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Satan Bound and Saints Blessed

Rev. 20:1-10

 

v. 1-3       Satan bound…

v. 4-10     Saints blessed!

 

The millennium—heaven on earth!  The promised 1,000 year reign of Christ, who reclaims from Satan the title deed to His creation.  Peace, prosperity, longevity...a return to paradise like Eden!  It can’t happen as long as Satan is on the loose.

        The devil is not in hell today, but he’s been summoned!  Until then he walks about, seeking whom he may devour.  He’s the current [small 'g'] god of this world, holds title deed to earth won in the garden,…in 3rd temptation of Christ offered Him back the kingdoms of the world—obviously he had them to give!

 

Parenthetical:  god of this world—why do we see so many that go about their lives unbiblically, and assume that because things are going well for them that it’s God’s will?…Satan has the power/authority/resources to reward wrong doing!

        If it takes possessions, he’s more than happy to provide them!/…power, popularity, pleasure, seemingly good excuses! [sniffle keeps them out of church, ok, I’ll make sure it happens to them much more than the others!]

        “Things are going great for me”…well, I’m not surprised, for Satan offered Jesus the same temptation, reward for wrong doing!  Doing the right thing isn’t always easy, and we’re not supposed to “go w/ the flow”, but rather do right even when it hurts!

 

So, heaven on earth happens only when Satan is immobilized/bound. 

McGee:  “Satan’s incarceration changes the world from darkness to light—he’s the power of the air, his power is enormous, beyond the calculation of any computer…his withdrawal from the earth ushers in the millennium”

 

Satan bound

2 things under this…

The person bound

v. 1-3       A literal devil.  Most Americans believe in God but only a small percentage believe in the devil!  [angels/demons...heaven/hell]

You can’t have one w/out the other.

 

Ill.—2 boys arguing over reality of the devil, one said, oh no, he’s not real, he’s like Santa Claus!  The other, “So, he’s my dad?”

 

He’s called by many symbolic titles like in v. 2, but that doesn’t mean he’s not real, rather it’s a description to help us understand his nature!

 

Ill.—Bible pictured as fire, but it’s not burning my hand!

Jeremiah called it a hammer, but I can’t drive a nail w/ it!

 

Satan is a dragon, meaning he’s cruel, powerful, ferocious.  You can't defeat him in your own strength.  You can't kick him in the river or hang him on the line!  We are told to flee youthful lusts...and to resist the devil and he will flee as we resist him w/ the aid and power of scripture, prayer, and the Holy Spirit within us!/…as a serpent, he’s crafty, subtle.  He is good at tricking us...mingling truth w/ a little error to foil us entirely.  He starts us down a slight grade we can barely perceive until it becomes a slippery slope and we slide way down.  He entices us to enter an oven that is cool, and we are surprised that it's not so bad in there, and he begins raising the temperature ever so slowly it is almost imperceptible, and when we finally start to feel the heat we turn around and he has closed the door behind us and he is just laughing!/…devil means accuser, which he is!  We are pawns in his chess game w/ God and he uses us to try to hurt our Father!/…Satan means adversary or enemy [of God/good/all that is wholesome/of you!]

 

Ill.—man said to Billy Sunday:  you talk about the devil as if he’s real! [yes, he is]/…well, you speak like you meet up w/ him everyday! [I do!]/…well, I don’t!  [maybe you’re walking in the same direction!]

 

John R. Rice—man said to him:  the devil doesn’t bother me [if you’d twist his tail like I do he would!]

 

If Satan leaves you alone it is because you wage him no threat!

 

He’s called the destroyer! [homes/marriages/friendships/consciences/churches/lives]

        He’s no respecter of persons [doesn’t see your cute kids and say, I’ll leave them alone]

 

The destroyer is the one behind 5,000 abortions per day/get one of our guys to take that drink or look at porn or one of our girls to hop into that backseat and give away her purity to some pimply-faced hormone hurricane that blows by!

 

He’s the deceiver/tempter/evil one/father of all lies/devouring lion…yes, he's symbolized in v. 2, but he’s very real!

 

That’s the person who’s bound…

 

The place bound

v. 1a, v. 3—this is not hell, not the lake of fire…this is a temporary prison for 1,000 years.  It’s the same place where millions of demon spirits are held today as we speak [too vile to be allowed out until the tribulation—see ch. 9]

        Sometimes called the abyss.

 

Satan fell, taking 1/3rd of demons w/ him, many roam the earth, many not yet!

        The world has not yet seen the worst Satan has to offer—that’s reserved for the tribulation.

 

Now, v. 3b—loosed!  Satan will try to make one last attempt to thwart God’s plan.

So, Satan bound…now,

 

Saints Blessed!

v. 4-6

Let’s look at those who rule, and those who are resurrected…

 

v. 6  Those who rule.  According to this verse, if saved, you will rule and reign w/ Christ during the millennium.  And this isn’t the only place the Bible mentions this. 

[rev. 5:10; 1:6; I cor. 6:1-3—believers suing each other, Paul says, why stand before a worldly judge, you can handle it, you’ll judge angels!]

 

During the millennium we will rule and reign over the heavenly angels.  We will be in our resurrected glorified bodies which the Bible says will be better than the angels.

Hebrews 1:4

    Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

 

In rank and position we will be higher than the angels.  That’s amazing, isn’t it?!  From being lost, sinful, alienated humans who rejected God to being higher than these angels which have remained loyal!  It’s the precious blood of Jesus that makes the difference!  We have been redeemed at a higher price than was ever paid for any angel.  And God’s amazing grace will again be demonstrated to us in our elevation to another height we are most unworthy of attaining!

 

In your job you may feel like you answer to everyone else.  But there’s coming a day when you will be over angels!  Up until I was 14 I thought my name was “Fetch Wood”!  But someday I will judge angels!

 

We may not know many details of how we will give angels orders, but we know that we will, and that our positions of authority in Christ’s kingdom will be based upon our faithfulness and service to Him now, so let’s be busy serving, praising, and glorifying Him as we will for all eternity!

Those who rule...

 

Those who are resurrected

v. 4-6       These verses dispel the myth of a general resurrection…there is no such thing!  [some believe that all who have ever died will be resurrected at the same time, and on that day God will separate the saved from the lost—false]

Some preach that there will be a long line of folks waiting to see if their name is written in the book of life [go left, go right!…not how it will be!] {sheep from goats—talking about nations, not individuals}

 

Those whose names are not found will all be together at the great white throne, 1,000 years after the saved are judged at the judgment seat of Christ!  This is a formality showing them legally that they were never saved and why not!

 

There are 2 resurrections:

One for the saved, one for the lost

 

20:13-15  at end of millennium. 

Death gave up the body, hell gave up the soul.  This is the 2nd resurrection…you wanna be part of the 1st.

 

An apparent problem:  this passage clearly shows the 1st resurrection happening after the tribulation…look at v. 5-6a.

        Yet we’ve been taught it’s at the rapture, before the tribulation, right?  So, what’s up? 

A little teaching and then we’re done:

        The 1st resurrection occurs in 3 phases.

I Cor. 15 compares the resurrection to a harvest, which has 3 phases:

Firstfruits—OT priest would take a handful to the temple for a wave offering…like a tithe...and a promise of more to come!

Main Harvest—Farmer brings this in, but in OT he’s not allowed to do what?  [glean]  If it falls off the wagon, he has to leave it on the ground, and he cannot harvest in the corners of his fields [left for the poor.] 

Gleanings—leftovers.

Put all 3 together and it’s called the harvest!

Now look at I Cor. 15:22--For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

Christ is the firstfruits of the resurrection...

The main harvest is the church age—from Pentecost to the rapture…

So, what about those that missed the main harvest?

[trib. saints who are killed are the gleanings!  And that’s Rev. 20!]

v. 4, 5b  the gleanings!

 

What about OT saints?  Part of firstfruits?  Maybe, but consider Dan. 12:1-3 [many that sleep in the dust of the earth], which I believe suggests they are part of the gleanings.

 

The big question now is, which resurrection will you be a part of?

Another:  you have lost neighbors/co-workers/family…which of you will arrive in heaven for judgment first?  You!  You will be present when they arrive too, and will have tears for some reason, why would that be?

Let's do what we can to change that scene at the judgment!

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