LIVING AND REIGNING WITH CHRISTLesson #41
Revelation 20:4-6
What happens to a believer when he dies? Where does he go? What is his condition? What does he do? How many times we have asked ourselves these questions. One of our loved ones is taken from us, a man or a woman who loves Christ; or a child, who is loved, chosen, and redeemed by Christ, is taken out of this world. We go to the funeral home, pay our last respects, hold them in precious, honorable memory, and weep for the aching void in our hearts. Finally, we take them to the cemetery, bury their bodies in the earth, and say good-bye. We have laid the precious body of a dear friend, a loving companion, an aged parent, or a beloved child in the ground. Then, we go home. All the friends are gone. The rest of the family has gone home. And we sit alone. In the middle of the night, in the still hours of the early morning, as we wipe away the tears, these questions arise in our hearts. Where has my beloved one gone? What is his condition now? What is she doing? Do they yet see us? Do they still hear us? Like Martha, we know that they shall rise in the resurrection at the last day (John 11:24). And we comfort ourselves with the hope of the resurrection. But what about the time between the death and the resurrection of the body?
Our Lord has not left us in the dark. He has supplied us with answers to these questions in Revelation 20:4-6. We have seen that "the thousand years" in Revelation 20 refers to the whole gospel age in which we live. They represent not a literal number of years, but the whole span of time between Christ’s first advent and his second advent. These thousand years have a glorious meaning for God’s people on the earth. During this time satan is bound, the gospel is preached, God’s elect are gathered from the four corners of the earth. The body of Christ, the church, is being completed. The kingdom of God is going on from victory to victory. But the glories of heaven far transcend those of God’s saints upon the earth during this period. Revelation 20:1-3 describes the advance of the church in the world during the gospel age. But verses 4-6 describe the condition of the victorious saints in heaven today.
In order to grasp the meaning of these verses (Rev. 20:4-6), we must go back in our minds to the first century, and try to see these things as John and those early believers saw them. Roman persecutions are raging against the young church. Martyrs, one after the other, are beheaded. Paul and James have already been slain. Why? Simply because they refused to say, "Caesar is Lord," and refused to drop incense upon the altar of a pagan priest. They were not slain for worshipping Christ, but for refusing to participate in or give credibility to any worship except the worship of Christ. Because of their allegiance to Christ alone, and the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in him, multitudes of believers were burned at the stake and thrown to wild beasts in the Roman amphitheaters. But our Lord was not unmindful of his persecuted saints. He sustained them for their trials and gave them grace and strength to remain faithful to the end. It was for the comfort and strength of these afflicted saints that our Lord gave us this vision of "the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands." In this vision our Lord describes the slain martyrs, together with all the departed saints who had faithfully confessed Christ upon the earth, as kings reigning with Christ in heaven (1:6; 5:10). It is as though the Lord is saying, "In the world you shall have tribulation; but, in that better land above, all the saints live and reign with Christ." What comfort! Our departed friends, loved ones, and companions in the grace of God are living and reigning with Christ right now. "Truly, the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which is revealed to the souls of believers reigning with their exalted Lord in heaven!" (William Hendriksen).
WHO DID JOHN SEE? Those who die without Christ, perish without Christ, and enter the eternal torments of the damned in hell. If you do not know, trust, love, and worship the Lord Jesus Christ in this world, when you die you will be in hell. If you die without Christ, you will forever suffer the just wrath of God. If you refuse to trust Christ, God will refuse to be merciful to you. Not all people go to heaven when they die. But there are some in this world who do enter into eternal life when their bodies die. Who are they?
They are men and women who have given their lives for Christ. Our text speaks specifically of these martyrs who were beheaded for Christ. But they represent all who die in faith. In fact the very word for "witness" (Acts 1:8), which all believers are, is "martyr." A martyr is one who sacrifices his life for a noble cause. He lays down his life for the cause that is more precious to him than life itself. That is exactly what every believer is, one who lays down his life for Christ and gives his life to Christ. Faith in Christ is nothing less than the surrender of one’s life to the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 10:39; 16:25; Mk. 8:34; Lk. 9:23-26; 17:32-33; John 12:25-26). These people had given their lives to Christ. And they had given their lives for Christ.
Why were they beheaded? What was there about these people which so enraged their enemies and brought such severe persecution upon them? Were they rebels, traitors, murderers? What had they done? How were their lives characterized? They boldly confessed Christ and the gospel of his grace in the face of his enemies-"For the witness of Jesus." They so confessed Christ as to make all men see that any religion opposed to Christ and the gospel doctrine of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone is false religion, damning to the souls of all who believe it (See Acts 4:8-12.). These saints were martyred because they rejected and refused to participate in, support, or approve of any doctrine or worship which is contrary to the Word of God. They believed the doctrine of the Word, worshipped the Christ of the Word, practiced the ordinances of the Word, and lived by the rule of the Word. They might have saved their lives but for one thing - These servants of Christ refused to give any credibility to any false religion in any form. They would not worship the beast! Cost what it may, they could not, in good conscience, worship any false god, under any image, by any name, or embrace as their brethren those who did. These are the people John saw. They are martyrs, men and women who had given their lives to Christ. And many of them were required to give their lives for Christ.
WHERE WERE THESE SAINTS SEEN? They were no longer in the earth.Their bodies had been buried, or burned, or eaten by wild beasts. Yet, John saw them alive! Where? They are all sitting upon thrones. What does that mean? For one thing, it means that they are in heaven! Throughout the Book of Revelation, the throne of Christ and his people is in heaven (Rev. 1:4; 3:21; 4:2-6, 9-10; 5:6, 7, 11 , 13; 6:16; 7:9-11, 15, 17; 8:3; 12:5; 14:3, 5; 16:17; 19:4-5; 30:4, 11; 21:5; 22:1,3). "Comfort one another with these words." Those who sleep in Jesus are in heaven today, sitting with him upon his throne! For another thing, it means that they are actively engaged with Christ in the rule of the world. "They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." I do not know what all that means. But I do know this: The saints of God in heaven are already victorious, out of the reach of harm. And I know that they are still very interested in God’s saints upon the earth. Without us, they are not complete (Heb. 11:40; 12:1). And it means that they are perfectly happy, content, and satisfied. The saints in heaven have attained that which they had long desired and sought. They are with the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:8-14). For the believer, death is a great honor, a great privilege, and a great reward, not a thing to be dreaded and feared, but anxiously anticipated. It will be a welcome relief to lay aside this cumbersome body of flesh! What are the Saints of God Doing in Heaven? Many have the idea that God’s saints are floating around on clouds, strumming harps, and singing, with nothing to do. According to this vision they are very busily engaged in the most important affairs of the universe. They are judging the world with Christ. The ransomed souls in heaven not only praise Christ for his righteous judgments, they actually participate in them. These saints in glory are constantly pictured as taking part in all that Christ does. They sit with him in His Throne (3:21). They stand with him on Mount Zion (14:1). They worship at his throne (5:8-10). They sing before his throne (14:3; 15:3). They see his face (22:4). They are living with Christ. "They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (See Rev. 7:9-17.). The saints in heaven respond in a perfect manner to their perfect environment. That is living! They are sharing the royal glory of Christ. Not only do they behold his glory, they share his glory as the divine Mediator, our covenant Head (John 17:22-24)! All their prayers are answered. All their desires are constantly fulfilled. All their troubles are over (sin, unbelief, temptation). How are the saints in Heaven described? Sometimes the best way to see something is by contrast. So in this vision the bliss and glory of the saints in heaven is contrasted with the condition of the lost. "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." Does that mean that those who die in unbelief simply cease to exist when they die; or that their souls sleep with their bodies in the earth? Certainly not! (Remember the rich man in Luke 16). John simply means for us to understand that those who die without Christ cease to live. They exist in hell. But they do not live. Their existence is eternal death. In hell they await their final judgment, when both body and soul shall forever suffer the infinite wrath of God! But the saints in heaven live! After the resurrection of the body their bliss shall be increased. But even now, they live. They have eternal life!
"This is the first resurrection!" The first resurrection is a spiritual resurrection. It is the resurrection of sinners from spiritual death to spiritual life in Christ (John 5:25). This first resurrection begins in the new birth. It is completed in the translation of the soul from this body of sin and this sin cursed earth to God’s holy heaven. It will be followed by the resurrection of the body to immortal glory at Christ’s second coming. The Word of God teaches us three things about the resurrection of God’s elect: 1. We have been raised representatively in Christ (Eph. 2:5). 2. We have been raised spiritually by the power of God the Holy Spirit (John 5:25; Eph. 2:1-3). 3. We shall be raised bodily when our Lord comes again (I Thess. 4:17).
In this vision we also see the blessedness of all who are born of God" (v. 6). Here John gives us a word of comfort and assurance regarding ourselves, even while we live in this world. If we are born of God, if we have part in the first resurrection.... We are blessed (Eph. 1:3). We are holy (saints), made holy by the righteousness of Christ imputed to us in justification and imparted to us in regeneration...Over us the second death, the everlasting wrath of God, has no power (Rom 8:1; 33-34). Soon, we shall be priests with God, serving him in the most holy place. We too shall reign with Christ for a thousand years. That is to say, we too shall enter into heaven’s glory and bliss when we leave this world. What a blessed hope this is! (Read II Cor. 4:17-5:9).