About This Chapter: Revelation chapter twenty begins with Satan’s thousand-year confinement within the bottomless pit and his later release. John then encounters the souls of the martyrs who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. After this, Satan is released and gathers people from across the earth for battle. Following his defeat, he is cast into the lake of fire where he will be tormented eternally. The chapter concludes with the appearance of a Great White Throne before which all humanity will stand before God in judgment.
Revelation 20:1–3 — Satan is Cast Into the Bottomless Pit
Revelation 20:4–6 — Christ’s Millennial Reign
Revelation 20:7–10 — Satan Leads A Global Rebellion
Revelation 20:11–15 — The Great White Throne
Revelation 20:1–3 — Satan is Cast Into the Bottomless Pit
Revelation chapter twenty represents one of the greatest, or one of the most terrifying chapters in the Biblical record- and the path to one of those responses will largely depend on the choices we make today.
Our text from Revelation chapter twenty is divided into four distinct sections. The first section details Satan’s capture and subsequent imprisonment for a period of one thousand years. The next section identifies the roles and responsibilities that God will assign to His people during that era. Section three chronicles Satan’s release from prison, with predictable results. That will eventually lead to his permanent incarceration with the beast and the false prophet in the lake of fire and brimstone. The last section addresses the subject of Judgment Day.
“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while” (Revelation 20:1-3).
This section begins by identifying one of the primary characters in this chapter along with a few of his aliases: “…the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan” (ESV). We should note that the same being who initially appeared as a serpent in the first book of the Bible has now grown to become a dragon in the last book of the Bible.
It is also interesting to note that the task of capturing the devil was not entrusted to a group of angelic beings or a powerful archangel like Michael. Instead, it fell to a single unidentified angel, thus suggesting that the dragon’s power had been curtailed. However, the fact that this unknown angel had to “seize” him (CSB) implies that he didn’t want to go. One potential explanation for his reluctance appears in verse three: “He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him” (NIV).
This reference to “the Abyss” (or “bottomless pit“) appeared earlier in Revelation chapter nine. There, it served as the exit point for a group of demonic locust creatures who emerged to torture those who had rejected God. The Abyss was also the point of origin for the beast who executed God’s two witnesses as mentioned earlier in Revelation chapter eleven.
So the Abyss is clearly a horrific place, and it will serve as the penitentiary where Satan will be held in custody for a period of one thousand years. We’ll explore the purpose behind that sentence over the course of this chapter.
“And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while” (Revelation 20:2-3).
So what was the purpose behind the devil’s confinement to the Abyss (or pit)? The answer to that question appears in the midst of Revelation 20:3: “This was to keep him from continuing to deceive the nations until the thousand years were over” (CEB). This brief passage alerts us to the fact that deception is one of the most useful and effective weapons in the enemy’s arsenal.
We can illustrate that unfortunate reality with a look at some deceptive philosophies and their Biblical comparisons. For example…
- You only live once (compare with Revelation 20:11-15).
- The ends justify the means (1 Peter 1:15-16).
- If it feels good, do it, or, If it feels right, it can’t be wrong (Proverbs 14:12).
- Follow your heart (Jeremiah 17:9).
- Do unto others before they do unto you (a falsification of Jesus’ counsel from Luke 6:31).
These philosophies all share a common issue: they each begin with a flawed premise. For instance, some of those philosophies tacitly deny the existence of a righteous Creator or reduce the concepts of “good” and “right” to nothing more than human preference. Others are fueled by a misguided type of “wisdom” that mistakenly presumes that we will never be called to account for the choices we make. Those who hold that belief would do well to skip ahead to the end of Revelation chapter twenty.
Nevertheless, the Scriptures provide us with a standard that can help us identify such false and deceptive philosophies. We find that standard in the Old Testament book of Proverbs: “For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding” (Proverbs 9:10 TLB).
This standard tells us we must approach the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom with an attitude of respect for our Creator. As we’re also reminded in the New Testament book of James, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).
Any quest for wisdom that begins with these flawed premises (or others like them) is certain to run afoul of the heartfelt admonition given to us in Colossians 2:4: “I am telling you this so that no one will be able to deceive you with persuasive arguments” (NLT).
Image Attribution: Jerry Stratton / http://hoboes.com/Mimsy
Revelation 20:4–6 — Christ’s Millennial Reign
“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4-6)
Our text from Revelation 20:4 references “…thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge“ (NET). Two Biblical passages allude to the identities of these authorities. One is found in Jesus’ message to the church at Thyatira from earlier in Revelation chapter two: “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations” (Revelation 2:26). The other comes to us from 2 Timothy 2:12: “If we endure, We shall also reign with Him.” These verses point to future leadership roles for God’s people with authority granted to them by Jesus Himself.
Revelation 20:4 then continues with a rather enigmatic statement: “…I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded” followed by, “They came to life…” (NIV). So, how should we understand these references in the context of eternity? As with many such questions, the first step involves defining our terms.
We can begin with this reference to the “souls” of these individuals. In the original language of this passage, the word translated “soul” is “psuche.” This word serves as the ancestral foundation of modern-day terms such as “psychology” and “psychoanalysis.” In this context, the word “soul” is used to identify the individual personalities that characterize each human being.
This wide-ranging definition covers the spectrum of our emotions, from love and hate to indifference. It also reflects our talents, skills, and abilities, as well as the traits and characteristics we’ve inherited or cultivated. Finally, the soul is comprised of our will, our intellect, and all the attributes that differentiate every human person, past, present, and future. In short, we can associate the soul with the “you” inside your body.
When a man or woman of God passes from this earthly life, he or she enters into God’s presence according to 2 Corinthians 5:8: “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” While opinions vary regarding when God’s people will acquire the eternal, glorified bodies He has promised, our fellowship with God in His presence will never comprise less than our souls. Well see how those glorified bodies may relate to this passage next.
“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who 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 for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4 ESV).
If “…to be absent from the body [is] to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8), then how can it be said that these individuals “came to life“? The answer may involve the glorified bodies that God has promised to His people in eternity.
The New Testament book of 1 Corinthians features an extensive discourse on that subject in chapter fifteen. There, we learn that God will provide His people with physical bodies that are perfectly suited for eternal life with Him. These bodies will never grow old, never become sick, never get weary, and never die. While we all must face the physiological limitations and constraints that are imposed upon us today, these glorified bodies will face no such restrictions.
Thus, God will furnish His people with bodies that will enable them to fulfill His highest purposes in eternity. This is the future that awaits those who are in Christ, for death holds no power over a body that can never perish. Jesus is our forerunner in this regard, and God will similarly equip His people for eternal life with Him.
That future reality may correspond with the “first resurrection” mentioned in the following verse…
“The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection” (Revelation 20:5).
Biblical scholars refer to this thousand-year period as the “millennial reign” of Christ. As mentioned earlier, these verses foreshadow a future period when God will delegate oversight responsibilities to His people. But this inevitably leads to a question: who will be subject to their oversight, and in what capacity? In response, we can return to the reasoning behind the devil’s incarceration as stated earlier in Revelation 20:3: “This was to keep him from continuing to deceive the nations until the thousand years were over” (CEB).
If national entities continue to exist during this millennial period, then we can assume these leadership responsibilities will involve those nations, at least in part. We’ll take a closer look at this millennial reign of Christ in our next study.
“This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:5-6 NLT).
During His earthly ministry, Jesus’ disciples once approached Him with a request: “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). The following verses provide us with Jesus’ response to that question…
“So He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one” (Luke 11:2-4).
The global conditions that accompany the millennial reign of Christ will reflect an answer to that prayer. God’s will shall be done during that period and the national people groups that continue into that era will experience what it means to live in a world that functions under His benevolent oversight. In short, this will be the world as it should have been.
While it may seem difficult to contemplate today, let’s consider a world where truthfulness, righteousness, and godliness are the normal state of affairs. Imagine a realm where every form of entertainment honored God. Think of how it would be to live in a world where governments, businesses, and individuals truly worked for everyone’s mutual benefit.
How would it feel to live in an environment where no one had to lock their belongings? How would life be if our occupations were a pleasure, and our work efforts brought genuine satisfaction? Picture a social media environment where every interaction is truthful, supportive, and affirming, while newscasts had no robberies, wars, or natural disasters to report. These “what if” scenarios offer a glimpse into the characteristics that will define the millennial reign of Christ.
Unfortunately, we’ll soon discover that the devil’s corresponding prison sentence did little to rehabilitate him…
“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea” (Revelation 20:7-8).
We’ll consider the ramifications of those actions next.
Revelation 20:7–10 — Satan Leads A Global Rebellion
“And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.
And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:7-10 ESV).
In the opening verses of Revelation chapter twenty, we read how our author saw “…an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key to the bottomless pit and a large chain in his hand. He overpowered the serpent, that ancient snake, named Devil and Satan. The angel chained up the serpent for 1,000 years” (Revelation 20:1-2 GW).
Given what we know about the devil, we might ask why he was incarcerated for this relatively brief thousand year period. For instance, why was he not imprisoned for ten thousand years? Or a million years? Why was he released at all? To answer those questions, it’s helpful to examine the relationships that will exist among the various governments and national populations in the millennial era.
We can begin by establishing several parameters based on our text from this chapter:
- Jesus will reign for a thousand years (verse four).
- Those who were previously beheaded “…for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God” under the administration of the beast will reign with Christ (verse four).
- Judgment will be committed to others during that period, likely those who have served God through the ages (verse four).
- National people groups will exist during that era (verses three and eight).
With these things in mind, we can say that the citizens of these nations will live under the direct oversight of Christ and His designated representatives. Those individuals (and their children) will live in societies that are just (because Jesus is in charge) and free of sinful temptations (because the devil has been imprisoned). Everyone’s conduct will honor God during that period because there will be no other options. That is, until the devil is released from captivity.
Much like the events that unfolded in the Garden of Eden’s perfect environment, humanity will face a choice once again during this period. Will these members of the human family serve God willingly with an attitude of love and respect, or will they serve His adversary? Revelation 20:8-9 tells us that a human population who “…will be as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore” (GW) will choose that latter path with disastrous results.
Revelation 20:8 references “Gog and Magog,” two regional entities that rose to prominence in the Old Testament book of the prophet Ezekiel. In Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, “Gog and Magog” are enemies from the north that attack the nation of Israel. This area is traditionally associated with the lands presently inhabited by the Russian Federation and its surrounding regions. Since this portion of Scripture also references nations that hail from “the four corners of the earth,” this may simply represent all those who are intent on rebelling against God.
So, even in the pristine environment that Jesus will establish during this millennial period, the devil will still manage to instigate a vast rebellion against Him. Revelation 20:9 then continues by saying, “They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves” (NIV). This seems to indicate that a relatively small number of God-honoring individuals will retreat to their last stronghold, likely Jerusalem (or, the “beloved city” [ESV]).
But shortly thereafter, “…fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them” (NLT). Thus, we can say that God will personally end this confrontation before it begins. But what of the ringleader behind that insurrection? Well, he will be sentenced in the following verse…
“and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10 ESV).
The following commentator addresses the “forever” aspect of that sentence…
“The torment experienced in Hell is eternal, and for some, this still seems inequitable compared to the finite and limited sins that we might commit here on earth. So let’s address the issue of the duration of the punishment. First, it’s important for us to remember the severity of a crime does not always have anything to do with the amount of time it takes to commit it.
If I embezzle five dollars a day from my boss over the course of five years, I might eventually get caught and pay the penalty… But if I become enraged at a coworker and in the blink of an eye I lose my temper and kill him, the crime is now murder… This crime took much less than five years to commit. It only took five seconds. Yet the penalty for this crime is far greater…
The penalties for these two crimes are very different, and they have nothing to do with the duration of the actual criminal act. Instead, the severity of the crime is the key to determining its punishment. It’s the same way with God. The duration of the crime has little to do with the duration of the penalty. It’s all about the severity of the crime.” (1)
(1) Excerpted from J. Warner Wallace, Can The Existence and Nature of Hell Be Defended? (Free Bible Insert), Retrieved 5 June 2020 from https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/can-the-existence-and-nature-of-hell-be-defended-free-bible-insert/
Revelation 20:11–15 — The Great White Throne
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15).
This passage has been come to be known as “The Great White Throne Judgment” based on the description we find here in Revelation 20:11. “Great” signifies authority, “white” symbolizes purity, and the throne denotes the sovereign power of a king. In a poetic testament to those majestic qualities, God’s imposing presence caused even the earth and sky to flee away.
We should note that this judicial process will assess “…the dead, both small and great.” This tells us that the recognition, power, wealth, status, or influence we enjoy now will have no influence then. Who you are now will not matter in that eternal court. Instead, what you are now will serve as the deciding factor then. One commentator makes a critical observation in this regard…
“It is sobering to realize that Scripture represents the state of unbelievers after death as a fixed state. There is no second chance (Ecclesiastes 11:3; Luke 16:19-31; John 8:21,24; 2 Peter 2:4,9; Jude 7,13). The Scriptures also reveal that the condemnation of unbelievers is determined by actions done during mortal life (especially the action of rejecting Christ)…” (1)
Another source adds a comment that is worthy of our attention…
“Judgment is not a popular theme today, but the Bible teaches that judgment is coming. Do you look forward to Christ’s return, or do you see it as a threat? As sure as death itself, judgment awaits. At God’s judgment there will be no higher court of appeal should the verdict not be to your liking. If you hope for a favorable verdict in this court, put your hope entirely on Jesus. Pray today-now if you haven’t before-for the freedom and pardon Jesus has won for you.” (2)
Portions of this study originally appeared here
(1) Ron Rhodes, Heaven: The Undiscovered Country: Exploring the Wonder of the Afterlife pg.47
(2) Life Application Study Bible [Hebrews 9:27] Copyright © 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2004 by Tyndale House Publishers Inc., all rights reserved.
The final verses of Revelation chapter twenty speak of a judicial inquiry where “…Several books were opened, and then the book of life was opened. The dead were judged by what those books said they had done” (Revelation 20:12 CEV). In contrast to a human legal proceeding, this judicial process will not seek to ascertain the facts of our lives. Those facts are already known, for they are recorded within these books. So unlike a legal hearing that seeks to adjudicate the facts of a case, this portion of Scripture depicts the rendering of a sentence.
To underscore the universal nature of that proceeding, Revelation 20:13 tells us that “…important and unimportant people” (GW) were recalled from the sea, the burial grave, and from Hades (the abode of the dead) to stand before this throne. Revelation 20:14-15 then closes this chapter by saying, “…death and the world of the dead were thrown into the lake of fire. (This lake of fire is the second death). Those who did not have their name written in the book of the living were thrown into the lake of fire” (GNT).
This horrific imagery has led one commentator to confront some difficult truths…
“There is no biblical concept more grim or terror-invoking than the idea of hell. It is so unpopular with us that few would give credence to it at all except that it comes to us from the teaching of Christ Himself. Almost all the biblical teaching about hell comes from the lips of Jesus. It is this doctrine, perhaps more than any other, that strains even the Christian’s loyalty to the teaching of Christ.
Modern Christians have pushed the limits of minimizing hell in an effort to sidestep or soften Jesus’ own teaching. The Bible describes hell as a place of outer darkness, a lake of fire, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, a place of eternal separation from the blessings of God, a prison, a place of torment where the worm doesn’t turn or die.
These graphic images of eternal punishment provoke the question, should we take these descriptions literally or are they merely symbols? I suspect they are symbols, but I find no relief in that. We must not think of them as being merely symbols. It is probable that the sinner in hell would prefer a literal lake of fire as his eternal abode to the reality of hell represented in the lake of fire image.
If these images are indeed symbols, then we must conclude that the reality is worse than the symbol suggests. The function of symbols is to point beyond themselves to a higher or more intense state of actuality than the symbol itself can contain. That Jesus used the most awful symbols imaginable to describe hell is no comfort to those who see them simply as symbols.” (1)
(1) Sproul, R. C. (1992). Essential truths of the Christian faith. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House. Page 21.