ANCHOR School of Theology

Stephen Bohr

Secrets Unsealed

26. The Importance of Literary Structure in the Study of the Millennium Part 2

It is amazing, as I studied Daniel and Revelation I marvel more and more because every time I study I discover something I didn't know before and just to think that in eternity we're going to study forever, the plan of salvation, it's exhaustless and so it's a wonderful thing.

Now we want to go back to studying the literary structure of the Millennium and I believe we were on page 6 and so I would like to read the note there.

You remember that I mentioned as we were closing that Revelation 21 verse 1 belongs to Chapter 20, you remember that?

Revelation 21 verse 1 is the climax of Chapter 20.

After the wicked are thrown into the lake of fire, and the devil and his angels are thrown into the lake of fire, then God makes a new heaven and a new earth.

The chapter division at the end of verse 15 is unfortunate.

Chapter divisions were not established by the original authors, they were added for our convenience.

Revelation 21 verse 1 really belongs to chapter 20.

In other words, after Satan, his angels, the wicked, the grave and death have been consumed, God will make a new heavens and a new earth.

In short, Revelation 21 verse 1 is really the conclusion of chapter 20 not the introduction to chapter 21.

Now after we study the third outline we still have some questions.

Why were the righteous allowed into the city?

What was in the books which condemned the wicked?

We know that their records were examined but what was in the books that condemned the wicked?

Were the righteous in heaven during the 1, 000 years?

Now I have in parentheses here, it is obvious that if the saints judge and reign for a thousand years but the city does not descend till the thousand years are finished then the saints must have been in heaven in the holy city during the thousand years.

What will life be like in the holy city after sin and sinners have been eradicated?

See this is a climax, we have some important questions still to answer after the third outline.

We know a lot about the devil and the earth during the thousand years, we know quite a bit about what the saints are going to do at the 3 stages, we know now a lot of things about the wicked, but we still have some questions that we need to answer and so there is a fourth cycle.

Let's go to number 4 God and the holy city.

Revelation 21 verse 2 begins the final outline of postmillennial events.

This outline begins when John sees the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

So in other words Revelation 21 verse 2 begins a new cycle, is that clear?

In Revelation 20 7 through 9 we are told that the new Jerusalem was on earth when the wicked surrounded it, correct?

This means that the New Jerusalem descended from heaven to the earth before the wicked surrounded it and before they were cast into the lake of fire.

This being the case Revelation 21 verse 2 takes place chronologically before Revelation 21 verse 1.

Notice here that the city is identified by name for the first time, it is the New Jerusalem.

Now there can be no doubt that the righteous are in the city when it descended, this is true for at least 3 reasons.

Texts such as 1st Thessalonians 4, 16 and 17 explain that Jesus will take his people to heaven when he comes, so they must come back with him when the city descends.

Incidentally they won't technically be in the city, they'll descend with Jesus from heaven, they were in the city during the thousand years, when Jesus descends the wicked are resurrected, then the Jesus and the saints enter the city and the doors are closed, that's the right sequence.

But they do descend with Jesus, That's the key point.

So texts such as 1st Thessalonians 4, 16 and 17 explain that Jesus will take His people to heaven when He comes, so they must come back with Him when the city descends.

When the wicked surround the city after the millennium the righteous are inside, Because they surround the camp of the saints.

The millennial condition of the earth would make it impossible for God's people to live here.

Hello, how are you going to eat without any vegetation?

How are you going to live on earth when the earth is infected with all these dead bodies on the surface of the earth?

How could you live with a thousand years of darkness?

I mean it's insane that Jesus is going to rule here on this earth for a thousand years, it's impossible.

Nobody could survive here, somehow God is going to make it possible for the devil to survive, it's going to keep him alive.

Now John heard a voice from heaven saying that the tabernacle of God is with men, and they shall be his people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.

Now listen carefully, and there's a word that you need to change here that is wrong, and that is not before the destruction of the wicked but after the destruction of the wicked.

After the destruction of the wicked God promises to do what?

He promises to wipe away every tear from the eyes of his people and assures them that there will be no more death.

That is a promise that takes place after the wicked are destroyed, because if the wicked were still being destroyed you could not say that there would be no more death because they're dying.

And then it says that there will be no more sorrow, no more crying, and there shall be no more death.

And then we find that God promises also to give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.

Now let's go to Revelation Chapter 21 and let's read these verses, we filled in the blanks, now let's read these verses to find out what life is going to be like and what was in the records of the wicked that condemned the wicked, because you're going to end up with the lake of fire for the third time in Revelation Chapter 21 and verse 8.

No, the lake of fire is repeated 3 times in 3 cycles.

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people.

God Himself will be with them and be their God.

Isn't this the direction to which the plan of salvation is moving?

That the spiritual and the literal can be together.

Now Jesus is spiritually with us but we want to be physically with Him right?

Verse 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.

There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

Then He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.

And He said to me, Write, for these words are true and faithful.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.

And now what is it that made it possible for God's people to be inside the holy city?

He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

So what is the key for being in the city?

But now notice what was in the books of the wicked that condemned them?

See the previous outline didn't tell you specifically, it simply said that they were judged according to their works, but now we have some of those works mentioned, and the lake of fire is mentioned for the third time.

Verse 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

So do we know some of the things that were in the records of the wicked that condemned them?

By the way have you noticed that all of these are violations of the 10 Commandments?

So let's go to 1 final text, Revelation 22 verses 14 and 15 notice the contrast.

Are God's people going to be commandment keepers?

Folks God's people are going to be, the overcomers are commandment keepers, because outside the city those who are thrown into the lake of fire it may give this list of sins that are violations of the 10 Commandments.

Now notice the same contrast in Revelation Chapter 22 and verse 14 and I'm going to read it as it says in the King James because as we've studied it's a more accurate translation, actually a better rendering of the manuscripts I believe.

Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

25. The Importance of Literary Structure in the Study of the Millennium Part 1

It's wonderful to study the word isn't it?

In fact it's better than eating physical food because it's food that does not perish.

Now we are going to study today the importance of literary structure in the study of the Millennium.

This is just an example of the importance of seeing the sequence of events in the book of Revelation and I would say Daniel also needs to be examined very carefully in the light of its structure.

So let's go to our material that was given out and the first thing that we want to do is ask several questions about the millennial passage in Revelation Chapter 20.

We have studied that it is important when we're studying a passage of Scripture, particularly prophecy, to ask the passage questions.

So let's ask a few questions about the millennial passage.

First of all, why does the lake of fire appear 3 times in Revelation 20 verse 1 through 21 verse 8.

Are there 3 lakes of fire or is it perhaps true that Revelation 20 verse 1 through 21 verse 8 runs in cycles, repetitive cycles.

In 1 passage when the wicked surround it, and in another passage the wicked seem to be destroyed before the city descends.

In Revelation 20 verse 12 we are told that the dead stand before God, the question is how can dead people stand in the presence of God?

And the final question we want to ask, and as we go along we're going to ask more questions by the way.

Why do we get the impression from Revelation 20 verse 5 that the wicked will resurrect in the first resurrection?

When you read that verse it gives the impression that the wicked are going to resurrect in the first resurrection, but there's another previous verse that says that the righteous will resurrect in the first resurrection.

So how do we resolve that particular problem?

Well first of all let's make some introductory remarks and we will do it by asking another series of questions.

Will the millennium be spent in heaven or will it be spent on earth?

What will be the condition of the earth during the millennium?

What will God's people be doing during the millennial period?

Why is there a white throne judgment after the millennium?

What does revelation mean when it speaks about the second death?

What is meant by the binding and unbinding of Satan?

And finally, is it even important to know what will happen during this time?

Those are the main questions that we are going to try and answer as we study about the millennium.

Now in the handout that you've received there's some blanks that you have to fill in and so this is done kind of like in question and answer form, so you're going to help me this morning in our study.

Now Revelation 19 verses 11 to 21 describes the second coming of Jesus.

Jesus is sitting on a white horse, the armies of heaven are coming with Jesus, He comes to trample the winepress, and to destroy the dragon, the beast, and also the kings of the earth, so it's describing the second coming.

Now by this time the plagues will have decimated the population of the planet, in other words the plagues will destroy most of the inhabitants of the earth.

So the question is what happens at the very culmination of the second coming of Jesus?

And we have the answer in Revelation 19 verse 21 it says, And the rest, that is those who survived the plagues, the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the throne.

So the question is, how many of the wicked will be destroyed by the plagues and by the second coming of Christ?

When Jesus comes on the clouds the rest will be slain, many will be slain by the 7 last plagues.

The millennium is described in Revelation 20 verse 1 through Revelation 21 and verse 8, that's the millennial passage.

And actually we're going to notice that chapter 21 and verses 2 through 8 really should be included with the millennial passage even though it's in Chapter 21 and not in Chapter 20.

Now the events in these chapters are not in strict chronological order, but they run in cycles.

In other words we know this because the identical climax is reached 4 times.

Though the events are repeated 4 times, each repetition has a different center of focus or emphasis.

In other words, Revelation 20 verse 1 through 21 verse 8 repeats the same material 4 times.

You can't read it in linear fashion, You can't say okay I want to know what happens before, during, and after the millennium, so I'm going to start in Revelation 20 verse 1 and it's going to give me the strict chronological sequence through Chapter 21 and verse 8.

It won't work because it goes back and forth.

You have 4 repetitive cycles kind of like Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Daniel 8 and 9, and Daniel 10 through 12.

In other words you repeat the same material 4 times but each time it has a different emphasis.

Now the question is what are the 4 repetitive cycles?

You have them summarized at the bottom of page 1.

Revelation 20 verses 1 through 3 describes the events before, during, and after the millennium and the center of focus is Satan and the condition of the earth, that is the central focus of those verses, Chapter 20 and verses 1 to 3.

The emphasis once again is Satan and what the condition of the earth will be.

The second cycle in Revelation Chapter 20 is found in verses 4 through 10, and the center of focus in Revelation 20 verses 4 through 10 is upon the saints, upon God's people.

What happens with God's people before, during, and after the millennium?

So you have the first cycle, the emphasis is upon Satan and the condition of the earth.

The second cycle is upon what happens with God's people before, during, and after the millennium.

The third cycle is found in Revelation 20 verse 11 through chapter 21 and verse 1, and the center of focus there is upon the wicked, in other words the center of focus is what happens with the wicked before, during, and after the millennium.

And then finally the fourth cycle in the Millennium Passage is found in Revelation 21 and verses 2 through 8 where the center of focus is what life will be like in the holy city and what will happen to the wicked finally.

So there are 4 centers of focus in this millennial passage and unless you understand the structure you're gonna misplace events.

And so the first cycle the emphasis is Satan on the earth, the second center is the saints, the third center of focus is the wicked, and the last center of focus is upon the holy city.

So let's go to our first cycle on page 2 and notice how Revelation 21 through 3 emphasizes the condition of the earth and what will happen with Satan specifically.

We have several blank spaces so you're going to help me answer this.

The angel who comes down from heaven has the key to the bottomless pit.

Now this is not the best translation bottomless pit, it actually translates 1 Greek word, It's the Greek word Abusos and the word that we get in English from Abusos is the abyss.

It's translated in Genesis, the equivalent Hebrew word in Genesis is translated the deep.

So in other words it says here that an angel comes down from heaven and he has the key to the bottomless pit.

Now what is meant by this expression bottomless pit or by the abyss or by the deep?

In Genesis 1 and verse 2 we are told that the earth was in what condition before God began creation week.

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep.

So the earth was without form and void, and there was darkness over the face of the deep.

Now let's read the note because the note is very significant.

The word deep in the Greek Old Testament which is called the Septuagint, you've heard of the Septuagint right?

That's a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament.

The word deep in the Greek Old Testament is the same as the 1 that is found in Revelation 20 verse 1, is that significant?

So in other words in Genesis 1 verse 2 it's the word abusos, So what does the word abusos describe?

It describes the earth being empty and in disorder right?

Now what does without form and void mean?

I like the Spanish translation better it says desordenada y vacia, disorderly and empty, void means empty, and so the earth was empty and it was in disorder.

So what condition will the earth be in when this angel descends from heaven?

It will be just like it was in Genesis before creation week.

This word describes a planet in a chaotic pre-creative state.

It is noteworthy that the plagues of Revelation 16 actually reverse creation and return the earth in some degree to pre-creation chaos.

The very things which God made during creation are afflicted by the plagues.

The earth is broken up, the sun, moon, and stars are moving out of their places, all the vegetation is destroyed by the intense heat of the sun, the seas are filled with blood, all the fish die, and the planet returns to darkness, and all human beings die.

Does that sound like a reversal of creation?

Absolutely, the plagues reverse creation.

So my question is, how can futurists say that this earth is going to be a place where God's people are going to live with Jesus sitting in Jerusalem for a thousand years?

Be real, there's no way they could survive because the plagues return the earth to the condition it was in before creation, without form and void, disorderly and empty, that will be the condition of the earth.

And so when the angel descends there to the bottomless pit, or to the abyss, or to the deep, He is returning to a earth that is without form and void, like it was before creation week.

So now we know what the condition of the earth is going to be like just by reading the word abyss and comparing with Genesis 1 verse 2.

The prophet Jeremiah was permitted to see the earth during the millennium.

Is there something in the New Testament about a trumpet announcing an important event?

When Jesus returns He returns with the sound of the trumpet, and notice the alarm of war.

24. Revelation 10

Let's continue our study of Revelation Chapter 10.

Let's summarize once again the content of Revelation Chapter 10 at the bottom of the page where it says, Origin, Identity, Mission, and Message of the remnant.

The mighty angel comes down from heaven to earth, His physical characteristics are given.

He brings in His hand an open scroll, He must have opened the scroll before He came down.

He places 1 foot on the sea and 1 foot on dry land.

He speaks with the roar of a lion, and when he speaks his roar echoes as 7 thunders.

Then he swears an oath to the Creator stating the time will be no longer.

He gives the book to John with instructions to eat it, and John eats it sweet in the mouth, bitter in the stomach.

Then John is told to prophesy again, and after saying that he should prophesy again he is commanded to measure the temple.

And then the last point, even though it's earlier in Revelation 10, the last point is the mystery of God finished when the seventh angel is about to sound.

Chronologically that comes after all of these other things that's why I put it last.

This messenger is none other than Jesus Christ Himself.

So must this message be crucially important?

Now let's talk about the identity of the book at the bottom of page 12, the identity of the book.

There is only 1 book in the Bible that was ever sealed to be opened at the time of the end, and that is the book that is referred to in Daniel chapter 12 and verse 4.

But you Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book.

So would people be able to understand what's in the book until the time of the end?

But would it be understood at the time of the end?

Yes, because it's sealed until the time of the end.

And then it says that at the time of the end many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase, and I added there in brackets knowledge of what?

Knowledge of what is contained in the little book.

Now the question is what is this little book?

We just studied about it in our last session.

No okay, the portion of Daniel that has to do with the 2300 days, which chapters are those?

Daniel Chapter 8 through 12 they all have the same central theme.

Now the tense of the verb in Revelation 10 verse 2 is important.

Literally the Greek word that describes the opening of the book is in a perfect tense, and it should be translated that he had in his hand the book, the 1 having been opened, which clearly indicates that before it was opened it was closed.

So is this the same book that Daniel 12 verse 4 refers to?

In other words, the book was closed and then it was opened in heaven, immediately before the angel came down to the earth, and swore the oath that time would be no longer.

Now the little book of Daniel 12 verse 4 was unsealed when the judgment hour message was proclaimed between 1798 and 1844.

Daniel 8.14 provides the judgment chronology, do you understand what I mean by that?

It gives you the 2300 day prophecy so it tells you when the judgment is going to begin.

So Daniel 8 14 gives you the judgment chronology and Revelation 14 6 and 7 gives you the judgment our message.

So Daniel 8 tells you when and Revelation 14 tells you what the message would be, the judgment hour message.

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26. The Importance of Literary Structure in the Study of the Millennium Part 2

58m

25. The Importance of Literary Structure in the Study of the Millennium Part 1

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24. Revelation 10

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23. Daniel’s Little Sealed Book

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22. The Sanctuary Sequence in the Book of Revelation

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21. How to Interpret Biblical Symbolism Part 2

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20. How to Interpret Biblical Symbolism Part 1

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19. The Stoning of Steven.. The Last Straw

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18. Israel and the Fig Tree Part 2

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17. Israel and the Fig Tree Part 1

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16. God’s Israel: Understood Globally and Spiritually

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15. The Year-Day Principle

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