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The Millennium

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International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 18, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 11.

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The Millennium.

(Lesson 12.—Sabbath, March 27.)
1. WHAT blessing is promised to those who have part in the first resurrection? "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Rev. 20:6.
2. To what are they called? To the marriage supper of the Lamb.
3. What blessing is recorded in Luke 14:15? "And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God."
4. How is the same blessing recorded in Rev. 19:9? "And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God."
5. What is said in verse 7 about the marriage of the Lamb? "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready."
6. What is meant by the Lamb's wife? "And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." "And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife." Rev. 21:2, 9.
7. When is this bride presented to him? At his coronation. Dan. 7:13, 14.
8. What does he do on receiving this bride, the capital of his earthly kingdom? He comes to the earth for his saints, and takes them to the marriage supper.
9. Describe the scene that will take place when they all arrive in Heaven. Rev. 7:9-12.
10. How are the saints to be engaged during this thousand years? In a work of judgment. Rev. 20:4.
11. What will be the nature of this work? They will unite with Christ in examining the cases of wicked men and fallen angels.
12. How is this work alluded to in 1 Cor. 6:2, 3? "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?"
13. What will be the condition of the wicked during the thousand years? They will all be silent in death. Rev. 20:5.
14. What will be the condition of Satan during this period? "And I saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." Verses 1-3.
15. What do we understand by the bottomless pit? See note.
16. What will take place at the end of the thousand years? The wicked will have a resurrection, and Satan will be loosed. Rev. 20:5, 7.
17. What will Satan induce the wicked nations to do? "And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of Heaven, and devoured them." Verses 8 and 9.
18. How does the beloved city come to be upon the earth? "And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Rev. 21:2.
19. How are those to be destroyed who besiege the holy city? Rev. 20:9.
20. What is to be done with Satan? "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever." Verse 10.
21. What will be the fate of all those whose names are not found written in the book of life? "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Verse 15.
22. What did John see after this? "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." Rev. 21:1.
23. Who will inhabit the new earth? The righteous. See 2 Pet. 3:13.
24. Seeing we look for such things, what admonition is given us? "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." Verse 14.

Note.

The bottomless pit. The original word signifies an abyss, bottomless, deep, profound. Its use seems to be such as to show that the word denotes any place of darkness, desolation, and death. Thus in Rev. 9:1, 2, it is applied to the barren wastes of the Arabian desert, and in Rom. 10:7, to the grave. But the passage which specially throws light upon the meaning of the word here, is Gen. 1:2, where we read that "darkness was upon the face of the deep." The word there rendered deep, is the same word that is here rendered bottomless pit; so that that might have been translated, "Darkness was upon the face of the abyss, or bottomless pit." But we all know what is meant by the word "deep" as there used; it is applied to this earth in its chaotic state. Precisely this we believe it means in this third verse of Revelation 20. At this time, let it be borne in mind, the earth is a vast charnel-house of desolation and death. The voice of God has shaken it to its foundations, the islands and mountains have been moved out of their places, the great earthquake has leveled to the earth the mightiest works of man, the seven last plagues have left their all-desolating footprints over the earth, the burning glory attending the coming of the Son of man has borne its part in accomplishing the general desolation, the wicked have been given to the slaughter. . . . Thus is the earth made empty and waste, and turned upside down. Isa. 24:1. Thus is it brought back again, partially at least, to its original state of confusion and chaos. See Jer. 4:19-26, especially verse 23. And what better term could be used to describe the earth thus rolling on its course of darkness and desolation for a thousand years, than that of the abyss, or bottomless pit? Here, we understand, Satan will be confined during this time, amid the ruin which, indirectly, his own hands have wrought, unable to flee from his habitation of woe, or to repair in the least degree its hideous ruin.