Revelation Chapter 20:1-6/Commentary

Revelation Chapter 20:1-6 Revelation 20:1-6 “And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. 4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years�

Introduction

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Premillennialists and Revelation 20: They understand the 1,000 years to follow the return of Christ. “Among those who hold to this view, there are two major varieties: the dispensational and the historic premillennialists. The principal points of departure between these two groups is that the former believe in a special status for the nation Israel in the redemptive work of God in the end times, resulting in a restored millennial temple in Jerusalem complete with Levitical priests and animal sacrifices, whereas the historic premillenarians see the church, rather than ethnic Israel, as prominent in the millennial period” (Gregg p. 458).

Hailey notes that the Premillennial theory is that Jesus comes secretly for all Christians (the rapture), this will be followed by seven years of great tribulation on the earth. Jesus then will return and set up His kingdom, sit on David’s throne and reign from Jerusalem for a literal thousand years.

According to some, the Jews will be converted and return to Palestine, Old Testament worship will be restored, and there will be on earth an idealistic life for a thousand years. At the end of this time, Satan will be loosed and he will make a last furious effort to destroy the Lord’s people. This will be followed by the resurrection of the wicked dead, judgment, and eternity.

Many have noted that the fundamental claims of this theory are completely absent from Revelation 20: The second coming is not mentioned, neither is a bodily resurrection, the reign of Christ on earth, the literal throne of David, Jerusalem or Palestine, the conversion of the Jews, or the church on earth.

Postmillennialists also believe that Revelation 20 is a consummation of history in the 1000-year reign of the saints, but they believe that Christ will accomplish this through the church preaching the gospel prior to His return. “The 1000 years of peace will be accomplished through no other agency than that which is already in possession of the church, i.e., the Word of God. The world will become Christianized, either as the result of worldwide revival and mass conversions, or through the imposition of Christian ideals by converted rulers and Christian governments or both. The former prospect was suggested by Jonathan Edwards and most early postmillennialists, while the latter is emphasized by many modern postmillennialists, especially of the Christian Reconstructionist variety. It is averred that Christ will return at the end of the Millennium (His coming is thus postmillennial)” (Gregg p. 459).

Amillennialism, which means “no millennium” (that is no literal millennium), views this chapter in harmony with the rest of the book, that is, Revelation 20 is to be understood figuratively. The reign of the saints, which Christ may depict are either the vindicated martyrs, reigning with Christ in the present age, or earthly believers achieving victory over evil during the same period of time.

20:1 “Then”: Following Jesus’ defeat of the beast and the false prophet (19:20).

“With the defeat of these two and the destruction of the harlot, Satan has lost his

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allies. What becomes of him and the victory of the saints is the chief subject of 20:1-10, rather than the ‘thousand years’, which usually receives the emphasis” (Hailey p. 389).

20:1 “I saw an angel coming down from heaven”: This is not Jesus, for Jesus is never referred to as an angel (Hebrews 1:5ff). Therefore, this is not a reference to the Second Coming. “Holding the key of the abyss”: “Satan, who had the key of the abyss in chapter 9:1ff, is now a defeated foe. This angel comes down out of heaven, this seems clearly to imply the scene has an earthly viewpoint” (McGuiggan p. 291). Or, it may mean that the angel has divine authority behind his actions, he comes with orders and authority from the throne of God. Of course, the term “key” denotes authority and power.

20:1 “And a great chain in his hand”: Clearly, this is figurative language.

Satan is a spiritual being and could not be bound by a literal physical chain. “The second indicator of the symbolism in the passage is the reference to Satan (as elsewhere in the book) as both a dragon and a serpent (20:2), neither of which is nay more a literal description of this spiritual being than is “a Lamb…having seven horns and seven eyes” (5:6), a literal description of Jesus Christ” (Gregg pp. 460,462).

20:2 “And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan”: The four names by which this deceiver is called are in 12:9 are repeated here. “As a dragon, he is strong and ferocious; as the old serpent, he is the cunning deceiver, who from Eden has beguiled with his craftiness (2 Corinthians 11:3); as the devil, he has been the accuser and slanderer, the malignant enemy of God and man; and as Satan, he is the adversary, opponent, and antagonist of all that is good” (Hailey p. 391). Notice the ease at which Satan is bound by heaven’s authority.

20:2 “And bound him for a thousand years”: McGuiggan feels that this binding does not mean that Satan no longer tempts men, but that the binding is very specific. Satan is perfectly and flawlessly defeated with reference to his working through Rome against the church. “The devil is completely defeated in his use of Rome. That he’s been stopped dead!” (p. 293).

The reader needs to be aware that even Premillennial writers who view this chapter as predicting 1000 years of utopia upon the earth, do not see this period of time as being free from sin or temptation. “This does not mean that there will be no sin in the Millennium. Biederwolf writes: ‘This refers to Satan’s complete banishment from earth, so that while sin is still to exist in individuals, it is no longer to be a power forming a fellowship, and thus making a kingdom of sin and Satan’” (Gregg p. 462). Yet I find it hard to see how sin and temptation can exist but no fellowship of evil ever forms.

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Hailey argues that this binding of Satan means, “his activity is limited, as a dog chained to a wire between two trees, and to the length of the chain from side to side. In this binding, Satan is divinely restrained from reestablishing control over nations” (p. 391).

20:2 “For a thousand years”: There are many other passages in which the term 1000 is used in a figurative sense. Compare with Psalm 50:10; Deuteronomy 7:9; Exodus 20:6; 1 Chronicles 16:15; Psalm 105:8; Job 9:3; 33:23; Psalm 90:5; Ecclesiastes 6:6; 7:28). Thus the number speaks of bigness, exhaustiveness, completeness and totality. “An undetermined but full period of time” (Hailey p. 391).

20:3 “And he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him”: “The sealing of the prison, like the sealing of the tomb of Christ (Matthew 27:66), suggests a forbidding of any to tamper with it on command of the highest authority” (Gregg p. 462).

20:3 “So that he would not deceive the nations any longer”: Apparently, as he has deceived the Roman Empire to persecute God’s people. Carefully note that the above verse infers that the “nations” still exist after Satan is bound. This is not talking about the end of time or the Second Coming, for the nations still exist and apparently the nations still have a choice as far whether to serve God. This is the purpose of this binding, so that Satan does not bring against the church a world persecuting power. “The purpose of casting the devil into the abyss (Luke 8:31) was not punitive, for his punishment comes later (20:10); but it was preventative” (Hailey p. 391).

Gregg reminds us on this point: That Jesus in some sense bound Satan during His earthly ministry (Matthew 12:29). The inference is that by casting out demons, Jesus had already bound the strong man, i.e., Satan. Observe, that this binding of Satan in the gospels did not prevent Satan from moving around (1 Peter 5:8), or from tempting people. In the gospels this particularly binding (Luke 11:22), prevented Satan from resisting Jesus casting out his servants and resisting the forward advance of the gospel message. Similar passages in the New Testament also note that when Jesus was raised from the dead, He triumphed evil authorities in high places (Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14).

20:3 “Until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time” Hailey believes that the thousand years refers to the time period beginning with Constantine, when Roman persecution ended, and continues up until some time before the Lord’s return, when Satan is loosed from his present restraint. This is one reason why Satan at this point is not thrown into the lake of fire.

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From Premillennial writers we often hear about the rapture and the 1000-year reign, but what we often do not hear about is that such a view also teaches that following the Millennium, there is one final rebellion. Such writers believe that the children born into the Millenium will become unfaithful and fall away from God and then will try to destroy their parents (20:7-9).

20:3 “For a short time”: We need to be careful that we do not assume that Satan is released right before the Second Coming and thus feel that we can predict the return of Christ if it looks like Christians are being persecuted again (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3). God does not tell us how many months, days, or years are involved in this expression, “a short time”. Neither does God tell us when the thousand year period ends.

Point to Note Satan is not loosed because he finally becomes stronger than God or because God can only hold him as long. There must be a divine purpose for why Satan is loosed. Satan being loosed does not mean that God is no longer in charge or that God no longer loves us. “What God wants made clear is: Just as surely as I’ve protected you right now, I will protect you in the future. Just as I have made you victorious through this present crisis, I will make you victorious in the future.

As surely as I’ve defeated Rome for you, I can and will do it with anyone, and at anytime” (McGuiggan p. 294). Remember, Rome was not the first Empire to persecute God’s people. History is littered with Empires who arose against the faithful and were judged by God (Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, etc…).

20:4 “Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them”: Who are those sitting on thrones in this verse?

The word throne means, “The seat of office or chair of state, whether of a king or of a judge; by metonymy it refers to kingly power or royalty, speaking of one who holds dominion or exercises authority” (Vine, Thayer). Hailey notes that the term can refer to: 1. God’s throne (Revelation 4:2). 2. Christ’s throne (Revelation 3:21). 3. The throne of David on which Christ now sits (Acts 2:30). 4. Thrones of judgment occupied by the apostles in the present dispensation (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30). 5. The elder’s thrones (Revelation 4:4; 11:16). 6. The throne of judgment (20:11). 7. The throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16). 8. Satan’s throne (Revelation 2:13). 9. The throne that Satan gave to the beast (13:2; 16:10). 10.

The thrones of princes or rulers (Luke 1:52). 11. The thrones before us in this verse.

20:4 “They sat on them”: Many feel that the “they” in this verse refers to the victorious martyrs mentioned next in this chapter. Earlier in the book Jesus had already promised to those who overcome that they would share with Him in ruling over the nations (2:26f; 3:21). Compare with Daniel 7:17ff and Revelation 11:1518.

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20:4 “Judgment was given to them”: Not that the faithful saints who overcame become judges at the last day, for there is only one judge (James 4:12). Rather the judgment mentioned in this book against Satan and the beast was given on their behalf, it was the answer to their prayers (Revelation 6:9-11). On behalf of the saints, this judgment has been executed. From this verse premillennial writers argue that Christians will participate with Christ in the judicial rule of the nations during the Millennium. This would seem to infer that the Premillennial Millennium contains a number of people who really do not want to be there. Will the Millennium contain non-Christians as well? If only Christians make it into the Millennium then over whom will they be ruling over?

20:4 “And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand” John sees the same group of people that he saw back in 6:9-11. In addition, he also saw those who refused to compromise when Rome was demanding that everyone worship the emperor. These are those who overcame Roman persecution. All of these mentioned in this verse possessed the same attitude or spirit of faithfulness. They refused to yield even when faced with death (12:11).

Be impressed with what John sees. Here are Christians who had been persecuted and even had their earthly lives cut short for following Christ. “Does John see them weeping, moaning in despair, and full of remorse that they had given their lives in service to Jesus?” (McGuiggan p. 296). The reader should note that some see only one group of people in the above verse, i.e., martyrs only. Others see not only the martyrs of 6:9-11 but other martyrs. However not every Christian who refused to worship the beast, lost their lives.

20:4 “And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years”: This is the first resurrection that John will mention in 20:5. Right here many writers argue that this is a resurrection of the body, thus Premillennial theory has a resurrection of the righteous (at the rapture), then a resurrection of the righteous dead in Old Testament times, then a resurrection of the wicked some 1007 years later. Yet Jesus and the apostles taught only one resurrection of the righteous and the wicked that would happen at the same time, the last day (John 5:28-29; 6:39). Gregg is correct in noting Scripture elsewhere teaches that there will be only one physical resurrection at the end of time, which will include the righteous and the unrighteous (John 6:39,40,44,54l 12:48). Therefore, this first resurrection cannot be a bodily resurrection. In addition to this, the imagery of a resurrection was used in the Old Testament for a triumph over idolatry and captivity (Isaiah 26:19; Hosea 13:14; Ezekiel 37:1-14). Added to this, when one becomes a Christian, they raise from a condition of spiritual death (John 5:24; 11:34-35; Ephesians 2:5-6; Colossians 2:13; 3:1; Romans 6:3-5,13).

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Hailey believes that this first resurrection refers to the victorious overcoming of the Christians mentioned in 20:4. “Revelation was written at a time when Christ’s plan for man was about to be crushed, or so it seemed. Rather than the church being abolished, it shall be resurrected, and instead, her persecutors shall be brought to an end” (Harkrider p. 230).

20:5 “The rest of the dead”: Not dead Christians, but rather the wicked. This either means that the lost know of no such first resurrection and only have a resurrection leading to condemnation awaiting them in the future (John 5:29). Or the resurrection mentioned in 20:5 is a resurrection of evil that is mentioned in 20:7ff. The wicked shall experience a resurrection of their cause in the revived effort of Satan.

20:6 “Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection”: Carefully note that no blessing is pronounced upon those involved in the second resurrection mentioned in the previous verse. This would be one more proof that we are not dealing with the resurrection at the last day, for even the wicked will share in that resurrection, but they are not blessed. Simply being raised from the dead is not a blessing. Only those who refused to worship the beast are blessed and holy and only such faithfulness protects one from hell, the second death.

20:6 “Over these the second death has no power”: The second death is hell (Revelation 20:14; 2:11; 21:8). And the second death has no power over them because they were faithful to the end (2 Timothy 2:11-13).

20:6 “But they will be priests of God and of Christ”: Earlier John noted that faithful Christians are priests on the earth (1:5-6; 5:9-10; 1 Peter 2:5). Evidently, after this life, the faithful Christian continues to serve God in a priestly manner and function.

20:6 “And will reign will Him for a thousand years”: The same type of promise was offered to those in the seven churches who would be faithful to the end (3:21). “The cause for which these early saints died has not been in vain.

They reign victoriously for a full, uninterrupted period of time on spiritual thrones.

The cause for which they suffered death has been vindicated, and the kingdom of God continues on the earth. Kingdoms of men come and go, but the kingdom of the Lord has withstood all the powers of Satan” (Harkrider p. 231).

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