Preface
Chapter 20 is a key chapter with its primary emphasis being on the Millennial Kingdom of Christ (Kingdom Age); although, its secondary significance pertains to the defeat and the gathering of unbelievers (non-Christians) to the Great White Throne Judgment, which takes place after the millennial reign of Christ upon the earth. Thirdly, this chapter covers the disposition of Satan and all those who have rejected God from the beginning of creation.
The primary thrust of Old Testament prophecy is the coming of the Messiah to set up His earthly kingdom over which He will rule from the throne of David. Isaiah 2; 11; and Zechariah 14 are just a few of the passages of Scripture that depict Christ’s reign upon the earth. What this chapter in Revelation adds to the prophecy is the duration of it-a period of 1,000 years. The Millennial Kingdom is known in Scripture as “the world to come” (Hebrew 2:5), the “kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10), the “kingdom of God” (Mark 1:14), the “last day” (John 6:40), and the “regeneration” (Matthew 19:28).
Disbelievers in the millennial reign of Christ attempt to discredit the doctrine by saying that the terms “millennial” or “millennium” are never mentioned in the Bible. But such an argument may be made for the terms, “trinity,” “deity,” “depravity,” “incarnation,” “substitution” and a host of other terms that represent sound and documented doctrines within God’s Word. The doctrine of the millennial reign of Christ is a fact of Scripture, even though the term, millennial, is never used once in the Bible. The word “millennium” is derived from the Latin, mille, meaning a “thousand,” and annus, meaning “years.” The Greeks had a term for this, which was chilias-meaning “one thousand.” No matter which of these terms-millennial, millennialism, millennium or chiliasm-are used, the meaning is always “a thousand years.”
It is probably unfortunate that the term, millennial and its derivatives, have replaced the term “kingdom” for the period that Jesus Christ will rule upon the earth. This has led many to question what is one of the most frequently mentioned subjects in the Bible. This period of time will literally fulfill a most important aspect of the prayer that Christ taught His followers to pray, “Your kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10).
The 1,000-year reign of Christ upon the earth is mentioned no less than six times in this chapter. How many times does God have to mention something before it is true? The answer is obvious, that is, if one believes in God and the Bible as the Word of God. Furthermore, the early church, which believed in a literal 1,000 years for this prophetic event and took pride in “chiliasm,” considered anyone not believing the same as a heretic. This commentary strongly advocates the “premillennial” point-of-view, as opposed to “amillennialism” (no Millennium) or “postmillennialism” (Christ coming after the Millennium). The Bible and history is supportive of only “premillennalism,” which is that Christ Jesus returns to earth first and then establishes His 1,000-year reign upon the earth.
There are several reasons why God establishes a kingdom on earth over which His Son will reign. They are as follow:
First, God established a unilateral covenant with Abraham promising that Israel would become a mighty nation and would someday own the “Promised Land” forever (Genesis 13:14, 15). By blood covenant Israel owns “from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates,” and “from the wilderness and Lebanon . . . even to the Western Sea” (Genesis 15:18; Deuteronomy 11:24). The northern boundary of Israel was established as the city of Hamath and the southern boundary as the city of Kadesh (Ezekiel 48:1, 28). In today’s geography, Israel owns all of present-day Israel, all of Lebanon, half of Syria, two-thirds of Jordan, all of Iraq, and the northern portion of Saudi Arabia.
Second, God has promised to reward His children with positions as rulers (Matthew 25:23). This will take place in the Kingdom Age.
Third, God will honor the prayers of His children that they’ve obediently repeated throughout the ages as they have prayed, “Thy kingdom come” (Luke 11:2).
Fourth, God will prove that even under ideal conditions, without the deceptions of Satan and his demons and under the righteous administration of Jesus Christ, man’s fallen nature will still influence him toward sin and disobedience. The Millennium will be a 1,000-year lesson in man’s total and ultimate depravity. The humanistic view that man can improve himself to gain the approbation of God will be proven false. A few passages of Scripture that indicate that the Millennium will not be “perfect” and that there will still be those who will resist God are Zechariah 14:17; Revelation 19:15 and 20:7-9.
The observation by John Hagee in his book, The Revelation of Truth, is revealing.
All seven dispensational ages reinforce one indisputable fact: Without God, man has no hope.
1. The Age of Innocence ended with willful disobedience (Gen. 3).
2. The Age of Conscience ended with universal corruption (Gen. 6).
3. The Age of Human Government ended with occultism at the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11).
4. The Age of Promise ended with God’s people enslaved in Egypt (Ex. 1).
5. The Age of Law ended with the creatures killing their Creator upon a rugged tree (Matt. 27).
6. The Age of Grace will end with worldwide apostasy (1 Tim. 4:1-3).
7. The age of the Kingdom will end with an attempt to destroy God Himself (Rev. 20).
Daniel 12:12 indicates that there will be a period of 75 days between the return (Second Coming) of Christ to earth and the initiation of the Millennial Kingdom. During this interlude it is conjectured that the Marriage Banquet of the Lamb and the Judgment of the Nations (Gentiles) will take place. Additionally during this intervening time, it is plausible that Christ will establish His administrative chain-of-authority (Matthew 25:23). This “chain-of-authority” may (if not will) consist of the following:
1. David (Jeremiah 30:9; Ezekiel 34:23, 24; 37:24, 25; Hosea 3:5)
2. The Church (1 Corinthians 6:3)
3. The apostles (Matthew 19:28)
4. Nobles (Jeremiah 30:21)
5. Princes (Isaiah 32:1; Ezekiel 45:8, 9)
6. Judges (Zechariah 3:7; Isaiah 1:26)
7. Others (Zechariah 3:7)
It is well to remember that Revelation is not only a book of prophecy but is also a book of endings. In it is the record of the end of the Beast, the False Prophet, Satan and his angels, the present heavens and earth, in addition to all who have rejected God and Christ throughout the ages. The sadness of it is that even in light of God’s revealed mercy, grace and love in the person and sacrifice of Jesus Christ; and, now, in this illuminating record of God’s wrath and judgment, most will not come to recognize and honor their Creator and Savior. For the Christian, the one who by faith alone has accepted Christ alone as personal Savior, this chapter and the two remaining in this book will bring tears to the eyes, joy to the heart and praise and thanksgiving to the lips.
On to the commentary.
Revelation 20:1-3
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
There is coming a time when Satan will no longer be able to deceive and lead humans astray. Ever since he swayed earth’s first human parents, Adam and Eve, he has been the persistent and malignant enemy of mankind. If man is to sin during the Millennium, it will not be at the influence of this evil tempter. If man is to sin during this time, it will be by the designs of his own heart and will. The Kingdom Age will not be a dispensation minus sin. This will become more apparent later in this chapter.
John sees an angel coming down out of heaven. This is probably the same “star angel” who is the custodian of the key to the Abyss (bottomless pit) that is seen in Revelation 9:1, 2. In his hand he has a “great chain,” that is, a reinforced-by-the-power-of-God spiritual chain capable of binding with absolute surety and security Satan himself. This chain created by the hand of God is the same as the “everlasting chains” that presently bind the angels that had sinned and left their position of authority and home.
And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these He has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
(Jude 6)
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment . . .( 2 Peter 2:4)
The first duty of this “keeper or guardian of the Abyss” is to seize “the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan.” Notice the four names. By this and the fact that he can be “bound,” it is apparent that the angel is dealing with a “person.” An “influence” or “principle” cannot be bound. In his book, The Book of Revelation, Clarence Larkin makes these cogent remarks.
While Satan is the “prince of the powers of the air” (Eph. 2:2), and the “god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4), and the “ruler of the powers of darkness” (Eph. 6:11, 12), and whose position is so exalted that even Michael the Archangel dare not insult him (Jude 9), and while he has great power and influence, yet he is not omnipotent, for ONE Angel and he is not called a strong angel, is able to seize and bind him.”
The first two names, “dragon and ancient serpent,” speak of Satan’s character and/or personality. “Dragon” is indicative of his bestial leadership of the corrupt and beastly governments of the world. “Ancient serpent” speaks of his subtle and deceiving nature, which he used quite successfully with earth’s first human parents, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden. The second two names, “devil and Satan,” are his personal names, yet they also have an underlying meaning. “Devil” refers to his character as a liar and a murderer. “Satan” refers to him as the “accuser.” Overall he is the chief enemy of humans, of God and all that is decent and good.
The angel seizes Satan, binds him with the chain and seals him in the Abyss for 1,000 years. The angel literally “threw” Satan into the bottomless pit and sealed it over him so that Satan could no longer deceive the nations. Yet, at the end of the 1,000 years, he must be let out to do his malignant work for a brief amount of time-only to meet his permanent fate at the hand of God.
Revelation 20:4-6
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the Word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ 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 and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
John next sees thrones “on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge.” And although it may be arguable, it appears that included in those who are upon these thrones are those who had been martyred (beheaded) during the Great Tribulation because of their testimony for Jesus and because they refused to worship or take the mark of the beast. John states that these Great Tribulation believers are raised from the dead before the Millennial Reign of Christ upon the earth, and he parenthetically states that the rest of the dead (unbelievers) do not come to life until after the Millennium. John clearly states that all of these believers that he sees are the “first resurrection.”
Jesus said that there will be two resurrections, “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out--those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” (John 5:28, 29) It is seen in this passage in Revelation that there will be a period of 1,000 years between these two resurrections.
Furthermore, the first resurrection began over 1,900 years ago and consists of four phrases, as follows.
Phrase 1 The resurrection of Christ and some Old Testament saints approximately
2,000 years ago. Matthew 27:52, 53
Phrase 2 The resurrection of the Church at the Rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17;
Revelation 4:1, 2
Phrase 3 The resurrection of the two witnesses during the Tribulation.
Revelation 11:11, 12
Phrase 4 The resurrection of Tribulation (martyred) believers and the remaining
Old Testament saints at the end of the Tribulation.
Revelation 20:4, 5; Daniel 12:1-3
Those who will rule with Christ during His Millennial Kingdom will be all who have participated in the “first resurrection,” that is, all believers of all ages. As noted above, the “first resurrection” will include all “raptured” saints, i.e., those who have been “transformed” (a form of “resurrection”) and taken up before physical death. Those of the “first resurrection” are blessed (happy) and holy (set apart). No greater descriptive adjectives can be used to depict the person who has received by faith alone Christ alone as his personal Savior at this juncture in earth’s history. Why is this so? It is so because the “second death” (spiritual death-separation from God in eternal suffering) will have no power over them. Not only will they be blessed and holy, but they will be priests (representing God and Jesus Christ) and will reign with (along side) Jesus Christ for 1,000 years.
Revelation 20:7-10
When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth--Gog and Magog--to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city He loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
These verses in Revelation reveal the following facts regarding the Millennial Kingdom of Christ (Kingdom Age):
1. It will last 1,000 years.
2. Those of the “first resurrection” (believers) will reign with Christ during this time.
3. Those of the “first resurrection” will serve as priests of God and Christ.
4. Satan will not be “present for duty” during this time.
5. A vast multitude will not come to Christ by faith during this time.
To gain any further insight of this period of earth’s history, a review of various Old Testament passages would be appropriate, such as Daniel 2, Isaiah 2; 11; 65; Psalm 2; Zechariah 14; Micah 4; etc. Although this will be a period absent the deceitfulness of Satan and essentially a period of righteousness under the administration of Jesus Christ, many will never see the need for personal salvation. From where will all these unbelievers come? They will be the natural offspring of procreation by those who continued in their earthly bodies and entered the Millennium at the Second Coming of Christ.
A number of details regarding the Millennial Kingdom are revealed in Isaiah 65:17-25.
Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD.
A chronology of the events depicted in this passage of Scripture can be confusing, particularly when compared with chapters 20 and 21 of Revelation, where it appears in one case that the New Heaven and the New Earth, as well as the New Jerusalem, comes before the Millennial Kingdom, and, in another case they come afterwards. The problem exists since at various times in the Bible two or more events are combined into one passage. John F. Walvoord in his Every Prophecy of the Bible puts it this way.
The answer is that in revealing future events, often events that are separated by time are merged as if they were in existence together. This is especially true, for instance, of the first and second coming of Christ which in the Old Testament often are mentioned in the same verse (Isa. 61:1-2; cf. Luke 4:17-19). In a similar way in Daniel 12:2, the resurrection of the righteous and the wicked are mentioned in the same verse, but later revelation reveals that that there will be 1,000 years between the resurrection of the righteous and the resurrection of the wicked. In Malachi 4:5 the second coming of Christ is followed in verse 6 by reference to His first coming. In the New Testament as well, similar events are put together that were separated by time as in 2 Peter 3:10-13 which refers to the beginning of the Day of the Lord but then recounts events such as the destruction of the heaven and the earth which will take place at the end of the Day of the Lord as well as the end of the Millennium.
Regarding the passage in Isaiah 65:17-25 as it relates to the Millennial Kingdom, Mr. Walvoord in his book has this to say.
A glorious picture was presented of the ultimate new heavens and new earth (vv. 17-19). The prophet then returned to the theme of Jerusalem in the millennial kingdom in which there will be longevity but also death. One who will die at 100 years will be considered still in one’s youth. The millennial earth will provide Israel with security. “They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit” (v. 21). By contrast, the wicked will not take possessions away from the people of Israel, “My chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands” (v. 22). Israel’s children will not be “doomed to misfortune” (v. 23). Tranquility in nature will also occur, “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain” (v. 25; cf. 11:6-7). These prophecies do not fit the eternal New Jerusalem but relate to the Millennium.
In expressing Israel’s future hope, the Old Testament often mingled prophecies of the millennial kingdom with that of the New Jerusalem in eternity. The distinctions are made clear when the details are observed. Here, obviously, the millennial kingdom was being described because in the New Jerusalem there will be no death, no sin, and no judgment. In the millennial kingdom it will be a time of great joy and rejoicing and deliverance for the people of God, but death and sin will still be present.
And because there will be an expanded longevity of human life, the fact of continuous child-bearing and the tendency of man to continue to reject God, the following happens at the end of the thousand years. Satan will be released from the Abyss and will go out to deceive the nations in all (“four corners” of) the earth-Gog and Magod. He deceives a vast number of unbelievers, “like the sands of the seashore,” and gathers them for battle against God.
The “nations” are referred to as “God and Magog.” This is not to be confused with “Gog, of the land of Magog” described in Ezekiel 38 & 39. The phrase may be a typology of nations who willfully oppose God and His people. The war depicted in Ezekiel is an invasion of Israel from the north, which will involve Russia and a few other nations. This invasion force is wiped out by a series of judgments from God, and it will take years to clean up the mess on the battlefield and for Israel to use the discarded implements of war for fuel. The battle mentioned at the end of the Kingdom Age is quite different. Those opposing God and His people are from all the nations on earth. As they surround the city that God loves-Jerusalem-God destroys them in a burst of flame from heaven. There destruction is total, and there is no need to “clear the battlefield.”
At this point God throws Satan into the lake of fire (burning sulfur) where the Beast and False Prophet have been since before the Kingdom Age. It is apparent that the mention of these two here in this passage is confirmation that the “lake of fire” does not mean “annihilation.” In this fiery lake these three will be tormented “day and night” forever. The reader should take heed that although God is love, He is also justice. Today He desires through His mercy and love that all should come to Him by faith alone in Christ alone-to receive eternal life. But the day is coming when, for those who persist in rejecting the sacrifice of His Son on the cross of Calvary, there will only be His justice and eventual wrath in the “lake of fire” available to them.
Note John F. Walvoord’s cogent remarks regarding this event from his book, Every Prophecy of the Bible.
People have asked the question why Satan will be loosed from his prison after the 1,000 years. This action is in keeping with God’s purpose to demonstrate in history that man left to his own devices will, nevertheless, sin against God. Even though the Millennium provided a perfect environment for humanity with abundant revelation of God’s power, the evil heart of man is manifest in the fact that people reject Christ and follow Satan when he is loosed. The loosing of Satan also is a demonstration of the wickedness of Satan and the fallen angels and how even 1,000 years in confinement does not change this.
Revelation 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Immediately after Satan is cast into the lake of fire, John sees a “great white throne.” The person on this throne is none other than Jesus Christ (John 5:22, 23), and He is now to judge all who are subject to the “second resurrection”-all unbelievers from the beginning of time to the end of the Kingdom Age. Also at this time John sees that God eliminates the present heaven and earth, “earth and sky fled from His presence,” which must precede the introduction of the new heaven and the new earth as depicted in the next chapter.
Although the word “throne” is used some thirty times in Revelation, this throne is different than any mentioned previously. This is a “great white throne,” and the judgment about to take place is often referred to as “The Great White Throne Judgment.” It is reserved for the end of the age when there is no mercy or love left for those who, in their lifetime, have rejected Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. It involves the dead, both small and great. By this it means that in physical life no matter what station one may have achieved, no matter how religious one may have become, no matter how much wealth one may have accumulated, no matter how many kind and good works one may have performed and/or no matter what, judgment at the great white thrown will be most definitely unavoidable. No one will escape, for the sea, death and Hades will all give up their dead. God has no problem in collecting and “gluing back together” the countless number of molecules of each person’s body, so that they may stand in judgment in their “resurrected” body that will be fashioned [bodies which cannot be destroyed] for eternal torture.
As they stand before the great white throne, several books are opened. Another book is opened, the Book of Life. All before the throne are judged according to what [good deeds] they have done, as recorded in the books. But as God has demonstrated and has proclaimed since the beginning of time, man’s good deeds or works, no matter how great or how many, are insufficient to achieve His approval. Judgment is then made concerning each person’s record of good works accomplished during his lifetime. The verdict is eternal torment in the lake of fire. Then the Book of Life is opened to see if anyone has his name recorded there. The Book of Life includes the names of anyone who during his lifetime has taken advantage of God’s mercy and love by accepting in faith God’s gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. This is a person’s only hope. This chapter ends on a most sobering note, “If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Through the ages man has attempted to either formulate his own doctrine or misinterpret Bible doctrine to allow for an escape for the wicked from eternal punishment. From a human viewpoint, this is highly desired. But it is not the message from the Word of God. God’s Word provides no such solace for those who pass through the “door of death” without Jesus Christ. The destiny of all those who have died lies in only one of two places-for the believer it is blissful life eternal with God-for the unbeliever it is a torrid life eternal without God in the lake of fire.
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