Revelation Chapter 20
Originally posted Monday January 5, 2009
Revelation, Chapter 20:1-6 The Thousand Years
The gathered armies
of the kings of the earth, the beast from the sea and all those who were
deceived by the false prophet (the beast from the land) and willingly received
the mark of the beast were defeated. The two beasts were captured
and thrown into the lake of fire (Num.
16:33). Those who bore the mark of the beast were killed by the sharp,
two-edged sword from the mouth of the rider of the white horse (Isa. 11:4; Rev. 2:12,16). A number of interpreters have rushed to judgment
assigning the killing of those who bear the mark of the beast with a literal
sword. The reference in 19:21 is
the two edged sword of 1:16b and
19:15. To understand the use of this sword we read Eph 6:17b which identifies it as
the "sword of the spirit which is the word of God." Closer to John's
time we find in Heb. 4:12 how
this two-edged sword functions in the judgment. The writer uses the sword
as an analogy for the activity of the preached word of God (Gospel). The
proclamation of the Gospel requires a decision for or against Christ. The word
cuts through all the defenses of the human spirit (mind and heart) to
judge the true person - laid bare to God. Nothing can be hidden that will
not be uncovered (Mk. 4:22). In the
context of John's vision the two-edged sword is the word of God which Jesus
proclaimed as Good News during his ministry and that of Paul and every
Christian evangelist. Those who accepted the mark of the beast instead of the
mark of God are found out and judged. They are spiritually dead.
It would seem that
all that remains is to deal with the red dragon who had given his power and
authority to the beasts. In what seems to be a victory too easily won, John
sees an angel descend holding the key to the bottomless pit and a "great
chain" (see 1:18, 9:1,
11:7; Jude 1:6; 2nd Pet. 2:4). The angel seizes the Red Dragon, throws
him into the bottomless pit, locking and sealing him in. (The bottomless pit is
not the lake of fire). The ancient serpent of vs.2 is the tempter-serpent of the Garden of Eden, a.k.a.
Devil and Satan. The Dragon will be bound in the pit for one thousand years so
that he cannot deceive the nations into worshipping the idol of the beast.
However, and with no reason given, the Dragon will be let out of its
imprisonment after the millennium is over. As with most of John's visions there
are a variety of interpretations of the thousand years with divergences of
opinions that have led to the formation of entire denominations as well as
intramural condemnation of one religionist by another. Such questions as
when the Satan-free Millennium of Christ's reign begins and ends and whether it
is a heavenly or earthly reign and the plethora of shades of variations have
occupied the minds of writers and preachers - in churches, tents, on radio, television
and through the Internet. Whether this arises from pure anxiety or the lure of
money -and there are millions of dollars spent and collected on this
subject by hapless readers and viewers and the preachers who ply their trade.
Perhaps we can be satisfied to heed the words of Jesus when he speaks to his
Disciples about the events of the end time: "About that day or hour no one
knows [not even] the Son. but only the Father" (Mk.13:32). If Jesus isn't enough then we can turn to 2 Peter 3:8 where the writer is
contending with those who are worried about the delay of Christ's return. He
answers citing the Greek Old Testament Ps. 90:4, "With the Lord one day is like a thousand years and
a thousand years are like one day." Revelation is not concerned with times
but with readiness for the time whenever it is.
In an interlude
between the seizing of the Dragon and the vision of its eventual fate John sees
the vision of the thousand years of peace. He sees those who are seated on
thrones from which they are empowered to judge those on earth (Mt. 19:28). He sees the martyrs who had
been beheaded for their resistance to worshipping the beast and having the
beast's mark as a witness to Christ. They have been raised in the first
resurrection to reign with Christ during the thousand years of peace
- the Messianic age. Remarkably only the martyrs are raised. Their
martyrdom brings them perfection such that they will not stand before the
final judgment. Rather they will serve as priests (5:10; Isa. 61:6) of God and reign with Christ (vs. 4). All others will
"wait" to be raised in the second resurrection, to be
judged when the thousand years are over. The second death - the lake of
fire, refers to the condemnation of those who are not martyrs but have died
before the Parousia. They are to be judged on the godliness of their deeds and
faithfulness in resisting the worship of the beast. Certainly John means this
to be a warning to the churches. While he may not assume or even encourage
martyrdom for all, he holds out the second resurrection as an
exhortation to remain faithful in resisting the idolatry of worshipping the
image of the beast. John's vision of the two resurrections is unique in the New
Testament and the contemporary Judaism. All four Gospels and the letters of
Paul know of only one resurrection. It is probable that in John's enthusiasm to
idealize martyrdom as the sure and instant path to heaven while still offering
heaven to the continuously faithful unto death, he came to the conclusion that
a second resurrection must be necessary. In our own time his belief
speaks to the age old question, "What happens to me when I die" and
it was on the minds of the Christians in Thessalonica who were worried about
the eternal fate of believers who had already died before the
Parousia. Paul's answer of reassurance did not propose two resurrections.
Rather he told them that the dead in Christ would rise first but then all
believers would be "taken up" immediately thereafter.
Revelation, Chapter 20: 7-10 Satan's Doom
Satan is to be
released from the abyss - the pit, when the thousand years of peace is
completed. With his release peace ends and war begins as Satan commences his
deception to convince the world that their best hope is to be in an alliance
with him. John uses the story of the battle between Gog, Magog and Israel
in Ezek. 38 to describe
the eschatological battle between these massive forces under the leadership of
Satan and heaven. The forces surround the "camp of the saints and the
beloved city." Using military terminology such as "camp of the
saints with "beloved city," gives the image of the city of God in
which the people of God are gathered (see
Ps. 48:1-9) for John's background source). Satan has no opportunity to
engage the armies of God in any final battle. Instead God's patience has run
out and fire rains down from heaven to consume the gathered forces of evil.
Satan stands alone against God. In the final moment - in the space between
the end of evil and the beginning of good, he is no match and is cast into
the lake of fire to remain there forever and ever, joining the beast of the sea
and the beast of the land who had cast their lot with Satan through spiritual
fornication with idolatry and against God.
Revelation, Chapter 20:11-15 The Dead are Judged
The final judgment
has arrived. John envisions "a great white throne" as if suspended in
space with heaven and earth having "fled" from God's presence.
Standing before the throne were all the physically dead of the earth, sea,
Death and Hades, assembled to hear if their names were in the book of
life. Judgment was on the basis of entries in the books of deeds, godly
perseverance and testimony to faith and ungodly deeds. Every person was
judged based on these entries. Those who had remained faithful until the
end were written in the book of life. All others, along with Death and Hades -
the place of the dead, were condemned, thrown into the lake of fire - the
second death which is spiritual. As with the second resurrection used as a
warning for faithfulness, so the books of deeds and of life serve to remind the
churches that there can be no lapse in faith, no relaxation of devotion to God.
John thereby reminds them that Satan is still on the loose. The time of his
confinement to the lake of fire has not yet come. He still prowls the dark
corners of life, seducing anyone who would dare touch even his shadow.
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