Woodlawn Ev. Lutheran Church 

Revelation 20:1-6 –   ¹And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. ²He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. ³He 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.

 ⁴I 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 for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his 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. ⁶Blessed and holy are those who have part 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.

Introduction – 11:59 pm, 12/31/99. Do you remember what you were doing? Why were people so anxious?

            Was it because of this passage from the Bible? I guess sometimes our imagination gets away with us. Like people say, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A little knowledge about the Bible is a dangerous thing. It can lead to false teaching about God, giving the impression that he is somebody he isn’t and does things he doesn’t. I especially, as a teacher of God’s Word, have to be careful about having just a little knowledge about something so that I don’t lead you astray. But it is the responsibility of each and every Christian to be in the Word, so that when we talk about the Bible, we are saying what is correct.

            The Book of Revelation records a vision that the Apostle John received from our Lord Jesus. It helped John see beyond time and space and paints in dramatic, sometimes very strange pictures, the struggle between the church of God and the forces of Satan. John was an exile, trapped on an island when he received this vision. Jesus gave John this revelation so that he would have hope as he looked to the future. The members of Christ’s church would suffer at the hands of those who would destroy them. But they would not be defeated. Christ had already won the victory and try as hard as they might, the antichristian forces of this world and of the supernatural world, would not stop God’s chosen people from following their Master to never ending peace and prosperity.

            This section talks about a period which is often called the Millennium. It describes a period of 1,000 years. It is often misunderstood by Christians and non-Christians alike. The main point is not the exact amount of years, but the description of what occurs in that time period. From the description, we can see that

 The Thousand Years Are Now!

I. The devil is chained up

II. Those who die in Christ are ruling with Christ

 I. The devil is chained up

            We understand the numbers of Revelation to be important, but also deep with symbolic meaning. In the Revelation, it mentions 144,000 that will be saved, 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel. But that doesn’t mean we will be left out. There are certain events that will last for 3/12 years – a shorter period of time. The number one thousand is the highest number in the Ancient Greek numbering system. It is the number 10 X 10 X 10. The apostle John would have recognized this as a long period of time, but a period which would have an end. It is the period that begins with the first coming of Christ and basically ends with his return. An encouraging feature of this time period comes from God’s description of what happens to the devil.

            I was scared of dogs when I was a kid. I got knocked over by a Collie on a farm and went and sat in the car and then I didn’t want to go near any dogs for many years. If the dog had been on a leash with someone, I may not have been so scared. I could have stayed away. The Bible says that the devil is kind of like a dog on a leash.

The devil, of course, is the ancient enemy of God’s people, a created angel gone bad, whose one desire is to bring the guilty souls of human being to eternal restlessness with him. He wants all people to experience the second death, eternal death. He began his evil attack on humanity in the Garden of Eden and he continues it today. But he is limited in his power. He does not have free reign. Just as Jesus showed his power over Satan by casting out demons during his time on earth, so also Jesus shows John in Revelation that the devil is chained up.

            An angel is mentioned as the one who is doing the chaining of the dragon. Only Christ has that power. When was dragon chained up? When Christ came to fulfill the curse on the devil in the Garden of Eden: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

            God uses a very dramatic vision to describe a deep spiritual truth. The devil is not gone. He is still very much alive. But his power is kept in check by a very powerful chain, so he remains kind of like a vicious dog chained up in the yard. If you are within his reach, you will certainly be wounded by his bite. But if you stay out of his reach, you will be safe.

            What does this mean for us? How is it that we end up within reach of the devil? How is it that we are wounded by his supernatural violence? If we make our life a place where the devil feels comfortable, we put ourselves in danger. He is very comfortable in a heart the refuses to acknowledge that it is lost and hostile to God and refuses to ask God for forgiveness. He feels very comfortable in a mind that feels proud and invincible. He feels very comfortable with a soul that gives up on God, and drives the Holy Spirit away in stubborn unbelief.

            Do you and I need to be afraid? We must not become so arrogant to think that it can’t happen to us. The devil is chained, but we can’t play with him and expect we won’t get hurt. And the hard thing is that he makes going against God so attractive, in so many ways, and in so many different places. Some days you almost feel like you need to keep your eyes shut, so you don’t see any temptation, but then the temptations are within us as well. Those in league with the devil, even that sinful voice inside of you, will not give up. They want you to get closer and closer to the devil and his lies, hoping to trap you forever.

            Believe that the chains that Jesus puts on the devil are secure. In the company of your Lord Jesus Christ, you are out of the reach of the devil. With your heart and mind filled with Christ, you are safe. The devil can’t touch you. The great accuser, Satan, can say and do nothing against you. He is bound with the chain of the gospel, which says that he is the loser. He won’t be able to persuade God to send you to hell. As your defender and the one who rescues you from punishment, Jesus went to hell and back, taking your guilt along with him. What is the devil going to do when confronted with the gospel message of Christ our Savior? He can only shrink back in fear, like a toothless, clawless animal, helpless even against each and every believer in Christ. The power of the devil has been crushed by the mercy of God which has forgiven all your sin.

            The Bible does say that a time will come right before the end when the devil will be given freedom. It seems to indicate that toward the end the gospel truth will hard to find in this world and the devil will have an upper hand in the affairs of human beings. Thankfully, the Bible also says that time will be cut short for the sake of God’s faithful people and the end will come when Christ returns in his glory for the final judgment.

 II. Those who die in Christ are ruling with Christ

            Good news, isn’t it? The devil is on a short leash. Well out of reach for those who are in Christ. But what about the other people talked about in John’s vision. It’s such a gruesome picture: “And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God.” I don’t even want to think about it. How terrible! John is talking about people who were punished with death by the government of ancient Rome because they were accused of terrible crimes. Some of those John saw might have even been friends of his.

            But he only saw their souls. The souls were in heaven with God. That’s great news. That means that, even though they died a horrible death, they were not separated from God’s love. God kept them faithful until the end of their lives. And now they reign with Christ for a thousand years. More good news!

            Christ ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, ruling over everything for the good of his people. Those who die in Christ get to be part of that kingdom. They have the privilege of ruling with Christ. In other words, they do not have to wait until the last day to receive the blessings of eternal life. They are part of the first resurrection. Because they have been given spiritual rebirth by the Holy Spirit, when they die, they get to enjoy the spiritual blessings of heaven. They cannot be touched by the second death, eternal death.

            Do you recognize those people? We hear about them in the Bible. They are certainly Paul and Peter, James and Matthew. They are many Christians who have gone before us into the eternal kingdom. They are our Christian loved ones who have gone before us into the eternal kingdom. Not all have died at the hands of the government, but all have died and all share in the glory.

            “Blessed and holy are those who have part 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.” Blessed. Holy. You may be familiar with the beatitudes in the Gospels. They all start out: “Blessed are those . . .” Well, there are Beatitudes in the book of Revelation, too. Here’s one of them: “Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection.” Blessed? It means happy. Smile on the face, enjoying life. And the happiness seems to come not because of what we have, but because of what God promises to give us. Blessed and holy. “Happy and set apart to be God’s own people forever.” How does this happen? Through the first resurrection.

            The first resurrection is the revival of the spirit, the change from spiritual death to spiritual life. It is when the Holy Spirit connects us to Christ in baptism, through the Power of God’s Holy Word, which creates faith. We who have been born again of water and the Spirit realize the second death, eternal death, has no power over us. We will take part in the second resurrection on the last day, when our bodies and souls are reunited and so our bodies and souls will not be lost forever in hell. 

Conclusion – Some people are wondering these days: “The devil really seems to be working hard. Maybe this is the time when he is let loose.” Maybe. Maybe not. Ultimately, it is most important that we continue to recognize what keeps the power and influence of the devil chained up. It is the gospel. Ultimately, we as God’s people must be feeding on the gospel for our own benefit; we must be sharing it with each other and spreading it to the edges of the earth. While we do that, it is good to know that the devil cannot harm those who are in Christ. It is good to peek into heaven and see that though we die, yet we will live on and reign with Christ when we die and beyond the day of resurrection. May God open your eyes and reassure you that he will always be faithful to you. John saw God’s power and mercy in this vision and he gave him the faith to say, “Come, quickly, Lord.” Amen.