But through the judge or jury, the sentence expresses the outrage of society for particularly terrible crimes. Are you aware that a time is soon coming when a Judge will hand down a sentence of 1,000 years-and the criminal will serve out every day of that sentence? Listen to these words from the Bible:

"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while." Revelation 20:1-3

     Here we find that God has a plan to deal with the greatest criminal this universe has ever known-a criminal who’s been directly involved in every sin and crime ever committed on this earth. But the time will soon come when he will be imprisoned for 1,000 years! The devil is about to get some time off, for bad behavior. A thousand-year vacation in the most wretched, devastated vacation spot in the universe.

     This thousand-year period of time is called the "millennium," from two Latin words, mille, meaning "one thousand," and annum, meaning "year." The prophecy also tells us that Satan will be imprisoned for 1,000 years and that he will then be paroled for a short time to prove to the world that even after l,000 years, he has not changed-he is still the same devil, his heart is still filled with evil. To be able to understand this prophecy and fully see its significance, we need to find out how it starts and ends and what happens during the period in between.

     Let me make a statement now, and then I will proceed to prove that statement’s truthfulness. The millennium is bound in by two resurrections:

1) The resurrection of life at the beginning of that period, and
2) the resurrection of damnation at the end of the time.

     One day when Jesus was teaching His disciples about death, He said:

"Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." John 5:25

     There you have it. The dead shall hear His voice and shall live. That is, all of the dead will be raised. This may come as a surprise to some of you, perhaps you thought that only the righteous dead would be raised. Notice how Christ elaborates on this in the 28th and 29th verses of this same chapter:

"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth-those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation."

     Notice the two resurrections. First, the resurrection of those who have done good, and the second one-the resurrection of damnation. Listen to what the Bible has to say about those in the first resurrection:

"...This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." Revelation 20:5, 6

     This is in harmony with what Paul told the Thessalonians. Notice how He describes the second coming of Christ.

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." Verses 16, 17

     What a glorious description of the resurrection. You will notice that the dead in Christ will be raised first, and then the followers of Christ who are alive will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air! On that day will be fulfilled the promise made by Jesus,

"...He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." John 11:25

     Yes, the righteous dead will be raised from their graves when Christ returns. Isaiah describes this joyous event:

"...Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust:...and the earth shall cast out the dead." Isaiah 26:19

     What a glorious day that will be! Mothers being reunited with their babies who died. Husbands and wives reunited. Sons and daughter reunited with Mom and Dad! Could the scene be any more moving? Then the wonderful promise Christ made so long ago will be fulfilled:

"...I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:3, 4

     This is where the saved will spend the millennium! What will they be doing? John tells us:

"Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." Revelation 20:6

     Aside from the unspeakable joy of fellowship with Christ and His followers, John gives more insight as to what they will be doing during the millennium:

"And I saw thrones, and they sat on them. And judgment was committed to them..." Revelation 20:4

     The all-wise, all-powerful God of the universe has included feeble men and women in the solemn task of judging fallen angels and the unsaved. Paul states:

"Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?... Do you not know that we will judge angels?..." 1 Corinthians 6:2, 3

     It will become clear-once and for all-that God is just and good and fair. For thousands of years Satan has leveled the accusation that God is unfair, unloving, and unjust. The years of the millennium will put this notion to rest, vindicating God’s character before the entire universe! But why would we need to judge the evil angels and the wicked sinners?

     Haven’t they been judged before Christ comes? True, but have you ever wondered what your reaction might be if you looked for someone in heaven whom you expected to find there-only to discover he or she is lost forever? You might call the fairness of God’s justice into question. Well, during the millennium, the records of the lost will be opened. The most guarded secrets and purposes harbored in each mind will be exposed. God’s love and justice will be affirmed. Those inspecting the records will be left with only one response:

"...Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments."
Revelation 16:7

     What happens to those who have not accepted salvation at this time? Notice how Revelation 19:21 describes the coming of Christ and the armies of heaven as they destroy those who rejected God’s plan of Salvation:

"And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse..."

     There is no way that the lost will be able to stand before the glory of the coming Christ with all of His holy angels. One angel came to the tomb of Jesus, and the Roman soldiers became as dead men. The Bible says,

"And at that day the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground." Jeremiah 25:33

     At the second coming of Christ, the righteous are resurrected and translated to meet Christ in the clouds, and the unsaved will be slain by the brightness of His coming- of "the sword that goes out of His mouth." Someone is going to ask the question, "What about the unsaved who are still in their graves?" The answer is given in the fifth verse of Revelation, chapter 20: 56

"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished..."

     The puzzle is beginning to fit together. The big picture is coming into focus as to what will happen when Jesus Christ returns: Events that take place at Christ’s coming
1) Jesus will return, with all of the holy angels (Matthew 25:31)
2) The dead in Christ will rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
3) The living saved are caught up to meet Jesus in the air (1Thessalonians 4:17)
4) The saved go home with Jesus and reign with Him for 1,000 years (Revelation    20:4, 6)
5) The unsaved are slain by the brightness of the coming of Christ (Jerermiah 25:33)
6) The wicked dead are not raised until after the 1,000 years. (Revelation 20:5)
7) Satan is bound for the 1,000 years by a chain of circumstances-no one to tempt or destroy! (Revelation 20:2)
8) The righteous are in heaven, and all the wicked are dead.

     Everyone is gone! Everywhere, there is ruin (Jeremiah 4:23-26). This earth becomes the devil’s prison. The Bible says that Satan was put into a bottomless pit, or "abussos", for the millennium. How is he chained? By a chain of circumstances that make it impossible for him to tempt and destroy anyone for 1,000 years. The saved are all with Christ for the thousand years. Those who have followed Satan during their life on this earth are struck dead at Christ’s coming, or they remain in the grave until the thousand year are over.

     The devil has only his evil angels to tempt and mislead, and they, after 6,000 years, are as bad as he is. This earth becomes his prison. He wanted to show how he would rule the world, so he took the dominion from Adam and Eve by deceit, but now everyone will be able to see what kind of a ruler he really is!

     The Greek word for bottomless pit is abussos. This is the same word used in the Greek Old Testament to describe the world in its chaotic state before God formed this beautiful world. It is this same word used in the book of Jeremiah:

"I beheld the earth, and it was without form and void; and the heavens, and they had no light." Jeremiah 4:23

     Yes, the world will be an abussos or "bottomless pit." It’s going to be a dark place! Now, notice what else Jeremiah has to say about the earth at this time:

"I beheld the mountains and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled." You will notice that it said, "There was no man." Jeremiah 4:24, 25

     Again Jeremiah says,

"I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger." Verse 26

     That certainly sounds like a grim place to take a vacation for 1,000 years, wouldn’t you say? Satan and the wicked angels have nothing to do but wander to and fro on the dark, devastated, lonely planet and reflect on the results of their rebellion against God! Note the events that take place during the millennium:

1) The earth is desolate and devastated.
2) All the unsaved are dead, slain by the brightness of Jesus’ coming.
3) All the saved are in heaven, reigning with Christ.
4) Satan is bound on this dark, devastated planet to reflect on his rebellion.

     Will Satan change? What about the angels he led into rebellion? Will they choose to follow him again-or will they follow Christ now?

     One of the reasons God has chosen to put the millennium in His timetable is that He wants to demonstrate to the universe that if the devil, his angels, and those who have chosen to follow him on this earth were given another chance, they would make the same decision and choose the same master. They would reject the plan of salvation even though they had a thousand chances to accept it. What does the Bible say about their choice? The answer is given in Revelation 20:7,8:

"Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth ... to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea." Revelation 20:7, 8

     Perhaps you are wondering where all these people will come from who are going to be in this battle. Remember, we read in the 20th chapter of Revelation, verse 5:

"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished..."

     Yes, the rest of the dead or the unsaved dead are raised in the resurrection of damnation at the end of the millennium. What a sight it will be to see the wicked dead raised to life-a vast number, all the wicked from Adam’s day to the second advent. John says,

"...The number of whom is as the sand of the sea." Revelation 10:8

     At this same time the Holy City, New Jerusalem, with Christ and the saved, comes to earth at the end of the millennium! This City will become the target of Satan’s wrath, for the Bible says,

"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth ... To gather them together to battle..." Revelation 20:7, 8

     Now Satan and his evil angels go out to deceive the wicked again! He hasn’t changed one bit! Again the unsaved choose Satan as their leader. The devil marshals them into one vast army bent on taking the New Jerusalem by force. This is earth’s last battle! The mighty army, under the rebel angel’s leadership, advances! Let’s read what the Bible says will happen:

"They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from heaven and devoured them." Revelation 20:9

     The battle is over! How sad-when it could have been so different! What happens to the devil? The Bible tells us:

"The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.... Then Death and Hades were cast into the fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."
Revelation 20:10, 14, 15

     Peter saw this fire in vision and wrote:

"...The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2 Peter 3:10

     Satan, his evil angels, and sinners will then be forever gone! We may have relatives, friends, or acquaintances whom we love dearly who will be gone forever. Of course, we will cry. How could it be otherwise? But, the good news is:

"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." Revelation 21:4

     If you have some habit you need victory over, come forward for prayer. If you are struggling with some temptation, come forward for prayer. Jesus will hear you. Jesus will answer.

I’ll wait a few minutes as you come forward, but come right now.