Revelation Chapter 20:7-15/Commentary

Revelation Chapter 20:7-15 Revelation 20:7-15 “And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

11And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.

12And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”.

20:7 “When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison” “Though freed at the end of the thousand years, Satan’s attitude toward Christ and the saints shows no change. He remains the inveterate and relentless enemy of God and His people” (Hailey p. 395). This loosing had already been introduced in 20:3. Note how Satan’s period of freedom is short-lived compared to the reign of the saints. “In the spirit of this faithfulness (12:12) they bound Satan by overcoming him. When such a spirit and loyal devotion to the principles and cause of Christ no longer distinguish God’s people, the restraining power is gone; Satan is loosed once more” (p. 396).

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20:8 “And will come out to deceive the nations”: As Satan used Rome to persecute God’s people (13:1ff), Satan will attempt to deceive the nations (plural). Even though Satan had been defeated and exposed in past generations, and even though one persecuting empire after another has fallen (Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Rome), the next generation does not seem to learn the valuable lessons of history. “He finds no shortage of sympathy from the nations, for they follow him en masse as the sand of the sea” (Gregg p. 473). “No longer relying upon one great power, he now gathers his forces from all sources, from nations in all quarters of the earth” (Hailey p. 396).

20:8 “To deceive”: The devil still has the power to deceive, let us remember that many people in the world who oppose God and His truth are deceived (2 Timothy 2:24-25; Acts 26:18).

20:8 “Which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog”: In the book of Ezekiel, “Gog, of the land of Magog” was the prince of the countries to the north (Ezekiel 38:2f), the east, west, and south (38:5). The term “Magog” (MAY gog) simply means “the land of Gog”. “He would command a great horde with which he would invade and cover the land of Israel (38:6-9). His eye would be upon the spoil of the land to take it for himself (38:10-13). He would continue even into the ‘latter days’—the Messianic period (38:16)—but he would be utterly destroyed, buried in defeat (chapter 39). God through Ezekiel explains who the Gog and Magog are. ‘Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Art thou he of whom I spake in old time by My servants the prophets of Israel, that prophesied in those days for many years that I would bring thee against them?’ (38:17. God said that He had spoken of Gog’s coming, but no prophet ever named Gog or Magog. Yet the prophets foretold over and over of the heathen enemies who would come against Israel and who would be defeated and destroyed by His hand. Therefore we conclude that Gog of the land of Magog symbolized all the heathen enemies of God’s people from the time of the prophets to the Roman Empire, all who sought to destroy His purpose and to destroy His king” (Hailey pp. 396-397).

Some premillennial writers argue that this verse points to a great physical battle to be fought in Palestine, after the Millennium with Russia, the United States, and other nations participating. Please note that this battle is fought after the Millennium is over! If Jesus has been literally ruling on the earth for 1000 years during a time of utopian peace, then why are there still independent nations such as the United States and Russia? In addition, note that these enemy forces come from the four corners of the earth and not simply from one direction, i.e., north.

20:8 “To gather them together for the war”: Some view this as a literal war, and yet the war already discussed in 16:14-16 and 19:19-21 was not a literal war fought with conventional weapons. Others see this as another period of intense persecution against the church, such as happened during the first century. Still others see this as a spiritual battle where Satan gathers together such agencies

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as atheism, humanism, communism, materialism, astrology, and all manner of false and perverted religions in an attempt to destroy the church. That is, this is a gathering of all anti-Christian forces against God’s people.

20:8 “The number of them is like the sand of the seashore”: This is a section of Revelation that many premillennialists tend to skip with advocating their theory.

We hear a lot about the rapture and the 1000-year reign, but we do not hear much about what supposedly happens at the end of their millennium.

Remember, according to this theory, Jesus comes and absolutely crushes all opposition, and reigns on the earth during 1000 years of utopia. So where do all these evil people come from? Some argue that these are people on the earth who lived far from the center of Jesus’ reign in Jerusalem and never really came upon His rule. Others think that these are nations who feigned loyalty to Jesus out of fear, all the while maintaining sin in their hearts and longing for a time when they could rise up and overthrow His rule. To me this is terrible reasoning, what type of utopia is this? God is literally on the earth ruling and most people are only pretending to obey Him—and He tolerates that? Others argue that the people who rise up against Christ and believers at the end of the millennium are the children born to Christians during this time.

“While those going into the millennium were saved, they were not perfected. The progeny born to them during the millennial age were born with the same fallen sin nature with which their parents were born and consequently needed regeneration” (Things to Come, pp. 548-549). Wow! 1. After being resurrected, given spiritual bodies, going to heaven, then coming back to reign with Jesus, the saved still marry and have children (Matthew 22:30)? 2. Such children are born in sin—(sin exists in the millennium?) One remains inherently depraved even during a utopian period of peace? 3. The vast majority of children born in the millennium (during a golden age) will end up lost! All of this is hardly a paradise on earth.

In addition, Premillennialists are very vocal about the fact that “born-again Christians” are the only ones who enter into the Millennium. Yet they are also Calvinists, so why do so many “born-again Christians” end up losing their salvation? McGuiggan notes that the Millennium in premillennial theory starts with no one but saved people, who can’t fall away. Everything is perfect as to environment and government. The devil is completely inoperative. Yet at the end of this period of time the devil is able to gather up so many unbelievers that they are an innumerable host, that is, the vast majority who are alive during the Millennium end up lost!

20:9 “And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city” Premillennial writers are nearly unanimous in identifying the city here as earthly Jerusalem. The word “camp” is a military term, and pictures God’s people as

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surrounding the beloved city for her defense. The city in this verse, is the heavenly Jerusalem, the spiritual Zion, the church (Hebrews 12:22f). The church is still the object of Satan’s wrath and he is determined to make another attempt to destroy her. Instead of trying to destroy her through persecution from one Empire, now he seeks to hit her from every side. “This army and invasion stand for any and all of the Devil’s assaults against the church (after the Roman offensive)” (McGuiggan p. 306).

“Evidences of Satan’s allies are abundant: secularism, materialism, atheism, astrology, false religion, fleshly lusts, drug cults, and all manner of evil” (Harkrider p. 233).

20:9 “And fire came down from heaven and devoured them”: This is not a reference to nuclear war, but Divine retribution. This reminds us that God will always fight for and defend His people. In light of the verses that follow, this may be a reference to the Second Coming (2 Thess. 1:7-9). For after this defeat, Satan is not bound, rather he is finally cast into the lake of fire (20:10).

Therefore, this is the last battle that the devil will fight and the last alliance that he will be allowed to gather.

20:10 “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone”: “The devil, man’s great deceiver from the beginning, now reaches his final doom and eternal end. First, he was cast down to the earth (12:9), then into the pit of the abyss (20:3), and now into the lake of fire and brimstone. His destruction has been gradual, but long-since determined in the mind of God, for the lake was prepared for him and his own (Matthew 25:41). He now shares the lot of his allies---the beast, the false prophet, and the harlot” (Hailey p. 398).

20:10 “They will be tormented day and night forever and ever”: Compare with 14:11. Some argue that hell is nothing more than a cessation of existence but such a concept destroys the meaning of the term “torment”. If one has ceased to exist, torment is a meaningless term. Please note that earlier in the book the righteous are said to serve God day and night (7:15), and the wicked have no rest day or night (14:11). Thus if the one is conscious service then the other must be conscious torment. We see the same truth in Luke 16:19ff. The sad thing is that one cannot undermine the teaching about hell without also undermining the truth about heaven. Groups that have ceased to believe in hell as a place of conscious punishment typically have a very vague or inferior concept of heaven.

The Final Judgment I would argue that this is the final judgment simply from the context: The devil is finally punished for all eternity. Death and Hades no longer exist (20:14). All the dead are judged (20:12). The physical universe is gone (20:11).

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20:11 “Then I saw a great white throne”: White is a symbol of purity, justice, and holiness.

20:11 “And Him who sat upon it”: Even though both Father and Son rule, earlier in the Gospels Jesus told us that all judgment had been given unto Him (John 5:22,27), and that He would be the Judge at the final day (Matthew 25:31ff). Compare with Acts 17:31; Romans 2:16; 2 Corinthians 5:10. In reality, when Christ judges, the Father is judging, for Jesus and the Father are one, one in Godhood, purpose, and work (John 10:30).

20:11 “From whose presence earth and heaven fled away”: Other passages also predict the complete removal of the physical creation (Psalm 102:25-27; Hebrews 1:11f; 2 Peter 3:10; Matthew 24:35). This removal of the creation happens when Jesus comes again (2 Peter 3:9-10). Notice that the entire physical creation dissolves before God’s glory and presence. This also infers that the Second Coming did not occur one thousand years before this verse!

When Christ actually comes, that is exactly when the universe ends! “And no place was found for them”: Contrary to the claims of groups like the Jehovah Witnesses, the physical creation is not merely renovated, rather it is completely removed, it has been completely dissolved (2 Peter 3:10). God is not cleaning up the earth here, He has removed it forever. No place being found for them means that they no longer serve any purpose and they no longer exist. The universe is not simply stored somewhere or placed in mothballs for some future time. It is not saved and neither it is put on display in some cosmic museum.

20:12 “And I saw the dead, the great and the small”: No one is exempt from the Judgment. No one is too important to be Judged by God and no one is too insignificant!

20:12 “Standing before the throne, and books were opened”: Apparently the books that contain the record of everything they said or did (2 Corinthians 5:10).

It is the complete and infallible record of their lives. Harkrider believes that the “books” here refer to the different standards by which all the dead will be judged, i.e. those who lived prior to the Law of Moses, those who lived under it, the Gentiles in the Old Testament, and those who lived during the New Covenant.

20:12 “And another book was opened, which is the book of life”: This is the book that contains the names of the faithful (Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 3:5; 21:27). The presence of this book in this context means that Christians are present at this judgment, that is, this is the final judgment. This is not a judgment of the wicked only (2 Corinthians 5:10).

20:12 “And the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds”

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One will not be judged on the basis of what one “might” have done. Rather, eternal rewards or punishments will be based on what one actually did or failed to do (James 4:17). Good intentions do not count. We need to exhort people to see themselves as they really are, for God will not judge us on the basis of some fantasy that we had about ourselves. Some premillennial writers have tried to argue that the righteous are present here, but they are not judged, rather their previous judgment (that happened when the millennium began) will only be confirmed, yet the text says no such thing. The verse clearly teaches that at this time, all the dead are judged.

20:13 “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it”: God now gets specific and assures everyone that all the dead will be present. In addition, this verse also infers that the term “dead” includes the presence of all souls (those in Hades), and all the bodies of the dead will have been resurrected as well, the sea gave up the dead—that is surrender the dead bodies, even those who died at sea, whose bodies have completely decayed, will not be forgotten! “Because of the Jewish emphasis on proper burial of the dead and fear of possible calamity if this was not done, some have concluded that John speaks of the literal sea” (Hailey p. 402). The “sea” here also may refer to the mass of humanity, that is, all the dead, the entire population on earth when Christ comes, will be present at the judgment.

“Neither those who had been put out of sight by burial nor those fed to the fishes at sea will be able to remain hidden from the final judgment” (Gregg p. 482).

20:13 “Death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them”: Another indication that this is the final judgment, when death has been completely conquered (1 Corinthians 15:26; 54). Death claims the body (James 2:26) when the spirit leaves. Hades, the unseen, claims the spirit (Acts 2:27,31). In the resurrection, the body and the spirit are reunited (1 Corinthians 15:52ff; 1 Thess.

4:13ff; 1 John 3:1-3).

There has been some discussion concerning whether or not the Christian who dies goes to Hades as did the righteous during Old Testament times (Luke 16:19ff). I really have not seen any verses that plainly teach that Christians who die go into the immediate presence of God instead of going to Hades, as did Lazarus. According to this verse, Hades and death are not removed until the final judgment. Death claims all bodies of believers and unbelievers, in like manner, Hades claims all spirits, the righteous are comforted and the wicked are tormented. See also Acts 2:27-31. After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the inference is that David’s body is still in the tomb and his soul is still in Hades.

20:13 “They were judged, every one of them according to their deeds”: Compare with Ecclesiastes 12:13-14; Hebrews 4:13.

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20:14 “This is the second death, the lake of fire”: Compare with 21:8. This is the final state of the wicked.

20:15 “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” God is impartial. There is no predestination here, and no Calvinistic idea that people end up saved regardless of the choices that they make in life. God does not change, for throughout the ages the wicked have been consistently judged.

The fate for the beast, the false prophet, the harlot, and even Satan himself has the same fate that every unbeliever and unfaithful person will face. No one will be able to escape this fate if they chose to disobey. “The defeat of Satan and his forces against God and truth is total—complete and final. Of this second death, Alford writes, ‘As there is a second higher life, so there is also a second and deeper death. And as after that life there is no more death, so after that death there is no more life’ (pp. 735f.) (Hailey p. 403).

In light of the fact that God does not wish for any to perish (2 Peter 3:9), those who end up here did so of their own choice (Romans 2:11).

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