Revelation 20

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Introduction
Throughout Revelation, and specifically chapters 19 and 20 the victory of the risen and exalted Christ is depicted from varying viewpoints rather than a linear sequence of events.  Consequently, readers of Revelation often get stuck on how and when the events of the apocalypse occur rather than the overall theme, which is God's victory over evil, the lordship and royalty of the Godhead, the resurrection of the believer, and the Kingdom of God/Heaven coming to earth.
 
Vs 1 - 3
Vs 1:  An angel comes down from heaven holding in his hand the key to the Abyss or the bottomless pit and a heavy chain to bind Satan. Abyss was thought of as a vast deep cavern that serves as a place of imprisonment for evil spirits awaiting judgment.
 
Vs 2 – 3:  The angel seizes the dragon, that old serpent, the devil, binds him, and throws him into the abyss for 1,000 years.  When trying to decipher the binding of Satan for 1,000 years depends upon whether the passage is taken as descriptive of the present age or of a period that will follow the second coming of Jesus Christ. 
 
1,000 years is a period elected as a thousand years or a long period of time the devil is bound and thrown into the Abyss, which is then locked and sealed. The reason for imprisonment is not intended to punish the dragon. Imprisonment is to stop him from deceiving the nations. A thousand years of confinement does not change the devil’s plans, nor does a thousand years of liberty from the encouragement of wickedness change people’s basic tendency to rebel against their creator.
 
Three views of the Millennium Doctrine

1. Premillennialism – Taking a mostly literal approach, pre-millenarians expect a period of one thousand years’ duration, during which Christ will reign with his saints here on earth prior to the establishment of the eternal new heavens and new earth[1]
2. Postmillennialism – Christ returns after the millennial period. According to this camp, the millennial kingdom will be established through the evangelistic mission of the church. This enterprise will be so successful that all or most people will become Christians, resulting in a thousand years of peace on earth before Christ’s second coming.[2]
3. Amillennialism – The thousand years of Revelation 20 symbolizes an indefinitely long period of time, which happens to correspond to the entire span of time from the first coming of Christ until his second coming. Most aspects of chapter 20 (like most aspects of the rest of Revelation) are believed to be symbolic. The binding of Satan happened spiritually at the Cross; the reign of the saints is the present age; the loosing of Satan is a final period of deception coming on the world in the end of the age; the fire from heaven that devours the wicked is the second coming of Christ.[3]

 
Vs 4 - 6
Vs 4: John sees thrones with people sitting on them, and they are the faithful martyrs who willingly and obediently gave their lives rather than worship the beast or receive his mark. We do not know much about the people on the thrones other than they have been given the authority to judge. Their judgment does not relate to the question of who is worthy to be resurrected and share in the millennial reign with Christ.
 
The judgement appears to be connected to the vindication of the martyrs and their right to undertake the territory of the defeated powers of evil. John also sees the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and the word of God.They are the ones who stayed faithful to God and refused to worship the Beast and the False Prophet/idolatry. “These are the souls under the altar in 6:9 and all who are to meet a similar fate until the time of their vindication (6:11). They are called souls because, at this point, they are still awaiting the resurrection.”[4] Note, John does not speak of a reign of all saints, instead, he refers to the reign of the martyrs.  Lastly, John does not relate this reign with Jesus’ second coming.  He doesn’t refer to his return at all in this chapter.  Instead, like previously stated, John is recording what he is seeing, and it is simply giving us a behind-the-scenes glimpse. 
 
Vs 5 – 6: Those who partake in the first resurrection are called “blessed and holy”.  They are priests of God, they will reign for the thousand years or period of time, and the second death has no power of them.
 
Vs 7 - 10
Vs 7 - 8:  Satan is released from his chains, and he picks up where he left off.  He goes out and does what he does best… deceives the nations.  He assembles an army to wage war on God.
 
In Revelation, both Gog and Magog are symbols that represent the nations that are against God and assemble for one final attack on God and his people.
 
These are not specific regions; they represent nations across the world who oppose God.
 
Vs 9:  The nations that are allied with Satan surround the city where God’s people rside.  We anticipate a great battle, but none ever comes, instead, the enemies of God are consumed by fire from heaven. 
 
Vs 10:  The devil does not suffer the same fate as his followers.  He is cast into the lake of fire of burning sulfur.  He will join both the Antichrist and False Prophet.  In this lake, they will be tormented day and night for all eternity. The lake of fire was always intended for the dragon/devil, the beast, and the false prophet.
 
Vs 11 - 15
Vs 11:  This is the final scene of judgment. 
John looks and sees a Great White Throne descending from the heavens.  There is one seated on the throne, who is most likely God, and all creation flees from his presence, because of his awesome grandeur. 
The symbolism behind this is to show God is in charge and he will implement justice upon all that is under the control of evil.
 
In its departure from the presence of God, no place is found for the terrified universe.
 
Vs 12: The rest of the dead the “great and the small” all stand before God. 
 
This shows that no one is so important that they are immune from judgment, and that no one is so unimportant as to make judgment inappropriate. 
 
There is a book with deeds written in it and the other is the book of life. 
 
Concerning the deeds, the issue is not that salvation is attained by works but that works are the evidence of a person’s relationship with God. Our deeds matter. Salvation is by faith and obedience, and faith is revealed by the works of obedience it produces. The second is the book of life.  This would be considered a divine registry.  If one’s name is not written in it, they are thrown are not permitted into God’s Kingdom.
 
Vs 13- 15:  The sea now gives up its dead, as do death and Hades, and all people are judged based on what they have done. The sea is specifically mentioned to show that no one—not even those whose bodies had gone unburied because lost at sea—would escape resurrection and judgment. The lake of fire is the second death.  Anyone whose name is not written in the book of life will suffer the fate of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. 
 
This concludes the judgment of evil.  The church reigns triumphant with the Messiah.
 

[1] Steve Gregg, Revelation, Four Views: A Parallel Commentary (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers, 1997), 27.
[2] Steve Gregg, Revelation, Four Views: A Parallel Commentary (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers, 1997), 28.
[3] Steve Gregg, Revelation, Four Views: A Parallel Commentary (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers, 1997), 28.
[4] Mounce, R. H. (1997). The Book of Revelation (p. 365). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

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