REVELATION 20:4-6
THEY LIVE AND REIGN WITH
CHRIST.
In
the name + of Jesus.
One of the principles of Bible
interpretation is “Scripture interprets Scripture.” In other words, the clear, simple words of
Scripture clarify the words which are more difficult to understand. God’s word is true. No teaching of the Bible will contradict
another. If an interpretation or a
teaching contradicts what is clearly stated elsewhere, then we know it is
wrong. So, we let Scripture interpret
Scripture. That principle of
interpretation will help us with the Revelation of St. John, particularly this
part of Revelation from which many false teachings have spawned.
Revelation is hard to understand because
it is filled with figurative language.
For example, St. John recorded, “Then I looked, and behold,
on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had
his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads” (Revelation
14:1). These 144,000 are all those
“who had been redeemed from the earth” (Revelation 14:3). If we understand that number literally,
eternal life is restricted to precious few across the history of the
world. However, the Bible states
clearly, “We have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of
all people, especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10). Jesus has paid the redemptive price for all
people. Those who believe in him are the
ones who benefit. Jesus states, “Whoever
believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). He does not put a cap on this number. Therefore, the number 144,000 is
symbolic. 12 is the number of the Church
(e.g., 12 apostles, 12 tribes of Israel).
12 times 12 (144) is the Old Testament Church times the New Testament
Church. Ten is a number of
completeness. Ten times ten times ten is
1,000—complete, completer, completest.
Therefore, the sum total of those who believe in God’s promises from the
Old and New Testament Church is 144 times 1,000, or 144,000. It is just as Scripture plainly teaches, “everyone
who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21). They live and reign with Christ.
Now, let’s look at the verses from
Revelation 20. The clearer verses of
Scripture will help us understand John’s vision. St. John wrote, “Then I saw thrones, and
seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed”
(Revelation 20:4). When we hear
“thrones,” we think of one who reigns. We
know that Jesus lives and reigns over all things. But John uses a plural here, “thrones.” So, this does not refer to Jesus but to the
saints who live and reign with Jesus.
John also
saw “the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and
for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its
image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands”
(Revelation 20:4). In John’s day,
Christianity was illegal, and the Roman government sought to snuff out the word
of God and the testimony about Jesus. To
do that, they killed those who made the good confession. Some were killed by lions. Some were crucified like the apostles Peter
and Andrew. Some were beheaded like the
apostle Paul. To the world, these people
were losers. The real power seemed to be
with the governments who seized and killed God’s people. But these saints are not losers. They are not even dead. St. John saw them, living and reigning with
Christ in the glories of heaven.
St. John
also noted why they forfeited their lives on earth. He said they “had not worshiped the beast
or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands”
(Revelation 20:4). Again, some take
this literally, expecting that we will be tattooed or receive some physical
marking. This interpretation has
fostered some strange ideas and unnecessary fears. To understand how to interpret this image,
let’s consider another part of Scripture.
Scripture interprets Scripture.
When the Moses
called the Israelites to be faithful to the Lord, he commanded them to hold
faithfully to his word. Moses said, “These
words that I command you today shall be on your heart. … You shall bind them as
a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes”
(Deuteronomy 6:6,8). The Pharisees
took this quite literally, tying small boxes to their foreheads and around
their wrists. Unfortunately, the words
of Jesus did not take root in their hearts.
So, the literal binding of these words to their heads and hands was
useless. Their heads rejected the Christ
and their hands were dedicated to killing him.
To have
the mark of the beast on you is to use your head to adopt worldly ideas and to
employ your hands to take up sinful endeavors.
God’s people are to flee from these things. St. Paul wrote, “Put to death
therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is
idolatry. On account of these the wrath
of God is coming” (Colossians 3:5-6).
Through baptism, you have been marked as God’s people for purity and
decency. Your head, your heart, and your
hands have been set apart for godliness.
Jesus Christ has delivered you from the coming wrath by taking away your
sins. The only way you can be condemned
now is if you take your sins back. This
requires continual repentance by us.
St. John
saw the saints who had departed from this world. They live and reign with Christ. St. John wrote, “They came to life and
reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
…This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power”
(Revelation 20:4-6). St. John is not
suggesting that there will be multiple resurrections from the grave. The rest of Scripture speaks of one
resurrection at which time all will be raised from the grave for the final
judgment. So, what is this first
resurrection?
Scripture
interprets Scripture. Jesus said, “Truly,
truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the
dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will
live” (John 5:25). Who are these
dead? St. Paul answers that. He wrote, “You were dead in the
trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this
world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is
now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1-2). You and I are by nature sinful. We were dead in sin, unable to change our
condition, powerless to reconcile ourselves to God. Even the best we have to offer to God is
corrupted by sin and unclean.
Therefore,
God had to act. St. Paul wrote: “God,
being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved
us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us
alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-5). So, you are no longer dead in sin. You have been given a living and active faith
which trusts God’s word and strives to do God’s will. This is the first resurrection—those who were
dead in sin are now alive with Christ. Since
you are alive in Christ, the second death has no power over you. The grave cannot keep you. Hell will not touch you. Jesus Christ has delivered you from all of
this. And God’s people who have departed
from this world still live. They live
and reign with Christ.
Now we
come to St. John’s words which have spawned commonly held false beliefs. St. John observed the saints in heaven and
said, “[The saints] came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand
years. The rest of the dead did not come
to life until the thousand years were ended” (Revelation 20:4-5). All numbers in Revelation are symbolic,
but many conclude that it is no longer symbolism once we get here. Many teach that Jesus will return to set up
an earthly reign that will endure for a literal 1,000 years. Jesus, however, said, “My kingdom is not
of this world” (John 18:26). He will
not change his mind for 1,000 years. Recall
that the number 10 is used throughout the whole book to express
completeness. 10 times 10 times 10 is
1,000—complete, completer, completest.
So, what is this complete time? It
refers to the time in which Jesus Christ will live and reign over all
things. When will that be?
Scripture
interprets Scripture. “[The Father]
raised [Jesus] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the
heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion,
and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in
the one to come. And he put all
things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church”
(Ephesians 1:20-22). As we pray
every week, Jesus Christ lives and reigns over all things. Not “he will,” but he does! He is seated at the right hand of God the
Father from his glorious ascension until he returns to judge the living and the
dead. That is the entire New Testament
era. That is the 1,000 years.
Therefore,
right now, God’s saints live and reign with Jesus Christ. Many live and reign with the Lord Jesus in
glory. They dwell in the Church
Triumphant, forever victorious over sin, death, and the devil. Nothing can harm them any longer, as they
await the resurrection of all flesh. But
at the resurrection, not all will rise to have eternal life. As St. John noted, “The rest of the dead
did not come to life until the thousand years were ended” (Revelation 20:5). Unbelievers remain dead in sin. The do not come to life in this world. Unbelievers will be raised from their graves,
but it is not to live. Rather, they will
be cast into the second death—forever cut off from the Lord of Life whom they
rejected.
But you
are God’s redeemed. You are marked with
baptism for a glorious future. And while
it does not seem like it, you live and reign with Jesus Christ now. Although you see and feel your sins, they are
all forgiven. Although your body is
frail and failing, you are children of the resurrection. Although you appear weak and you struggle
against temptations, you are the children of God. Jesus Christ has marked you and continues to assure
you of this so that you do not lose hope.
Right now, your life is hidden in Christ, and the glory to come will not
be revealed until the Last Day. Do not
be deceived by your weakness. You are
the saints of God. The goal and prayer
of every Christian is to be God’s saints in glory—whether we live a long life
or die young. Either way, life in the
kingdom of God does not end. Together
with all the saints and angels, we rejoice in Jesus’ endless reign and
boundless love. For Jesus Christ lives
and reigns for us; and all God’s saints live and reign with him.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
