The Heart of God: The End in Sight (6)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Read and meditate on Revelation 19 and 20.
The reign of sin and of the City of Man will not continue indefinitely. An end of history is coming, when Jesus Christ returns with all His saints to overcome His foes and bring His Kingdom and covenant to fulfillment in the new heavens and new earth.

For reflection
1.  Revelation 19.1-10 introduces and provides a summary of chapters 19-22. A marriage and supper await us beyond the end of history. Who will partake of this? How will it be seen that they are the true guests for this event? In what ways are these apt images to describe what Christ is preparing for us? How should we prepare for this (cf. 1 Jn. 3.1-3)? What can we expect at this marriage supper (v. 9), and how does this tie this event in with God’s covenant?

2.  The Rider on the white horse of Revelation 6 reappears in Revelation 19. How is He described? In what ways does this recall the vision of Christ in Revelation 1?

3.  How do the people of the City of Man respond to the appearing of the Lord? Are they sorry for having been so wicked? Do they express any regret for their sinful ways?  

4.  Revelation 20 enlarges on the events of Revelation 19.11-21. The “angel” (literally, messenger) of Revelation 20.1 is probably the Lord Himself (cf. Rev. 1.18). It’s possible that what we read in verses 2 and 3 occurred at Matthew 4.1-11 (cf. Matt. 12.22-29 and the “binding” of Satan). If so, then Satan was “bound” at the beginning of the “thousand years.” There is no reason to take this number literally. It stands for a complete period of time, during which Satan is bound and the plundering of his house goes forward. He is released at the end of this period (v. 3), and this may refer to what we read in Revelation 19.19-21 and 20.7-10. If in fact, Satan is bound during this “thousand years,” what should God’s saints be doing?
 
5.  The saints are promised they will “reign” during this thousand years (vv. 4-6). In what sense should we expect to reign? The “first resurrection” is the blessing of those who have been born again from the dead (Eph. 2.1) in Jesus. What is the second death, and why does it have no power over those who have partaken of the first resurrection? Summarize the events of Revelation 20.11-15. How can you see that this parallels and enlarges on Revelation 19.19-21?

Summary
The meanings and events of these final days may not be entirely clear, and believers will differ in how they understand the details of what is described here. But what is the main message? Should that message divide believers against one another or unite them? For what purposes? Explain.

Closing Prayer
The Lord is at Your right hand;
He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.
He shall judge among the nations,
He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
He shall execute the heads of many countries.
He shall drink of the brook by the wayside;
Therefore He shall lift up the head.

Psalm 110.5-7

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documentsprovides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understood the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your Goddevelops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.