We have been spending several lessons on the Millennial Kingdom. As we come to Revelation 20:6, the Kingdom Age is now pretty much at the end. We are finishing things up and we are going to see how that concludes and leads us right into the eternal state of the eternal kingdom.
Revelation 20:6, concerning the saints it says, “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” So, the believers have reigned with Christ at this point in the text for a thousand years in the Kingdom Age. Now that kingdom is beginning to come to an end. It comes to an end with the release of Satan from his prison house called the abyss. We see that in Revelation 20:7, “When the thousand years are completed; Satan will be released from his prison.” So, according to Revelation 20:1-2, he has been thrown into this abyss, chained, locked up and cannot get out to deceive the nations. When he comes forth now, at the end of this thousand-year time, we find that he immediately returns to his old ways as we see in Revelation 20:8, “and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.” So, his next step is to deceive. That is what he does throughout all of history all the way back to the Garden of Eden and right to the very end of his opportunities before he is cast permanently away. He is a deceiver, and he comes forth once again to deceive the world and to turn them against the Lord Jesus. That is what he does.
The interesting and sad thing is that he is able to come at the end of the Millennial Kingdom, after Christ has reigned on earth in a perfect kingdom. As perfect as anyone has ever seen, and he is able to deceive the nations in such a way that multitudes follow him in that deception in following him to rebel against Christ. It is an unbelievable thing. I guess it shows us, one of the reasons why all of this is taking place perhaps, that even in a perfect environment, that does not create a perfect heart . . .
