The Coming Earthly Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, Part 2

So this is a triumphant moment.

Beloved in God's redemptive plan.

This is the moment when the victory of Christ is exercised over his arch enemy and the roaring lion is overcome by the lion of the tribe of Judah down say you could bind the devil right now.

Considering how much talk. There is about finding Satan you might legitimately expect to find many examples of that happening in Scripture.

The fact is, you don't find any passages in the Bible where people bind Satan. So, when and how will Satan be bound and what's more, whose job is it to bind him and what effect will that have on the earth and on. You, John MacArthur will help you answer those fascinating questions today on grace to you when he continues his prophecy series from the book of Revelation titled when Jesus comes so following now as John begins. As you know were studying the book of Revelation and we have been doing so for quite a long time we find ourselves in chapter 20 coming earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ. Revelation chapter 20. Let me just say that the promise of the earthly kingdom of the Messiah fills the Old Testament, it would be impossible for us to cover even a portion of the Scriptures in the Old Testament that direct their attention to this event. This period of time. Second Samuel Psalm two number of places in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel Hosea, Joel Zacharia, and when you come into the New Testament, particularly the 24th chapter of Matthew focuses on the time when sign of the Son of Man appears in heaven.

Son of Man comes with the Angels they gather the elect from the four corners of the earth, and that is the beginning of the great and glorious kingdom. So both old and New Testament are just replete with promises with regard to the kingdom and just put that in perspective, let me say something at the very outset what which will help you understand the nature of God's promise to Israel and to all those who are in Christ and those who belong to God.

God always promised a kingdom be always promised a kingdom that was eternal when he promised also that it would be an earthly kingdom, and, as well. He promised the hope of eternal heaven and how can God fulfill all of that and eternal kingdom which is an earthly kingdom, and also a heavenly kingdom.

The answer is millennial kingdom is the earthly part of that eternal kingdom.

The thousand year millennial kingdom is really phase 1 of God's eternal kingdom in the Old Testament the promises to Israel the premises through the prophets speak of the kingdom that is earthly, but they also speak of a kingdom that is heavenly kingdom that is here on this planet in a kingdom that is in a completely different dimension kingdom that is measured by time and kingdom that is beyond time.

So when you look at the kingdom prophecies you will see that they are eternal and they stretch on through Everett forever and ever. But the same time the beginning of that kingdom fulfillment has an earthly phase that is the thousand year millennium. That is the is the theme of this marvelous chapter and it's necessary that God do it that way. He promised an earthly kingdom.

So I will bring it into that earthly kingdom will come.

People who are physical just like we are 11 died they will survive. The time of the tribulation. They will be the redeemed. There will come from the nation nation Israel and from other nations of the world. They will go into the earthly kingdom and the glorious renewed and revived earth. They will have children so natural reproduction will be going on natural processes in life will be going on, and so there will still be a group of people on the earth who will have the right to believe or not believe in. So the kingdom. While it is in fact the kingdom given to God's people by way of fulfillment of his promise is also really the final time in which redemption can occur in the lives of human being. So there has to be in that kingdom.

The final gathering together of the of the redeemed and then can come the eternal state. So we're looking at Revelation chapter 20 in that chapter 21 will see the eternal kingdom which is called the new heaven and the new earth but here in chapter 20 were actually looking at a restored Earth restored to its due nearly its original glory ruled by the Lord Jesus Christ. Let's talk about the first point in chapter 20. The removal of Satan. The first matter of attention for John as he looks at this vision of the kingdom is to see the removal of Satan verse one and I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand and he laid hold of the Dragon, the serpent of old was the devil and Satan bound him for thousand years and threw them into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed after these things he must be released for a short time now. Simple understanding of that at face value, literally interpreting what was said is very very clear angel comes down as a key has a chain takes hold of Satan binds Satan throws them into the abyss for thousand years.

At the end of words for a brief time he is released so the first thing we see that occurs in the kingdom is the removal of Satan. Now that's going to dramatically change the world is because Satan is the prince of the power of the air is the god of this age is the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. Up until this point. By the way, God is already taken care of many of the rebels fallen men sinful man have all been slain in the process of judgments through the time of the great tribulation of those who survive that will perish in the Holocaust around Armageddon described therein. Chapter 19 so the unregenerate world has been destroyed and then the Antichrist and the false prophet we find the end of chapter 19 to been seized and thrown into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. So those ringleaders of this great world wide rebellion have been taken care of now. That leaves only Satan and the demons still loose if the Lord is going to establish his kingdom is going to get rid of the ungodly leaders is going to get rid of the ungodly people and now is going to get rid of the ungodly powers of the heavens, namely Satan and all the demons if the kingdom is to be all that God designs the enemy has to go there can be no 1000 years of peace and righteousness. If he is in large God removes the one who is the adversary the enemy the one creating the conflict. In fact, his head was bruised at the cross as promised in Genesis 315 and now comes his incarceration before a final exile at the end of the thousand years into the lake of fire, where Satan and his demons will dwell forever. So here is the incarceration of Satan and all the demons which is crucial to the reign of Christ in the reign of the saints through the millennial kingdom without any obstruction without any hindrance what a world that is going to be.

Let's looking at what it says about the removal of Satan verse one John says and I saw not just stop there long enough to say that little phrase and I saw is is repeated and it is an indication of some sequence of events back in chapter 19 verse 11 and I saw heaven opened in verse 17 and I saw an angel standing in the sun. In verse 19 and I saw the beast and the king the now chapter 20 and I saw an angel coming down from heaven. It's not too hard to understand.

There's a real sequence here verse four and I saw thrones. Verse 11 and I saw a great white throne. Verse 12 and I saw the dead. John is just marching us sequentially through this tremendous vision of the establishment of the kingdom. One step at a time.

Major steps are indicated by that little phrase and I saw which indicates another facet of this immense vision that John is having the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the establishment of the kingdom, not says I saw an angel.

We can speculate that this angel is a particular angel could be as noted back in chapter 12 verse seven Michael since Michael there is indicated to be uniquely gifted and uniquely used angel and some significant role on behalf of God you find in Jude 9 Michael is called the Archangel, perhaps some would suggest this could be Michael because of the very formidable event that is about to happen. Michael, who is been the archenemy of Satan would like to be the angel charged with this responsibility, but that is purely speculation since it doesn't say, but it would have to be a mighty angel certainly endued with supernatural strength because he comes down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.

Now he comes down from heaven with a very specific agenda is going to do very very specific things one lay hold of Satan to bind them for thousand years. Three cast into the abyss for locking with a key five set a seal six elusive at the end of the thousand year so his agenda is prescribed by heaven itself by God comes down. He has what is called the key of the abyss abbess sauce abbess sauce. The abyss, and you might be saying will what is the abyss. Well Peter calls it. In second Peter two for the pits of darkness, reserved for judgment is the place where demons are sent to be reserved for their final sentencing to the lake of fire.

It is not the final hell. Believe me, fallen angels will go there because the final hell, the lake of fire has been prepared for the devil and his angels, and so ultimately they're going to end up in the lake of fire which burns with fire and brimstone forever and ever, that eternal fire. Matthew 2541 says prepared for the devil and his angels, and down in verse 10 of chapter 20. The devil was who deceived them was then thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also now be tormented day and night forever and ever. But the devil doesn't get thrown into that place until the thousand years is over here.

He's put into the abbess sauce which is some other kind of place of incarceration, not the specific final lake of fire because once you go to the lake of fire. You can never come back because it burns with fire and brimstone forever and ever. No one is ever released.

The abyss is mentioned also in Luke 831 you remember when Jesus was casting demons out the demon said don't send us to the abyss. Again I say the abyss is not the final eternal lake of fire. It is a place of torment. Certainly a place of punishment, the place out of the presence of God a place of incarceration, a temporary place where God sends demons where in this case he binds Satan not just to give you a little bit of a of a review of things we said in years past. Keep this in mind, I give you little diagram, follow it in your mind if you will, on one line. If you were diagramming it you could write angels and you could split off the line and divide those angels into two there would be holy angels and fallen angels take the line that says fallen angels and split it into two loose and bound the loose ones are demons. The brown ones are those incarcerated take the brown ones and split them into two permanently bound and temporarily bound.

There are permanently bound angels, permanently bound, fallen Angels and Demons when were they permanently bound, but I believe they were the ones who send in Genesis chapter 6 and are reserved in everlasting chains. So they went into the abyss and they will be there permanently until their transfer to the lake of fire. There are other fallen angels who have been sent into the abyss, but there only there temporarily and we find in the book of Revelation. On at least two occasions that they are released help belches out three unclean frogs represent unclean spirits, and then you have 200 million of them who have been bound at the Euphrates and they are released during the time the tribulation so there are some demons that are loose there some that are bound of those that are bound summer permanently bound summer temporarily bound, temporarily bound once are loosed for purposes of judgment during the time of the tribulation.

They will then be re-incarcerated in the abyss until finally they are all cast into the lake of fire prepared for all of them now hear this angel has a key which simple simply identifies authority.

If you have the key. You control the door. Angel has the key and it signifies authority. You can open it and he can close it. In fact, back in chapter 9 verse one it says the fifth angel sounded, and I saw us I saw a star from heaven, which if all of the earth in the key of the bottomless pit was given to him and he opened the bottomless pit. There's the same kind of thing that bottomless pit that abbess sauce that that place of torture and torment, not the final hell, but the place of incarceration of the may well be the place where Jesus when he was crucified and you remember he went and made a public display before the demons. While this physical body was in the grave he was alive in his spirit, Peter says in a distended and he proclaimed a triumph Caruso over the principalities and powers.

He went there while hell was holding a carnival because Jesus was dead. He showed up at the party brought his words of judgment and condemnation back in chapter 1 and verse 18 we read that Jesus Christ is the one who has the keys of death and Hades and he dispenses those keys. In this case to an angel in chapter 9, open the bottomless pit, and here again in chapter 22. Open that pit as well and then the locket again knows the angel also had a great chain in his hand. The either that's great, signifies the of the greatness of Satan. In a sense so that it takes a great chain to bind him be the same kind used. As noted in Jude to bind the demons.

It says in Jude 6 angels who didn't keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, he has kept in eternal chains under darkness for the judgment of that great day so that Satan then goes and is bound in the same place that these other demons have been eternally bound in great chains and again second Peter 24 says the same thing, just a note in Mark chapter 5 there's an interesting reference that could have the ties in with this, I think.

Interestingly, they came to the other side of the seed of the country. The kerosene's and when you come out of the boat immediately. A man from the tombs unclean spirit, met him. That is, met Jesus and he had his dwelling among the tombs and no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain because he had often been bound with shackles and chains and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him and constantly night and day among the tombs and in the mountains. He was crying out in cashing himself with stones. Here is a demon empowered man who is so powerful, so strong, so indomitable the best chains of men can't bind point being Satan's demons can break the chains of men they cannot break this chain in chapter 20. Satan himself can't break the chain of God that is used to bind members to this angel comes down and this is got to be a great moment for this angel be it Michael or whoever.

This is got to be a monumental moment and he laid hold of the Dragon, the serpent of old who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. That is the duration of the millennial kingdom. He laid hold of the Dragon again. Remember that the term Dragon is used back in chapter 12 versus three, four, and 17 to refer to Satan. Why does it turn Dragon refer to Satan because it emphasizes his is B steel nature emphasizes his fierceness as ferociousness is cruelty's oppressiveness. Not only is he called the Dragon but is called the serpent of old ones that remind you of the servant of all takes you all the way back to where to the garden. The garden of Eden.

The snake in the garden of Eden attempted even started all the trouble. The one recording a second Corinthians 11 three who deceived it is that Dragon that fears B steel, cruel, vicious, deadly old snake from the garden of Eden. Further, you did defines him who is the devil, again giving you another insight into him devil's Diablo loss means slanderer. You remember that the book of Revelation also tells us he is night and day before the throne of God accusing the brother is a malignant liar. This is been his character since he felt he is the father of all lies. Cannot speak the truth except for lying purposes devil.

It says in first John 38 has sinned from the beginning. He is a lying deceiver. So is called the Dragon the serpent, the devil and Satan. Satan means adversary enemy. He opposed God. He opposed Christ. He opposed the same to Job, Peter, Paul, believers back in chapter 12 again versus four, nine and 10 we gone through all of that. So this is the triumphant moment, beloved it, and in God's redemptive plan. This is the moment when the victory of Christ is exercised over his arch enemy and the roaring lion is overcome by the lion of the tribe of Judah, and Satan is bound for a thousand years since the first of six references to this. With the number 1000 and so Satan is bound during this time of the kingdom that's going to dramatically alter the world dramatically change because there will be no satanic enterprise there will be no satanic ideologies. No satanic philosophies. No demonic theories of anything. There will be no satanic theories of morality. There will be no satanic theories of justice. There will be no satanic theories of social behavior, social life, there will be no satanic maxims or opinions.

Ideologies of any kind existed anywhere on the globe. The whole demonic world is incarcerated along with their leader. Jesus Christ sets the agenda for all of the world not says in verse three.

After finding Satan for thousand years. This angel like the terminology threw him into the abyss have to do that because I guess the angel doesn't want to go down there literally the word applesauce by the way, means bottomless. He threw him into the bottomless. This is the description of this place of incarceration. It's called the bottomless pit. As I noted in verse 10, it's later at the end of the thousand years that is thrown into the lake of fire. Now all seven times this abyss or bottomless pit appears in Revelation, it refers to the place were fallen Angels and foul evil spirits are held captive. The place where they await their final incarceration from which they can never be relieved. Call the lake of fire. It says in Isaiah 24, 21 and 22. Very interestingly, so it will happen in that day that the Lord will punish the host of heaven were the host of heaven angels. These are wicked angels. The Lord will punish in that day the wicked angels, and they will be gathered together like prisoners in the dungeon and will be confined in prison and after many days, then they will be punished so First American bionic Isaiah seeing the same thing there confined for a period of thousand years in Isaiah's is after that then becomes the eternal punishment that comes later. After the great white throne judgment at the end of the millennium. All the unsaved of all the ages will be resurrected brought to the great white throne and they along with all the fallen angels and Satan, and the false prophet and the beast will all be thrown into the lake of fire. Verse three also says that after the angel throws them into the abyss. It says John saw in his vision and shut it and sealed it over him. He is chain with a great chain. He is locked into the abyss with the key is shot and sealed so that the world cannot all be influenced by Satan. The whole world will be influenced only by those purposes of Christ, you say well worn everybody then who is born of those redeemed people going to the kingdom become Christians know amazingly well be, fallen creatures who will reject Christ. Even though their living in that marvelous kingdom itself shows you the depth of sin. But the point made here is this all of this is done to Satan middle verse three so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, his deceptions are over. His deceptions are over. So, if people reject Christ. It'll not be because they are what deceive, it'll be because they love their iniquity, and he's There says in verse three until the thousand years were completed.

This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. Today's lesson is part of John's current study from book of Revelation titled when Jesus comes what today we saw that Satan will be bound for a thousand years, but he's not bound yet and along that line, we received a call on our Q&A line about how Satan operates today, so let's listen to this question from Kathleen. It's short and pretty straightforward. And then John would you respond to her heart. It will print thought in our mind if we are say Christian. Thank you will thank you Kathleen for that question and depends on what you mean by that Satan doesn't have some kind of sovereign access to your mind but Satan can influence your thinking. But he does that through the world system and you have, you have to recognize that he has access through your human flesh through your mind through to the avenues by which attempted so the question is really the same as can Satan tempt me yes but but it's not as if the devil shows up and somehow stick some thoughts in your head. It's simply that he operates the world system which is the complex of evil that surrounds us all. As I said a couple of days ago the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. He is the God of this world, the prince of the power the air, the ruler of the spiritual darkness in the heavenly seed dominates the fallen world, and so we are literally in the environment where Satan prevails at this time so temptation comes to us that way but I think it's important to understand. It comes through the flesh, it doesn't doesn't bypass the flesh and show up in your brain as if Satan had the sovereign power to deposit something there in the course. The cure for that is to fill your mind with the things of God. And that's how you resist the devil, he flees from you. Thank you, John, and friend. If there's a Bible question.

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