Revelation 20

John sees Satan bound for a thousand years while the faithful martyrs reign with Christ. Satan is then released for one last rebellion, and God destroys him. The chapter ends at the great white throne, where the dead are judged, Death itself is destroyed, and the Book of Life decides each person’s end. Christians have read the thousand years in different ways, but all agree that Christ wins and judges.

Revelation 20:1

An angel comes down from heaven with a key and a chain. He is not the one in charge. He carries authority given to him. The Abyss is the deep prison of evil spirits, and what follows shows that God, not Satan, holds the keys.

BSA: key (“symbol of authority, power to unlock”): The key shows that the Abyss opens and shuts only by permission from above.

Greek: ἄβυσσον (abysson, G12) — “bottomless deep.” The word means a depth with no floor. It pictures a prison from which no one could ever escape by his own power.

See also: Revelation 9:1.

Revelation 20:2

The angel overpowers the dragon, and John names him with every title: dragon, ancient serpent, devil, Satan. This is the enemy from the Garden onward. He is chained, and for a thousand years his power is restricted.

BSA: bound (“tied, fastened”): Satan is physically restrained, so his freedom to work is cut off. serpent (“snake, symbolizing sly cunning or malice”): The name recalls the deceiver of Eden and shows his chief weapon is lies.

Greek: ἐκράτησεν (ekratēsen, G2902) — “seized, overpowered.” The verb means taking firm hold of something by force. Satan does not yield; he is mastered.

See also: Genesis 3:1; Revelation 12:9.

Revelation 20:3

The Abyss is shut and sealed. Satan’s chief limit is that he cannot deceive the nations. Deception has kept the world from God, and here it is restrained. His release afterward is brief, and it is part of what God has appointed.

BSA: sealed (“stamped with a mark of security”): A seal bore the stamp of authority, so breaking it would mean defying God’s own decree. deceive (“lead astray, cause to wander”): Satan’s work is to send people wandering away from the truth.

Greek: ἐσφράγισεν (esphragisen, G4972) — “sealed, stamped.” A seal marked something as secured and as belonging to the one who stamped it. Here God’s authority locks the door.

Revelation 20:4

John sees thrones and people given authority to judge, among them martyrs who refused the beast. Those the world killed now live and reign with Christ. Christians understand the thousand years differently, as a literal period or as the present age, but all see the martyrs vindicated.

BSA: testimony (“witness, declaration”): They died for speaking what they had seen and known of Jesus. foreheads (“the center of thought, mind”): The beast’s mark claims a person’s thinking and loyalty. hands (“the instruments of action, deeds”): It also claims a person’s actions and daily work.

Greek: πεπελεκισμένων (pepelekismenōn, G3990) — “beheaded with an axe.” The word comes from the Greek for axe. It names the harshest Roman form of execution and shows how costly their loyalty was.

See also: Matthew 19:28; 1 Corinthians 6:2.

Revelation 20:5

The rest of the dead stay dead until the thousand years end. John calls the rising of the faithful the first resurrection. Believers differ on whether this is a bodily rising or a spiritual one. Either way, it is the reward of those who belong to Christ.

BSA: resurrection (“a standing up again from death, like Christ’s”): The word ties their rising to the way Christ himself stood up from the grave.

Greek: ἀνάστασις (anastasis, G386) — “a standing up again.” The word literally means standing up. It is the same word used of Jesus rising from the tomb.

See also: 1 Corinthians 15:23.

Revelation 20:6

This is the fifth of seven blessings in Revelation. Those who share in the first resurrection are blessed, and the second death cannot touch them. They serve as priests and reign with Christ. Nearness to God and shared rule are their reward.

BSA: holy (“set apart, dedicated to God”): They belong wholly to God, and it is God who has set them apart. priests (“spiritual leaders, mediators”): Priests stand close to God and serve him directly. second death (“separation from God, eternal punishment”): The first death is physical. The second is lasting separation from God, and it cannot reach them.

See also: Revelation 1:6; 1 Peter 2:9.

Revelation 20:7-8

When the thousand years end, Satan is let out and returns to his old work of deceiving. He gathers the nations from the four corners of the earth for war, a crowd as countless as the sand. Even this rebellion is allowed only for a time and a purpose.

BSA: prison (“place of confinement, guard”): The same word can mean a place of watch, so he was held under God’s guard. Gog (“a future enemy of God’s people”): The name stands for the last great enemy of God’s people, drawn from Ezekiel’s prophecy. sand (“countless grains”): It stresses how huge the rebel army looks.

Greek: Γὼγ καὶ Μαγώγ (Gōg kai Magōg, G1136) — “Gog and Magog.” The names come from Ezekiel 38-39. John uses them as a picture of all the nations that rise against God at the end, not as a map of one country.

See also: Ezekiel 38:2.

Revelation 20:9

The armies surround God’s people and the beloved city. No battle is described. Fire falls from heaven and ends it. The final rebellion is not a contest, because God’s people are saved by God’s own act, not by their strength.

BSA: beloved (“loved, cherished”): The city is where God’s people dwell, and he loves it. fire (“flames, divine judgment”): The fire is God’s own judgment, and it comes from above.

Greek: παρεμβολὴν (parembolēn, G3925) — “camp, encampment.” The word is used for an army camp. It pictures God’s people as a besieged camp that is safe because God defends it.

See also: 2 Kings 1:10.

Revelation 20:10

The devil is finally thrown into the lake of fire, where the beast and false prophet already are. The deceiver’s story ends. The torment is described as lasting day and night, forever and ever.

BSA: tormented (“suffering severe pain and distress”): It describes real, ongoing suffering. forever and ever (“for an age, an eternal period of time”): It points to ages without end.

Greek: βασανισθήσονται (basanisthēsontai, G928) — “they will be tormented.” The word was used for severe pain or torture. It shows this judgment is no mere ending but a real penalty.

See also: Matthew 25:41.

Revelation 20:11

John now sees a great white throne and the One seated on it. Creation itself cannot stand before him. Earth and heaven flee, and nothing remains. The scene shows God’s holiness and his unquestioned right to judge all.

BSA: white (“pure, radiant”): The throne’s color shows the purity and righteousness of the judge.

Greek: λευκόν (leukon, G3022) — “white, bright.” The word means shining white. It points to the spotless holiness of the throne and the judgment from it.

See also: 2 Peter 3:10.

Revelation 20:12

All the dead stand before God, great and small alike. Books are opened, recording what each life was, and one book is the Book of Life. No one is overlooked. Judgment is by deeds, and the Book of Life shows who belongs to God.

BSA: books (“scrolls, written documents”): Each life is written down, so nothing is forgotten before God. Book of Life (“the record of those who have eternal life”): It lists those who belong to God and share his life.

Greek: βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς (biblion tēs zōēs, G975) — “book of life.” It is a register of those who belong to God. The same image appears earlier in Revelation as the roll of the Lamb’s people.

See also: Daniel 7:10; Romans 2:6.

Revelation 20:13

Every place that holds the dead is emptied: the sea, Death, and Hades. No grave hides anyone from God. Each person is judged by what he has done, so the judgment is complete and fair.

BSA: Hades (“the place of the dead, the underworld”): It is the realm of the dead, and now it gives up everyone it holds.

Greek: ᾅδης (hadēs, G86) — “the realm of the dead.” Hades is the unseen place where the dead wait. Here it is made to give up all it holds.

Revelation 20:14

Death and Hades are themselves thrown into the lake of fire. The last enemy is destroyed, so no one will die again. John names the lake of fire the second death, the final ruin of everything opposed to God.

BSA: thrown (“cast with force, hurled”): Death does not slip away; it is forcefully cast out.

See also: 1 Corinthians 15:26.

Revelation 20:15

The test at the end is simple: is the name written in the Book of Life? Those whose names are not there are cast into the lake of fire. This sobering verse shows that salvation rests on belonging to God, and it invites everyone to seek that belonging.

BSA: name (“the person’s identity, character”): A name stands for the whole person, known by God. written (“recorded, inscribed”): It is a lasting entry made by God, not something that fades.

See also: Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3.