Rev 20:1-10
The Last Resurrection
The tribulation ended at the end of chapter 19. We are now looking at
the chapters which describe post-tribulation events. Last week, we
1. We saw the judgment of the beast and the false prophet.
2. We saw the imprisonment of Satan for 1,000 years and looked
at how the world will be during that time period. Revelation
does not give us many of the details of the millennium but
other Bible books do.
3. We were actually noting what had to happen before that time
period would begin. We mentioned two:
a. The Jews would have to be regathered.
b. The nations would be judged based on how they had treated
Israel.
There is another thing that must happen before the millennium begins.
I. There must be a resurrection of the dead.
A. It might surprise some people to know that there are going to
be at least three resurrections.
1. The resurrection of the dead church saints at the rapture
\\#1Thess 4:14-18\\.
1Thess 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died
and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the
Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which
are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the
dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever
be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these
words.
a. The rapture is what ends this church age that you and
I are living in and triggers the beginning of the
tribulation.
b. At that resurrection, the dead Christians are raised
and given their glorified bodies.
c. At the same time, those living are caught up and
glorified.
d. The end result is all of the saved from the cross to
the raptured are removed from the earth.
2. \\#4\\ This is the second resurrection.
a. Those who have beheaded for the witness of Jesus and
did not receive the anti-Christ’s mark will be
resurrected and reigned.
b. That sounds like a very select group, but Daniel
states that the Old Testament saints will be raised
either at the second or the third resurrection:
Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael
stand up, the great prince which standeth for
the children of thy people: and there shall be
a time of trouble, such as never was since there
was a nation even to that same time: and at that
time thy people shall be delivered, every one
that shall be found written in the book.
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the
earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and
some to shame and everlasting contempt.
(1) The "time" that Daniel spoke of appears to be the
middle of the tribulation.
(2) According to the details of chapter 11, that is
when the Archangel Michael will stand up for
the people, Israel.
(3) But there is no resurrection at the middle of
the tribulation.
(4) I assume then that the righteous will be
resurrected at the 2nd resurrection, with the
righteous of the tribulation and that the wicked
with be resurrected at the last resurrection,
with all of the rest of the wicked.
(5) However, I have not found a Bible verse that
clearly tells us when the Old Testament saints
will be resurrected.
c. That verse also indicates that these resurrected
saints will rule and reign with Jesus for 1,000
years.
d. That is probably NOT us.
(1) This is not the church age but it is the Jewish
age.
(2) Heaven is our home. The earthly kingdom is
theirs.
(3) Ruling is the reward for those who died for Jesus
during the tribulation.
3. \\#5\\ The third resurrection is mentioned here and
detailed in a few verses \\#Rev 19:11-15\\.
B. Once these three things are done, the millennial reign of
Jesus will commence.
1. Again, Revelation does not spend much time discussing
the millennium.
2. It does, however, tell us how the millennium will end.
II. \\#Rev 20:7-10\\ The devil is released and he repeats what he did
at the end of the tribulation.
A. He gathers the armies of the world against Jerusalem again!
1. You have to give it to the devil.
a. He’s consistent! He wants to destroy the people that
God loves, and He will not quit trying.
b. If you think he is ever going to leave you alone, you
don’t know him very well. He will never quit coming
after you any more than he will ever quit coming
after the Jews.
2. And yet again I say that the Revelation is not giving many
details to this. More than a thousand years are being
covered in just ten Bible verses.
3. One things that is different sticks out in my mind with
this battle.
a. At the battle of Jerusalem at the end of the
tribulation, Satan is bringing the armies of the
world against the Jews.
b. At the battle of Jerusalem at the end of the
millennium, Satan is bringing the armies of the world
against Jesus.
(1) Jesus sets up His throne where? Jerusalem.
(2) Jesus rules from where? Jerusalem.
c. Satan is not just coming against the Jews. He is
coming against Jesus.
4. There is another thing that is odd to me.
B. The people of the world follow the devil.
1. We know very little of what will happen at that time.
2. As far as we know, this is the only Bible prophecy that
describes this even (although it is possible that there
are others that are dual reference or hidden prophecies.
3. Since we do not know the detail, it could be that it takes
the devil a long time to convince the world to come
against Jerusalem.
4. But the fact that he can get them to come at all is
amazing to me!
5. Why does God allow this?
a. We don’t know!
b. Perhaps God wants to give the people of that
generation a choice.
c. Perhaps it is to show us that it was not Adam and
Eve’s fault that man fell. We are just susceptible
to the devil’s temptations.
C. However, we do know HOW the battle ends.
1. It ends much the same way as the tribulational battle.
2. \\#9\\ God destroys the army, this time with fire from
heaven and that is literally all that we are told.
D. The end for Satan at this battle is different however.
1. He was arrested and imprisoned at the last battle.
2. This time he is judged and cast into the Lake of Fire and
Brimstone.
3. Satan becomes the third occupant of that eternal place of
damnation.
4. \\#10\\ Notice, the Lake of Fire is the place where the
beast and the false prophet ARE.
a. Notice also that they will be tormented day and night
for ever and ever.
b. Damnation is not a one time event. It is continuous.
Like heave, it never ends.
III. \\#11-15\\ Then Will Come The Last Resurrection!
A. \\#12-14\\ Here is the third and, as far as we know, the final
resurrection.
1. Everyone who has not been resurrected up to this point,
will be.
2. Who will that be?
a. Perhaps the saved Old Testament saints, but I do not
think so.
b. The unsaved Old Testament saints.
c. The lost who died in the church age.
d. The lost who died in the tribulation.
e. The lost who died in the millennial.
f. If there were any, the saved who died during the
millennial. \\#Is 65:20\\
3. Sadly, this will be the largest resurrection.
B. Notice what is present.
1. God is there.
a. \\#11\\ describes God by His purity, glory, and
might.
(1) It was a "white" throne—speaking of purity.
(2) The sin-tainted galaxy fled from His presence—
speaking of His glory.
(3) This throne is suspended in the midst of
nothingness—speaking of His might.
b. The entire picture is of subjects being brought before
their King—a judgment.
2. \\#12\\ Two sets of books are there.
a. The Book of Life which determines who goes to the Lake
of Fire and who does not \\#15\\.
b. The books of Works which will shut the mouths of those
who might think they were not all that bad.
C. Then notice what is not present.
1. No Mediator is there. There is no one to defend the
guilty on that day. Why? Because they never accepted
Him. The defense Attorney is Jesus and these rejected
Him.
2. There is no purgatory there. Those who died lost went to
hell where they stayed until this day. From here, they
will all be cast into the Lake of Fire where they will
stay forever. There is no room in the Bible for a place
after death where people go to be "purged" from their
sins.
3. There is no offer of salvation. The days of mercy and
forgiveness are over.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once
to die, but after this the judgment:
D. Notice the ending of this judgment:
1. \\#15\\ Anyone whose name is not found written in the
Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
2. The word "cast" means thrown, thrust, sent, poured, or
laid.
3. It implies that they do not go willingly but are drug and
hurled into the fire.
4. Whether you like it or not, this is the end of every one
who rejects Jesus Christ as their Savior.
5. This is what every human being needs to understand
concerning judgment.
a. God has already determined what the judgments will be.
b. You cannot change them or Him, all you can do is
decide whether you will be part of the judged or
a part of the rewarded.
c. Salvation is not about you changing God. It is about
you being changed.
d. No one who ever got saved agreed with God about sin.
e. We all had thought we were right and God was wrong,
but we came to see the foolishness of pitting
ourselves against Him.
f. We changed our minds.
g. You had better too.
Once this judgment is finished, so is sin. Jesus will have paid for
and forgiven everyone who will ever be saved and everyone who did not
have their sin paid for will be judged. From this point, there will
be eternity and sin will never be a factor again.
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