scene with the scroll with the seven seals, right?

And as the Lord, who was the only worthy one to take the scroll and to open the seals, as he began to open those seals, there was corresponding events happening upon the earth. And they were matters of judgment, wrath of God being poured out upon the earth. And it began with the coming of the Antichrist.

and this conqueror who came to make deals and conquer and lead. And we get to see him change colors a little bit later on and reveal his true self as the Antichrist or the beast as he becomes known in Revelation chapter 13.

Well, then the second seal is opened and peace is taken from the earth. And so battles and wars are going to be taking place throughout this seven-year period. There's also going to be famine as the third seal is opened, and there's going to be very costly expenses for just the bare necessities. Just to have a loaf of bread is going to be incredibly difficult to obtain and very expensive.

Well, the fourth seal was opened and there was death for a quarter of the earth. And so maybe a combination of all the previous things or maybe some new event, a fourth of the earth dies and that fourth seal as it's opened up, we saw those numbers, they are quite staggering. As the fifth seal was opened, the martyrs in heaven were comforted and consoled that their justice would be brought forth by the Lord in the near future.

Well, then the sixth seal was opened and there was some catastrophic events that happened on the earth, great earthquakes and things like the world has not seen before. And then the seventh seal was opened and then there was silence in heaven for about 30 minutes and then seven angels came with seven trumpets. And it led into then that seventh seal contains the seven trumpet judgments. And we walked through those as well. The

The first one sounded and a third of the earth's vegetation was burned. The second one sounded and a third of the sea was turned to blood. The third one sounded and a third of the water, the fresh water, was made bitter. The fourth one sounded and a third of the stars were darkened.

As the fifth one sounded, there was five months of demonic torment. The sixth one sounded, and there was four angels released to kill one-third of mankind, another staggering number at that time. And then as the seventh trumpet sounded, the temple in heaven was opened, and similar to before, now seven angels come forth with bowls of judgment, and the final seven judgments come forth out of that seventh trumpet.

As the first bowl is poured out, there's a foul and loathsome sore upon those who worship the beast and received the mark of the beast. As the second bowl is poured out, the sea becomes blood, not just a portion of it any longer, but the entire sea becomes blood. Then the third bowl is poured out and all of the fresh water becomes blood. Then the fourth bowl is poured out and the sun begins to scorch men and burned men.

I think it said it was seven times hotter, but I might just be making that up. So you go back and read the chapter and you can tell me later. But the sun scorches men and they're in agony as a result. Then the fifth bowl is poured out and there was a darkness now on the kingdom of the Antichrist, a darkness that could be felt. They gnashed their tongues as a result of the agony.

Then the sixth bowl was poured out and the kings of the earth were gathered together to Armageddon for the battle of Armageddon. They're led there by demonic spirits and the stage is set then for the return of Jesus there at the battle of Armageddon. And then finally the seventh bowl is poured out.

There's a great earthquake. There's hail that comes upon the earth, 80 to 100 pounds each, just demolishing so many things. And so all of this, this is kind of like the climax of the tribulation period. And it leads up to now Revelation chapter 19.

Revelation chapter 19, looking at the overview first of all, verse 11 is the key verse. It says, Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.

So all of these things leading up to this point is leading up to this culmination, this climax. Now, the return of Jesus Christ at the battle of Armageddon. Verses 1 through 10, John hears a multitude, a great multitude saying, Alleluia.

Then in verses 11 through 16, he tells us the king of kings was coming on a white horse. And then verses 17 through 21, we see the beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire. And so here in chapter 19, we have really the conclusion of Jesus.

the tribulation and the introduction to the millennium. It's that transition chapter to bring an end to the wrath of God in that season and now to bring in this new season of life upon the earth.

Now, as we walk through these things, I'm going to jump into a lot of these verses. So let's look at verse 1. It says, You can kind of see this scene unfold, and it's pretty amazing to consider. There is this buildup of judgment upon judgment upon judgment.

The wrath of God upon the earth is being intensified with each one. And it culminates there at the end. And then there's this impressive scene as all the armies are gathered together upon the earth. And the temple now in heaven is opened. And then what we find here in chapter 19 is a scene of worship.

There's a great multitude in heaven saying, Alleluia. And the contrast is stark.

The contrast is very real, that now there is going to be this praise and worship of God because he's going to bring an end to all of this rebellion of humanity and to deal with the sin on the earth here at the end of the tribulation period. And so now there's this loud voice of a great multitude in heaven.

Every time we see the heavenly scene throughout the book of Revelation, there's always this worship that is going on, and this is the case once again. We get a kind of look at it from heaven's perspective, right? We've been walking through the tribulation mostly from the earth's perspective and thinking about how all of these things would be as they're unfolding here. But now in heaven, as the end is nigh, as the end is upon us, there is this worship

elaborate, this massive, this great multitude worshiping in heaven. It's angels, it's the church, it's the Old Testament saints, it's the martyred saints who were killed during the tribulation period, and they're joining together in unison to say hallelujah, which means praise the Lord.

Pastor David Guzik says, And I'm sure you've had those kinds of experiences. You know,

You know, maybe those times at the Harvest Crusade or maybe at a conference or a retreat or something, and there's just a massive group of people. And, you know, the Holy Spirit is moving, and there's a real genuine time of worship. And it's just, well, as Pastor David Guzik says, it's thrilling as you enjoy that time together corporately to worship the Lord.

I would suggest to you it's going to be just as thrilling for us then. It's not going to get old. It's not going to get boring. But there in heaven, at this point in history, once again, we see the heavenly scene. Once again, we see worship. And there's going to be this multitude that is just enthralled, thrilled, jubilant, excited.

to worship the Lord and to praise God once again. And they say salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God, attributing all glory, all honor, even salvation. Salvation is not our work, it's God's work. It belongs to Him. He is the one who has brought about salvation. He is the one who deserves all glory, honor, and power.

And so we're worshiping the Lord for this. But there's another reason that this worship is going on. And that is because the judgments of the Lord are righteous. Look at verse 2 and 3. For true and righteous are his judgments, because he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication. And he has avenged on her the blood of his servants shed by her. Again, they said, Alleluia. Her smoke rises up forever and ever.

This praise and this worship is going on because of what God has done, what he deserves, but also because it's an acknowledgement of the righteousness of his judgments.

Now, this harlot that is being referred to here, again, it's on the heels of chapter 17 and 18 as we looked at Babylon and the representation there of the spiritual center of religion at that time, but then also chapter 18, the center of commerce, and both of those things represented by and referred to as Babylon. And so it's looking at the false religions, looking at the idolatry and the

the judgment that is brought upon those things brings about this worship that there's this acknowledgement in heaven. What God has done is right. His judgments are true. His judgments are righteous because of the corruption that those things have brought.

because of the murder of the servants of God that those systems have enabled and fostered. And as a result of all of the corruption and all of that rebellion against God, now when the judgment comes, it's right, it's true, and with an eternal perspective, everyone will agree it was the right thing for God to do. Verse 3 is really interesting because

Here, as a part of this worship, one of the lyrics is, Alleluia. Again, praise the Lord. Her smoke rises up forever and ever. Now, that's probably not, you know, a line in any of the worship songs that you're familiar with, right? It's kind of a strange thing for us to have this be attached to an act of worship and praise to the Lord. Judgment glorifies God. And

It's something that we don't always have a good perspective on, but it is a reality that we need to understand. Judgment glorifies God.

And if he will not be glorified in our lives by our submission to him, well, then he will bring judgment and be glorified in that way. And the same thing is true for humanity as a whole. And God is bringing judgment upon the earth as a result of the rebellion against God and the refusal to glorify God. And so God will be glorified then through judgment. And so her smoke will rise forever and ever.

In eternity, you and I will have God's perspective on these things. In this life, we rarely have God's perspective. It's really difficult for us to have God's perspective. And we have to trust God and take Him at His word and believe that all things work together for good and, you know, all of those promises that we hold on to. But in that perspective, in the eternal perspective, we have to trust God.

We'll be able to see and understand the judgments of God and agree and say, you're right, God. That was the right thing to do. And we will praise you for doing what was right, even though it was an act of judgment. Well, moving on to verse 4, it says, the 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne saying, amen, hallelujah.

And so here we're given a little bit of insight into the group that is making up this multitude that is worshiping. Amongst this multitude is the 24 elders.

Now, we dealt with this a little bit back in chapters 4 and 5 of Revelation. The 24 elders very likely represents the church. They're representatives of the church, or they are collectively the church there being shown symbolically. And so, in other words, that's us. We're going to be there. Consider that. We will be there. Remember the timing of this at the end of the tribulation period, and

For those who believe in the Lord, for those who are walking with the Lord, we are looking forward to the rapture of the church. And so during that time of tribulation where all of these things happen upon the earth, we will be enjoying the presence of the Lord. And when it all comes to an end, we'll be part of that group saying, Hallelujah. Praise the Lord for what he has done.

Well, also part of the group is the four living creatures. Again, we dealt with them a little bit in chapters 4 and 5. These creatures who are around the throne of God, angelic beings in the presence of God, worshiping and praising him continually. Verse 5,

And so there is going to be this worship that comes out, and then there's going to be an exhortation and an encouragement from the throne. Perhaps the Holy Spirit will be calling us to worship, or the Lord Jesus himself will be saying, hey, let's praise the Father and praise our God. And the instruction here is to the servants,

to praise God, both small and great, whatever capacity you are or whatever background you have, that we are going to praise the Lord during this time and be encouraged to praise the Lord.

Verse 6, And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. The Lord God all-powerful reigns. And so, as the instruction is given, then the multitude rises up and praises God once again.

God reigns is the praise that will be on our lips. We will praise God because he is on the throne, because he is in control, because he is accomplishing his purposes and his will. God is good and everything that he does is good and right and worthy of praise and we will be able to recognize it fully at that time.

Going on to verse 7, it says, As the scene continues to unfold, now we're addressing the church directly. The church is the bride of Christ.

And so here is this marriage of the Lamb, and his wife has made herself ready. And, you know, I'm talking about the church as the bride of Christ. We also understand Israel is the bride. And so there is the joining together of these two, because in Christ, that middle wall of separation has been removed. And so now it's time for the fullness of all that God has planned and purposed in the nation of Israel and in the church.

And so we will, at that point, have been brought to completion. We always like to refer back to Philippians chapter 1 verse 6, right? He who began the good work in you will be faithful to complete it. Now is the time of that completion. His wife has made herself ready. He has prepared her and she is ready. Now is the time where all of the promises of God,

All of those things that we look forward to and hold on to, they will all be fulfilled at this time. The marriage of the Lamb has come. It caused me to think about Ephesians chapter 5, where there Paul's addressing the subject of marriage, but really the main subject is the way that the Lord loves us and works in us and relates that to marriage. Here he gives instruction to husbands in Ephesians 5, verse 25 through 27, saying,

to follow the model of Jesus. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. Jesus gave himself for the church, that he might sanctify the church, that he might cleanse the church with the washing of water by the word, and that he might present the church to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she should be holy and without blemish. This is the work of the Lord in the church. And at this point,

Everything will be made ready. His work to present the church to himself as a glorious church without spot or wrinkle will be complete. And the marriage of the Lamb has come. In verse 8, it goes on to say, And to her, the church, it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."

And so here you can see there's a bit of a combination that's happening. He does it. He prepares the bride. But also the bride responds with righteous acts. And so there is the righteous acts of the saints that become these clean and bright and fine linen that is our attire for that day. And so I think it's a great opportunity for us to just stop and reflect, have I made myself ready?

In verse 7, it says, his wife has made herself ready. Are you ready to meet the Lord? Are you ready to be with the Lord? And that readiness is attached to righteous acts, doing what is right, doing what is good, doing the will of God. And that will be displayed as fine linen in that marriage supper of the Lamb. Make yourself ready to be in the presence of the Lord.

Well, verse 9, it says, Notice what he says here. You need to write this down, John. Make sure you write this down. There's other portions where John hears things and sees things, and the Lord says, don't write that down. But here he wants us to know. He particularly recorded this

so that you and I reading through it could take these things to heart and allow them to impact our lives. Write this down. Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Blessed are those who are called to this supper, to be with the Lord, to be that perfected bride, to be clothed with the acts of righteousness, of doing God's will and doing God's work. You and I have the opportunity to respond to this call.

To be blessed, and the Lord wants you to know that. Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And then he goes on to say, these are the true sayings of God. He wants us to know this is for real. This is the truth. This is unchangeable. This is going to take place. This is reality. It's important because so many times,

The life that's right here in front of us, the world that's all around us that we can see and taste and touch is, you know, what consumes our mind and our hearts. But eternity is what's really important. Doing the work of God and doing the will of God is what's really important. And so we need to be reminded these are the true sayings of God.

That we are blessed if we are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We're blessed if we are invited, if we get to participate in the presence of God in that day. Well, in verse 10, it says, Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is in the spirit of prophecy.

John, overwhelmed at this whole scene, just falls down at the feet of this angel. But the angel says, no, no, don't do that. That's reserved for the Father, the Son. You worship God. Don't worship me. I'm just a servant like you, and you are to be about Jesus. Here's what the angel is saying. Let all of these things, let these revelations bring you to a place of worshiping the Lord.

Let these things prompt you and encourage you. This is about Jesus, the angel says. It's not about angels. It's not about judgments. It's not about, you know, all of those things. It's about Jesus. And so let all of these things bring you to that place of worship towards the Lord. Moving on to verse 11. Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on him was called Faithful and True. And in righteousness he judges and makes war.

And so after this incredible scene of worship, on the heels of this final judgment being poured out upon the earth, now here comes the rider on the white horse. And the rider on the white horse, of course, is Jesus Christ. This is the return of Jesus, the one who is called faithful and true. That's Jesus. In Revelation 3, verse 14, Jesus is referred to as the faithful and true witness.

He is the one who is faithful. He is the one who is true. And now it's his time to come and set foot upon the earth and put an end to all of this rebellion and bring an end to this time of judgment called the tribulation period. Jesus talked about this himself in Matthew 24, verse 30. He said, "'Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn.'"

And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. They will see the Son of Man coming, coming out of heaven with power, with glory. This scene is going to be incredible. As the armies are gathered together to battle at Armageddon, here comes Jesus on a white horse with power. The scene continues to unfold. He comes with righteousness to judge and to make war.

And it's an interesting thing to consider because when Jesus came the first time, he came in a different way, right? He came in humility as a servant to die upon the cross. But here in the second coming, Jesus returns as a king and a conqueror, as a warrior to judge and to make war. Now what's setting the stage for this is back in Revelation chapter 16, as the sixth bowl of judgment is poured out,

It talks about the unclean spirits that lead the armies to Armageddon. The unclean spirits bring these armies of the world to this one place. The Antichrist is there. The kings of the world, the major powers of the world is there. There's a major battle about to take place. There's some question and discussion that could be had about whether these armies are gathering together to fight the Lord alone.

If that's their original intention, or if they're gathering together to fight each other, you can spend some time in Daniel chapter 11 and kind of follow along the different things and the battles between the different kings of the different regions. And it seems that it's possible that it's a picture of these battles coming, or these armies coming to fight each other. And then when the Lord appears, they turn against God.

the Lord. And that's one possibility. But again, you can kind of wrestle with that and play with that in your mind. But here as Jesus comes, he will make war against the armies that are gathered together at Armageddon. He will wage war against unrighteousness. In verse 12, it goes on to describe him. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself.

This description is similar to what we saw in the revelation of Jesus, the vision of Jesus back in Revelation chapter 1. The eye is like a flame of fire, the sword out of his mouth.

Coming in glory. Remember in John chapter 17, in that prayer, the Lord said, glorify me, Father, with the glory that I had before the foundation of the earth. He came in humility, but now he's coming back with that glory that he had from all eternity. On his head is many crowns, it says.

And that speaks of him having all authority. Many crowns is, you know, many realms of authority. You remember in Matthew chapter 28, Jesus told his disciples, all authority has been given to me on heaven and on earth, that Jesus has all the crowns. He is the Lord of all, the King of kings and Lord of lords. We don't yet see all things put under subjection to him. The author of Hebrews tells us that in Hebrews chapter 2 verse 8, but we will.

We don't see it fulfilled yet, but he has all those crowns. He has all authority, and he will be revealing himself as King of Kings and Lord of Lords at this point, his return at the end of the tribulation period. Verse 13, he was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. As he comes, his robe is covered in blood or dipped in blood.

Now, when we think about the Lord Jesus and we think about blood, we think about the cross. And perhaps there's some reference there to the blood of Jesus, which of course is such a powerful and central part of who he is and his work in our lives. But in the context of this battle, it seems to be talking about and referring back to Isaiah chapter 63.

And you can dig into the whole chapter on your own. There's a lot more to cover. But a quick glimpse in Isaiah chapter 63, in looking at the Lord, it says, "...why is your apparel red, and your garments like one who treads in the winepress?"

And he answers, I have trodden the white press alone. And from the peoples, no one was with me. For I have trodden them in my anger and trampled them in my fury. Their blood is sprinkled on my garments and I have stained all my robes.

There seems to be this indication here, this picture of a wine press. And as you're, you know, stamping out the grapes and the juices going everywhere and staining your garments, that is the picture of the Lord executing judgment upon the nations, upon the peoples of the earth, the rebellious against God. It's really important to understand the full nature and character of Jesus. He is meek and mild, right?

But that's not all that he is. He's not just gentle and, you know, he won't break a bruised reed. He's also holy and righteous, and he will bring about a righteous judgment against those who oppose God, against those who will not submit to and surrender to God. Well, John says his name is called the Word of God, referring us back to John 1, verse 1. In the beginning was the Word of

John 1, verse 14, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. We're talking about Jesus, who was God, who became man, died upon the cross for our sins, ascended into heaven, and then at this point will come down with all of his glory to bring an end to the rebellion of humanity at the end of the tribulation period. Verse 14, the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses.

Now, who are these armies in heaven? Well, I hope you know. This is us. This is the church. This is the Old Testament saints joined with believers in Jesus Christ. When Jesus comes back, we will be riding with him. Jude talks about this in Jude 1, verse 14 and 15. He references this prophecy of Enoch, the seventh from Adam.

That says when the Lord comes, he will come with 10,000 of his saints. That there will be this multitude of his people, his redeemed people.

His bride, using the words we were talking about at the beginning of the chapter, will be coming with him when he comes back for this second coming. And so he'll have this great multitude of saints with him, and they will be clothed in fine linen, white and clean. Now that's an interesting thing to consider, because what army...

comes to battle in fine linen, white and clean, right? What army, what soldiers wear fine linen? At that time, we won't need armor. Right now, we like to refer to Ephesians chapter 6 and the encouragement to put on your spiritual armor. And man, we need the armor of God, right? But in that day, we won't need armor. In that day, we will be wearing fine linen because the work in us will be complete.

And we will have that perfect communion and fellowship with the Lord. And we're coming back with the Lord, not because we have to fight, but we're coming back with him, united with him in the fight that he will bring to the unrighteous. White and clean. And that's really encouraging. Because again, it speaks to that completed work that the Lord was faithful to complete the work that he began in us. Because we come back with him

clothed in white linen, fine linen, white and clean. And so God will be faithful to finish the work that he began in us. Verse 15, now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God. Here again, we see that picture of the winepress, that connection to Isaiah chapter 63, the trampling of the winepress.

We also see a reference to that in Revelation chapter 14, verse 19 and 20, talking about the winepress being trampled. It's a picture of great judgment being poured out upon the earth. By his word, the sword goes out of his mouth. By his word, he's bringing about this judgment. He's not going to go swinging and exerting physical force. By his word, he will win this battle. He will have victory.

And he will begin to rule with a rod of iron. Things are going to change at this point. Jesus returns and now life on earth is going to be radically different because he is going to rule and reign here upon the earth. Now notice it says, he himself treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of almighty God. Again, it's important to understand the full nature and character of Jesus. He himself treads

treads the winepress. He himself brings about the wrath of Almighty God. Jesus is gracious and loving and forgiving. That's why he died upon the cross for us. But Jesus is also holy and righteous, and that's why he will bring about judgment of the fiercest kind to execute righteousness and to bring about justice on those who oppose God.

Jesus himself said in John chapter 5 that the Father has committed all judgment to the Son. And we don't always, you know, picture it that way or think about it in those terms, but judgment has been committed to the Son. Forgiveness and redemption has been, you know, accomplished through the Son, but also that same Son, Jesus Christ, will bring about the righteousness of God and the judgment of God for those who rebel. Verse 16 says,

He has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is revealing himself as the Almighty God, the King above every other king, the Lord above every other Lord. He is the one with all authority, the one that all must submit to. If you've ever heard me teach this passage, you've heard me reference Pastor Pancho Juarez's

comments on this as he has this name on his thigh. You know, he comes with a tattoo, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And there's the contrast, right? In the first coming of Jesus, it was silent night, right? But then the second coming of Jesus, it's like P.O.D. is playing in the background. It's like this heavy metal. It's like, all right, we're coming to rock. And he comes to conquer and to establish his kingdom. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. And that's why every knee will bow because that's who he truly is. We will all bow before him.

Well, moving on to verse 17, it goes on to say, Here an invitation is given to the birds saying,

The angel comes out, he rings the dinner triangle and says, look, there is going to be all this carnage that is there in the battle of Armageddon as the Lord wipes out all of those armies that fight against him.

And there's the invitation for them, the birds of the year, to feast. It's kind of a gruesome scene, but an important one to understand. Again, this is real things that are going to take place. The wrath of God will be executed upon those who resist and refuse to submit to him. It's why we today must keep our hearts soft and be submitted to the work and the plan of God and the direction of God, the will of God.

Because we are all capable of coming to this point of resistance where we experience the judgment of God. The world will experience it at this point. In verse 19, I saw the beast, the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army. As these armies are gathered together there in the valley of Megiddo, they turn all their weapons upon the Lord in an attempt to

to fight, an attempt to win, an attempt to defeat the plans of God. Verse 20, Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet, who were signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone.

So this attempt to fight against the Lord fails immediately without a struggle. The beast was captured and the false prophet too. They're immediately captured and they're cast into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is what we would typically refer to as hell.

It is that place of eternal judgment. And it's important to recognize as we talk about this a couple times tonight in the passages, this is a real place. It's a real place that was created for Satan and his angels. The Lord says this in Matthew 25, 41. The everlasting fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. Now the beast and the false prophet are the first to be thrown into the lake of fire, but they're not the last.

Later on, we'll see Satan himself is cast into the lake of fire, and those who are not written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire as well. It's a place of everlasting fire, not intended for us, but it is a place of judgment for those who refuse to walk with God, to know him, to love him, to surrender to him.

It's a real place. Now, as we've been looking at these different things, I've been talking about the different situations for people. And I'll try to get up a little bit here. So this is looking at eternity with God. And what happens to believers at different times in this timeline. So right now in the present time, when believers die, they enter into eternity with God.

During the tribulation period, when there are believers who die, they will enter into eternity with God. During the millennium, if believers die, and that's a little bit of a question, but they will enter into eternity with God. And so throughout this whole thing, those who know the Lord, those who love the Lord, those who walk with him, have that promise of eternity with the Lord. Those who die apart from God, unbelievers, they go to a different place.

eternity apart from God. It starts in this place called Hades, which is a temporary place of judgment, but later on it will be transferred over to the lake of fire. And so the lake of fire is not active yet as far as containing any inhabitants. The first inhabitants will be the Antichrist and the false prophet. Here at the end of the tribulation, when the Lord returns, they will be going straight into the lake of fire.

The rest we'll deal with in a few more moments as we work our way into chapter 20. But again, the point here is it's eternal judgment. It's not oblivion. And sometimes, you know, we kind of like to think about it in that way. But it makes reference here that they're cast alive into the lake of fire.

They're cast alive in there. It's not, you know, they're cast dead or they're no more after that. A thousand years later, when the devil is cast into the lake of fire, it says it's where the beast and the Antichrist are.

So a thousand years later, they're still there in this place of eternal torment. And so it's important to understand the reality of eternity. Eternity with God and eternity apart from God, and you want to be with God. That is the ideal. That is where God wants you, and it's what's best for us, but it requires for us eternity.

to surrender to God, to submit to him, to love him and put him first in our lives and above all else. Well, moving on now to chapter 20, that's the second coming of Jesus. Now he sets up camp and he starts to rule and reign here upon the earth. Verse 12 is the key verse.

It says, Now, John describes what he sees unfold here, and a lot of time is compressed into these short verses. Verses 1 through 3, he says, He says,

Verses 4 through 6, those beheaded reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Then verses 7 through 10, the devil was cast into the lake of fire. And then verses 11 through 15, I saw a great white throne.

Now, this is the time where we need to stop and consider the millennium. And so we've been talking about the tribulation for a long time. We've been talking about that judgment that will take place upon the earth. But then we transition into the next time period, which is the millennium.

And the word millennium, it describes a period of a thousand years, just as a decade describes a period of 10 years or a century describes a period of 100 years. A millennium is just a way to refer to a group of 1,000 years. And so this is a thousand years of

that Christ will rule and reign upon the earth. And so life will go on. Even after all the crazy stuff that happens through the tribulation period, life will go on here on earth. And during the millennium, the earth will be populated by believers who survive the tribulation period. It will be the 144,000 that were sealed,

As well as anyone else who turned to the Lord and refused to worship the beast. And the parable that Jesus gives in Matthew 25 of the sheep and the goats and the separating of them is probably what takes place just before the millennium in the removing of the unbelievers. And the believers now are separated and enter into the millennium to populate the earth. And so they will live lives...

Similar to what we do today, maybe it'll look radically different, but there'll be marriage, there'll be children, there'll be worship, there'll be food, there'll be clothing, there will be livestock and harvesting and planting and all of those things that will be taking place during the millennial kingdom. Now this thousand year period, as we look at it, just kind of building the timeline a little bit,

During this time, Jesus will rule and reign upon the earth from Jerusalem. And we learn a lot about this time period from the Old Testament. And so you can check out Isaiah chapter 2 and to get a little bit better insight into what it will be like and the time of peace that will be there. It's the passage that talks about them beating their swords into plowshares. It will be a time of righteousness and a time of peace.

It will also be a time where the earth is restored and renewed. And Isaiah chapter 11 talks about the wolf dwelling with the lamb.

It talks about the child playing with the cobra, playing by the cobra's hole, that there's no harm. There's going to be a restoration back to God's original intention with creation, and there will not be the effects of sin in that way upon creation. Long life is also referenced in Isaiah chapter 65, and so those are some additional passages that you can look over and consider in regards to the millennium and understanding that.

We also know from Ezekiel chapters 40 through 48, there's going to be a new temple that will be built. And so there will be worship of God and there will be sacrifices. There will be gatherings together and feasts and celebrations, all centering around the Lord and his work during that time. And so lots of things are going to be happening during that millennial kingdom as the Lord is ruling and reigning. Well, looking at verses one through three,

It says,

The first thing we see here in the millennial kingdom is the binding of Satan, and he is cast into the bottomless pit. And we don't know a lot about the bottomless pit. God hasn't seen fit to show us much detail about that, but it seems to be a temporary holding place for fallen angels. And so there's different interactions with the bottomless pit throughout the scriptures. And

And so now Satan is cast into this. It's kind of a holding cell for him for this thousand-year period. And so for this thousand years when the Lord rules and reigns, he will not be able to mess with people. He won't be able to tempt or deceive or to lead people astray any longer. As you look at this, it's a good reminder, and sometimes we need that reminder, Satan is not God's opposite.

This is not, you know, a challenge for the Lord. In fact, he doesn't even have to bind Satan himself. He sends an unnamed angel, right? It says in verse 1, I saw an angel.

This isn't even necessarily Michael or Gabriel or one of those famous ones that we know about, right? This is just some generic, random, you know, unnamed angel that he says, hey, I forget your name, but go bind Satan and throw him in the bottomless pit, right? That Satan is not God's equal. He is God's creation. And so whether he likes it or not, he will be submitted to the work of God and he will be bound in this time.

And we're referring to Satan here in various ways. He's the dragon. He's the serpent of old, referenced back to Genesis chapter 3. He's the devil, which means accuser or slanderer. He's Satan, which means adversary. All of these different roles that Satan has played over the years, those will all come to an end for this thousand years as he will be bound in the bottomless pit. And it says specifically, "...so that he should deceive the nations no more."

His primary tool is deception. In John chapter 8, Jesus makes reference to Satan being a liar and the father of lies. That when he speaks lies, he speaks from his own resources. It's one of the things that he does best. He's an accuser, he's an adversary, and he is a great deceiver.

So he's bound for this time, but then it makes reference, it gives a little sneak preview, spoiler alert, he must be released for a little while. After the thousand years, he's going to be released. Now why must he be released? Of course, that's an obvious question for us to ask. And we can only speculate based on what we know of God. God, of course, has his reasons, and they're good reasons, and one day you can ask him why.

But it seems like, looking at this, that it is giving people of the millennium a real choice. That perhaps that's what God has in mind. There's probably a thousand other things that God is accomplishing with that as well. But if you understand, many people will be born during the millennium. And it will be a time of enforced righteousness. Righteousness.

And so people will worship God. It will be cultural. It will be part of their upbringing. It will be part of what is expected and required. They will be practicing the worship of God without really choosing it necessarily. And so here at the end of the millennium, people will have that choice, whether to worship God and be faithful to him or to be deceived and to follow Satan in this final rebellion against God.

Well, verse 4, he says, As Jesus sets up his kingdom, as he rules and reigns upon the earth, he has also chosen to let his people be part of that rule.

And so those who were martyrs during the tribulation period, the saints, you know, who were with the Lord in eternity and came back with him, we will rule and reign with Christ. At that point, we will be

in our resurrected bodies, in our glorified bodies, not capable of sin. We're not coming back to live a life like we're living today. We're coming back to join with Christ in establishing his order and his purposes here upon the earth.

It's the saints who rule with the Lord. Now, verse 5 and 6 are interesting because it speaks about a first and second resurrection and a first and second death. It says in verse 5,

But they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. And so it can be a little bit mysterious to consider the first and second resurrection, the first and second death. So just to kind of walk you through this a little bit.

Here you have what we've been looking at, the believers, when they die, they enter into the presence of God, and there will be a resurrection of believers, a physical body resurrection that Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4. But it's that resurrection of believers. It's not a particular event on a time scale.

frame necessarily, but it's that whole collection of believers entering into the presence of the Lord with resurrected bodies. That is the first resurrection. And so you can think about it that way. Now, the second resurrection is a resurrection of unbelievers.

And it's a resurrection unto judgment. So the first resurrection is uniting the soul, the spirit of believers with their resurrected body to forever be with the Lord. The second resurrection is the uniting of a soul of an unbeliever with a physical body for judgment or for eternity apart from God.

And so there's a first and a second resurrection. There's a first and second birth. There's a first and second death. All of these things are kind of alluded to here. So your first birth is your physical birth.

But Jesus said in John 3, you must be born again. And so there is that spiritual birth that is available and possible by faith in Jesus Christ. Then there's two kinds of deaths. There's the physical death, which we will experience. Our bodies will die. But the spiritual death, that's funny, I don't know.

said spiritual, spiritual. So that second one is supposed to be spiritual death. That's permanent separation from God. And so that's the second kind of death. And then the two resurrections, again, one's resurrection to eternal life, and one is a resurrection to eternal judgment. So you can think of it this way.

If you're born once, and once only, you will die physically, you'll be resurrected for judgment, and then you will die spiritually, that is eternal separation from God. But if you're born twice, that is you're born physically and then you're born again, you will still die physically, but you will be resurrected to eternal life. You won't take a part in the spiritual death, but

that eternal separation from God, you will be united with God for all eternity. And so those who are part of the first resurrection, it says, they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years. Well, when the thousand years have expired, verse 7 says, Satan will be released from his prison. He will go out and deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

Satan is going to have one last chance. He's going to lead one last rebellion against God at the end of the thousand years.

Again, perhaps this is to give the people of earth one last opportunity, one more chance. It's interesting, I think, you know, as you look at the different ages that humanity has experienced, that in every age it's really revealed that our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked. That no matter what the circumstances, right? We can blame our circumstances and say, well, if I lived in, you know, perfect society and everything, then everything would be easy and we'd be able to walk with God, no problem. But

But here is the Lord himself reigning, righteousness maintained upon the earth, but given the chance, a great multitude will join up with Satan to try to rebel against God, to defeat God. And so they gather together to battle against God. The millennium demonstrates the depravity of our hearts and how we hate for God to rule over us. But if we'll be willing to let him rule over us and if we'll be willing to submit to him,

There is life that he's promised for us. Verse 10, the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. So again, we see the lake of fire and the devil now joins the antichrist and the false prophets. The rest will be joining shortly after the great white throne judgment. And that comes in here in verses 11 through 15.

Verse 11 says,

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it. The death and Hades were delivered up, the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one according to his works. This is the judgment of unbelievers, believers,

This is the second resurrection where people are brought up and stand before God. The judgment will basically go like this. What's your name? Well, my name is Jerry Simmons. Looking in the book of life, you're not listed. You didn't give your life to God by faith in Jesus. No, I did not. All right, open up the other books. Day one, you did this sin. You thought that sinful thought. You acted this way. Yes, I did those things. Day two, you did this and you did that. Yes, I did that.

The 11,860, you did this, you did that. Yes, I did that. Then you're guilty. Yes, I'm guilty. This will be

final judgment, and there will be no excuses. There will not be any, you know, lawyers or weaseling out. This will be an acceptance of the reality of the rebellion against God that was lived in that life. And so this is that great white throne judgment where all will stand before God. There will be no, you know, hiding from the Lord. He will be shown to be the judge of all.

Verse 14, then the death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. So that second death then is that final judgment in the lake of fire, that eternal place of burning and judgment. If anyone was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. It's a little bit of a difficult thing for us to understand, to think about, to contemplate

Once again, I would remind us that when we don't understand the judgment of God, we don't understand the reality or the severity of sin. And so this is the reality that God has presented. And we don't have to like it, right? We don't have to agree with it or understand it completely. We will one day understand.

whether we believe it now or not, whether we like it now or not, we will one day recognize that it is the right thing, it is the righteous and holy thing for God to do. And so he will finish up with this final judgment of the lake of fire.

Now, next week, we'll look into the other kind of eternity, and that is everlasting life in chapters 21 and 22. We covered a lot tonight, looking at the second coming, looking at the millennium, the great white throne, the lake of fire, so much that we have seen over the past few weeks.

but still a few great things to come as we look at chapters 21 and 22 next week and the eternity that God has in store. As you look at all those judgments and as much as they're hard to think about and we don't want to experience any of them, the good news is we don't have to. We can be born again and we can turn to the Lord and submit our lives to Him. We can be about His work, His business,

living for his kingdom and his glory, and experience eternity with him. Let's pray. Lord, we thank you for your word. And even though some of this is difficult for us to understand and to consider, Lord, you have reasons for us to consider these things. Lord, that we would be challenged and encouraged, that we would be reminded of the reality and brought out of the deception that this world around us

tries so hard to convince us of, Lord, that life is not about this life. Lord, this life is important. It's part of your work, but it's not all that there is to life. There's so much more beyond this life. And Lord, what we need most is to hear your voice, to submit to your will, to surrender to your plans, Lord, to bring glory to your name. And so God, I pray that you would help us.

to realize the reality of eternity, Lord, that we might live for it. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.