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Revelation
Chapter Twenty
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Kingdom of A Thousand Years and the Time
before and after It
II. During the kingdom of a thousand
years----overcomers reigned with Christ for a thousand years (v.4-6)
III. After the kingdom of a thousand years----Satan
will be released from his prison, deceive the nations and perish (v.7-10)
IV. The judgment before a great white
throne----clearing up everything (v.11-15)
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Rev. 20:1 “Then I saw an angel
coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain
in his hand.”
YLT: “And I saw a
messenger coming down out of the heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a
great chain over his hand,”
Meaning of Words: “come down”:
descend, fall down; “bottomless pit”: depthless place.
Literal Meaning: “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven,” if this angel is not the Lord Jesus
Himself, it should be an archangel with high position who has been authorized
by God to perform this task.
“Having
the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand” “Key” means that
He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens (See 3:7). “A great
chain” is used to bind so that the bound one cannot move at will.
Rev. 20:2 “He laid hold of the
dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a
thousand years;”
YLT: “and he laid hold on
the dragon, the old serpent, who is Devil and Adversary, and did bind him a
thousand years,”
Meaning of Words: “lay hold of”:
arrest, use power; “bind”: tie, restrain.
Literal Meaning: “He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old,
who is the Devil and Satan” “the dragon”
stresses on its cruel and ferocious characteristic. “That serpent of old”
stresses on its crafty and cunning characteristic. “The Devil” stresses on its
characteristic of lying and accusation. “Satan” stresses on its characteristic
of being the enemy of God.
“And bound him for a thousand years;” “A thousand years” refers to the whole
period of the kingdom of a thousand years. “Binding him for a thousand years”, God had not cast it into the lake of fire
(See 19:20) and there must be the good will of God: 1) God still needs it to
accomplish certain purpose. 2) There is a environment not disturbed by Satan
during the kingdom of a thousand years to fulfill the prophecy said by God
through the prophet of the Old Testament (See Is. 61:6-9).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God works according to His established plan of
eternity and He has His good will whether one thing is done or not. Even the
thing that Satan was bound but had not been wiped out immediately is according
to the timetable of God. It shows that everything that comes upon us believers,
favorable circumstance or adverse circumstance, is the good will of God (See
Matt. 11:26) and it is for our good (See Rom. 8:28).
2) No matter how furious Satan is, it cannot
surpass the bounds God has established for it (See 2Thess. 2:7). And without
the permission of God, it can do nothing. And therefore we should not hesitate
to committing ourselves unto God and He will be responsible for us completely
(See 2Tim. 1:12).
Rev. 20:3 “and he cast him into the
bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should
deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after
these things he must be released for a little while.”
YLT: “and he cast him to
the abyss, and did shut him up, and put a seal upon him, that he may not lead
astray the nations any more, till the thousand years may be finished; and after
these it behoveth him to be loosed a little time.”
Meaning of Words: “shut up”: stop up,
close; “no more”: lest, perhaps; “release”: untie; “a little while”: a little
time, a few days.
Literal Meaning: “and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut
him up, and set a seal on him” “the bottomless
pit” is the place where evil spirits and demons are temporarily imprisoned
before they are cast into the lake of fire to be tormented forever and ever
(See 9:1-2; Luke.8:31). “Shut…up” refers to being unable to getting away (See
Dan. 6:17).
“So that he should deceive the nations
no more” from this
sentence, we could know that the nations still exist during the kingdom of a
thousand years, however, there won’t be the deceit of the devil and evil
spirits.
“Till
the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released
for a little while.” The reasons why “he must be released for a
little while” are as follows: 1)
it shows that Satan won’t repent forever. 2) God utilizes it for a little while
in order to manifest men’s rebellious nature. 3) The sins that have not been
cleared up during the kingdom of a thousand years will be cleared away at a
blow.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The route of Satan: it was cast out into the
earth from heaven (See 12:9), was cast into the bottomless pit from the earth
and shall be released for a little while and be cast into the lake of fire (See
v.10).
2) Except for a few men who have been bestowed
grace, many people (including the world and believers) cannot wake up though
they have experienced frustrations, adversities, tribulation, discipline and
punishments. How pitiful and sorrowful! May we learn the lessons quickly.
Rev. 20:4 “And I saw thrones, and
they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. 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.”
YLT: “And I saw thrones,
and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them, and the souls of those
who have been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus, and because of the
word of God, and who did not bow before the beast, nor his image, and did not
receive the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand, and they did live and
reign with Christ the thousand years;”
Meaning of Words: “souls”: life;
“live”: be alive.
Literal Meaning: “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and
judgment was committed to them.” The plural word
“thrones” should indicate that “there are quite a lot of (many) thrones”. “They
sat on them” refers to overcomers. “Judgment” refers to the ability to discern
right and wrong and the period of the kingdom is the environment and chance for
overcomers to exercise the ability of judgment.
“Then
I saw for their witness to Jesus”
there are three kinds of men who can sit on thrones and the first kind is men
in believers who have confessed the good confession when they are alive (See
1Tim. 6:12).
“The
souls of those who had been beheaded
for the word
of God” the second kind is
men who were martyred for the word of God from ages and from generations (See
6:9).
“Who
had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on
their foreheads or on their hands.”
The third kind is men who have not bent their knees or comprised with
antichrist during the great tribulation (See 15:2).
“And
they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” “Lived” they include overcomers who are
raised after death and those who are raptured alive. “With Christ” means that:
1) sharing with Christ; 2) Christ is with them.
“Reigned for a thousand years” refers to reigning in the kingdom of a
thousand years.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Believers’ every circumstance and time today are
the chances to judge. The issue of life is according to the judgment. If one
judges well, he will take a step closer to victory; if one does not judge well,
he falls back a step.
2) Whether believers partake in the judgments of
the kingdom in future is according to our accumulations of judgments today. If
we judge well, we will have testimony in behavior and our faith will be firm.
Rev. 20:5 “But the rest of the dead
did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection.”
YLT: “and the rest of the
dead did not live again till the thousand years may be finished; this [is] the
first rising again.”
Meaning of Words: “until”: till, wait
till; “first”: firstly, at the beginning.
Literal Meaning: “This is the first
resurrection.” In the broad
sense, it refers to the resurrection of all believers, though every man shall
be made alive in his own order (See 1Cor. 15:23), they are all counted in the
first resurrection. And all the dead world shall live and be judged after a
thousands years (See the former half of this verse) and it is counted as the
second resurrection.
In the narrow sense, it refers to
the “good, special, excellent and outstanding” resurrection (See Phil. 3:11)
and only those who are regarded as firstfruits (See 14:4) and overcomers from
all ages and all generations shall be made alive the earliest. And it is also
the resurrection of recompense (See Luke. 14:14) that they will reign with
Christ for a thousand years (See v.4, 6). Please note that not all believers
will reign in the kingdom of a thousand years.
“But the rest of the dead did not live
again until the thousand years were finished. “The rest of the dead” refers to all the dead
world. “Until the thousand years are finished” they will be still detained in
the hell during the kingdom of a thousand years to wait for the judgment in the
last day (See v.12).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) All the dead saints shall partake in the first
resurrection when the Lord comes again, however, we shall all be judged before
the judgment seat of Christ (See 2Cor. 5:10). The overcomers shall reign and
the failures shall be punished.
2) At a minimum, even if believers have failed,
they have everlasting life in them (See John. 3:16) and therefore they can live
during the kingdom of a thousand years. However, they may be shut out of the
door of the marriage supper (See Matt. 25:11, 30) and cannot enjoy the joy
lasting for a thousand years. They will prepare themselves regretfully. Until
all believers have achieved the standard, the bride will be adorned (See 21:2).
3) The kingdom of a thousand years is not only the
line of demarcation between those who have been saved and those who have not
been saved but also the borderline between overcomers and failures: those who
have been saved will be raised and those who have not been saved won’t be
raised; the overcomers shall reign and the failures shall be governed.
Rev. 20:6 “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.”
YLT: “Happy and holy [is]
he who is having part in the first rising again; over these the second death
hath not authority, but they shall be priests of God and of the Christ, and
shall reign with him a thousand years.”
Meaning of Words: “has part”: having
one’s own portion; “but”: contrarily.
Literal Meaning: “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first
resurrection.” “Blessed” means
“happy” in the original because they will enjoy the joy that last for a
thousand years. “Holy” means “being separated to God” in the original and they
are a group of men separated to God.
“Over
such the second death has no power,”
“the second death” refers to being tormented in the lake of fire forever and
ever (See v.14). “Over such…has no power” indicates that they shall never
perish. It is the first blessing.
“But
they shall be priests of God and of Christ” “priests” refers to men who draw near to God and
serve Him. It is the second blessing.
“And
shall reign with Him a thousand years.”
Reigning with Christ a thousand years is the third blessing.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The common Christian traditional idea is
according to the broad interpretation that all believers are included in men
who “have part in the first resurrection”. Basing on this idea, all believers will have
part in the three blessings mentioned in this verse voluntarily----all
believers shall reign. And it disobeys God’s just principle of rewards and
punishments.
2) Believers will never have “the second death”,
however, we may “be hurt by the second death” (See 2:11). The failed believers
will not be cast into the lake of fire, however, they may suffer loss as by
fire (See 1Cor. 3:15).
3) If we suffer with Christ today and endure, we
will reign with Christ in future (See Rom. 8:17; 2Tim. 2:12).
Rev. 20:7 “Now when the thousand
years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison”
YLT: “And when the
thousand years may be finished, the Adversary shall be loosed out of his
prison,”
Meaning of Words: “release”: loose;
“prison”: jail.
Literal Meaning: “Now when the thousand years have expired” it refers to the end of the kingdom of a
thousand years.
“Satan
will be released from his prison”
it is of the will of God and please see the reasons in the note of v.3.
Rev. 20:8 “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.”
YLT: “and he shall go
forth to lead the nations astray, that are in the four corners of the earth --
Gog and Magog -- to gather them together to war, of whom the number [is] as the
sand of the sea;”
Meaning of Words: “deceive”: cheat,
seduce; “four corner”: four angles.
Literal Meaning: “and will go out to deceive the nations which are
in the four corners of the earth”
“the nations
which are in the four corners of the earth” refers to the worldwide countries in different
corners.
“Gog
and Magog, to gather them together to battle” “Gog
and Magog” some Bible
exegetes held that they referred to Soviet Russia from the north parts (See
Ezek. 39:2). However, the former sentence refers to “the nations which are in the four
corners of the earth” and therefore it
should be interpreted as the groups that are against the true God and His
chosen among the nations of the earth according to the spiritual meaning.
“Whose
number is as the sand of the sea.”
It describes that the number of men is uncountable.
Rev. 20:9 “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.”
YLT: “and they did go up
over the breadth of the land, and did surround the camp of the saints, and the
beloved city, and there came down fire from God out of the heaven, and devoured
them;”
Meaning of Words: “breadth”: width,
length; “the earth”: the land; “devour”: eat down.
Literal Meaning: “They went up on the breadth
of the earth” “the earth” refers
to the holy land resided by the Jews.
“And
surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.” “The camp of the saints” refers to the place where those who are separated
from the world camp. “The beloved city” refers to the city of
“And
fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.” This sentence shows that not only the
enemy troops will be burned down by fire but also the earth and the works that
are therein, the elements shall melt with fervent heat in the last day (See
2Pet. 3:10-12).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The history of opposing God’s chosen repeats again
and again:
2) We, as Christians, should neither look down upon
the people of
Rev. 20:10 “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.”
YLT: “and the Devil, who
is leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where
[are] the beast and the false prophet, and they shall be tormented day and
night -- to the ages of the ages.”
Meaning of Words: “devil”: slanderer;
“be tormented”: be afflicted.
Literal Meaning: “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the
lake of fire and brimstone” “the lake of fire”
was prepared for the devil and its angels (See Matt. 25:41) where their worm
does not die and the fire is not quenched (See Mark. 9:48).
“Where
the beast and the false prophet are”
“The beast” refers to antichrist. He and the false prophet were captured and
cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (See 19:20)
“And
they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Considering the degree, the punishment of the
lake of fire is “being tormented day and night” and it is the extreme torment.
Considering the time, it lasts forever and ever and is an endless torment.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Today there is one wrong doctrine of so-called
“the universal salvation” in Christianity which only stresses on the great love
of God and ignores the righteousness of God. They hold that all the world will
be saved in eternity and even Satan will repent and be saved. They only seize
few scriptures and explain them into the doctrines that are not interpreted in
the Bible. It is very dangerous.
2) Anyway, it is said clearly in these scriptures
that Satan, antichrist and the false prophet will be tormented in the lake of
fire forever and ever. The lake of fire was prepared for the devil, however, he
whoever does not deal kindly with a little brother (he refers to a Jew) of the
Lord Jesus according to the flesh will be cast into the everlasting fire (See
Matt. 25:41).
Rev. 20:11 “Then I saw a great white
throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled
away. And there was found no place for them.”
YLT: “And I saw a great
white throne, and Him who is sitting upon it, from whose face the earth and the
heaven did flee away, and place was not found for them;”
Meaning of Words: “flee away”: run
away, escape.
Literal
Meaning: “Then
I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it,” “a great white throne” is the judgment-seat
concluding all the old creatures and bringing in the new heaven and the new
earth, however, the objects of the judgment are men. “Him who sat on it” is
God.
“From
whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And
there was found no place for them.”
“The earth and
the heaven fled away” because the old
heaven and the old heaven will melt with fervent fire. “And there was found no
place for them” refers to without
a trace (See 21:1; 2Pet. 3:7, 10-12).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The heaven and the earth will perish, but the
Lord remains. The heaven and the earth will be changed. But the Lord is the
same (See Heb. 1:11-12). And therefore we should hold fast to the Lord and
never rely on the heaven and the earth.
2) All the creatures shall be removed in future,
that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are
receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may
serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear (Heb. 12:27-28).
Rev. 20:12 “And I saw the dead, small
and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was
opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their
works, by the things which were written in the books.”
YLT: “and I saw the dead,
small and great, standing before God, and scrolls were opened, and another
scroll was opened, which is that of the life, and the dead were judged out of
the things written in the scrolls -- according to their works;”
Meaning of Words: “book”: scroll,
roll; “opened”: open up, reveal; “judge”: condemn, discern; “work”: labor,
deed; “write”: record, carve.
Literal Meaning: “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing
before God” “the dead” refers
to all the dead ones----mainly men who do not believe and die, however, it may
also include men who believe and die during the kingdom of a thousand years.
“Small and great” refers to smallness and greatness of their status and
positions. “Standing before God” the dead can “stand”, showing that at that
time they have been risen, however, their resurrection is the resurrection for
judgment (See John. 5:28-29).
“And
books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.” “Books” refers to the books in which
everyone’s words and deeds are recorded. “The Book of Life” refers to the name
list of believers (See 13:8; 17:8; Luke. 10:20). It has two purposes: 1) anyone
not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire (See
v.15); 2) anyone found written in the Book of Life shall be judged according to
the works and deeds recorded in the books.
“And
the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written
in the books.” “According to
their works” indicates that judgments are according to everyone’s works and the
degree of punishment differs according to their conditions.
This
sentence also deals with the following doubtful points: 1) how about babies who
are unable to be responsible for their deeds and die? 2) how about men who have
not heard the glad tidings during their life? We believe that everyone’s
conditions are recorded in the books and the righteous God will have the
reasonable appropriate ways. We do not need to go beyond our duties and think
hard over the things which have not been clearly written in the Bible.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Generally, men hold that the white great throne
aims at the world that have not believed and died. If so, the following three
kinds of men have not been made clear: a) how to deal with men who have been
saved during the kingdom; b) how to deal with men who are not qualified to
reign in the kingdom and have been prepared during the kingdom; c) how to deal
with the Jews who have not believed in the Lord and died.
2) Small or great, everyone shall be judged
according to his works and this truth denies the two wrong opinions: a) every
believer shall be raptured regardless of whether he overcomes or fails. And the
only difference is whether he has the reward; b) today some heretical and
extreme teachings tell the followers that they will become overcomers
voluntarily as long as they enter their church group.
Rev. 20:13 “The sea gave up the dead
who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And
they were judged, each one according to his works.”
YLT: “and the sea did
give up those dead in it, and the death and the hades did give up the dead in
them, and they were judged, each one according to their works;”
Meaning of Words: “give up”: grant,
deliver up; “Hades”: hell, the nether world.
Literal Meaning: “The sea gave up the dead who were in it” this sentence has the following two
different interpretations: 1) the sea is the place where the unclean spirits
dwell (See Matt. 8:31-32; 12:43) and therefore the dead that had been given up
probably refer to a kind of creature similar to the present men among various
creatures before the dawn of history. They betrayed God because of the devil
and followed the devil. Later God judged the whole land by flood and the earth
became waste and empty and darkness was on the face of the deep (See Gen. 1:2).
The creature became ghosts without bodies after death and they dwelled in the
sea; 2) men buried in the sea. Considering the two interpretations, the first
was reasonable because the souls after death are imprisoned in Hades regardless
of the place they were died. And where their bodies were buried is indifferent.
“And
Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them.” “Death and Hades” the two words are mentioned
together, showing that they are the two aspects of one. Death refers to the
power of reigning death (See 1Cor. 15:55-56) and it was held in the hand of the
devil (See Heb. 2:14). However, the key to open and shut it up was in the hand
of the Lord Jesus (See Rev. 1:18). Hades refers to the place that takes in and
imprisons men’s souls after their death (See Luke. 16:23; Acts. 2:27).
Some
Bible exegetes held that “sea and Hades” refer to the place of burying men’s
bodies when they died respectively. “Death” is the aggregation that controls
the souls of the dead. When the dead rise in the last day and receive judgment,
souls will put on bodies and receive judgment and therefore the sea, Hades and
Death must give up the dead. However, it is the guess of men without any basis
in the Bible. And it has loopholes: 1) will men still put on their former
bodies after they have risen? 2) some people were greatly damaged when they
died or burned up and how to diver them up?
“And
they were judged, each one according to his works.” Please see the note in v.12.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Men who are not judged before the judgment seat
of Christ (See 2Cor. 5:10) or the throne of Christ’s glory (See Matt.
25:31-32), without exception, will be judged before the white great throne (See
v.11) in the last day. And everyone shall be judged according to their works
and deeds, without the exception of one thing or one sentence (See Matt.
12:36).
2) If we want to avoid the judgment on that day,
there are two practical ways: a) we admit all our sins before we have believed
in the Lord and repent and receive the judgment of the cross with Christ; 2)
after we have believed in the Lord, we admit our sins in the light of God and
appropriate the precious blood of the Lord Jesus constantly.
Rev. 20:14 “Then Death and Hades were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
YLT: “and the death and
the hades were cast to the lake of the fire -- this [is] the second death;”
Meaning of Words: “second”: afterward,
next.
Literal Meaning: “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of
fire.” At that time,
“Death and Hades” had accomplished their task and their existence was no longer
essential. And therefore they were cast into the lake of fire.
“This
is the second death.” “The second death”
does not refer to dying again but the “living death”----being tormented in the
lake of fire forever and ever.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Today many people want to free themselves
through death and hold that everything ends after death. Actually it is not so
and judgment comes after death (See Heb. 9:27). The torment in future is more
serious than that in this life and therefore we should never have the thought
of suicide.
2) Christ must reign till God has put all enemies
under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death (See 1Cor.
15:25-26).
Rev. 20:15 “And anyone not found
written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
YLT: “and if any one was
not found written in the scroll of the life, he was cast to the lake of the
fire.”
Literal Meaning: “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life” refers to men who do not believe in the
Lord.
“Was
cast into the lake of fire” it is the most
serious crime of men that one does not believe in the Lord Jesus (See John.
16:9) and their endings are perdition (See 21:8).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The punishment of the everlasting fire was
prepared for the devil and its angels (See Matt. 25:41). Since the unbelieving
world would rather choose the way of the devil, their certainly choose the
ending of the devil, that they will be cast into the lake of fire and be
tormented forever and ever like the devil (See v.10).
2) The lake of fire is the place of clearing up all
the negative things. Satan, antichrist, the false prophet, the evil spirits,
the unclean spirits, Death and Hades, and men not found in the Book of Life
will be cast into the lake of fire. In the New Jerusalem, there are no longer
unclean and abominable men or things (See 21:27; 22:15).
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Two Differences
I. The two endings of Satan:
A.
before the kingdom of a thousand years----being shut up in the bottomless pit
(v.1-3): God still uses it.
B.
after the kingdom of a thousand years----being cast into the lake of fire
(v.10): God no longer uses it.
II. The two resurrections:
A. the
first resurrection----living and reigning (v.4-6): blessed and holy
B. the
later resurrection----being risen and judged (v.12-13): being tormented day and
night forever and ever
III. Believers’ two positions:
A.
reigning with Christ for a thousand years (v.4, 6): being rewarded
B.
those who cannot reign: suffering loss
IV. The two hostile camps:
A. Gog
and Magog (v.8)----being deceived and devoured by fire from heaven (v.8-9)
B. the
camp of the saints and the beloved city (v.9)----be kept
V. The two deaths:
A. the
first death----being risen and judged (v.12-13)
B. the
second death----being cast into the lake of fire (v.14-15)
VI. The two kinds of scrolls:
A. the
Book of Life (v.12, 15)----only the names of believers are recorded
B.
books (v.12)----the works of everyone are written
VII. The two kinds of dead ones:
A. the
dead given up by the sea (v.13)----the unclean spirits
B. the
dead given up by Death and Hades (v.13)----the souls of the dead
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren