Introduction: This is the last in our series of lessons about
Rebellion and Redemption. The good news is that we wrap things up
with the great news about our redemption and our eternal destination.
Let’s dive into our study and get a boost of encouragement!
- Bound
- Read Revelation 20:1-3. How do you react when your “enemy”
is no longer a part of your life? - When you think of the worst thing that one human has
done to another, Satan is the one who inspired that
evil. How great is it that Satan gets chained up in
the Abyss and the top is locked and sealed? - What tempers your relief about this news? (That Satan
is getting out after 1,000 years. But, we are told
his freedom will continue only for a short time
thereafter.) - Saved
- Read Revelation 20:4-5. What is happening during the
thousand years that Satan is bound? (A group, which has
been resurrected, lives with Jesus.) - What does it mean when it says that some have been
“given authority to judge?” (This first group, the
righteous, are making a judgment of some sort.) - Are these only people who have been beheaded? (We are
told that these martyrs are part of the group, but
the way this is written they seem to be just a part
of the larger group which has not worshiped the bad
guys through either agreeing with them (forehead
mark) or being coerced into agreeing (hand mark).) - Read Revelation 20:6. What is your goal when you read this
news? (Be a part of the first resurrection group because
“the second death has no power over them.”) - What is the bad news here? (They are with Jesus 1,000
years – the time that Satan is bound. Being with
Jesus is wonderful, but I would like to be with Him
forever.) - Read Revelation 20:7-9. Wait a minute, from where do these
people come? (This is apparently the second resurrection.
Satan is released, the wicked who have died are
resurrected, and they create a huge army to attack Jesus,
the New Jerusalem and the saints who were raised in the
first resurrection.) - Let’s skip ahead a few verses. Read Revelation 21:1-3.
From where does the “Holy City, the new Jerusalem” come?
(Down out of heaven.) - Look again at Revelation 20:9 What is being
surrounded? (This sounds like the New Jerusalem.) - Revelation does not give us information in
chronological order. How would you put the pieces of
the puzzle together to make a reasonable story?
(There is a first resurrection of the righteous. They
go to heaven and Satan goes to the abyss. In heaven,
they reign with Jesus for a thousand years and engage
in some sort of judgment. During the thousand years
the wicked are all dead – which might explain in part
how Satan is “bound.” After the thousand years the
New Jerusalem comes down from heaven with the
righteous, the wicked are raised in the second
resurrection and Satan is released. Under Satan’s
leadership they attack the New Jerusalem.) - Let’s go back now. Read Revelation 20:9-10. How does this
attack on the New Jerusalem end? (The attack fails because
the wicked are “devoured” by fire and Satan and his
principal allies are tossed in the lake of fire.) - Read Revelation 20:11-15. What happens to those whose
names are not written in the book of life? (They are
thrown into the lake of fire.) - Notice the phrase “the lake of fire is the second
death.” What did we learn in Revelation 20:6? (Those
who are part of the first resurrection do not
experience this “second death.” This makes clear
that the first resurrection is for all the righteous,
and the second resurrection is for all the wicked who
attack the New Jerusalem and then experience the
“second death.”) - Who are the “dead, great and small” who are judged
according to the books that are opened? (This is the
“second death” group, the wicked are judged by their
deeds.) - What is the other book, the “book of life?” (If your
name is written in the book of life, you are not
judged in the judgment of the wicked.) - What does this teach us about grace? (When we
accept Jesus, His life, death and resurrection
on our behalf, our name is written in the book
of life, and we are not judged by our wicked
works.) - We learned in Revelation 20:4 that the
righteous who are in heaven for the thousand
years have some authority to judge. How does
that fit into our story? (A thousand years is a
long time! The logical sense is that the
righteous are looking at how God made His
judgment regarding the wicked. They may be
asking God about why certain things happened in
their lives. They are invited to satisfy
themselves that God has been fair in His
judgment.) - Is there anything else you would like to
do during the thousand years? (I would
like to learn all about my relatives who
are saved. It would be wonderful to talk
with the heroes of the Bible. During this
thousand years we become a strong
community in love with our Lord.) - Triumph
- Re-read Revelation 21:1-3. Recall our concern about living
with Jesus in heaven for only a thousand years? What does
this say about Jesus’ new residence? (Jesus now lives on
earth. He lives with us forever!) - Read Revelation 21:4. You have no doubt read this verse
many times before. Ask yourself what are the causes for
crying, pain or mourning? Those are all gone. They are
part of the “old order!” - Read Revelation 21:5. Are these promises uncertain? (God
dictated these “trustworthy and true” promises and ordered
that they be written down so that we could know and trust
them.) - Read Revelation 21:6-7. What kind of relationship will we
enjoy with God in the earth made new? (We have a parent
and child relationship. And, we have a great parent!) - Read Revelation 21:8. This is an extremely important, and
on first glance odd, text. Tell me why the sin listed the
very first (before being vile or a murderer) is being
“cowardly?” What could courage have to do with salvation? - Notice the next sin listed. Once again, before those
who murder is listed the sin of not believing! Why is
this so important? (Putting cowardly and unbelieving
first on the list points to grace and faith. God
calls us to trust Him and believe in Him.) - I’m rather sure that not many reading this lesson are
murderers. However, have you failed to trust God?
Have you suffered through fear because you failed to
trust that God would make things right? - Read Revelation 22:1-5. Would you like to live there?
- Read Revelation 22:6. What guarantee do we have? (God told
His angel to assure us this was all true.) - Read Revelation 22:7. What does it mean to “keep” the
words of this prophecy? (I think this goes back to the
issue of being a coward and an unbeliever. God asks us to
place our confidence and our hope in Him and His promise.) - Friend, this glorious future can be yours. Why not, right
now, confess your sins, by faith accept Jesus as your
Savior, and live a life lead by the Holy Spirit in which
you can put your fears behind you. - Next week: We start a new study on the book of Matthew!
