REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

CHAPTER 20.4

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

 

Chapter Twenty

The Millennium

 

 

Forward

Now that the Accuser and enemy of God are bound for one thousand years in the Bottomless Pit, the peaceful Millennial reign of Jesus Christ is finally at hand. Chronologically, John witnesses a glorious panorama of God’s resurrected reward people sitting on thrones reigning with Christ in the Kingdom.

 

Some have theorized there are dual simultaneous Kingdoms: One, a heavenly one in its spiritual realm, and another earthly one for those who physically enter as a remnant of Tribulation. The confusion lies primarily between the Millennium Age and the Eternal State.

 

Logically, if Jesus appeared in His glorified body on the Mount of Transfiguration (cf. Matthew 17:1-13), on the Road to Emmaus (cf. Luke 24:13-35), in the upper room (cf. Luke 24:36-49; John 20:24-29), and for forty post-Resurrection days (cf. Acts 1:3), then presumably living and glorified bodies can coexist.

 

 

2. The Reign of Crist and the Saints

(Verse 4)

 

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

 

Thrones

Apart from the Throne of God and the Throne of Glory on which the Son of God sits, John sees thrones (plural) and people sitting upon them. Thrones, thronos [2262] are stately seats assigned to royalty or dignitaries. And they are also places of judicature.

 

Thrones are too for those in authority having the position and privileges to govern with Christ and by Christ during His millennial reign. There are three groups seated on these thrones thus far:

1.  Old Testament saints sharing in judging

Daniel 7:18 - But the saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom, and possess the Kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

 

2. Twelve Apostles sharing in judging

Matthew 19:28 - And Jesus said unto them (the Twelve), Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the Throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

 

3. New Testament saints sharing in judging

1 Corinthians 6:2-3a - Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels?

 

Brief History of Old Testament Judges

Initially, the Lord wanted a theocratic nation by which He judged right and wrong amongst His chosen ones (cf. Genesis 16:5). As families grew, Abraham’s descendants formed tribes or clans.

 

Judging during the Millennium is reminiscent of Israel's early Old Testament clans where elder tribal leaders would take up judicial matters and settle disputes. They were known as shâphat.

For example, Judah judged and sentenced Tamar:

Exodus 18:24 - And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told Judah, saying, Tamar, thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt.

 

Later Moses became the sole magistrate over the Israelites:

Exodus 18:13 - And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.

 

However, after hearing many cases and upon his father-in-law Jethro’s advice, Moses organized the nation into groups and appointed many judges over God’s people:

Exodus 18:25-26 – And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.

 

A Period of Judges

After the death of Joshua, apostasy reigned and God appointed twelve consecutive judges to rule over Israel for over four hundred years. But…

Judges 21:25 - In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

 

A Period of Kings

Fearing the Philistines and seeing surrounding nations being ruled by kings, Israel demanded a king to rule over them. So God, contrary to His will, told His prophet Samuel to anoint Saul as king to rule them. The account reads as such:

1 Samuel 8:6-7 - But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.

 

Note: The most notorious court case was when King Solomon declared to have a baby cut in two:

1 Kings 3:16-28

Solomon Judges Wisely

16Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. 17And the one woman said, O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. 18And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. 19And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it. 20And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear. 22And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.

23Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living. 24And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king. 25And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other. 26Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. 27Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof. 28And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.

 

A Final King-Judge

During His thousand-year reign as the final King of Kings, the Lord will execute the office of Judge and minister justice in all righteousness and truth with a rod of iron. According to His will, judicial powers will be given to His servants occupying thrones all over the world. Hence, truth and righteousness in all standards of life (morally and spiritually) will surely come to pass:

A. As prophesied by the Psalms in the Old Testament

Psalm 96:12-13 - Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the LORD: for He cometh, for He cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth.

Psalm 96:10 - And He shall judge the world in righteousness, He shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

 

B. As spoken of by Paul in the New Testament

1 Corinthians 6:2 - Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

 

2 Timothy 2:12 - If we suffer (endure), we shall also reign with Him: if we deny Him, He also will deny us.

 

 

And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

 

Saints of the Tribulation

Apart from the three groups of saints sitting on thrones, another class of souls is mentioned as coming to life and living and reigning with the King of Kings. Special mentioned are martyred souls from the Tribulation Period who also have been given authority to judge.

 

The word beheaded is pelekizō in Greek and it connotes a person’s head being chopped off with an axe. These saints in their glorified bodies will act as agents carrying out the Lord’s will.

 

Tribulation saints are designated by John in several ways:

1. They were beheaded for the witness of Jesus

2. They were beheaded for the Word of God

3. They were martyred for not worshipping the beast

4. They were martyred for not worshipping his image

5. They were killed for not pledging allegiance to the beast

6. They were killed for not having his mark upon their heads

7. They were killed for not having his mark upon their hands

 

These resurrected Tribulation saints, along with the others, will likewise adjudicate from their thrones as Jesus Christ rules the people on earth with a rod of iron. Special assurance is given by John's witness that even though they suffered shameful and degrading deaths, they will be exalted (cf. John 5:24: 6:40). And, for those who suffered with Christ shall reign with Him:

2 Corinthians 1:5 - For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

 

2 Corinthians 12:10 - Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

 

In the next study, the topic of Resurrection(s) will be examined.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1.   What will the Kingdom of God look like?

2.   Who will occupy the thrones and rule with Christ?

3.   How did judgeships come about?

4.   Why did Israel have kings?

5.   Why are Tribulation saints given authority to rule?

6.   Why are judges on thrones needed in the Millennium?

7.   Who has the ultimate authority during the Kingdom?

 

 

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