A Commentary in Simple English on Revelation

CHAPTER 20

In Chapter 19, John spoke about several things, but he did not finish what he has to say. First, in verses 2 and 3, he spoke about the fall of the city of Babylon the Great, the 'Harlot'. That was the end of Babylon. But in Chapter 21, John will speak of the city of God. He began to speak about the marriage supper of the Lamb. (19:7). The pure woman is the Church. She is the Bride of Christ. She has taken the place of the woman who was not pure, that is, the Harlot. In verse 7, the Bride is ready for the marriage supper. In 21:2, she returns to earth from God out of heaven. In verse 20, we read about the end of the two 'wild animals'. But there is nothing there about the dragon. So the story of the dragon has to be finished.

John goes on with the story he began to tell in Chapter 17. Chapter 20 will take us far beyond the Second Coming of Christ. But at the start of Chapter 21 we shall come back to the Second Coming.

Chapter 19:11-16 tells us about the Second Coming of Jesus. But this really begins with 19:6-10 and does not end until 21:1-5. Some of what comes in between in Chapter 20 belongs to the Second Coming. Some of it looks beyond.

Verses 1-3: Satan bound

So in verse 1, an angel comes down from God to earth. He has the key that opens and shuts the ‘Pit that has no bottom'. This angel also has a long chain in his hand. He takes the devil (verse 2). The angel binds him with the chain. Then the angel throws the dragon into the 'Pit'. He uses the key to lock the 'Pit' shut. But he also 'seals' it.

Just one angel, who is not named, is enough to put the devil in prison.

In verse 2, the devil has four names just as these four names were found in 12:9. We saw that in 19:11-16 Jesus too had four names. The names of Jesus were great names, which were full of honour. There is no honour in the names of the devil. He is the old snake in the dust. He is the liar who says things that are not true against God's people. Now he is out of the way and can do no harm. The world is safe from him. But John says that this will only be for a 'thousand years'. John will speak again about the 'thousand years' or Millennium not only in verse 3 but also in verses 5 and 6.

Then in verses 7-15 John will tell us what happens at the end of the thousand years. We shall see exactly what John says about the Thousand Years. But many people think that this is the same as a time of joy, peace and plenty, which the Old Testament speaks about. [20.1] This may be right. It may be quite wrong. The Old Testament may speak about something else in these places. But there is little or nothing in what John wrote to lead us to bring in this Old Testament teaching.

Then in verse 3, John tells us why God has put the devil in prison. He has led the nations into wrong ways. The devil has taught the nations to worship false 'gods'. The devil will not be able to do this any longer. What a wonderful place the world will be then! Men will no longer have the devil to tempt them to sin. This will not mean that there will be no more sin. But people will find it much easier to lead good lives.

In verse 3, and again in verse 8, John speaks of 'the nations'. So we can see that in the 'thousand years' there will still be people all over the world. The armies of the 'kings of the earth' died (19:21). And no doubt many people died with them in the events that we read about in 16:17-21. But there were still people who live on into the 'Thousand Years'. [20.2]

Then John says that at the end of the Thousand Years the devil must be set free. We cannot understand why this has to happen. It is necessary because it is God's will. Perhaps the 'Thousand Years' is a time for the devil to think again and to change his ways. But from verse 10 we learn that he has not changed, and God finally punishes him.

Now we know that even an angel cannot tie up the devil with a chain. This is a picture. The 'thousand years' is a picture, too. But it is a picture of something. It does mean something. It is a mistake to say 'These things are only pictures. They do not mean anything'. That would be quite wrong.

Verses 4-6; The First! - Resurrection

In verse 4, John takes us back to the Second Coming of Jesus and the beginning of the Thousand Years. Verses 1-3 seem to be on earth, not in heaven. So perhaps these 'thrones' are on earth, now that the dragon is in prison and has no power. There are people seated on these 'thrones'. We cannot be sure exactly what John means. It may be that they are people to whom God has given authority to judge men. Or it may be that they are Christians in whose favour God has judged. In the Roman courts, men judged against them and they were killed because they were Christians. But God turns upside down what human judges decide.

Then John remembers 6:9-11. Then he had seen the souls of those who had been killed because they were Christians. They called out to God but a voice told them to wait a little longer. Now they do not have to wait any longer. When John says that he sees their souls he does not mean that he sees only their souls. For now, they have risen from the dead. John says that they lived again. God has given to them new, resurrection bodies. John says that they also 'reign' or rule with Christ. No Christian wants to 'reign' as king without Christ. (1 Corinthians 4:8)

There is a problem here. What John has said in verse 4 can be understood in more than one way.

a) Some people think that he really only speaks about those who died for the sake of Jesus. He does not speak here about anyone else. And although they are said to 'come to life', it is only their souls. They do not receive their new bodies in resurrection until the Thousand Years are over. Then they receive their new bodies along with everyone else. On this view, when John speaks about 'The First Resurrection' in verse 5 he does not really mean 'resurrection' at all.

b) Another view is that John only speaks here about those who died for the sake of Jesus. But they do receive their new bodies at this point. So this really is 'the First Resurrection'. But this means that all other good Christian people have to wait until the end of the Thousand Years. There is then a second Resurrection and the final judgment of both good and bad.

c) The third view is this. All Christians will rise from the dead when Jesus comes again. Whether they gave their lives in His service or not, all will receive their new bodies at the beginning of the Thousand Years. But those who have suffered and even died for the sake of Jesus will receive special honour then. We all agree that they should have such special honour. So John speaks about them in a special way.

It does not really matter very much. God will be wonderful and very good in what He does for every Christian. We can safely wait until He does what He has promised. Yet it may help you if we look at some of the other Bible verses which speak of these things.

1 Daniel 12:2 makes it clear that both good and bad men will rise from death. God will judge them all.

2 In Luke 14:14, Jesus speaks about 'the resurrection of the righteous'. Then God will reward good men for what they have done.

3 In John 5:25, Jesus speaks about what 'now is'. People are dead because of their sins. But when people hear what Jesus says and believe, they are no longer dead. They live. But then in verses 28 and 29, Jesus says that His voice will call all the dead from their graves. Those who have done good will rise from death to live. Those who have done what is wrong will rise. But God will judge them, and His judgment will be against them.

4 We may well love what Jesus says in John 6:39 and 40. He speaks of every real Christian. It will not just happen that 'at the last day' they will rise from the dead. It will be Jesus Himself who will bring us all from death to new life. (See John 11:25,26, 43 and 44.)

5 Paul seems to be very clear in 1 Corinthians 15:23. There he sets out the order of the resurrection from the dead. Christ is the first to rise from the dead. When He comes again, all who belong to Him will rise from the dead. There is a long age between the time when Christ rose and the time when we shall rise. So there may be another long age before 'the end' comes. And that long age seems to be what John speaks about as the Thousand Years.

6 Then again in 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17, Paul gives clear teaching. When Jesus comes again, two things will happen. First, the dead in Christ will rise. Only after that will Christians who are still alive in the world be caught up with them. We shall meet the Lord in the air.

7 In 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, Paul gives some more teaching. The body that we have now is our 'earthly tent'. We are not really happy in it. We know that God has prepared something far, far better for us. Now, we are 'away from the Lord' (verse 6). When we die, we shall be 'away from the body'. But we shall be 'at home with the Lord' (verse 8). But what we really want (verse 4) is to have God wrap round us our new bodies. Then at last we shall be at home with the Lord and also have a real body.

There are, of course, other places that speak about the resurrection from the dead. But these are some of the most important ones. And I think that they mean that we must read this verse (verse 4) in the third way. John means that all Christians who have died will rise from the dead, when Jesus comes. This will be at the beginning of the Thousand Years. Christians who have been killed because of their faith in Jesus will receive special honour.

So, in verse 5, 'the rest of the dead' means everyone who was not a Christian. John says that they did not live again until the end of the Thousand Years. So we can be fairly sure that they will come to life then. [20.3]

Then in verse 6, we learn how good it is to share in 'the First Great Event! - the Resurrection'. Christians who share in it are: -

(a) Blessed. God will give to them all that they need.

(b) Holy. They are free from sin.

(c) Free from the fear of the Second Great Event! - Death!

(d) They are priests of God and of Christ.

(e) They 'reign' or rule as kings, with Jesus, for the Thousand Years.

We know now that God will give such honour to us when Jesus comes again. So our lives now should be holy. We should be ready now for glory.

Verses 7-15: The Last Judgment

There are two groups of verses here. The first is verses 7-10, and the second is verses 11-15. John gives us two pictures of God's final Judgment. Both belong at the end of the Thousand Years.

So in verse 7 [20.4] John takes us to the end of the Thousand Years. He carries on the story of the devil from verse 3. There the devil was locked away in prison. Now he is set free. Perhaps the angel opens his prison. John does not tell us. But the devil has not changed. He is still 'Satan', the 'Adversary', and the enemy of God. So he is let loose (verse 8) to lead into wrong ways the nations all over the world. You would think that the nations would have learnt in a thousand years that it was good to be without the devil and to have Christ as King. But the devil gathers the nations for war again.

For 'Gog and Magog' see Ezekiel 38 and 39; but remember that the war that Ezekiel writes about there is thought to be Armageddon. That was before the Thousand Years. So what John is really saying is that the very same nations who fought against God before Jesus' Second Coming will fight against him again. The number of the enemies of God is great. But we know that if God is with us, we need not be afraid of the great number of our enemies.

In order to understand verse 9 we must bring in something that John has not yet told us. In 21:2, John sees the City of God. This is also the New Jerusalem. And it is 'The Bride of Christ'. In 19:7, the marriage of the Lamb had come and the Bride, the Church, was ready. Now the Bride, the wife of the Lamb (21:10) comes down from heaven. It is also the City of God and it comes to the earth. This is at the beginning of the Thousand Years. So now in verse 9 the City of God is also called 'the Camp of God's people'. [20.5] And at the end of the Thousand Years, the devil brings his armies and he places them all round the city. The city is kept safe by the truth, the holiness, the power and love of God. So fire from heaven burns up the enemy armies all round. And verse 10 tells us about the end of the devil. (See perhaps Isaiah 30:33.) This time there will be no escape for the devil. He has caused suffering among men. Now he will suffer 'until the ages of the ages.'

We must think about the Thousand Years as the first part of God's age of glory. Do not think about it just as a good Thousand Years to come after the ages of pain and darkness that the world has known.

In verse 11, John tells us more about the time when God finally judges the world. All other 'thrones' have gone. God sits on this great 'throne'. It is white, to show that it is pure and holy. The old earth and the old sky try to escape from God, but they can find nowhere to go. (See 21:1.) John sees men of all sorts (verse 12). In 6:17, men felt that they could not stand up in front of God. Now they are made to do this.

The 'books' are a picture of God's full knowledge about all that men have done. God has written the names of His faithful people in another book: so that they are safe. That book is 'the book of life', that is, the book of those to whom God will give life forever. When God judges the dead, it will not matter in what way they died. Those who drowned in the sea will be called to be judged (verse 13). Death itself and 'the unseen Place' (6:8) cannot keep the dead back from God's judgment.

Then in verse 14, John adds something very wonderful. Death and the Unseen Place are themselves thrown into the 'Lake of Fire'. This is the Death of Death. And when Death itself is put to death, nothing is left except life. God promised to destroy death. God hates death. Death even dared to touch God's own well-loved Son, the Lord Jesus (Isaiah 53:12) Hosea 13:14 is God's promise. The words there are not easy. The promise is there in Isaiah 26:76,8. Just as a thirsty man drinks or 'swallows' water, so God will 'swallow' death. (See 1 Corinthians 15:26.) Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the Death of Death. His death is our life.

John does not say anything about 'the second Resurrection'. He only speaks about 'the Second - Death!' What I believe he means is this. The resurrection is full of joy for the people of God. God then gives them all that they had ever hoped for, and far more. But when wicked men rise from the dead, they have bodies. But they have no joy. They have no hope. All that they can expect is that God will judge them and that he will throw them into the Lake of Fire (verse 15). God will be just. They will not be able to complain about what He does.

You may ask: 'What happens to God's people after that?' The answer is that John does not take us any further. There are verses in other parts of the New Testament, which we may think about. 1 Corinthians 15:27, 28 are very important. Christ will be the Head of both men and angels (Ephesians 1:10; Philippians 2:9-11; Colossians 1:20; Hebrews 12:22). In these verses, those 'in heaven' probably mean angels. And when Christ has united saved men and the holy angels in one body, He will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father (1 Corinthians 15:24).