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Thousand Year Reign, First and Second Resurrections
Revelation 20:4 “And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.“
Verses 5-6 continues to say, “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. 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.”
Two resurrections – The first before Yeshua’s thousand year reign, and then the rest afterwards. And did you know, the old testament also have a few accounts of resurrections? Click here for quite a few posts about these resurrections, for example where Elijah raised a little girl back in 1 Kings 17. In these posts we also looked at the Hebrew meaning of this word, which relates back to YHWH’s Name and even Creation!
The first to be resurrected are known as the Saints, who are also the priests according to this verse in Rev 20:6, those who have gone through immense persecutions, to reign with Yeshua. Here in this verse of Revelation it also says, that they will not have the second death, which means they have been judged already and found Righteous – thus wearing the white linen robes.
The last to be resurrected, which is everybody that is left, good and bad, still have to be judged. This event will happen AFTER the season (explained in the next section below) when the devil is allowed to reign for some time, AFTER Yeshua’s thousand year reign. If they are not found righteous, they will experience the second death, which is eternal death for the soul. Go back to our post from John 3 where Yeshua explains one have to be born again (second birth) to be able to escape the second death. We also explained this about the birts and deaths back in Psalm 34 (click here to read more).
Just for interest, the word “millenial” doesn’t appear in the bible, as “Millennium” comes from Latin (mille = thousand, annus = year).
Little Season
Revelation 20:3,7 “the devil.. But after these things he must be released for a little while… Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison“
In the section above we learned about this “little while” or season that the devil will be allowed to reign as well. It will be between two resurrection events, and after Yeshua’s thousand year reign.
One might wonder.. why is the devil even allowed to continue, and reign for this period. This event, which happens right at the very end before the Final Judgement is to come, and a new heaven and earth to appear, is fulfillment of the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 which said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”. In our previous post from Revelation 13 we explained in the section “The wounded beast” about the beast’s wound on his head, and the meaning of the heel – which is Yeshua’s followers. Also, click here to see our post about “Golgotha” which was another prophecy about the “head” or “skull” of the beast, when Yeshua was crucified.
This little season is the last part of the prophecy, where the devil goes after Yeshua to strike the heel as much as he can. It is a testing time for men, as all have to be tested (even Job), to see whom they will serve. Joshua 24:15 said to all before they entered the Promised Land, “But if serving YHWH seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve”. Click here to see our posts on the “Rapture”, which is a false doctrine – as all have to be tested, and all have to experience the first death.
For those who find themselves in this little season, must remember it is a testing period, to stand strong, and it will only be for a short season. It will be a time of great deception, where no one would know truth from fiction. Revelation 8 and 10 says, “and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth..”. Yeshua also make some reference to this time, in Matthew 24:22, “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened”. And then Yeshua says in Matthew 24:13, “But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved“.
James 1:12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that YHWH has promised to those who love Him”.
Judgement Day - by our Works
Revelation 20:11-15 “..And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books…”
The greek word for “works” is G2041 – ergon, meaning our acts, deeds, things done, our accomplishments, to labour, the idea of working is emphasised, our results. However, we all must have heard the saying, “salvation comes through faith and grace alone”. The only verse that comes closest to this statement is Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast”. However, this verse says we shouldn’t rely on our works and be boastful/proud about it. It is the pride that is the downfall, not the works. But the works should come automatically, like a person who wants to do something.
All of Yeshua’s parables, showed us that there has to be some works, some fruits, some results. In Matthew 21:28-32 we read of the two sons, the first says he won’t work in the vineyard but later goes, while the second says yes but doesn’t go; Yeshua highlights that the son who ultimately did the father’s will (the first son) showed true obedience, contrasting them with religious leaders who said the right words but there are no actions to show for it. Yeshua says later in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandments“.
The only obedience test we have is through the commandments, that is the test of our hearts and will. Then through love and obedience, beautiful works will happen through love for our neighbors. We read earlier in Revelation 19:8, “And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” Click here to read more about what is Righteousness.
What will be written in the Book of Life? Person so-and-so believed? Or Person so-and-so showed this fruit.. James talks about it a lot too, James 2:17, “So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead“. And James 2:26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead”. The problem with works, is Pride. Click here to see our previous posts on Pride.
The Greek word for Judge is G2919 – krinō, meaning to seperate the good from the bad, there is no in between. To pick out, to choose, to approve, to rule over, to be master of, according to the laws. There cannot be judgement without laws first given, as guidance – otherwise if there are no rules, no judgement is valid. The Hebrew word for judge is 1777 – dîn, meaning to plead a case, to contend, to own or be the owner, accepting responsibility, to execute. Click here to see our previous posts on Judgement, including what Prayer have to do with judging, as well as that we are not allowed to Judge.
New Heaven & Earth, New Jerusalem
Revelation 21:1-14 “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. .. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel..Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.”
After Judgement, all things will be made new, as the old earth and heaven will have “passed away”, like a death. The same death and resurrection that we will have. But we see the old testament tribes and the new testament apostles coming together to make the New Jerusalem. A city must have foundations, where these represent Yeshua, and the gates are to block out those who do not live by the Torah, the Laws. The 12 apostles were Simon Peter, Andrew, James (son of Zebedee), John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Matthias.
In our post from Revelation 7, in the section “Tribe Dan Missing, Judas” we made a note how in both the tribes and apostles, 1 was removed : Dan and Judas. The name Judas in Hebrew is actually Judah! And we do still have the tribe of Judah in the New Jerusalem. But both these two, Dan and Judah, have had a very dark history. Despite of their sins, rebellion and idolatry, their names revealed something. Dan, meaning Judgement, from the hebrew word 1777 – dîn (see the section above about Judgement). And Judah, greek G2455 – ioudas and hebrew H3063 – Yehuda/Judah, which comes from the root hebrew word H3034 – yāḏâ, meaning to cast something, to throw out your praises, giving thanks, overwhelmed with confession, worshipping.
Second Death
Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”
Let’s have a look at the greek words listed here:
- G1169 – deilos : through cowardice give way under persecutions and apostatize
- G571 – apistos : unfaithful, that believeth not
- G948 – bdelyssō : foul, to turn one’s self away from on account of the stench, disgust, especially of idolatry
- G5406 – phoneus : intentional criminal
- G4205 – pornos : indulges in lust that is unlawful, body for hire
- G5332 – pharmakeus : relying on drugs, medicines or magic spells
- G1496 – eidōlolatrēs : partakes in other feasts for fun or for power, relying on other powers or means for survival and fortune
- G5571 – pseudēs : being deceitful, being false
No Temple, sun & moon in Jerusalem
Revelation 21:22-23 “But I saw no temple in it (the New Jerusalem), for YHWH Elohim Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.”
Back in Revelation 11:19 we read, “Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.”. Go back to our post from Revelation 11 in the section “Temple Opened & Ark of Covenant” for more. The Temple that was shown to Ezekiel is revealed in Heaven, and not on earth or in the New Jerusalem. Let us look again on what was the purpose of the Temple, the sun and moon:
Temple – click here to see our post from 2 Chronicles which says, the Temple’s main purpose is for sacrifices. But instead, it became a symbol of pride for men, a den of robbers where people rather like to negotiate, buy and sell. The Temple got corrupted by men. The hebrew word for sacrifice is H6999 – qāṭar / H7000 – qāṭar, which comes from the root word Qatar meaning to shut in, enclose, join. The purpose of a sacrifice is giving something of great value, which is a symbol of joining two together, the giver giving his absolute best.
Sun and Moon – We read about these that are created as the “lights”, in Genesis 1:14, “Then Elohim said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;” Both the sun and moon can go dark (eclipses) or change color, like we read in Revelation 6:11-13, “and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood”. These events are seen as signs in the sky. Seasons can be seasons like we know it, where the sun is used to point the mid points of summer and winter (equinox and solstice). But the hebrew word for seasons is Moedim H4150 – môʿēḏ, meaning “appointed place, appointed time, meeting“, a signal or a sign. The Moedim, appointed times are given by YHWH to Moses in Torah : Spring – Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits; Summer – Shavuot (Pentecost); Fall – Trumpets, Atonement, Booths/Tents. Click here to learn more about these appointed times. And then lastly, the sun and moon is like our clock and calendar combined. The sun is our watch when the day starts and ends, and the moon is when the month starts and ends. The months begin with new moon, and the first month begins with the sun’s Equinox in Spring.
Unclean not allowed
Revelation 21:27 “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
The greek word for defiles is G2840 – koinoō, meaning unclean, to become common (not special or holy), polluted. From the beginning in Scriptures YHWH have repeated this concept of being clean. The Hebrew word is H2889 – ṭâôr, and this concept of being clean and clean animals were there long before the Torah/Laws. We see in Genesis 7:2 where Noah is told to take 7 pairs of each clean animal, and 2 pairs of the unclean, “Of every clean H2889 beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean H2889 by two, the male and his female.”
Being clean have to do with physical, morally and ethically clean. YHWH teaches in His Torah Laws how to live a clean life, physically and spiritually. Yeshua taught and explained the laws, for example in Matthew 15 He said it is not just by washing our bodies and hands that make us clean, but our words defile our whole being. Click here for previous posts on clean and unclean.
In the vision of Peter in Acts 10, YHWH tells him that even though He wants people to live clean, He can make people clean that have not lived their lives right or pure. Therefor Peter and all the other Apostles and disciples, and we today, are not to judge anyone who wants to become part of the followers of Yeshua, but might not look the part, or had a bad past – YHWH can cleanse and make anyone new. But only those who have been cleansed and made new, can enter the New Jerusalem.
12 Months - 12 Fruits, Tree of Life
Revelation 22:1-3 “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse ..”
It is difficult to picture this, as the translations make it very difficult. The greek word they use for “street”, G4113 – plateia, could also mean a big open wide square. This one tree gives different fruits. And clearly, months will still apply, which points to different seasons. Back in Genesis 1:14 we read that the lights in the firmament, like the moon, was set in place for “seasons” and used to keep days and time of when each month started. This word seasons in Hebrew is Moedim H4150 – môʿēḏ, which also means “Appointed Times“.
Currently in our present lives, when we look at the new moon for months, our months vary between 12 and 13 months/new moons a year. But in the Book of Enoch (one of the books referenced in Scripture), Enoch explains how the days and months work, and how the sun and moon moves. In his book, he explained that there are 364 days and exactly 12 months. This is how YHWH’s Creation was setup and how it used to work. But today, it is said we actually have 365.2425 days a year. Somewhere between then and now, some major event or events might have altered our days by a fraction. For example, it is possible by some major history earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, to have affected the rising and setting times of the sun and moon. Even our days are not exactly 24 hours anymore, but it is said it is rather : 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.1 seconds. And remember, twice in Scripture we had events that affected the sun’s movement. In Joshua 10 we read that Joshua prayed for the sun and moon to stand still, to given them extra time to defeat their enemies. Perhaps that is where the extra day (365 instead of 364) came from. And again in Isaiah 38, where YHWH promises King Hezekiah a sign that He will heal him, by making the sun’s shadow go back ten steps on the Sundial of Ahaz (or stairway of Ahaz).
Genesis started with the story of Creation, the Moedim (Appointed times), the Rivers and the two trees, especially the Tree of Life, which Adam and Eve were not to eat since they have sinned. Here at the end of the book, at the end of this story and time, the Appointed Times will be fulfilled, the River flows from YHWH’s throne and access to the Tree of Life is restored. Here is what we read back in Genesis:
Genesis 2:9 “And out of the ground YHWH Elohim made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Genesis 3:22 “Then YHWH Elohim said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever””
Click here to read our post about “Good and Evil”. We see in the post from Isaiah 7 that he prophesied about Yeshua, who “will know how to refuse evil and choose good.” Because Yeshua conquered evil, and showed us the Way, He made the Way open back to the tree of Life. Click here to read more about “The Way” and what Yeshua said about “The Way”.
