seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 20:1 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.
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[a] 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.
5282025528202552820255282025
Here's a link to the commentary I read. Please follow the link and read the commentary I didn't copy and paste here.
An angel coming down from heaven: The angel that will subdue Satan is anonymous. It is not Jesus Himself, nor is it Michael or Gabriel or any other high-ranking angel.
“The final importance of Satan is perhaps indicated in the fact that it is not the Father who deals with him, nor the Christ, but only an unnamed angel.” (L. Morris)
An angel coming down from heaven: This is a dramatic declaration that Satan is not God’s opposite or equal; and that God could easily stop Satan’s activity at any time. Yet God allows Satan to continue, because even in his evil, he indirectly serves the purposes of God.
Laid hold… bound him… cast him… shut him up… set a seal on him: Satan tried to imprison Jesus in a tomb, but couldn’t. Here, God has no problem restraining Satan, and this incarceration is not for punishment, but restraint. By implication, Satan’s demonic armies are also restrained and imprisoned.
“Is this a literal transaction? Certainly it is. The battle is literal; the taking of the Beast and the False Prophet is literal; the slaying of the kings and their armies is literal; Satan is literal; and his binding must be equally literal. It will not resolve itself into anything else.” (Seiss)
That he should deceive the nations no more: This shows us Satan’s main mode of attack is revealed. Satan is a deceiver, so the most potent defense and weapon against Satan is the truth of God’s Word.
“The truth is ever against him; therefore falsehood is his particular recourse and instrument. But naked falsehood is only repulsive. What we know to be a lie cannot command our respect… Untruth can only gain credence and acceptance by being so disguised as to appear to be the truth. Falsehood can have no power over us until we are led to believe and conclude that it is the truth. And this deluding of men, getting them to accept and follow lies and false hopes, under the persuasion that they are accepting and following the truth, is the great work and business of Satan in every age.” (Seiss)
Till the thousand years were finished: This thousand-year period is often known as the Millennium. Throughout church history, there have been many different ways of understanding the Millennium.
Till the thousand years were finished: Some of what we know of the Millennium from other passages of Scripture.
During the Millennium, Israel will be the superpower of the world, the leading nation in all the earth, and the center of Israel will be the mountain of the LORD’s house — the temple mount, which will be the “capital” of the government of the Messiah. All nations shall flow to the “capital” of Jesus’ government (Isaiah 2:1-3, Ezekiel 17:22-24).
Thousand years: Is it a literal 1,000 years? We should take a number literally unless there is clear reason or evidence to do otherwise. We should take this thousand years literally, because God has an important work to accomplish during the Millennium.
They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years: These saints reign with Jesus for the same period of time that Satan is bound (a thousand years). They administrate the kingdom of Jesus Christ over the earth, reigning over those who pass from the earth of the Great Tribulation to the earth of the Millennium.
Who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus… who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark: All those who overcome in Jesus will rule and reign with Him (Revelation 2:26-28, 3:12,22, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3). Why does John only mention the Tribulation saints?
Beheaded is actually a broader word than we might think. The ancient Greek word really means “executed.”
The rest of the dead: Those who do not have part in the first resurrection are not blessed, they are under the power of the second death, and they are without privilege.
In John 5:28-29, Jesus described two resurrections: Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth — those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
The two events are separated by this 1,000-year period because the rest of the dead are not given their resurrection bodies until the thousand years were finished.
This is the first resurrection: If the first resurrection is a singular event, it argues well for a post-tribulation rapture, because it implies that all saints receive their resurrection bodies at the same time, immediately before the rule and reign of Jesus Christ.
This is the first resurrection: If the first resurrection is an order or class encompassing previously dead believers (who are at once with the Lord), the raptured church (already in heaven), and saints from the Great Tribulation, then the idea fits in a pre-tribulation framework.
5282025528202552820255282025
Thank you for reading.
I read in the "Left Behind" series, humans who did not take the mark were decapitated. Verse 4 is a witness to the fact; there will be a lot of headless humans on earth when Jesus is ruling for 1,000 years. I wonder, when the bodies are buried, while the decapitation is going on, will the heads be buried with the bodies? Will the humans just jump up and pop their head back on?
Hubby and I have been watching "The Last of Us" on TV. There are zombies in the series. The zombies have to be shot in the head to be put down permanently. I don't see that happening in these verses.
The humans who come back to life live on earth with Jesus for 1,000 years. It's really unlikely, IMHO, for humans to get around without a head. That's where the eyes and ears are located. Of course, God has some plan for that. God can do anything, including putting eyes and ears on another body part if that's His plan. I can hardly wait to see how that turns out!
Those of us who die right now... well, we won't be up and walking during the 1,000 years. We'll sleep right through it. Those "headless" heroes who refused to take the mark of the beast, will live with Jesus for 1,000 years. Call it a test run.
See, I heard that during the 1,000 years, those humans will have no reason to misbehave. "The devil made me do it!" won't work because the devil is bound up in the lake of fire. He's got his own troubles to deal with. He's not in the ear of any human. After the 1,000 years is over humans will once again have the opportunity to choose the right path or the wrong path. They will choose. Jesus will let them choose.
If they choose the wrong path... well, they will burn in Hell forever. If they choose the right path... They get a whole new body and new Heavenly digs!
So, these verses seem to be about the "last chance". God will forbid someone who got caught in the wrong line from messing everything up again. If someone who would choose to get the mark somehow lines up in the line to refuse the mark, and gets beheaded, they'll only survive another 1,000 years. Then they will be weeded out in Judgement after that 1,000-year period.
Jesus will give them one last long chance to get on the right team!
While we sleep.... the headless heroes who didn't take the mark will work with Jesus... for 1,000 years.
They earned it!
Headless heroes earned it!
