My Sheep Hear My Voice- Rev. 20:4

My Sheep Hear My Voice- Rev. 20:4

Before Jesus was crucified He told the disciples to watch and pray, something so simple, but they let their physical bodies take over and they fell back asleep. In these last hours of time you need to hear His voice. When He tells you something, it is very important, but most ignore my voice or just discuss it and go on with what they were doing. You will see many things start to happen shortly and if you do not hear and obey His voice,... it will mean death for some of you....Jesus has only your best interest in mind. Christ knows you heart, and if you are truly His you will hear His voice. He awakes many of you at 3am on the dot, but most will roll over and go back to sleep. There are a few who will get up and pray. Your day is filled with so many things and Jesus is the last thing many of you give your time to. But Christ needs to talk to you,... to fellowship with you and only when you are still and quite (3am) can you hear Him,... the rest of your day is so busy you do not have time for Him,... but you need to make time, for time is short and the Lord has instructions for you.

Revelation 20

The Millennial Reign of Christ and His Saints

“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. Rev. 20:4

And I saw... The thrones here are those that saints will have, proving that all saints will rule with Christ in some capacity as kings and priests (Rev. 1:6; 2:26-27; 3:21; 5:10; 12:5; 20:4-6; 22:4-5; Luke 22:30; Rom. 8:17; 1Cor. 6:2-4; 2Tim. 2:12; Heb. 12:28; Psm. 149:6-9; Dan. 7:18, 7:27).

Two Classes of Eternal People

If one will keep in mind that there will be two classes of eternal people, eternal conditions on earth will be simple to comprehend.

1. Natural people will live from the future tribulation period through the Millennium and then on into the New Earth forever—if they do not commit sin or rebel with Satan at the end of the Millennium (Rev. 20:7-10; Mat. 13:39-50; 25:46).

2. Resurrected people who have part in the first resurrection will be the eternal rulers of the eternal generations of natural people (Rev. 20:4). The resurrected people will not marry or give in marriage (Mat. 22:30); but the natural people who are alive at the second coming and who are permitted to be subjects of the eternal kingdom will marry, have children, and carry out the natural program as God intended when He created Adam. They will live forever by virtue of the tree of life (Rev. 22:1-2), not by virtue of a resurrection and a change from mortality to immortality as with glorified saints (1Cor. 15:51-58; Phlp. 3:21).

beheaded for the... Six reasons for their beheading:

1. For the witness (testimony) of Jesus

2. For the Word of God

3. For not worshiping the beast

4. For not worshiping his image

5. For not taking his mark upon their foreheads

6. For not taking his mark in their hands

They (the tribulation saints) lived (were resurrected) and reigned with Christ 1,000 years.

Thrones, and they... Represent the administration of the messianic kingdom. Those whom John sees come to life are the Tribulation martyrs, who refused to worship the “beast”. They will rule the earth “with Christ” for “a thousand years”. Christ will rule through three classes of kingdom administrators:

(1) Old Testament saints (compare Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2), who will be resurrected at this time;

(2) The apostles and the church (compare Matt. 19:28-29);

(3) Tribulation saints (compare Luke 19:12-27).

Only believers will enter the Millennium at its beginning (compare John 3:3, 5). God’s promises to Abraham (Gen. 12:2-3), and David (2 Sam. 7:16), will be fulfilled (compare Luke 1:31-33; Rom. 11:15, 29). After the Millennium, Christ will deliver the kingdom to God the Father and will then be appointed Ruler forever (compare 1 Cor. 15:24-28).

the souls of... These are tribulation martyrs (compare 6:9; 18:24; 19:2). The Greek word translated “beheaded” became a general term for execution, not necessarily a particular method of punishment.

received his mark... (see 13:16). Tribulation martyrs will be executed for refusing the mark of the beast.

reigned with Christ... Tribulation believers, along with the redeemed from both the Old Testament and New Testament times, will reign with Christ (1 Cor. 6:2; 2 Tim. 2:12), during the 1000 year kingdom.

Many of the writers do not believe that this thousand years is a literal time. I personally do. They believe that this is spiritual, and that Jesus bound the devil when He defeated him on the cross. If that were so, who is this terrible thing that has been nipping at my heels all the time that I have been working for God. The devil is real. Just as he brought trials and tribulation (with permission from God), on Job, Christians are allowed to go through trials and tribulations here on this earth to make them strong. Believe me; the devil is not locked up now.

In the scripture above, we find that the martyrs and those who refuse to take the mark of the beast will reign with Christ right here on this earth. Christians, from all generations, will live here on this earth during the millennium and will rule and reign with the Lord Jesus. We will rule with Christ during those years but we will not be equal as we will reign as His subordinates. Won't it be wonderful to reign with the martyrs like Stephen?

This 1000 year Millennial reign of Jesus Christ here on this earth, I believe, has to be 1000 years. Mankind has worked six 1000 year days since Adam, and this will be the one “1000” year day of rest (sabbath). God set this universe up on six days of work, one day of rest. The land was set to work six years and one year of rest. Jesus hung on the cross six hours to complete his work. This will be a literal 1000 year of rest to conform to this pattern that God set up.

The Resurrection And Reward Of The Martyrs (Rev. 20:4-6)

Next in the series of revelations John recorded that he saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. In addition he saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their standing true to the Lord and His Word in the Great Tribulation. The fact that John could see them implies that they had received intermediate bodies in heaven and were awaiting their resurrections.

A distinction should be made between what John saw and what he received as revelation. Though he could see the souls, he was informed that they had been beheaded because they had refused to worship the beast or his image and would not receive his mark. What John saw was not all the souls in heaven but a particular generation of martyred dead who had been contemporaneous with the world ruler, the beast out of the sea (Rev. 13:1). If the church were raptured prior to this event, as premillenarians teach, it would make sense to single out these martyred dead for resurrection. But if the church were not raptured, it would be most unusual to ignore all the martyrs of preceding generations, the church as a whole, and to specify this relatively small group.

John apparently was not told the identity of the individuals seated on the thrones. They evidently do not include the martyred dead themselves. Christ had predicted (Luke 22:29-30) that the 12 disciples would “eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.” As the disciples are also a part of the church, the body of Christ, it would be natural for them to sit on these thrones.

According to the Scriptures a series of judgments is related to Christ’s return. The beast and the false prophet will be cast into the fiery lake (Rev. 19:20), Satan will be cast into the Abyss (Rev. 20:1-3), and then the martyred dead of the Great Tribulation will be judged and rewarded (Rev. 20:4). In addition, Israel will be judged (Eze. 20:33-38), and the Gentiles will be judged (Mat. 25:31-46). These judgments precede and lead up to the millennial kingdom.

John stated that these martyred dead came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Their coming to life suggests that they will be given resurrected bodies. In addition to receiving the visual revelation, John was informed as to the meaning and character of the judgment that was here taking place.