A Case For Amillennialism

A Case For Amillennialism

Rev. 20

1) Binding of Satan is a spiritual binding. It is not likely that there is a literal bottomless pit and seal over it.

a) Matt 12:29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.” Christ casts out the demon from the blind and dumb man, he is binding Satan and rendering him incapable of continuing his work.

b) Luke 10:18 He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” This happened when the disciples were sent out to preach the gospel and they said "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." (17)

c) John 12:31 “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. 32But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." 33He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.” He is talking about his own death. Now, he says, the hour has come, not only will he be lifted up on the cross, not only will he die, but at this selfsame time the prince of this world will be cast out. It is our Lord who says this.

d) Heb. 2:14b “so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.” Destroy power of death does not mean literally to end and cause to disintegrate but to render null and void, to render ineffective.

e) 1 John 3:8 The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

f) Rev. 12: 9 “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” The one who deceives the whole world was cast down and can deceive the nations no more. 10 “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” This verse pinpoints the defeat of Satan is at the crucifixion of Christ. 11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” We overcome the devil by the blood of Christ, and the blood of Christ was not shed at the 2^nd Coming, but at the 1^st Coming. Christ defeats Satan for us, the accuser can accuse no more, and the victory is won not by the glory of the 2^nd coming, but by the blood of the Lamb.

g) Cleary, the binding of Satan began at the 1^st coming of the Lord. We are told that he should deceive the nations no more. The nations always stands for the Gentiles in the contradistinction to the Jews. The gentiles are the ‘nations’ and the Jews are ‘the nation.’

h) Col 2:15 “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” There is no question at all that by His death upon the cross our Lord defeated Satan and, in a special manner, put him to an open shame, exactly as our Lord has prophesied in John 12:31.

i) “Matt. 28:18-20 18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” All power is given unto Christ, therefore we can disciple all nations. This means that before the crucifixion the nations were in absolute darkness, and that was their condition right through the OT. But as the result of our Lord’s 1^st coming, and his death, the message of the kingdom was to be preached to all the nations, and the devil, who was defeated by the cross, could no longer deceive them. He had deceived them absolutely until then, but from the Day of Pentecost something absolutely new began, the darkness of the nations was enlightened. The history of Christian period, the Christian era, is a verification of the statement that Satan has been bound, cast out, and cannot deceive the nations any lnger in the way that he had been doing in the past. The history of the spread of the gospel is a proof of this statement in Rev. 20:3

2) The saints clearly reign with Christ “in heaven”, not on this old earth.

a) 20:4 “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.” The verse clearly indicates that those who reigns are ‘souls’, not ‘bodies’ It is speaking of the spiritual reign they have with Christ, in their souls, not yet received their glorified bodies. Glorified bodies are given at the 2^nd coming of Christ.

b) These people who reign with Christ are the saints who died in Christ in all history before the 2^nd coming and the receiving of their glorified bodies.

3) The first resurrection is the regeneration (born-again) that we received when we were saved.

a) 20: 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.

i) The first death is natural death in physical sense, and the second death is to be cast into the lake of fire.

ii) Those who have a part in the first resurrection will not be harmed by second death, that is, they will not be cast into the lake of fire.

iii) This is indeed a description of all Christians who have been born again, regenerated in Christ. Those who are born-again will not be cast into the lake of fire, this is the clearest teaching of the Bible.

iv) These ‘souls’ who are reigning with Him are not in the body, but they are alive. They are the regenerate who have passed through death and have gone to be with the Lord.

b) John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

i) Those who believe in Christ shall never die. Christians do die physically, therefore Christ is not talking about physical death, but spiritual death.

ii) Those who believe in Christ shall not die spiritually. This spiritual death leads to the second death.

c) Rom. 6: 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 8Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

i) It is the clear teaching of Rom. 6 that we have died, and buried with Christ, and also risen with Him. Therefore we need reckon ourselves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ.

ii) The fact of our first resurrection with Christ is indicated by the symbol of baptism.

d) Eph. 2:4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

i) We have been made alive with Christ, even when we were dead in sins.

ii) God ‘raised us up’ and ‘seated’ us with Christ in heavenly realmsright now.

iii) So that in the coming ages He may show us the incomparable riches of his grace.

iv) As we read in Rev. 20, the souls of them were sitting on the thrones and reigning with Him. It agrees perfectly.

e) Col. 3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

i) Anybody who is regenerate has risen with Christ, and that is the first resurrection. “since then, you have been raised with Christ.”

ii) The resurrection of body will occur at the 2^nd coming Christ, and that is called the Second Resurrection. At the Second resurrection all men will be resurrected (bodily resurrection). The saints will be given their body, and also the wicked will be given their bodies. This happens at the 2^nd coming of Christ, at the great white throne judgment seat of Christ. The saints resurrects the 2^nd time, and die no more, but the wicked resurrects, to die the 2^nd death.

iii) Christian timeline: A. died in Christ (1^st death)—resurrected in Christ (1^st Resurrection)— B. pass on to be with Christ (physical death) (technically we are have already died once, so this physical death is sometimes referred to as sleep, or to be with the Lord, that’s why Christ can say those believe him shall never die, because technically we have already died once)— C. 2^nd resurrection unto life.

iv) Unbelievers timeline: B. Physical death (1^st death)—C. resurrected at the great white throne judgment (2^nd resurrection for Christians)—D. 2^nd Death.

v) Christian: A-B-C

vi) Unbelievers: B-C-D

vii) Those who have “A” won’t get “D”, and those who didn’t get “A” will get “D”.

4) The 1,000 years reign is the reigning of our Lord in heaven right now, and along with the saints.

a) Phil 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name hat is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

b) Matt. 28 “All power is given unto me”. He already has the power, not waiting to get the power in some other time.