The Collected Works of Stanford E. Murrell

“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw 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; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:1–6)

When Revelation 20:1–6 is read, there are some basic facts that should be remembered.

First, the reader should notice what is not in the text.

• Ethnic national Israel is not in the text.
• The holy city of Jerusalem is not in the text.
• The throne of King David is not in the text.
• The promise of land to Abraham is not in the text.
• A rebuilt Third Temple is not in the text.
• Animal sacrifices as a memorial to the redemptive work of Christ are not in the text.
• The many nations of the earth are not in the text.

We emphasize this because many people have been taught to read into Revelation 20 what is not there.

This is called isogesis or reading something into a text based on presuppositional ideas.

Whatever our view of the millennial may be, it should be rooted in the text of Scripture.

When there is a dispute over an obscure passage, or a questionable topic, an appeal can be made to a clearer passage.

Second, the reader should be encouraged to carefully consider what is in the text. When this is done the following observation can be made.

• The passage is full of symbolism to convey spiritual realities.

• John sees an angel with a key. In Scripture, a key is a symbol of authority. Study Revelation 3:7

• John sees the key can lock and unlock a bottomless pit, which is the figuratively abode of the Devil and his angels. Study Doctrine of the Bottomless Pit

• John sees a seal of security placed either on the Dragon, that Old Serpent, which is the Devil, or the bottomless pit.

• John sees many thrones in heaven. The spiritual rule of the saints on earth, referenced in Revelation 1:6, continues in the eternal state.

These symbols are designed to convey spiritual truth.

• There is the spiritual truth that there is a limit to what evil can do. In fact, the arch enemy of the Church is bound that he should deceive the nations no more for a long period of time (Rev. 20:3). Because Satan is bound, the Church can go into all the world and teach the elect in every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matt. 28:19).

• There is the spiritual truth of a present reign of souls with Christ. The martyred saints sit on heavenly thrones and judge (20:4).

• There is the spiritual truth that  our Lord Jesus Christ is currently ruling and reigning (20:4). The resurrected ascended Christ can rule and reign as the sovereign of the universe because “All power has been given unto Him, in heaven and in earth” (Matt. 28:17).

Jesus is now and forever the “Blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen” (1 Tim. 6:15-16).

It is because Christ now rules and reigns that the scene presented in Revelation 20 becomes important and precious, especially for Christians who on earth are killed for the cause of Christ (20:4).

Question? What happens to the souls of those who are persecuted unto death, even beheaded?

With breathless excitement John tells the Church in every generation that the souls of those who died for the Lord live.

Yes!

They live now (present tense), and forever (future tense), as they sit upon heavenly thrones.

Judgment is given unto them in the present as they reign with Christ a thousand years, which is a number of perfections.

The Greek word for thousand is “chiliasm” [kil-ee-az-uhm) and is plural in number.

There is an eternal reign of Christ which is in view, not a mere 1,000 years.

The fact that we are in the year 2024 confirms the extended reign of Jesus is what is meant.

The Prophet Isaiah said: “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isa. 9:7).

The Angel of God said: “And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:33).

The eternal reign of Christ is what caused the early Christians to be killed. The Church under Roman rule did not just say, “Jesus is my Lord,” or, “Jesus is my Savior.” They said “Jesus is Lord,” because the Church understood Christ is sovereign over the earth and all of creation today, tomorrow, a thousand years from now, and forever.

By letting Scripture interpret Scripture, it is not difficult to see that John intends his readers to understand that the martyred saints now reign with Christ for a complete period, and that complete period is eternal.

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom” (Ps. 45:6).

“But of the Son He says, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom” (Heb. 1:8).

“And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:14).

The concept of a “thousand years” or a “thousand generations” standing for fullness or completion is found often in Scripture.

The Lord says in Psalms 50:10 that He owns “the cattle upon a thousand hills” meaning that He owns all that are upon the earth.

“For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills” (Ps. 50:10).

The Lord says that He will keep His covenant for a thousand generations. “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations” (Deut. 7:9).

The prophet Isaiah uses the term “thousand” to set forth the glories of the Messianic period.

“And it shall come to pass in THAT DAY, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns. With arrows and with bows shall men come hither; because All the land shall become briers and thorns” (Is. 7:23).

When John says he saw the martyred dead living and reigning with Christ in heaven for a thousand years, he is saying that, “for them death has been utterly vanquished. The second death has no power over them. Physical death for them is not a thing to be feared, for it is the gateway to life everlasting. Moreover, they are to be the priests of God and of Christ. The Latin word for priest is pontifex, which means a bridge-builder. The priest is the builder of a bridge between God and man; and he, as the Jews saw it, is the one man with the right of direct access into the presence of God. Those who have been loyal to Jesus Christ have the right of free entry into the presence of God; and they have the privilege of introducing others to Jesus Christ. They are to reign with Christ. In Christ even the most ordinary man becomes a king” (Dr. William Barclay).

“And [Jesus] hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 1:6).