The Judgment of God: The Dragon Chained, A Great White Throne
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
– Matthew 16: 24-27
Revelation 20 – Continuation of Day of Atonement
Theme: Millennial Judgment of God
Chapter 20 is the last of six chapters of Revelation that fulfill the theme of the judgment of God on the Day of Atonement. This chapter presents the judgments at the beginning and end of the seventh millennium. This includes the reward of the righteous, those who have come under the atoning blood of Christ. They will receive blessing and reward for their faith, a place of service in Christ’s millennial kingdom. This chapter also includes the punishment of the wicked, the beast and his false prophet; the Dragon is chained and imprisoned in the Abyss; the final rebellion at the end of Christ’s millennial reign, and the great white throne judgment of all who have ever lived. This concludes the theme of judgment of the Day of Atonement in the thematic pattern of the feasts. The millennial reign of Christ is mentioned only in passing, since it does not thematically belong with these judgment of God, but in the following chapter, which fulfills the rejoicing theme of the Feast of Tabernacles.
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Revelation 20
Then I saw an angel coming down from Heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and upon his arm he carried a great chain. He laid hold of the Dragon—the ancient serpent—who is the Devil and the Adversary, and bound him for a thousand years, and hurled him into the bottomless pit. He closed the entrance and put a seal upon him in order that he might be unable to lead the nations astray any more until the thousand years were at an end. Afterwards he is to be set at liberty for a short time.
And I saw thrones, and some who were seated on them, to whom judgment was entrusted. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded on account of the testimony that they had borne to Jesus and on account of God’s Message, and also the souls of those who had not worshipped the Wild Beast or his statue, nor received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands; and they came to Life and were kings with Christ for a thousand years. No one else who was dead rose to Life until the thousand years were at an end. This is the First Resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the First Resurrection. The Second Death has no power over them, but they shall be priests to God and to Christ, and shall be kings with Christ for the thousand years.
But when the thousand years are at an end, the Adversary will be released from his imprisonment, and will go out to lead astray the nations in all the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, and assemble them for war, and they are like the sands on the seashore in number. And they went up over the whole breadth of the earth and surrounded the encampment of God’s people and the beloved city. But fire came down from Heaven and consumed them; and the Devil, who had been leading them astray, was thrown into the Lake of fire and sulphur where the Wild Beast and the false Prophet were, and day and night they will suffer torture until the Ages of the Ages.
Then I saw a great white throne and One who was seated on it, from whose presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing in front of the throne. And books were opened; and so was another book—namely, the Book of Life; and the dead were judged by the things recorded in the books in accordance with what their conduct had been. Then the sea yielded up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades yielded up the dead who were in them, and each man was judged in accordance with what his conduct had been. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of fire; this is the Second Death—the Lake of fire. And if any one’s name was not found recorded in the Book of Life he was thrown into the Lake of fire.
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Revelation 20 Commentary
v. 1-3 Then I saw an angel coming down from Heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and upon his arm he carried a great chain. He laid hold of the Dragon—the ancient serpent—who is the Devil and the Adversary, and bound him for a thousand years, and hurled him into the bottomless pit. He closed the entrance and put a seal upon him in order that he might be unable to lead the nations astray any more until the thousand years were at an end. Afterwards he is to be set at liberty for a short time.
The Dragon’s identity is confirmed here as the devil, the ancient serpent that deceived Eve and tempted Adam. After the beast and false prophet have been sentenced to the lake of fire, an angel places the Dragon in captivity. The fact that the Dragon is chained confirms his consignment to Tartarus, the Abyss where the Watchers are held (Heb. – chu’l: writhing in pain or fear – Job 26:5), in torment awaiting the final judgment of God, traditionally depicted as bound by chains. The removal of the three most powerful satanic beings effectively curtails Satan’s deception of the nations during the Millennium. The reason the Dragon is chained and sent to the Abyss rather than the lake of fire is because God has a use for him later.
v. 4a And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. It is commonly held that the saints are judged at the beginning of the millennial reign of Christ in what is called here the bema seat judgment: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2Cor. 5:10). Some hold that this verse signifies judgment by the saints rather than judgment of them. The verse seems intentionally vague. Since believers are promised a place with Christ on his throne, that interpretation would work here as well. Jesus also told the apostles that they would sit on twelve thrones judging the tribes of Israel. Which particular judgment is represented here is not as important as the thematic fulfillment of the Day of Atonement that requires judgment in several arenas, any of which might be expressed here.
v. 4b-6 Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (KJV)
The identity of this group is the subject of diverse opinions. Some hold the very limited interpretation that beheaded martyrs are the only ones resurrected, since this chapter does not specifically mention any other group. However, this interpretation conflicts with numerous Scriptural passages that indicate all the righteous, including Old Testament saints, will take part in the Resurrection. Rev. 2 & 3 state that overcomers (of the entire church age) will reign with Christ in the Resurrection. Care should therefore be taken not to interpret this passage too narrowly. An explanation that is more consistent with other Scripture is that this passage describes those who are slain by the beast after Jesus returns to earth. Because a battle is involved in Jesus taking control of the earth, it will take some time before the worldwide forces of the beast can be stopped from killing more Christians. Since the righteous dead were all resurrected to meet Christ in the air before his return, this verse is an assurance that these ‘late martyrs’ killed after his return are resurrected to receive their reward.
Those who take part in the first resurrection will receive their glorified bodies and serve as priests, ‘ruling’ (serving and ministering) with Christ during his thousand-year reign. (Even though Christ is king, he is also God. His government will therefore be a theocracy, so his ministers will primarily be religious (priests), rather than secular kings. (An explanation of this distinction is found in the Commentary on Rev. 5:10) Those who reign with Christ will be qualified to do so, having had their character forged in the furnace of tribulation during this life. Their judgment will therefore reflect Christ’s justice as well as his compassion. Scripture contains an admonishment that not everyone will receive the same reward, because not everyone pursues the kingdom with the same degree of obedience and zeal.
“The Spirit Himself bears witness, along with our own spirits, to the fact that we are children of God; and if children, then heirs too—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ; if indeed we are sharers in Christ’s sufferings, in order that we may also be sharers in His glory.” Rom. 8:16
“If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will testy the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” 1Cor. 3:12-15
The question remains, over whom will believers rule? While many hold that the Resurrection will include only the saints, not all the evidence supports this conclusion. Several points of discussion present themselves in light of verses 7-10, which describe a final rebellion and siege of Jerusalem at the end of the millennium under the guidance of Satan, quashed by fire from heaven: Point 1: If everyone living on earth during the seventh millennium are resurrected saints, why would there be a need for Christ to rule with ‘a rod of iron,’ especially since the saints are themselves ministers of Christ’s rule? Point 2: What is the motivation for a group of saints ruling with Christ and passing freely through the gates of Jerusalem for a thousand years to suddenly succumb to a temptation to capture the city, dethrone their Lord, and take it for themselves? Point 3: What would the punishment be for this group of turncoat saints? Would the fire that devours the rebellious affect a resurrected body? Those who rule with Christ have already received their glorified bodies and are exempt from the great white throne judgment (v. 6). If they rebel and are consumed by fire, they can neither serve Christ nor be consigned to the lake of fire due to their exemption from the final judgment of God. Point 4: Isaiah 65 records children being born and people dying after the Messiah establishes his kingdom. Since the saints will be like the angels and therefore unable to marry in the Resurrection (Mk. 12:25), they cannot bear children or die.
Obviously some group other than saints are having children and dying and finally even rebelling in the Resurrection. Scripture does not reveal all God’s plan, or who exactly will populate the earth during the Resurrection. This gives rise to difficulties with our understanding of where these people come from, as well as why some would rebel against Christ’s reign at the end of the Millennium since Christ judged the earth at his return. Even after the resurrection there may be areas of knowledge that Jesus reserves to himself. This will give those with inquiring minds something to look forward to understanding as Christ’s reign unfolds...
v. 7-10 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
The national character of a people and their cultural and religious memory can endure for thousands of years. One need only look at the people of Tibet or the aboriginal tribes of Australia to confirm this fact. This will also be true of those living in the area designated as the four corners of the earth at the end of the seventh millennium. This location was identified in Revelation 9 as the area of the Euphrates River, generally symbolic of the Middle East. The distant cultural memory of the people of “Gog and Magog” at the end of the seventh millennium will still hearken back to the great Mahdi and his loyal prophet Isa who fought a great war for Islam, only to be defeated by the ‘wicked ad Dajjal.’
When the Dragon comes to the people of Gog and Magog at the end of the millennium, he will remind them of the great Muslim empire and their defeat by the ad Dajjal, still ruling from Jerusalem. It will not be a difficult task for the Dragon to incite the people then living in the former Islamic nations of the Middle East with memories of lost glory. The purposes of God will be accomplished as the rebellion in the hearts of the disobedient is revealed by the temptation of the Dragon and they are purged from the Kingdom of God. This removal of the wicked from the earth fulfills the Parable of the Tares (weeds) in which the weeds are collected in bundles “to be burned” before the wheat is gathered. (Mt. 13:24-30) The Dragon will then join the Man of Sin and the false prophet in the lake of fire, from which there is no escape and no end.
v. 11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and One who was seated on it, from whose presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing in front of the throne. And books were opened; and so was another book—namely, the Book of Life; and the dead were judged by the things recorded in the books in accordance with what their conduct had been. Then the sea yielded up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades yielded up the dead who were in them, and each man was judged in accordance with what his conduct had been. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the Lake of fire; this is the Second Death—the Lake of fire. And if any one’s name was not found recorded in the Book of Life he was thrown into the Lake of fire.
At the great white throne, the final judgment of God is passed on everyone who ever lived, except those who took part in the first resurrection. This judgment will also include spiritual beings: the rebellious angels, the angelic Watchers who adopted the ways of earth, and the demonic spirits of the giants. Everyone’s deeds, recorded in books set aside for this purpose, will be reviewed and each judged accordingly. Then the Book of Life will be checked. If an individual’s name is not found there, he or she will suffer eternally in the lake of fire. Finally, death and Hades are themselves thrown into the lake of fire, because death is only a temporary condition resulting from Adam’s disobedience, and Hades will no longer be necessary since there is no more death.
Revelation 20
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