Reflections on Revelation 20

 

Revelation 20 (Contemporary English Version)
1. I saw an angel come down from heaven, carrying the key to the deep pit and a big chain.
   
2. He chained the dragon for a thousand years. It is that old snake, who is also known as the devil and Satan.
   
3. Then the angel threw the dragon into the pit. He locked and sealed it, so that a thousand years would go by before the dragon could fool the nations again. But after that, it would have to be set free for a little while.
   
4. I saw thrones, and sitting on those thrones were the ones who had been given the right to judge. I also saw the souls of the people who had their heads cut off because they had told about Jesus and preached God's message. They were the same ones who had not worshiped the beast or the idol, and they had refused to let its mark be put on their hands or foreheads. They will come to life and rule with Christ for a thousand years.
   
5. These people are the first to be raised to life, and they are especially blessed and holy. The second death has no power over them. They will be priests for God and Christ and will rule with them for a thousand years. No other dead people were raised to life until a thousand years later.
   
6. (SEE 20:5)
   
7. At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be set free.
   
8. He will fool the countries of Gog and Magog, which are at the far ends of the earth, and their people will follow him into battle. They will have as many followers as there are grains of sand along the beach,
   
9. and they will march all the way across the earth. They will surround the camp of God's people and the city that his people love. But fire will come down from heaven and destroy the whole army.
   
10. Then the devil who fooled them will be thrown into the lake of fire and burning sulfur. He will be there with the beast and the false prophet, and they will be in pain day and night forever and ever.
    
11. I saw a great white throne with someone sitting on it. Earth and heaven tried to run away, but there was no place for them to go.
    
12. I also saw all the dead people standing in front of that throne. Every one of them was there, no matter who they had once been. Several books were opened, and then the book of life was opened. The dead were judged by what those books said they had done.
    
13. The sea gave up the dead people who were in it, and death and its kingdom also gave up their dead. Then everyone was judged by what they had done.
    
14. Afterwards, death and its kingdom were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
    
15. Anyone whose name wasn't written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

---

Chapter 19 tells of a battle between Satan and his followers and Christ leading the armies of heaven. Christ was victorious and the beast and false prophet were "thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur." (19:20) The rest of Satan's army were killed and their flesh eaten by the birds. Events now move quickly toward Christ's return. Chapter 20 opens with Satan, depicted as a dragon, being bound and thrown into the abyss which is sealed. Satan will remain imprisoned in the abyss during the 1,000 years that Christ will reign on earth.

After Satan is imprisoned, those martyred during the tribulation will be resurrected to reign with Christ during His 1,000 reign. What about all other Christians? There are various views regarding this question, but it seems that all other Christians, who make up the church, were resurrected, or raptured, prior to the time of the tribulation. Those who come to Christ and follow Him during the tribulation are then represented by these martyrs mentioned here. To follow Christ and be faithful to Him during the tribulation will be a certain death sentence. All other people, those who are unbelievers, will come to life following Christ's 1,000 reign. 

Once the 1,000 are completed, "Satan will be released from his prison." (20:7) This will lead to a short rebellion which will bring Satan's final defeat. Once released, Satan will gather a huge army from the earth whose "number is like the sand of the sea." (20:8) This army will surround Jerusalem which is Christ's headquarters during His 1,000 year reign. It appears, though, that before any battle ensues, fire will come down from heaven and consume Satan's army. This will be his final defeat. He will be thrown into the lake of fire to join the beast and false prophet, and "they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." 

The next event will be the great white throne judgment. Though the one seated on the throne is not identified, it is commonly thought to be Christ. Again, there are various interpretations on this point, but it seems that this judgment is for those who are unbelievers, that this is the resurrection of unbelievers that was to come after Christ's 1,000 reign. At this time, "the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire." 

A number of questions come to one in reading these passages. One question concerns the period of Christ's 1,000 reign. One would think that after the defeat of Satan's army prior to this 1,000 year period, the imprisonment of Satan, and then Christ's free reign without Satan's assaults on people, that Christ's reign would be a utopia in which everyone follows Christ and everything is good. It may be that this is much the case. But then, where does this numberless army come from that Satan assembles at the end of the 1,000 years when he is released from prison if everyone during the 1,000 years are followers of Christ? Evidently, regardless of the best of conditions for following Christ and regardless of the evidence that Christ is real and is the way of salvation, people still do not accept Him. Though the claim of most unbelievers is a lack of faith, that they don't believe, in reality the issue is one of choice. It is not the lack of evidence that keeps one from following Christ but a choice, in spite of the evidence, not to follow Him. In light of the evidence it is an unreasonable choice, and the further one follows the pathway of that choice the more unreasonable they become. Reason escapes them.