1. Pre-millenarians—contend the Kingdom of God will be a literal, political, reign of Christ on earth for a period of 1,000 years beginning at His second advent. There are diversities of opinions as to where Christ will return to set up His kingdom. There is at present (1982), an influential prophet building a temple complex near Gulfport, Mississippi. He says Christ will reign there in His earthly kingdom. There is a Mormon prophet by the name of V. Jean Guison, who has erected a one million dollar temple in Jackson County, Missouri, as a first unit of “The New Jerusalem” where Christ will reign as King of kings and Lord of Lords over the earth.

Other Pre-millenarians contend He will return to Jerusalem and direct His kingdom affairs from there. Though they differ greatly as to where Christ will head-quarter His earthly kingdom, there is total agreement it will be a 1,000 year reign of peace on earth. There are some in the pre-millenarian school who contend, the kingdom of Heaven is a spiritual reality in the heart of believers now, but the Kingdom of God will be a future political kingdom.

2. Post-millenarians—teach the 1,000 year reign of peace on earth will preceed the second advent of Christ. Society will become more peaceful as a result of teaching the Gospel of Christ and a 1,000 years of tranquillity will be the result.

3. There are those who teach Christ came in 1914 and is now establishing His Theocracy through the teachings of Kingdom Halls of Jehovah Witness.

4. The A-millenarians who teach the Kingdom of God is synonymous with the Kingdom of Heaven, that it is a spiritual present reality in the heart of every believer. That Christ is now their Messiah and they are reigning in this present world now over sin and the devil.

The simple Bible teaching regarding the Kingdom of God is:

1. IT CAME AS PREDICTED.

In the visions of the great image of Daniel 2—the interpretation is given by Daniel—verses 31–45. In verses 37–38 he tells Nebuchadnezzar ‘thou art this head of gold’. Then he proceeds to say following his kingdom would come three other kingdoms represented by the Silver, the Brass, the Iron and the Clay. If we can identify the kingdoms that followed the Babylonian Kingdom of which Nebuchadnezzar was king, we can also establish the time the Kingdom of God came.

In Daniel 2:44 … And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

History reveals that following the Babylonian Kingdom were the Medo-Persian, the Grecian, and the Roman Kingdom. The Roman Kingdom was divided into two parts symbolized by the two legs of the image. History identifies them as the Western and Eastern divisions of the Kingdom. History also records that out of the rise and fall of the Roman Kingdom grew 10 minor kingdoms symbolized by the 10 toes. They were: 1) The Anglo-Saxons; 2) The Bergundians; 3) The Franks; 4) The Huns; 5) The Herculis; 6) The Lombards; 7) The Ostrogoths; 8) The Suevi; 10) The Visigoths. The last trace of this image passed from history at the fall of Constantinople in A. D. 1453. Christ came in the days of the Roman kingdom when the Caesars’ and Pilates’ were ruling. He taught very clearly that He came to be King and His Kingdom was then present.

Matthew 3:1–2 … In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, “Repent ye: for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”.

Luke 16:16 … The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.

Mark 9:1 … And He said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, that there be some that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the Kingdom of God come with power”.

Matthew 12:28 … But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come unto you. When Jesus stood before Pilate in his judgment hall, Pilate asked Him …

John 18:33 … “art thou the kind of the Jews”? Jesus gives him a simple but comprehensive answer.

John 18:36–37 … Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not of this world: If my Kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my Kingdom not from hence.” Pilate therefore said unto Him, “Art thou a king then?” Jesus answered, “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” Daniel’s prophecy in 2:24 and 7:18, found perfect present fulfillment in the first advent of Jesus.

2. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN AND KINGDOM OF GOD ARE SYNONYMOUS.

Matthew 3:1–2 … In those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, ‘‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Mark 1:14–15 … Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the Gospel.”

Matthew 5:3 … Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 6:20 … And He lifted up His eyes on His disciples, and said. “Blessed be ye poor: For yours is the Kingdom of God.” You will note Matthew, Mark and Luke use the words interchangeably meaning the same. In Matthew 19:23–24 Jesus uses the terms interchangeably.

3. IT IS A SPIRITUAL REALITY IN THE HEART OF BELIEVERS.

Romans 14:17 … For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Luke 17:20–21 … And when He was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here or lo there; for behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Colossians 1:13 … Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son?

John 3:3 … Jesus answered and said unto him, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:5 … Jesus answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee: except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

1 Corinthians 4:20 … For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

Matthew 6:33 … But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

4. IT IS ETERNAL.

Daniel 2:44 … And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Daniel 7:18 … But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even for ever and ever.

Luke 1:32–33 … He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

2 Peter 1:11 … For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Psalms 145:13 … The kingdom if an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

5. CHRIST WILL RETURN FOR THE KINGDOM

Matthew 24:14 … And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in al the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

1 Corinthians 15:24–26 … Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign, ‘till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 … For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

The simple teaching of the Bible is: The Kingdom of God is a spiritual reign of Christ in the hearts of Christians and they are reigning over sin and the devil now in this present world.

Romans 5:12 … For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. When Jesus comes again the Kingdom will be caught up to continue their reign forever.

Revelation 22:3–5 … “And there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him. And they shall see His face and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.”
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Study Guide for the Kingdom of God
Dr. Orville Easterling


The Kingdom of God Is God Acting in Power and Authority:

One of the greatest proofs offered was the demonstration of that power of God over demons. It was common for the Jewish exorcists to go through certain rituals to cast out demons, but no man had been known to cast them out with his mere word or command. It was not exorcism that amazed the people, it was the power of Jesus’ word.

“No one can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his goods.” (Matt. 12:29) It was evident that Jesus was spoiling the goods of satan. Therefore the emphasis of the verse is on the word, “First”. He first of all had bound the power of satan and then proceeded to spoil his goods. Another strong verse is found in John 15:11, “the prince of this world is judged.”

To judge someone is to prove them guilty and sentence them. It was the presence of Jesus Christ, the light of the world that judged the prince of this world, the ruler of darkness.

Finally, a third verse has strength, “I beheld satan as lightening, fall from heaven.” (Luke 10:18) The words, ‘I beheld satan’, indicates that Jesus can see satan. Just as Jesus sees the inward thoughts of our hearts, just as He sees the true nature of men, whether beastly or docile, He sees satan. The occasion of the verse was the excitement of the disciples returning from their journey of preaching the kingdom. They had been commissioned and empowered by Jesus to heal the sick, and cast out devils in His name. They returned with exclamation, “Lord, even the devils are subject to us through thy name”. (Luke 10:17) It is then that Jesus informs them that He had actually seen satan fall. From where, we ask? From the subject of the conversation to begin with, from men’s hearts. Our hearts should be the throne of God. If satan sits in that throne, he must be dethroned or fall. It is the power of God through Jesus Christ that dethroned him. He fell from the place that belonged to God.

Did Satan Fall From Heaven?

Satan was never in heaven. If he was, and sinned in order to fall, what is to prevent him from re-entering or from my sinning when I get to heaven. God is a holy God and there can be no sin in His presence. Heaven is God’s. Upon examination of the verses in the Old Testament that pertain to Lucifer falling from heaven, we will find Lucifer to be a name for a human being who exalted himself to the position that rightfully belongs to God.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend unto heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds I will be like the most high”. (Isaiah 14:12–14) There is one very essential thing we must remember before attempting any theology from this verse. Who was this spoken to? Verse four leaves no doubt as to the individual addressed by this prophecy. “That thou shalt take up this proverb against the King of Babylon, and say”. (Isaiah 14:4) The proverb that was to follow upon the announcement as to who was being addressed was written to the King of Babylon. The King of Babylon to whom this particular prophecy was spoken was Nebuchadnezzar.

The Historical Fulfillment of Isaiah’s Prophecy: Daniel, chapter four:

“All this came upon the King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon. The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, what I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty? While the word was in the King’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; the kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most high ruleth in the kingdom of men and giveth it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like bird claws”.(Daniel 4:28–33)

King Nebuchadnezzar exalted himself too highly in his own opinion. His pride took the best of him. He forgot that whatever authority men have in ruling is derived from God. He said he had created the great city of Babylon by his own hand. He exalted himself to the point of being praised like God. And he fell from that place in fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah. Lucifer was just another name given to describe the nature of a man. A beastly name that described his character. This way of using names in the Bible was common and understood. Jesus once said, “Go tell that fox, Herod”. (Luke 13:32) Jesus certainly was not talking about a fox named Herod, but about King Herod who had the characteristics of a deceiver.

God sees men differently than we do. We see the outward personality. God sees them as dragons, serpents, and vipers. He sees their real character that is behind and underneath the personality that is public. “He saw Satan”.

The Kingdom Is:

“The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy, in the Holy Ghost”.(Romans 14:17) These are the characteristics of a kingdom subject.

In accepting or rejecting the message of the Kingdom of God, is our destiny. By accepting the message we are delivered out of the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom. By rejecting, we will have greater judgment that Chorazin and Bethsaida for they would have repented long ago if they had seen the mighty works of the Kingdom. The kingdom is the presence of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. To hear the message of the kingdom is to stand in the presence of God. To accept the message of the kingdom is to accept God. It is to say, “Yes” or “no”, to Jesus Christ.

The Test

It is not the kingdom of God that is being tested or that is on trial. It is the hearers of the message of the kingdom. We are the ones who are on trial. The Scribes and Pharisees possessed the keys of knowledge but withheld them from the people. Instead of opening up the mysteries of the Word, they locked them up instead. The true message of the kingdom of God came in Jesus Christ. It tested them and they were found to be wanting. “The law and the prophets were until John, after that the Kingdom of God is preached”. (Luke 16:16)

How Is a Church Measured?

Is it really the new testament church of God? How can one know if a congregation is like the pattern of the New Testament Church? The answer is simple. Does it carry out the work of the kingdom? This is why Jesus talked more about the kingdom than the church. It is the kingdom that measures the church. In the Gospels, Jesus mentions the church three times while He speaks of the kingdom of God one hundred and nine times. The epistles are a little different as the church begins to speak of that which the kingdom produces. They mention the church sixty two times.

Church Is Composed of Kingdom People:

yet it is not precisely that kingdom. It is salvation that produces the church. The church is the product of the kingdom’s power. The kingdom in reality is the presence of Jesus Christ. It is His presence that constitutes the church. The kingdom is the embryo of the church. The kingdom is the catalyst of the church. The congregation of the church receives it’s standards, and principles from the kingdom. We have no authority to constitute doctrines except as the teaching of the kingdom reveals it.

The church does not make up it’s standards but rather receives them. Church people are a principled people, those principles come from the message of the kingdom.

Yes, the church is called to preach not itself but the massage of the kingdom. That message transforms people into the church. It is the life giving word of God. The word of God is spoken but is also an event. It is a happening. An experience Jesus spoke and the demons were dispelled. It is the love of God that creates the church. It gives to the people of God power over sin in their personal lives. It gives to this people to reign over sin and evil. It gives to this people power to be holy for the Lord is holy. “We reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” God’s kingdom is not established nor postponed by human effort. If only one heart received the message of Jesus, there is the coming of the kingdom. The church is commissioned and empowered to invade the realm of satan. It is given the armor of the kingdom, the full armor of God. (Eph. 6:14) “Stand therefore, having your loins gird about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, praying always”. You will notice that everything mentioned here, are instruments of the kingdom. It is a spiritual enemy that the church is to engage, therefore it is a spiritual kingdom and armor that is needed to do battle with.

Exegesis Must Always Precede Theology:

Theology is not a first, it is derived from another source, the Word of God.

Therefore, exegesis must always precede theology. Before forming our theology we should allow the word of God to be expounded to us by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. Find the meaning of the Word first, then form your theology on your findings. Too often, instead of forming our theology on an interpretation of the Word, we find an interpretation that fits our theology.

Let’s see how this works. George Eldon Ladd, in his book, (Crucial Questions on the Kingdom of God) makes three statements of theology. One: “It may be granted that there is one book that teaches millennial reign, and that book is the Revelation”. Second: “We may not be troubled by the absence of any millennial doctrine in the Lord’s teaching.” Third: “There are no distinct hints of an earthly kingdom in our Lord’s teaching.”

Now for an exegesis of the Word. One: John writes that this book, the Revelation, “is the revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave unto Him.” (Rev. 1:1) Dr. Ladd’s theology must face exegesis at this point. In question two, he mentions the absence of millennial doctrine in the teaching of the Lord, yet Revelation is the revelation of Jesus Christ. The book in order to reveal Jesus must reveal His teaching, for He is the truth. If there is an absence of millennial doctrine in the teaching of the Lord, then there is also an absence of millennial doctrine in the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

We must also apply the same principle to the third theological statement. If there are no distinct hints of an earthly kingdom in our Lord’s teaching it is highly doubtful if we could find any in the book of Revelation. It is the teaching of our Lord that forms the basis of the apostles’ doctrine. It is the teaching of the Lord that must form our theology if it is to be the Apostles’ doctrine. If there is an absence, and if there are not distinct hints of any particular teaching or doctrine in our Lord’s teaching, then we should disregard it as being the theologies of men. If our Lord omitted it, it was not worth mentioning. It would indeed be hard to believe that our Lord somehow, through an oversight omitted or left out important truths that we ought to have had. If He did omit some, then how many others did He forget to share or somehow missed? If I do not have the complete teaching of Jesus Christ in the Gospels, then where will I go to find it? I could not be sure if you told it to me. It must be proven to me. It must be proven to be the Word of GOD.

The Kingdom of God Was the Central Message of Jesus:

He began His preaching by ‘preaching the Kingdom of God.’ It was a kingdom that was within reach, ‘at hand’, yet it was a kingdom that was not of this world. (Mark 1:14) and (John 18:36) The kingdom of God had come in the presence of Jesus Himself. He was not of this world. The Kingdom of God is within our reach yet remains the kingdom of heaven. Indeed, the kingdom has come and is coming from heaven in the presence of the Holy Spirit in the church. It is not of this world because the Spirit is not of this world. “If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then no doubt the Kingdom of God has come near you” (Matt. 12:28) The kingdom of God is not earthly because God is not earthly.

Jesus even opened up the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven”. (Matt. 13:11) It is like a seed sown in the hearts. Small at it’s entry but immediately begins to grow. It is like a treasure hid in a field that a man can find. It is like a pearl that can be possessed.

The Danger of the Millennial Views: A false security in signs.

Post-Millennial:

views take root in the parable of the leaven. The Kingdom was postponed because of the rejection of unbelievers, therefore, the Gospel was to be preached as a leaven in all the world. It would have irresistibility in its acceptance and the world would gradually be turned to world-wide righteousness.

The danger is that one need only watch for the time when the world begins to become righteous. It therefore creates a sign. One could wait until nearly all the world was converted before repenting, as Christ would not come until world-wide righteousness occurs. Jesus said, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas”. (Matt. 12:39) The sign of the prophet Jonas is a well recognized fact in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Pre-Millennial:

views take root in Revelation chapter twenty. When Christ comes. He will only come part way down, the true believers will be resurrected, and the living believers caught up or “stolen away”, for a period of Rapture. The Old Testament saints, however, will not be resurrected at this time. During the Rapture in the air, the earth will experience the great tribulation, the anti-christ, and the terrible judgments. The Gospel will continue to be preached, one hundred and forty four thousand Jews will be sealed as the remnant, and through their witness the gentiles will be converted as they believe. Then comes the battle of Armageddon and the gathering of the nation Israel to Palestine. Christ then comes all the way down, destroying His enemies, converting all of Israel. The devil is bound, the saints who died in the great tribulation are raised along with the Old Testament saints, and the Judgment is set up. Afterward, comes a one thousand year reign in Palestine, with Christ showing special favors to the Jewish people. People will live normal lives, marriage and child-bearing permitted with some of the new born children turning rebellious toward God. Finally, a final battle, Christ triumphantly winning over the rebels, the resurrection of the unbelievers, and the final state of heaven descending to earth.

Again, the danger is that one need only watch for the time when the saints disappear and the graves of the saints have been broken but the graves of the wicked left undisturbed to know that Christ has secretly come. You then have at least seven years to repent. Again, it creates a sign. In fact, it gives one a number of signs: the disappearance of the saints, the breaking of some graves, the great tribulation, the anti-christ, the regathering of the Jews to Palestine. One would have to be blind not to see and recognize some of these sins.

The Second Danger:

is the frustration of the scriptures. While simple scriptures are overlooked the millennial-views play upon difficult passages.

The simple rule of proper Biblical understanding is to always interpret the difficult passages by the simple ones. “Now is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time”.(11 Cor. 6:2 )

Objections to the Millennial Views:

1.—The vocabulary used in millennial teaching is not Biblical. Terms like Millennial, Rapture, removal of Holy Spirit, special favor, and reign on earth, are not Biblical words. The Idea of a “Golden Age” is selfish and comes from heathen backgrounds of people who wish to rule the world. It is not a Biblical term at all. We should not obtain our thoughts or beliefs from the ideas of nations and people, but from the Word of GOD.

2.—Some of the millennial doctrine stresses that the Jewish people will convert the gentiles during the Rapture period while the Holy Spirit is withdrawn from the earth. It hardly seems likely that the Jewish people could accomplish in seven years without the power of the Holy Spirit, what the New Testament Church could not do in two thousand years with the Holy Spirit. Further, the Holy Spirit is the convictor and applicator of the plan of salvation, without Him, who will perform the spiritual nature of this work?

3.—The twentieth chapter of Revelation only mentions the word earth three times. Satan loosed on the earth, the gathering of Gog and Magog together against the Camp of the Saints, and heaven and earth fled away at His presence. Neither of these instances sound much like reigning on earth.

4.—The position of reigning for one thousand years in Palestine showing special favors to the Jewish people goes against the grain of the scriptures that teach, “God is no respector of persons”, as well as the grain of freedom for which we have fought and shed our blood to obtain. If the Millennium is true, we would be reigning over, not ruled over. (Acts 10:34)

5.—The concept of the Jewish people reigning over the whole world would be a violation of God’s nature and love. The Kingdom of God was taken away from the nation of Israel because of disobedience and rejection. To even consider the thought that God would favor a people who have rejected and refused to believe in Him to the exclusion of those faithful followers who have, “loved not their lives unto death”, would do injustice and harm to the simple teaching of the scriptures concerning lodge love.

6.—God did not promise to save us from the great tribulation but to bring us through it. “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days be shortened”. (Matt. 24:21–22)

7.—The resurrection of the dead is not a revivification to physical life, but a new level of living in eternity. “We shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is”. (1 John 3:2)

8.—Jesus did not say that He would come seven times but, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself: that where I am, there ye may be also”. (John 14:3) Jesus is not in Palestine but at the right hand of the Father. Where He is, there will we be also.

Revelation Chapter Twenty … Realized Millennialism: Notes to Observe:

l.—IT IS THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST. The beasts, dragons, and powers, are secondary to the real meaning of the book. The primary purpose is to reveal Jesus Christ not to hide Him.

2.—The book DOES NOT REFER TO THE FUTURE ONLY for by it’s own admission, it speaks of things, “Which was, is, and is to come”.

3.—YOU MUST NOT TAKE A LITERAL STAND ON ONE CHAPTER and not on another. If you do, you come up with things that have never been on earth before; beasts with seven heads, horses that fly, etc. If they are literal in one place then they are also literal in another, and thus you have a very large dragon.

4.—THE BINDING OF THE DRAGON AND IT’S PURPOSE is found in the defeat of satan by the coming of the Kingdom of God. As to time, the Bible shares this fact. (Matt. 12:29) “How can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man”? The same word for binding in Matthew, (DEO) is also used in Revelation 20. In Matthew, Jesus did not bind the devil literally but spiritually. (John 12:31) gives us the final picture. “Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out, and I, if I be lifted up from the earth shall draw all men to me”. The word, “Now” indicates the time of His casting out. Jesus did not literally at that time cast the devil out of heaven but out of men. And, again, the same word for casting out, “EKBALLO,” is used in Revelation.

5.—THE MEANING OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT is nothing more than the depths of heathenistic religions. There is never an end of them. And the purpose of binding was so that the devil “should deceive the nations no more”. The truth of the Kingdom of God destroys the error of false religions.

6.—Notice THE LOCATION OF THE THRONES, all but three appear in heaven, the seat of satan, (Rev. 2:3) the seat of the dragon, (Rev. 13:2) and the seat of the beast, (Rev. 16:10) The word throne is actually used forty seven times in the entire book.

7.—THE LOCATION OF THE SOULS that were beheaded were also under the altar in another chapter. To be under the Brazen Altar is to be ashes. A living sacrifice given to God. The fact that John says that he “saw the souls” under the altar indicates a spiritual vision. We see people physically but not souls.

8.—THE FIRST RESURRECTION is rightly called, realized millennialism. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection, on such the second death has no power”. “We were dead in trespasses and sin but are made alive in Christ”. (Rom. 6:4) “Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life”. Even the souls that had given their lives for the testimony of Jesus were still alive in the intermediate state, because of the first resurrection.

What Is, and What Is Not:

There are times we should ask, “What does this scripture say to me”? There are yet other times when we should ask, “What does this scripture not say to me”? Perhaps this is the case as we look at this chapter in Revelation that is commonly used to express ideas that are already in the minds of the readers.

Revelation 20

The angel is not Jesus Christ as Jesus always appears in His own person. An angel is used elsewhere in the Bible to illustrate the messengers or ministers of God. (Hebrews 1:7) “Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire”. (Rev. 1:20) “The seven stars are the seven angels of the seven churches”. It is quite evident here that the angels of the seven churches are pastors or leaders in the ministry. The angel in Rev. 20 then, illustrates the angelic ministry of God’s messengers. The presence of angels are indicative of the presence of God.

Having a key. A key is used as a sense of authority and admission. In the Old Testament, (and our symbols of the book of Revelation comes from symbols used elsewhere in the Bible). David gives to Eliakim the key of the house. (Isaiah 22:22) The meaning is simple. Eliakim receives authority to enter and manage the house of David. Jesus gave to the apostles authority over unclean spirits. They remarked, “even the devils are subject to us through thy name”. (Luke 10:17) The chain likewise represents the verse in (1 John 4:4, ) “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world”.

The dragon is an unrealistic creature. A figment of men’s imagination. It is not a real animal. A false doctrine or religion is also a figment of men’s imaginations. It is not truth. Therefore, the dragon represents something made up, not real life, now or ever. It must then, symbolize a false system of religion as does the bottomless pit, there seems to be no end of a power that is in opposition to the things of God. The false religions were indeed bound by the strength and power of the early church for we see in Acts 19:18–19. “And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men, and they counted the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed”. There are many other such instances in Acts of the Early Church.

Being bound conveys the sense of being helpless, unable to move about at free will, prevented. Certainly the false religions were at least bound for a while as many people believed on the Lord and were saved. They were freed from false notions and fear. They were set free by the Truth, and if the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed. The early church, through the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit enervated the cults, religions and false doctrines of men.

The mark of the beasts is nothing other than any kind of doctrine or religion that is false, breeding superstition and fear and unbelief in the lives of its followers. It is the truth that saves. However, it is apparent that the dragon has been loosed again with the rise of new cults and religions spreading across our world at a rampant pace.

The souls of them that were beheaded for Jesus Christ who had not received the mark of the beasts in their foreheads, (knowledge) or in their hands, (service) lived and reigned with Christ for a long period of time. These are they who have taken part in the first resurrection; on such the second death has no power. The first resurrection is the new birth. We who were dead in trespasses and have been quickened by the blood and power of the Christ. “They shall be priests of God and of Christ”. (1 Peter 2:9) “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people”. Peter was certainly not talking to a people that would live in the future. He was addressing the people of his time, “But YOU are,” You are the people of God now.

With the loosing of pagan cults and false doctrines, satan proceeds to gather Gog and Magog for the battle. Gog and Magog are merely symbols of places. Gog being the farthest on one side of the map and Magog the farthest on the other side. Satan is simply going throughout the entire land gathering the forces that are on his side.

They then proceed to surround the camp of the saints. But you recognize of course, that the saints are not camped all together in one spot. They are throughout the lands. The great commission sees to it that God’s people are everywhere. Therefore, for the enemy to encompass the camp of the saints, he must engage them wherever he finds them. The battle rages all across the world, even to the present day. Satan pressures God’s people everywhere he finds them. I may be at the loneliest spot in the world, yet be surrounded by the host of satan. There is no place in all the world where one can go to escape the presence of God or the presence and temptations of satan.

Fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured the enemy of God. An allusion is made here to the encounter between Elijah and the prophets of Baal. The prophets had cried, and cut themselves all day with no results. Rut Elijah prayed, fire came down from heaven and devoured the sacrifice. The fire is the fire of the Word and the Spirit as seen in two scriptures. One in Jeremiah 20:9, “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay”. And the second, in Acts 2:3, “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it set upon each of them”.

Verse ten gives us the destination of the devil, the dragon, the beast, and false doctrine, the lake of fire and brimstone. It is now in this chapter twenty of Revelation that we encounter the Judgment scene. “And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And 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.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire”. (Rev. 20:11–15)

It is obvious that the whole chapter is not the judgment setting, for we have never seen a dragon in the history of our world for they do not exist. The language is highly symbolical and figurative. It is similar to the symbol of the fish that was used as an identity mark among the early Christians. They themselves were not fish but people. They simply used the figure of a fish as a way of contact. The word fish in Greek comes out, “I CH TH U S”. Dividing this word the early Christians had an affirmation of their faith”. I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, GOD’S SON MY SAVIOR’. So the wording of fish in the common tongue was an expression and the illustration and use of the drawing of a fish was scriptural as Jesus said, “I will make you fishers of men”. (Matt. 4:19)

Symbols were employed to represent spiritual truths. The symbol of a bear or lion or leopard is used to speak of character and attitudes.

The rule of logical deduction comes in at this point. I simply begin deducing what isn’t of God and soon I will be left to search the hidden things of God. By deducing what isn’t truth, I soon manage to come to the knowledge of the truth. This applies very well to the second coming of Jesus Christ. If I can determine the things that are not going to happen. I will be left with a pretty good notion of what is going to happen. If I can deduce the teachings that are not the truth, then soon I will be able to discern the real truth. If I learn to recognize the false. I may then be able to comprehend the truth.
[ The End ]