Revelation · chapter 20 of 22
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Revelation 20 tells how an angel binds Satan for a thousand years and shuts him in the abyss, while the faithful reign with Christ in what is called the first resurrection. When the thousand years end, Satan is released, deceives the nations and is defeated by fire from heaven, and is thrown into the lake of fire. Then John sees the great white throne: the dead are judged according to their deeds and anyone not found in the book of life is thrown into the lake of fire.
This chapter contains the only passage in the Bible that mentions the thousand years, or millennium. It is also one of the most debated texts in the history of the church. Christians faithful to Scripture have held different positions on its meaning, and it is healthy to study it with humility. What all share is that Christ defeats Satan, judges with justice and reigns forever.
John sees an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the abyss and a great chain. He seizes the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, binds him for a thousand years, throws him into the abyss, shuts it and seals it so that he might not deceive the nations until the thousand years are ended. After that he must be released for a little while (vv. 1-3).
John sees thrones, with those seated on them who were given authority to judge, and the souls of those beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and of those who had not worshiped the beast or received its mark. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed is the one who shares in it: the second death has no power over them, they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him (vv. 4-6).
When the thousand years are ended, Satan is released and goes out to deceive the nations, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; they are like the sand of the sea. They surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire comes down from heaven and consumes them. The devil is thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are (vv. 7-10).
John sees a great white throne and the one seated on it, from whose presence earth and sky flee away. The dead, great and small, stand before the throne, books are opened, and another book, the book of life, and they are judged according to their deeds. The sea, Death and Hades give up their dead. Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second death, and so is anyone not found written in the book of life (vv. 11-15).
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
An angel binds the dragon, the ancient serpent, for a thousand years. When and how this happens is debated, but the text shows that Satan's power is limited by God and that his deception of the nations can be restrained.
Those who were faithful unto death live and reign with Christ for a thousand years. The text gives hope to the martyrs and to all who suffer for their faith: God will vindicate them and they will reign with their Lord.
The devil is thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are. It is the definitive defeat of the enemy who deceived the nations, and it seals the end of his influence.
Before the great white throne, the dead are judged by what is written in the books according to their deeds, and another book is opened, the book of life. The judgment is just and complete, and the book of life points to salvation as the work of God's grace.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: The key to the abyss and a great chain. — Revelation 20:1
Answer: For a thousand years. — Revelation 20:2
Answer: They come to life and reign with him for a thousand years. — Revelation 20:4
Answer: None; they are priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him. — Revelation 20:6
Answer: Fire comes down from heaven and consumes them. — Revelation 20:9
Answer: He is thrown into the lake of fire. — Revelation 20:15
Revelation 20 reminds us that the final judgment is real and that God is just. This calls us to live with seriousness and hope: seriousness, because our deeds matter; hope, because the book of life expresses God's grace for his own. A group can talk about how to speak of judgment without manipulative fear or indifference.
The debate over the thousand years invites humility. It is possible to love Christ and differ with other believers on this matter. What is essential is to hold what all share: Christ will conquer, death will be destroyed and the faithful will reign with him. That strengthens perseverance far more than any calculation of dates.
Revelation 20 ends with Death and Hades thrown into the lake of fire, and the final judgment complete. In chapter 21 John sees a new heaven and a new earth, and the new Jerusalem coming down from God.
There are three main readings. One expects Christ to return before a literal thousand-year reign on earth. Another understands the thousand years as the symbolic time between Christ's first and second coming, in which Satan is restrained and the faithful reign with him. A third expects the gospel to progressively transform the world before Christ returns. Faithful Christians hold each one.
The names come from a prophecy of Ezekiel about a coalition hostile to Israel. In Revelation they designate the deceived nations that rebel against God at the end. They are understood as a symbol of the final rebellion of evil, which God defeats without a prolonged battle.
The text identifies it with the lake of fire, final separation from God. The first death is physical; the second is the final judgment. Those who share in the first resurrection are free from it, which speaks of the security of those who belong to Christ.