The 1000 Year Reign of Christ Biblically Explained
Bible Study Guide
The current age as we know it today has come to an end. The 1000 year reign of Christ is about to begin. This is going to be a new age where the order of things are going to be much different than our current age.
The most notable of these things is that Christ has returned as God promised. The government of all nations will rest upon His shoulders. In other words, He will rule mankind for 1000 years. We, the church believers will rule with Him. But, why rule for only a thousand years? There are very good reasons and we’ll explore them a bit later.
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
The prophet Isaiah reveals a great deal of detail about the 1000 year reign of Christ. Even more detail than Revelation 20 which is recorded by John. Explore this Millennium Bible study to learn more.
What Is the Abyss In the Bible?
(Verse 1) God’s heavenly hosts (angels) continue to play a pivotal role in performing God’s work in Revelation. Most appropriately, John sees an angel coming out of heaven in his first recorded scene of the thousand years of Christ’ reign.
This angel is holding two important items that we must come to understand in order to fully grasp the events that are coming. The first item is the key to the Abyss and the other is a great chain.
Notice that the word Abyss is capitalized. It’s because this is not just any abyss as the typical dictionary would define abyss. The Abyss is not an imaginary place or a state of mind. It’s the proper name given to it by God as an actual place.
The term Abyss is used 7 times in the book of Revelation. 3 times in Revelation 9, Once each in Revelation 11 & 17. Then used twice here in Revelation 20.
Revelation 9:2 refers to the Abyss as the “bottomless pit.” The Abyss is not to be confused with the fiery lake of sulfur where the beast (Antichrist) and the false prophet were placed by God as we learned in the previous Bible study. The fiery lake of burning sulfur is the place of eternal damnation. Where our existence on earth is finite, existence in the fiery lake is eternal.
What Is the Abyss?
The Abyss, we learn from scripture is a temporary holding place of evil spirits. Apparently, there were spirits (fallen angels) that were so evil that God prevented them from roaming the earth.
The demons from Luke 8 were in fear of being sent to the Abyss dreading the evil spirits that were bound there.
“For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.” (Luke 8:29-31)
Jude also reminds his readers of the purpose of the Abyss and the chains that bind the evil spirits.
“And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.” (Jude 6)
Let’s take a look to see what the angel is going to need with the key to the Abyss and the chain. This is also not just any chain. This is great chain because it has a very special purpose.
Who Is Thrown Into the Abyss?
(Verses 3-4) The angel seizes his target and with the great chain binds him up. Then with the key to the Abyss casts him into it for a thousand years. This will coincide with the 1000 year reign of Christ.
Notice carefully the opening of verse three. God wants to make it very clear to the reader who is being bound and cast in the Abyss. It’s the dragon, ancient serpent, devil and Satan.
The dragon is a reference to Satan and used 13 times in the New Testament. All of them being in the book of Revelation. Revelation 12 uses this reference to Satan 8 times in the prophecy of the “Woman and the Dragon.”
The ancient serpent goes back to the very beginning of the book of Genesis. This ancient serpent is also a reference to Satan. It’s the first time we see him deceptively appearing to Eve in the garden deceiving her to believe a lie about God.
The terms devil and Satan are used throughout scripture to mean the same fallen angel. In other words, from the beginning to the end and everywhere in between, the ancient serpent, devil, Satan, and dragon all point to the same evil fallen angel (Satan).
The End of Satan’s Deception
Satan has been responsible for the deception of mankind since the beginning. His days are over, he’s bound up and locked up for 1000 years. Why only a thousand years?
Why would Satan be locked up and then released? If you’re like most people, you’re likely scratching your head and trying to make sense of the last part of verse 4. Why would the one who’s opposed God and deceived mankind since the beginning be locked up and then released?
There are many very good reasons for this. We’ll explore what they are in an upcoming Bible study. But notice that he’s only going to be released for a short period. We’ll dig into that a little later.
God Is In Control
Even when we don’t seem to understand all of what God is doing, it’s important to remind ourselves not to worry. God is in control, even when things appear to be out of control.
His plan for the 1000 year reign of Christ is perfect and always moving in the direction of His will. He told us of these things through His prophets. So we must not worry about the future.
“In that day the Lord will punish
the powers in the heavens above
and the kings on the earth below.
22 They will be herded together
like prisoners bound in a dungeon;
they will be shut up in prison
and be punished after many days.
23 The moon will be dismayed,
the sun ashamed;
for the Lord Almighty will reign
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and before its elders—with great glory.” (Isaiah 24:21-23)
“The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
(1 John 3:8)
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