A “Golden Age”
John was on the Isle of Patmos, having been sent there because he was preaching the Gospel. There on the LORD’S DAY, the LORD visited him.
John tells what he saw—the LORD gave him a vision of things to come and John looked down through the centuries and he saw a “Golden Age” yet to come and this is the way he described it.
Revelation 20:1-10
1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4And 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 worshiped 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. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
It’s exciting to think about it, the “Golden Age”! One day God’s will “will be done on earth as it is in heaven” and as stated in Habakkuk 2:14: For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
As we look toward the “Golden Age” let’s remember that Satan is to be bound and the saints are going to be blessed. Satan is described as a serpent, due to his craftiness and subtlety. He is called the Devil, which means Accuser, because he is always slandering and accusing God’s people.
His name is Satan, which means adversary, so he is God’s enemy and your enemy and my enemy. He is the enemy of everything that is good, bright, holy, happy and wonderful.
Satan does exist and he exists only to destroy lives. Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5:8,
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Lots of people believe that the world is getting better and better, but a quick look at any newspaper or listening to the news reveals the depraved heart of man.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
According to Revelation 20:3, above, Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit. That is the same place from which he earlier loosed demon spirits to torment mankind. He is bound so that he cannot deceive the nations anymore.
He has been masterminding evil plots and coordinating wicked actions since time began but he will be bound 1,000 years and taken off the scene. That will make life on earth a very different kind of existence.
Look at verse 4 of Revelation 20, above.
The saints of God are going to be reigning on earth with Jesus Christ, and they will experience the blessings of God. Peter calls us, the saints of God, a royal priesthood.
1 Corinthians 6:2-3
2Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life.
See Revelation 20:7-8, above.
Once more the devil goes out to deceive those on earth. After another attack on Jerusalem, the devil will be a defeated foe. The devil will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever.
Next, there will be a judging of all the nations. This judgment will be called The Great White Throne Judgment.
Revelation 20:11-15
11And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away: and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and the death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
In Verse 11, above, the word “great” speaks of the power of Him who is seated on the throne. This throne, the great white throne, is the place of Judgment.
People will try to hide from God, but there will be no place to hide.
John 5:22 (Jesus speaking)
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.
This is the time He, Jesus, will judge mankind.
When Verse 11 talks about people fleeing from His face, it is because of their awkward position. The people are afraid to face Jesus. They have ignored him, denied Him, cursed Him, and disbelieved Him. Now they have nowhere to hide. It is simply the sinner and Jesus, no one else. They are face to face for judgment.
Regarding Verse 12 of Revelation 20: At this point in future history, Jesus Christ will summon all the dead for judgment. It doesn’t matter how much education or culture they possess, how rich or poor, famous or whatever. The dead, both small and great, stand before the Lord and face judgment.
All the sinners are going to be there. The evil men of history: the Hitlers, the Stalins will be there. The unredeemed drug-pushers, pornographers, rapists and the murderers will also be in attendance. All the self-righteous will be there. These are the people who think the Gospel is just for the thief and murderer, those who don’t think they need to be saved nor redeemed by faith in Jesus Christ’s atoning work on the cross of Calvary.
Jesus once said to the Pharisees that the harlot and tax collectors would go to Heaven ahead of them, because the Pharisees were self-righteous. If going to church, tithing, doing good deeds and staying away from alcohol could save you, God would never have sent His Son to die, but Jesus died upon the cross to do for you and me what we could never do for ourselves, make us righteous.
All those who are satisfied with their own righteousness are going to be called to give an account. In the book of Romans we read in 3:10, As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. In Romans 3:23 we read For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
All the people who have procrastinated concerning their decision for Christ, but kept putting it off, will be there. That’s why the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2, Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation and in Psalm 95:8, Harden not your heart because our lives are like a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away as stated in James 4:14.
All the “Sunday” Christians will be there, the people who put their names on the church roll, but never accepted Christ as Savior, nor had their names entered into the Lamb’s Book of Life—they will be summoned. They go through the motion, sit on church boards, teach Sunday School. They may have their baptismal certificates and attendance rewards, but unless their sins have been covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, they will be there at the “Great White Throne Judgment”.
Notice Revelation 20:13, above.
All of those who have died apart from Jesus are to be raise up from their graves and they will gather in front of Christ’s throne. They will come from the depths of the sea and from the dust of the ground and from hell. When God gives a summons, everyone must come. No one will be excused.
When we have an appointment with the dentist or the doctor, we can always cancel, if necessary, but this is one appointment everyone that has not invited Jesus into his heart will have to keep. God will call all men and women to an accounting for He is a God of justice.
Revelation 20:12, above, repeated here:
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened…
God is keeping a record. God remembers all things—except the sins of His children, which have been blotted out by the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s why people from all nations, Christians, will not have to appear at the Great White Throne Judgment Seat since they asked forgiveness for sins committed and will have accepted His blood as atonement for their sins. Forgiven, the sins committed will have been forgiven by God when confessed to God and forgiveness will have been imparted to the person. It is an individual decision between you and God. No man can atone for sin; only God can do that.
Matthew 12:36 (Jesus speaking)
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Think of all the words of profanity, dishonesty, exaggeration, gossip and criticism spoken. God has recorded it all and if it’s not under the blood, forgiven by asking, people will be held accountable for what they say.
James 4:17
Therefore to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Justice will be sure; you won’t be able to have a lawyer or bribe a jury. Everyone will be judged who has not invited Jesus into his heart and life. The sins of commission and the sins of omission will be judged.
I believe that the reason God waits until the end of time to judge is because we have to wait to see what lasting influence each person makes on those around him, for example: a pornographer is corrupting people now, but when he is dead, his work will continue to corrupt people. People will also be judged by the “light,” understanding of Truth that they had. God will judge teachers and ministers by what is preached and taught. We are accountable!
Revelation 20:15
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Luke 12:9
But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
Satan is so cunning and mean; he probably will say, “That soul is mine; he served me on earth and I claim it to go with me to hell.”
Justice will be sure; it will be severe, and it will be sad, but Jesus died that none should perish and as Paul told the Philippian jailer in:
Acts 16:32
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…
Jesus’ love is exemplified.
The Bible also teaches about the wrath of God, telling us in:
Hebrews 10:31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
The Bible also teaches about the wrath of God.
Hebrews 10:31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Matthew 10:28 (Jesus speaking)
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
If anyone goes to hell, it is by his own choice. The Biblical principle stands that the matter of sin is not resolved until it is forgiven or punished. If forgiveness is refused, then punishment is the resultant choice.
In the next lesson, you’ll see a radiant picture of our eternal home.
In the first 9 verses of Revelation Chapter 20 we have the words for a “1,000 years” repeated six times, so it must be important.
Revelation 20:1-10
1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4And 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 worshiped 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. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Author: Nannie Mae Jordan
(Transcribed by Joyce Carter Transcribed and Formatted by Jerry Knight)
