Revelation 20 The Great White Throne

SLIDE 1 CBS Register Now for study of Matthew $25; July 1 $35

SLIDE 2 David Jeremiah in his book Escape from the Coming Night states “Peace may be found in two places; a man's heart and the dictionary.” chapter 18 “The 1000 years”

During the thousand year reign, Jesus and His disciples and His saints (from the Old Testament through all time) will rule the world restored to its former glory after the destruction of the tribulation.

(Spurgeon)"Let us rejoice that Scripture is so clear and so explicit upon this great doctrine of the future triumph of Christ over the whole world    . . . We believe that the Jews will be converted, and that they will be restored to their own land. We believe that Jerusalem will be the central metropolis of Christ's kingdom; we also believe that all the nations shall walk in the light of the glorious city which shall be built at Jerusalem. We expect that the glory which shall have its center there, shall spread over the whole world, covering it as with a sea of holiness, happiness, and delight. For this we look with joyful expectation."

SLIDE 3

Tonight we will study Revelation 20

•      The Millennium Kingdom

•      Satan’s Short Release and Eternal Torment

•      Great White Throne

–     Only Unbelievers

–     5 books per David Jeremiah

–     Hidden actions revealed

Are you ready?

The word millennium in Greek (chilia) means 1000 years and is used six times in Revelation 20:2-7

Most commentators I study adhere to this belief: Warren Wiersbe, Tim LaHaye, David Jeremiah, David Guzik, Spurgeon, Randy Alcorn

SLIDE 4 The Premillennialist believes a literal interpretation

•      Christ will return to earth before 1000 yr. reign to gather His saints

•      He will rebuild Jerusalem for His kingdom

•      Satan bound for 1000 years

•      Old Testament  prophecies for Jews will be fulfilled

•      World gets worse before it gets better

The Lord’s prayer commands “Thy will be done on earth as it is heaven.”  This cannot be done on earth until Christ enemies are defeated and Satan is bound.

SLIDE 5 Why do we need a millennium?  It is a reward for the people of God.

The millennial is needed to redeem creation after the terrible devastation of the world. It will be made new and beautiful once more, like the Garden of Eden. It will be peaceful, no wars, the Lord reigns supreme. The wild beast will be loving and docile to humans as they were in the Garden of Eden. Satan is chained so there will be no idol worshipers, no cults, and no satanic worship. It will be a time of prosperity and perpetual health. Neither infant mortality nor an “old man who fails to live out his day.” During the millennial believers will continue to populate the earth, however our children will have free will can still rebel against God. David Guzik

 SLIDE 6 Old Testament prophesies of the Kingdom

•      Daniel 2:31-45

•      Psalm 2

•      Ezekiel 40-48

•      Zechariah 14:8, 16-21

•      Isaiah 65:17-25

Even under ideal conditions of the kingdom, human hearts are still self-centered as in Judges 17 “every man did what was right in his own eyes.”

"It will be proved once more that man, whatever his advantages and environment, apart from the grace of God and new birth, remains at heart only evil and at enmity with God." (Hoste)

SLIDE 7 Satan is in the pit bound and locked up for 1000 years. Revelation 20:3 says he must be set free for short time period. The Millennium displays the eternal wickedness of Satan, who continues his evil as soon as he is released from his captivity. In v.7-9 He will “deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth.”  

SLIDE 8 In Ezekial Gog is a person of the land of Magog but not necessarily the same here. Satan returns to gather an army.

This time he will gather an innumerable army from among those born during the Millennium for the war on Israel and Jerusalem. As at Armageddon, it will be a short war. God zaps them with “fire came down from heaven and consumed them.” God used fire to totally obliterate Sodom and Gomorrah. What a fitting end of the rebellion against The Sovereign God of Creation.

SLIDE 9 ¹⁰and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Imagine eternal torment the beast and the false prophet are still there not gone in a sudden burst of flame but eternal punishment

SLIDE 10 "The devil and the damned have punishment without pity, misery without mercy, sorrow without succor, crying without comfort, mischief without measure, torments without end and past imagination." (Trapp)

Some illustrations depict hell brightly because of the fire. But there will be no Sun or the Son.  Darkness represents evil and death. 2 Peter 2:17 say “gloom of utter darkness”

Pat Malvenko Smith does an excellent representation of this.

SLIDE 11 *“How does a worm get inside an apple? Perhaps you think the worm burrows in from the outside. No, scientists have discovered that the worm comes from inside. But how does he get in there? Simple! An insect lays an egg in the apple blossom. Sometime later, the worm hatches in the heart of the apple, then eats his way out.

How could there be unbelievers after the Millennial Kingdom?

Sin, like the worm, begins in the heart and works out through a person’s thoughts, words, and actions.”

Are you ready?

Revelation 20: Judgment Before the Great White Throne

SLIDE 12 ¹¹    Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.

Recall from our last lesson v. 20:5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.

¹²And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

Warren Weisbe-states these are the Books of Human Works Revelation 20:12-13

SLIDE 13 From verse 20:6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

(Walvoord)" 'The 'first resurrection' is not an event but an order of resurrection including all the righteous who are raised from the dead before the millennial kingdom begins."

John 5:²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

Ladies, have no fear. Believers will not be here. Jesus paid for our sins, they are covered with the blood of Christ, thrown into the sea.

SLIDE 14 The Old Testament teaches about “Sheol” a Hebrew word meaning the "place of the dead." No direct reference to either eternal torment or eternal happiness. The idea of Sheol is often accurately expressed as "the grave." But when we come to faith in Christ our souls don’t stay in a grave but we are immediately present with the Lord.

Are you ready?

The word Gehenna used 12 by Jesus comes from a deep narrow ravine south of Jerusalem where some Hebrew parents actually sacrificed their children to the Ammonite god, Molech, during the time of the kings. This valley later served as the city dump and, because there was continual burning of refuse there, it became a graphic symbol of the place of punishment for the wicked. It was named the “Valley of Hinnom,” which translated into Greek becomes Gehenna. 

SLIDE 15 ¹³And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.¹⁴Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

John 5:27 (The Father) he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.²⁸Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice²⁹and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. Are you ready?

SLIDE 16 David Jeremiah describes 5 Books he thinks will be opened

Book of Law Romans 3:20, For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Book of  Works  Matthew 16:27 ²⁷For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Psalm 28:4 Give to them according to their work and according to the evil of their deeds; give to them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward

Book of Secrets Romans 2:16 God judges the secrets of men

Luke 8 v.17"There is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open"

Book of Words  Matthew 12:36-37 ³⁶I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,³⁷for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Book of Conscience-Romans 2:15 the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse

Romans 2:5-6 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. ⁶He will render to each one according to his works:

Book of Life Revelation 20: 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/uploadedfiles/111614_The_Judge.pdf

2 Thessalonians 1:9They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

SLIDE 17 Why do men shy away from the thought of God as a judge? Why do they feel unworthy of him? The truth is that part of God's moral perfection is his perfection in judgment. Would a God who did not care about the difference between right and wrong be a good and admirable being? Would a God who put no distinction between terrorists and rapists, and his own saints be morally praiseworthy and perfect? Moral indifference would be an imperfection in God, not a perfection. And not to judge the world would be to show moral indifference. The final proof that God is a perfect moral being, not indifferent to questions of right and wrong, is the fact that he has committed himself to judge the world. James Packer, Your Father Loves You,  Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986.

SLIDE 18 Some believe that the Scriptures reveal three different judgments to come. The first is the judgment of the sheep and the goats or a judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-36). This takes place after the tribulation period but prior to the millennium; its purpose is to determine who will enter the millennial kingdom. The second is a judgment of believers’ works, often referred to as the “judgment seat [bema] of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10) ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. At this judgment, Christians will receive degrees of reward for their works or service to God.

Are you ready?

The third is the great white throne judgment at the end of the millennium (Revelation 20:11-15). This is the judgment of unbelievers in which they are judged according to their works and sentenced to everlasting punishment in the lake of fire.

Other Christians believe that all three of these judgments speak of the same final judgment, the great white throne judgment in Revelation 20:11-15 will be the time that believers and unbelievers alike are judged after the Millennium.
Those who hold this view believe in Christians live through the tribulation

SLIDE 19 Warren Wiersbe said this, “The Church is always one generation short of extinction, If our generation fails to guard the truth and entrust it to our children, then that will be the end! When you think of the saints and martyrs who suffered and died so that we might have God’s truth, it makes you want to take your place in God’s army and be faithful unto death.

Read more:http://www.gotquestions.org/great-white-throne-judgment.html#ixzz3X2lpD8jV

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/uploadedfiles/111614_The_Judge.pdf