John then sees an angel coming down from heaven having a key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. It is believed this angel will be the archangel, Michael. He laid hold of Satan and bound him for 1,000 years. He's cast into the bottomless pit and shut up. A seal is set on him so he should not deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things, he must be released for a little while. So, for 1,000 years, there will be no Satan. For 1,000 years, the father of lies will be silent.
After Satan is sealed up, the first resurrection occurs. These consist of the saints that were beheaded for their witness of Jesus and the Word of God who didn't worship the beast or his image, and had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead didn't live again until the thousand years were finished.
During the 1,000 years, Jesus will be physically on earth in Jerusalem on David's throne. The only people who will be on earth will be believers. Those who died in Christ during the church age, the Old Testament saints, those raptured, those martyred during the Tribulation, and believers who survived the Tribulation. There will be people born during the Millennium and they will have to decide whether to choose Jesus or reject Him. It seems hard to believe, but there will be many people who reject Christ...even with Him physically there.
The rest of the dead are those who died outside of Christ over the centuries. Many of the Antichrist followers who somehow lived after the Second Coming died at the Sheep and Goat judgment described in Matthew 25:31-46. It is far better to be a part of the first resurrection than the second according to the Revelation 20:6.
After 1,000 years are up, Satan is 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 breath of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and False Prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Praise God! It will be such a happy, happy, happy day when Satan finally gets what he deserves! I've seen many videos where people have claimed they saw the devil in hell. That's not biblically accurate. He is currently roaming the earth seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8 And on occasion accusing us before God's throne. Job 1:6-12 But the day is coming when he will be tormented forever and ever. Jesus is Lord and Babylon is fallen!
But sadly, this chapter doesn't end here. There is one last judgment that must happen...the Great White Throne Judgment. This is going to be the worst time for Jesus because He is going to have to judge the rest of the dead. The unbelievers. Christians won't be a part of this since they've been redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb. "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. According to 2 Peter 3:7,10, the earth, and heaven will be destroyed by fire. Because the earth has been so badly damaged by the sins of man and the nuclear fallout that will occur in World War III, God will have to destroy it and create a whole new earth.
"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 that were written in them." There are at least three books that will be part of this judgment. The book of works, the book of life, and the Lamb's book of life. The book of works details everything we've done good and bad. The book of life is a book of our life. And the Lamb's book of life contains the names of everybody who accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Many people today seek to make history; to have their names in lights. They want to be famous; to be the American Idol, to be the Voice, to be the Survivor. They want to see their names on the A list, on the star in Hollywood. They want people to hear their names and be in awe. They want books written about them. They want to make history. But what better way to make history than to get your name in the Lamb's book of life and living a life that leaves a Godly legacy?
Because the accomplishments we make in this world are temporary. Trophies and awards get rusty and dusty. The fame acquired today will fade once somebody younger comes along. The A list will become the D list once you're no longer needed. But what you do for Jesus will last forever. And once your name is in the Lamb's book of life, you're guaranteed eternal life in heaven. You're guaranteed everything God has for you. And the riches and fame you acquire in heaven will last forever. But even better, you'll be with Jesus forever.
"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 their works." Those who died without Jesus are currently in hell. I'm not sure if when they died, they woke up in Hell or they stood before God previously. But they may have met God first according to Hebrews 9:27. "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." So, until this judgment, hell is where the condemned are. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (Spiritual death) And anybody not found written in the Book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
At this point, many of those souls will be asking for one more chance, but it will be too late. Many people have asked why a loving God would send anybody to hell. He doesn't. People choose to go there by purposefully rejecting Jesus' offer to save them. It's not God's wish that we should perish, but that we come to repentance. In the end, it is our choice. Jesus or Satan. Eternal life or eternal death. Heaven or hell. No gray area. It's black or white.