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1 Revelation: Unveiling Reality “Making Sense of Millennialism” Revelation 20 Kevin Haah August 14, 2016 Revelation: Unveiling Reality “Making Sense of Millennialism” Revelation 20 Kevin Haah August 14, 2016 Turn on Timer! [Slide 1] We are at the home stretch of the series entitled, “Revelation: Unveiling Reality.” We are going to be looking at Revelation 20. Two more chapters to go after today! We will be finishing this series in two more weeks. [Slide 2] Today’s sermon is entitled, “Making Sense of Millennialism.” There is a lot of debate about end times, especially about Revelation 20. It’s actually just a few verses in this chapter that talk about this 1,000 years. That’s where we get the word millennial, which means 1,000 in Latin. My goal for this sermon is help us wade through the mess and the complexity of the debate and crystalize the essence of the debate for you. But, I don’t want you to just get more head knowledge about this. I want you to see that this has an impact on our call as followers of Jesus Christ. This sermon is not just about God’s plan for the future; it is about how that future affects the way we live out our present. Think about it. If you know that you are going to die next month, the way you live today is different. What we believe about our future has a strong impact on our present. That’s why this is important. If you are not a Christian, and you are just checking us out, I hope this gives you some insight as to the hope that we have as Christians. But, I want to be honest with you. This is an area where Christians are divided over. I heard this story about something that had happened on the Golden Gate Bridge. This man said: o I was standing in the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge, admiring the view, when another tourist walked up alongside of me to do the same. I heard him say quietly as he took in the beauty of the view: What an awesome God. o I turned to him and said “Are you a Christian?” o He said “Yes, I’m a Christian.” o I said “So am I” and we shook hands. o I said “Are you a Liberal or a Fundamental Christian?” o He said “I’m a Fundamental Christian.” o I said “So am I” and we smiled and nodded to each other. 1 Revelation: Unveiling Reality “Making Sense of Millennialism” Revelation 20 Kevin Haah August 14, 2016 o I said “Are you a Covenant or Dispensational Fundamental Christian?” o He said “I’m a Dispensational Fundamental Christian.” o I said “So am I” and we slapped one another on the back. o I said “Are you an early Acts, mid Acts, or late Acts Dispensational Fundamental Christian? o He said “I’m a mid Acts Dispensational Fundamental Christian.” o I said “So am I” and we agreed to exchange Christmas cards each year. o I said “Are you an Acts 9 or 13 mid Acts Dispensational Fundamental Christian?” o He said “I’m an Acts 9 mid Acts Dispensational Fundamental Christian.” o I said “So am I!” And we hugged one another right there on the bridge. o I said “Are you a pre-Trib or post-Trib Acts 9 mid Acts Dispensational Fundamental Christian?” o He said “I’m a pre-Trib Acts 9 mid Acts Dispensational Fundamental Christian.” o I said “So am I.” And we agreed to exchange our kids for the summer. o I said “Are you a 12 in or 12 out pre-Trib Acts 9 mid Acts Dispensational Fundamental Christian?” o He said “I’m a 12 in pre-Trib Acts 9 mid Acts Dispensational Fundamental Christian.” o I said “You heretic!” And I pushed him off the bridge. I want to make this point before we read the passage. You can be a Christian and disagree on this. There is more that we agree on than what we disagree on. You can be a premillennialist, post-millennialist, or an amillennialist and love one another as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Now, I personally have a leaning on this issue but you don’t have to agree with me. I want to give you enough to understand, and you can make your own choice. But, I want to warn you. Today is one of those sermons in which you have really pay attention. Put your thinking cap on. Let’s go to Revelation 20: 2 Revelation: Unveiling Reality “Making Sense of Millennialism” Revelation 20 Kevin Haah August 14, 2016 [Slide 3] 1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. [Slide 4] 4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. [Slide 4] 7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. [Slide 6] 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. This passage mentions 1,000 years six times. One thousand in Latin is a millennium. This is the only place in the Bible that speaks of this millennial kingdom. Yet, some people talk about this as if it is the main message of the Bible. I think it is important for us to figure this out but we have to be careful about building a whole approach to the Bible through it. [Slide 7] There are really four views on millennialism. They are all held by sincere believers. Remember that. 3 Revelation: Unveiling Reality “Making Sense of Millennialism” Revelation 20 Kevin Haah August 14, 2016 They are known by when they believe Jesus will come back with respect to the millennial kingdom. Some believe that the Second Coming of Jesus will happen before the millennial kingdom (they are called pre-millennialists); there are two different kind of pre-millennialists (one camp is called historical pre-millennialism and the other one is called dispensational pre-millennialism—don’t worry; I will explain this further); some believe that the Second Coming of Jesus will happen after the millennial kingdom (they are called post-millennialists); and some believe that millennial is happening now, and that this 1,000 year is a symbol of the time of the church (they are called a-millennialists). Let me give you a summary of each position. [Slide 8] A. Historical Pre-Millennialism There is evidence that many of the church fathers from the first to fourth centuries were pre-millennialists. Church fathers like Papias (who was alive when John wrote Revelation), Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullians, Hippolytus, Lactantius and others wrote about this. Eusebius, who wrote about the history of the church in the early 300s indicated that premillennialism was the dominant belief of the early church even though he himself had doubts and noted that Revelation was a disputed book in part because of this very matter. Their view was that Christ would come back and establish a millennial kingdom ruled by the saints. The first real commentary on Revelation was written by Bishop Victorinus, the biship of Pettau, in late 200s.
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