Bible Gem 2373 – At the End of the Thousand Years (Revelation 20:7-10)

⁷When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. ⁸He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. ⁹And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. ¹⁰Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulphur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 

Revelation 20:7-10

This portion follows on from what came before it. When the thousand years come to an end – i.e. the thousand years of the martyrs’ reward is the answer to the question posed in Revelation 6:10.

O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?    

Revelation 6:10

This has remained an unanswered question throughout the book [John’s letter] until now. It is that feature which makes me pause and consider the durative nature of this response to their question. Several of you have queried the curious length of the duration of their sitting on thrones. Seriously, a thousand years? I have pondered and puzzled over this statement – those who had been beheaded, martyred in whatever way their lives were taken, for the testimony of Jesus and the proclamation of the Word. Perhaps it is fitting that they reign with Him for a thousand years. My mind boggles at the thought of earth paused as these martyrs share the thrones and are granted authority to judge those who are responsible for the atrocities committed against them. To what degree do they judge those responsible?

Several of you have queried this aspect of the martyrs judging with authority in the context of ‘the thousand years’. Another thought struck me in the context of the 2 Peter 3:8 quote: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. Does that equate with an approximation to the days in three and a half years related to the time, times and half a time of Daniel? I don’t know, just musing, but it is worth thinking about. See Gem 371.

My postulate is perhaps there is a connection here. John places this final battle as happening when the thousand years are over.

Gordon Fee wrote related to this section:

With this clause all attempts to make things fit into an ordinary time frame seem doomed from the start.

Gordon Fee, Revelation p 285

John is the only one who comments on this special place the martyrs have in the end times events. John is not concerned with the time span (the 1,000 years). He is concerned more with the special honour the martyrs are given for being willing to be killed by the Empire for believing in Jesus and refusing the threats of the beast. Note too, John doesn’t announce when the location switches between heaven and earth. But at this point it appears that earth is in focus, especially so as the nations are mentioned. It is clear enough for us to piece together what John is saying, but not necessarily leaving us in the position of understanding everything.

I think what John is reminding us is what he described in Chapter 11 and 13:- the astounding events surrounding the two witnesses, reminiscent of us all as witnesses, and of the fact that we need to learn to laugh at the lies of the enemy of our souls. (Learning to Laugh @ Lucifer’s Lame Lies) Why would God not respond to this parody by allowing the martyrs to take prime place to display the devil’s nonsense for what it is? Don’t think I have this all sorted out, I don’t. But I do think this is a fitting way to respond to the parody. Just how long it lasts and the exact nature of the martyrs’ judgements I am mystified. However, at the moment ‘I know as I am known’, I will understand it all. At this point I can only offer you possible light in the dark.

I need to address a couple of reader responses to what I wrote in the previous Gem. I don’t believe John’s use of the phrase “the rest of the dead” includes believers and non-believers alike. In other words, the rest of the dead have missed out on the blessing as one reader queried. Quite the contrary, it’s an encouragement to those who are believers but have not been martyred to know that they too are part of the first resurrection. John goes on to say ‘the second death has no power over them’! The reality of escaping the second death is for all God’s people, not just the martyrs. I think John is reminding ALL BELIEVERS, you and I included, that we have a part in the First Resurrection as well. We will all be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years; the martyrs are the first fruits so to speak. I won’t trouble myself further over how long the martyrs’ thousand years will take.

What strikes me the most about this current passage, is its brevity. It’s like the speed of Revelation 19:17-21, Gem 2370: a great banquet, a hidden sword and it’s all over. This current scenario is similar, satan gets out of prison, Gog and Magog come from all corners of the earth, a great fire comes down from heaven and the battle is over. In the blink of an eye, the devil, the beast and the false prophet are in the lake of burning sulphur. All summed up in four short verses. WHAT! After all it has taken for the visions John saw and the explanation he heard to divulge the full picture, you mean it’s over, it’s done and dusted? YES! You see the demise of satan and his henchmen was never the focus. God tolerated him for as long as he was useful. The moment his influence was emasculated, he was but an unnecessary adjunct to the saga and he’s gone. That helps us read this portion of Revelation with the right perspective.

The main point of the message is God working out His Salvation Story and the resultant restoration of Life to the Fullness that God has always planned – the Life of the Age to Come. It is that explanation which is now to come. Why would John spend more time describing the demise of the devil. He is and he was just a blip on your screen of life. John’s focus has always been on the people of God, those who belong to the Lamb, and with them gaining Life in all of its fullness. Now all that is left is the raising of the dead and the final judgement. All the rest of the letter / book is focused on the restoration of the Redeemed to the Life God has always planned for them .

I don’t think I have to tell you any more in order to bring clarity to this section. Oh, maybe I do need to clarify one more thing. I often encounter people who ask me, “If God is such a good God, then how can He assign people he created to eternal torment day and night forever and ever.” I am writing this as I think it and things pop into my mind. This question just occurred to me. Look at the text. Who are those who are assigned to this horrific eternal state? It is the devil, the beast and the false prophet who are doomed to everlasting torment, not those who were deceived but those three prime deceivers. Those three will be doomed to everlasting torment. What about the dead without Christ?

To gain a complete understanding of this read what I wrote at the end of Gem 1939 and then read Gem 1940. In fact if you have the time and the inclination, if you really want to know fully who Jesus is, then read all the gems in the Gem Series That Majestic Passage.

Can you imagine the horror of knowing that ‘all that is written about Christ’s return and the redemption of those who are His‘ is true and yet you rejected it? That knowledge would be torment enough in itself. Revelation 20:10 states clearly the unholy trinity [the devil, the beast and the false prophet], they are the ones who will be tormented day and night forever and ever. If the dead without Christ exist after this final moment and I don’t believe they do; I believe they will just cease to exist. My point, as I described it in Gems 1939 and 1940, is that dreaded realisation of the need to bow at the name of Jesus Christ and confess that He is LORD and yet you refused, would be torment in itself. Imagine the dawning of that understanding before you ceased to exist. At that point ceasing to exist, death without being able to ponder on the consequence of your decision, would be a form of blessed release. But of course, not the same blessed release as dying in Christ or better yet living the life of the age to come with Christ forever. There is no comparison between the two options; it’s a no brainer. Choose wisely!

There’s more to come on this as we cover the last two chapters of Revelation.

I would love to hear from you my readers as to what you think. I think John makes a definitive statement here that the unholy trinity are the ones who will be tormented forever and ever. I want to check out other Scripture regarding the plight of the unsaved without Christ. Am I right in this new thought that I have had? I will spend the time to see what I find. I will share my findings at the end of the Gems on Revelation. It seems a fitting way to close the Gems on John’s letter.

I welcome your comments; by all means help me think this one through.

Many think the battle between God and satan is neck and neck which only shows that you’re falling for satan’s lie. The passage before us shows satan has lost before the battle even begins.

Ian

I love the story of Smith Wigglesworth who when awakened from sleep in the middle of the night to an apparition of satan at the foot of his bed said “Oh it’s only you”, and rolled over and went back to sleep. May we all have that reaction.

Ian

Give us the courage to stand up for what we believe in even though it may cost us our life here on earth.

Ian

When we are disappointed with God or reject Him we just do not know Him enough.

Shelley Salthouse