Revelation 20: Peace, Testing & the Final Judgment

• v.1-6 The Thousand Years
• v.7-10 The Judgment of Satan
• v.11-15 The Judgment of the Dead. i.e. the Final Judgment

v.1-6 The Thousand Years

v.1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.

v.2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

v.3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

v.4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

v.5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.

v.6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

[Note: An angel is shown with authority over Satan, and Satan is bound for a thousand years; he is locked up in the underworld to free the world from his activities and then is released for a short time. This is a time when the martyrs reign and all others who had died remain out of sight during this period. This is called ‘the first resurrection’ when all the martyrs of history come alive again to reign.]

[Additional Note: These verses, which have attracted much controversy over the years, reveal

• Satan being bound for a thousand years (v.1-3)
• the martyrs of history are resurrected to reign for this period

In v.19 of the previous chapter were revealed a rebel army being defeated but presumably there were still many humans still alive who had not been soldiers which would account for ‘the nations’ of v.8 that follows. Satan being released [see below] is surely to reveal those with hearts still not committed to God and vulnerable to Satan’s persuasive activities of deception.]

v.7-10 The Judgment of Satan

v.7,8 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.

v.9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

v.10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

[Note: After this period, Satan is released to deceive those who will be deceived and lead them astray and they go to war against God’s people but are destroyed by fire from heaven. The devil then joins the other two demonic beings in the lake of fire.]

[Additional Note: After his period of further deception and Satan is finally cast down, we should note that he, the Beast and the false prophet are the only ones recorded who suffer eternal punishment. [That is not said of any human, only that they be burnt up in the fire that goes on for ever, ever available for such judgment.] Although, after the Final Judgment [see below], all unbelievers are thrown into the lake of fire there is no mention of them continuing there eternally. Fire usually burns up material beings and so all humans will thus be utterly burnt up and destroyed in the lake and it is only the three spirit-beings who remain there eternally]

v.11-15 The Judgment of the Dead. i.e. the Final Judgment

v.11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.

v.12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

v.13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.

v.14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.

v.15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

[Note: Everything disappears from before God’s throne [except people], and the dead are brought before the throne and records noted of how they had lived. Everyone who had died, by whatever means, was brought before God to be judged, and all past ‘waiting rooms’ were destroyed and all unbelievers are finally annihilated.]

[Additional Note: ‘Human existence’ appears here in three ‘periods’ although outside of time, perhaps ‘stages’ is a better word to use:

• Being born and existing in human life on earth.
• Death – the stage between the other two stages
• Raised for Judgment – to appear before the Final Judgment.

In the ongoing-ness of this last stage, believers continue into eternity with God, and unbelievers are destroyed and cease to be. Perhaps one has to add that we are speaking of things outside of time, and so when Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “TODAY you will be with me in paradise” (Lk 23:43), that may be a glimpse of the ‘outside-of-time’ nature of these things, so that we may appear (instantly) in heaven the moment we die. We will not know for sure until it happens!!!]

For those who may wish to make a study of this chapter, to perhaps think some more about what you have been reading, use the link below: