Chapter 20
Satan is bound for a thousand years
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 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.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 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.
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 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.
9 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.
10 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 for ever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life (21:27) was cast into the lake of fire.
Comment
The time setting for this chapter spanning a thousand years comes immediately after Armageddon and Christ's second coming (Chapter 19). Satan is bound for a thousand year period and released at the end to gather his armies which are finally destroyed by Christ. Immediately there follows the Great White Throne judgment at which all those who have rejected God throughout past history are condemned to everlasting punishment. Following this event chapters 20 and 21 describe the creation of a new heaven and a new earth.
1, 2 On a mission from Heaven an angel overpowers satan and conveys him to the abode of demons where he is restrained. For 'bottomless pit' see note on 9:1.
3 Being restrained and incarcerated in the bottomless pit satan will have no power to influence those living during the thousand year reign, until the very end when he will be released (v 7) for a final short (little season) rebellion.
4 Who are those who will join satan for the final rebellion? They will be the offspring of believers who will survive the Great Tribulation. Unlike the former, those who will be martyred for their faith during the Tribulation will live in resurrected bodies with Christ's raptured Church (1 Corinthians 6:2; 2 Timothy 2:12) throughout the millennium and afterwards. Tribulation saints will have resisted the 'beast' unto death, not necessarily by decapitation, since such terminology in John's time was used to describe executed martyrs. They will share in rule with Christ for one thousand years. Old testament saints will also be raised to experience the millennial reign (Daniel 12:2,3; Revelation 20:4-6)
Throughout scripture when 'year' is used in conjunction with a number its meaning is always literal - hence the premillennial view that Christ will come before His thousand year reign on earth (see introduction at the beginning of Revelation).
5 All the unsaved at the beginning of the millennial period will remain in the place of separation from God (Hades - Luke 16:23) until the Great White Throne judgment (vv 11-13). Those who are raised to the first resurrection for life on earth during the millennium will be blessed (14:13;19:9;20:6). There will be another resurrection - to condemnation (John 5:29; also see Daniel 12:2; Acts 24:15). The resurrection to life will include: the redeemed of the church age (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18); those of faith in the Old Testament times (Daniel 12:2); and the tribulation saints (v 4).
6 Those who will be raised at the first resurrection will never die. They will share in the priesthood of Christ and of God to reign for 1,000 years. These believers will not be subject to the 'second death' (v 14).
7 At the end of the millennium satan will be released from his imprisonment (v 2).
8 As always, satan will 'deceive'. Countless unbelievers (the offspring of those who survive the Tribulation) from throughout the world will join satan for the final showdown.
9 This satanic army will encircle God's people in and around Jerusalem, but it's a one-sided event because fire will be brought down from heaven for their total destruction (Compare Genesis 19:24;2 Kings 1:10,12,14;Luke 9:54;17:29).
10 Finally satan will be banished to the 'lake of fire' (19:20) where he will be reunited with the beast and the false prophet for eternal punishment (14:10,11).
11 - 13 The final judgment of all unbelievers is described here. There is no mention of believers being present. Indeed, since they will not come under judgment there is no reason for them to be there (John 5:24; Romans 5:16,18; 8:1).
11 This will be a unique and final judgment when all unsaved people will come before God (5:13;6:16) in the Person of the resurrected Jesus (21:5,6;John 5:22-29). There will be no place to hide. In 2 Peter 3:10 the apostle explains what will happen as the world comes to its end before God creates a new heaven and earth. (Matthew 24:35).
12 The judgment of the unsaved will be in accordance with what is written in the 'books' - not the 'book of life'. The 'book of life' contains the names of those chosen of God because of His love and mercy. It will confirm - by the absence of their names - those who will deserve eternal punishment.
13 All unsaved people will be judged according to their works (v 12).
14 The ultimate tool of satan, 'death' - spiritual and physical, because of Adam's sin - will be done away with. Likewise 'hell' (Hades) will be destroyed, but the 'second death' will exist in the 'lake of fire'.
15 The 'book of life' will be testimony to God's righteousness, containing only the names of those saved by the blood of the Lamb (Philippians 4:3;Revelation 3:5;17:8;20:12;21:27;22:19).
Once again, thank you for sharing these important teachings of John.
May our studies be for the glory of God, His worship, adoration and the extension of His kingdom.
My prayer, if you do not know Him, is that the Holy Spirit will enliven your soul to everlasting life, to the praise and glory of His Name.
If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to get in touch by E-mail to me, Bill Serjeant, at: w.serjeant@btinternet.com