Day 24

Revelation 20: 1-15, the millennial kingdom.

VV 1-3, 1 Then 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.

The marriage supper of the lamb is over, Christ and the church had returned, and the battle of Armageddon is over. Christ will rule the world for 1000 years from Jerusalem in His millennial kingdom. An angel appeared holding a key and chain on one hand, and satan on the other hand. He chained, set a seal, and locked satan into the bottomless pit for 1000 years. Satan will be released temporarily at the end of the millennial kingdom.

VV 4-6, 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.

John saw Christians and souls of the revelation martyrs sitting in the thrones of God. These revelation martyrs will be resurrected to life in the first resurrection of the dead, and reign with Christ for 1000 years. These were blessed because they will escape the second death. The rest of the dead i.e. the unbelievers, will be resurrected to condemnation in the second resurrection of the dead, 1000 years later, at the white throne judgment, Rev. 20: 12,

VV 7-10, 7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to 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. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 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.

Satan will be released from the bottomless pit after 1000 years to deceive nations. People born during the millennial kingdom will be deceived by satan and participates in a rebellion against God. God will send fire from heaven and destroy all of them. Satan will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone to join the beast and the false prophet. Satan, the beast, the false prophet, demons, and unbelievers will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstones.

VV 11-15, 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 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. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

At the end of the millennial kingdom, God will judge from the great white throne judgment in heaven for unbelievers. The sea will delivered up their dead. Death and Hades will delivered up their dead. All unbelievers will be judged according to their works. God kept records all the sins committed by them throughout their lives and used this record to judged against them. Finally, God will open the Book of Life. Anyone whose names are not written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstones and this is the second death.

Make sure that your name written in the book of life. If you are a Christian, your name will be written in the Book of Life and you will not face the white throne judgement. Martin Luther said that there will be three surprises in heaven. Those that you expect to be in heaven were not there, those that you did not expect to be in heaven were there, but the greatest surprise of all is you are there!

The Bible says that they are 2 things you must do to be a Christian. 1. Confess that your have sinned, and ask Jesus to forgive you. 2. Believe that Jesus died for your sins on the cross and surrender your life to Jesus. You do this by saying the simple prayer below honestly from your heart:

Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner. Please forgive me. Help me to turn from my sin and turn to You. I believed that You died on the cross to pay the punishment for my sin. I surrender my life to you and make you the center of my life, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you have said this prayer, you are a born again Christian. You need to find a bible believing church near you to participate in God’s family, to grow and mature in your faith.

Day 23

Revelation 19: 1-21, Marriage supper of the Lamb, second coming of Christ, and the battle of Armageddon.

Rev. 19 takes us to the end of the 7-year tribulation. In Rev. 4-5, the church had been raptured to heaven. Rev. 6 to 19 described the 7-year tribulation on earth. Rev. 17 to 18 described the destruction of religious Babylon and political Babylon. Rev. 19 described the marriage supper of the Lamb, the second coming of Christ, and the battle of Armageddon.

VV 1-5, 1 After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! 2 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.” 3 Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” 4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying, “Amen! Alleluia!” 5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!”

After these things, an angel praised God, saying, Alleluia! salvation, glory, honor, and power belong to God. The 24 elders and the 4 living creatures praised God saying, Amen and Alleluia. Amen means “so be it” and Alleluia means “praise the Lord”. When the people on earth lamented, angels in heaven rejoiced.

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 thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Another angel shouted, “Alleluia, the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” The 7-year tribulation has ended. The marriage supper of the Lamb has come. Christ will clothe His bride, the church, with His robe of righteousness. Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness”. Isaiah 64:6 a, “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags”.

9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. On hearing this, John was overwhelmed and fell at the feet of an angel to worshiped him. The angel rebuked him and refused to be worshiped. Christians must never worship angels. We must only worship the Trinitarian God and nothing else.

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. 12 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.

In Rev. 4:1, John saw an opened heaven preceding the rapture of the church. In Rev. 19:11, John saw an opened heaven preceding Christ’s second coming. The rapture and the second coming are 2 distinct events separated by a period of 7 years. Christ returned from heaven on a white horse. White speaks of righteousness. His eyes are like a flame of fire. Fire speaks of judgment. His name is Faithful and True.

13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 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. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Christ was clothed in a robe dipped in His blood. His name is the Word of God. He will return with the armies in heaven, the church, who rode on white horses and clothed in white robes. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God. His name is called “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”.

Ephesians 6:17b, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”. Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”. 2 Thessalonians 2: 8, “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming”.

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”

Another angel standing in the sun cried out with a loud voice inviting birds to come and eat the flesh of carcasses and corpses of dead people.

19 And 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. 20 Then the beast was captured and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.

The armies of the anti-christ and the kings of the earth gathered together in Armageddon to wage war with Christ and His church. The beast and the false prophet are captured and thrown into the lake of fire. All the rest are killed with the sword of the Spirit i.e. the Word of God. Birds flew in to eat the carcasses and corpses of the dead bodies.

The marriage supper of the Lamb, the second coming of Christ, and the battle of Armageddon took us to end the 7-year tribulation on earth. Christ’s second coming will rescue Israel before she is annihilated by the anti-christ and his armies in the Battle of Armageddon.