Crushing the Serpent's Head - Judges for a Thousand Years

 After the thousand years, Satan is released from the abyss for a short while. Why?  Before giving the answer, John brings our attention back to the beginning of that time period. We read: "And I saw thrones, and there were those who sat down on them, and power of judging was given them."  (Revelation 20:4a) Who are these ones sitting on thrones and ruling in the heavens with the glorified Jesus?

They are "the holy ones" that Daniel described as ruling in the Kingdom with the One "like a son of man." (Daniel 7:13, 14, 18)  They are the same as the e24 elders who sit on heavenly thrones in the presence of Jehovah.  (Revelations 4:4)   They include the 12 apostles, to whom Jesus gave the promise:  "In the re-creation, when the Son of man sits down upon his glorious throne,  you who have followed me will also yourselves sit upon 12 thrones. judging the 12 tribes of Israel." (Matthew 19:28)  They also include Paul, as well as the Corinthian Christians who remained faithful.  (1 Corinthians 4:8; 6:2, 3)  They would include too, members of the congregation of Laodicea who conquered. - REVELATION 3:21. 

Thrones -144,000 of them-are prepared for these anointed conquerors who are "bought from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb."  (Revelation 14:1, 4)  Yes, continues John,  "I saw the souls of those executed with the ax for the witness they bore to Jesus and for speaking about God, and those who had worshipped  neither the wild beast nor its image and who had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand." (Revelatioon 20:4b)  Among those kings, then, are the anointed Christian martyrs who earlier, at the opening of the fifth seal, asked John how much longer he would wait to avenge  their blood. At that time, they were given a white robe and told to wait a little longer.  But now they  have been avenged through the devastating of Babylon the Great, the destruction of the nations by the King of kings and Lord of lords, and the abyssing of Satan. - REVELATION 6:9-11; 17:16;19:15, 16. 

 Next time: Crushing the Serpent's Head - Judges for a Thousand Years

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