Where Jesus interjects in the middle of the narrative

IT DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN WHAT THEY SAY IT MEANS

IT ALWAYS MEANS WHAT THE BIBLICAL TEXT ITSELF SAYS IT MEANS

(REVELATION 20:4-6 FOLLOWS FURTHER DOWN BELOW THIS)

1. THEME: PROMISES TO THOSE WHO OVERCOME.

2. THEME: THOSE WHO HAD WORSHIPPED THE BEAST vs. THOSE WHO HAD NOT WORSHIPPED THE BEAST.

3. SOMETHING ABOUT REVELATION CHAPTER 20 THAT SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED. 

1. THEME: PROMISES TO THOSE WHO OVERCOME

1. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give him to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." (Rev.2:7)

2. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death. (Rev.2:11)

3. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give to him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows except he who receives it. (Rev.2:17)

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4. And he who overcomes and keeps My works to the end, to him I will give power over the nations. And he will rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter they will be broken to pieces, even as I received from My Father. And I will give him the Morning Star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Rev.2:26-29).

5. The one who overcomes, that one will be clothed in white clothing. And I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Rev.3:5-6).

6. "Him who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will go out no more. And I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, New Jerusalem, which comes down out of Heaven from My God, and My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Rev.3:12-13). 

As we can see from the above, and from the message to the seventh church (further below), each time He spoke directly to His seven churches (at the beginning of His Revelation to the churches), Jesus closed with a promise TO THOSE WHO OVERCOME. 

After the seventh and last time, He is not recorded as talking directly to His churches again until He interjects John's vision of the 6th bowl of wrath to say:

Revelation 16:15:

"Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is the one who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."

The last time He spoke directly to His churches He said:

(THEME: keeping our garments lest we walk naked) 

Revelation 3:

And unto the angel of the Assembly of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the head of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

 

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

I counsel you to buy from Me gold tried in the fire, so that you may be rich; and white clothing, so that you may be clothed, and so that the shame of your nakedness does not appear. 

And anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me. 

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame and have sat down with My Father in His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Rev.3:14-22).

Revelation 16:15:

"Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is the one who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame."

(THEME: THRONES)

"And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Matthew 19:28).

Revelation 3:21-22

"To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame and have sat down with My Father in His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

"Immediately I was in the Spirit, and a throne was standing in heaven with someone seated on it! And the one seated on it was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow looking like it was made of emerald encircled the throne.

In a circle around the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on those thrones were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white clothing and had golden crowns [stephanos] on their heads." (Revelation 4:2-4).

Revelation 20:4, 5b & 6:

"Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. 

They were alive [zao] and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who takes part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years."

2. THEME: THOSE WHO HAD WORSHIPPED THE BEAST

vs. THOSE WHO HAD NOT WORSHIPPED THE BEAST.

The Revelation of Jesus Christ has a great deal to say about the rise of "the beast" from the abyss who will war against the saints in the days preceding Christ's judgment of the same beast and his false prophet, saying things like:

If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark in his forehead or in his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the anger of God, having been mixed undiluted in the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented by fire and brimstone before the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. And they have no rest day or night, those who worship the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. – Revelation 14:9-11.	And all dwelling on the earth will worship it, those whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain, from the foundation of the world. – Revelation 13:8. And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire. -- Revelation 20:15.
Here is the endurance of the saints. Here are the ones who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. -- Revelation 14:9-12.	But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, will have their part in the Lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. -- Revelation 21:8.
"The beast was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them. He was given ruling authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation." (Revelation of John 13:7)	"When they have completed their testimony, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war on them and conquer them and kill them." (Revelation of John 11:7)
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive [záō] into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. – Revelation 19:20. Záō always = “alive in the body” in the New Testament (without exception). And the rest [loipoí] were slain [apokteínō] with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. -- Revelation 19:21. apokteínō means to put to death, to kill, to slay, to destroy.	And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads, nor in their hands.  And they were alive [záō] and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest [loipoí] of the dead did not live again [anazáō] until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection of the body [anástasis].  Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years.  -- Revelation 20:4-6.

3. SOMETHING ABOUT REVELATION CHAPTER 20 

THAT SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED

Revelation 20:4-6 is sandwiched in-between the following statement:

(A) "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the abyss 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 abyss, 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."

(B) "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, 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 .. 

.. 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 to the ages of the ages." (Revelation 20:1-3 & 7-10).

The verses in-between the above statement (Revelation 20:4-6) do not exist in isolation from the rest of the book of Revelation: Revelation 20:4-6 is linked to:

Revelation 13:7-8 & 15-18; Revelation 14:9-13; and Revelation 11:7-12.

What is stated in Revelation 20:4-6 is therefore key to dating the commencement of the thousand years, because the fact that those spoken about in Revelation 20:4 & 6 were beheaded because they "had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands" places the date of the commencement of the thousand years in a time that will follow the ascending of the beast from the abyss at the close of this age, and after the return of Christ - when the beast is defeated and thrown alive into the lake of fire (the only reasonable reading of the text does this). 

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