Today, we have the privilege of studying a passage, Revelation 20, that's been sharply debated by Christians for at least 1700 years. It's been understood, and applied, in shockingly different ways. I'm guessing that those of you who lean nerd, and are really into end times stuff, have been looking forward to what I do these verses for weeks. And truthfully, the approach I thought I was going to take, I ended up abandoning.
What I've decided (following Craig Koester and Mitchell Reddish, more or less), is that people have made a mess of this chapter by over-interpreting it. In today's verses, John "sees" lots of things. But what he sees, is a partial glimpse into our future. That's how his vision works-- it's a partial glimpse. And so what we see, when we read Revelation 20, looks like a half-finished painting. There's lots of details we find ourselves wanting to fill in. We want to grab lots of verses, from lots of other places in the Bible, and color outside the lines. But I would argue that when God gives people visions, it's what they see, that matters. Not what they don't see. God shows people what's important. And we are better off sticking to what God shows, and what John sees, than reaching for our crayons, to color in the white spaces.
The other thing that trips people up here, is that they try to read things over-literally. We read chapter 20, and we try to read it literally, and chronologically. We think that Revelation 20 follows Revelation 19. And 21 comes after both of those. But Revelation itself signals that the truth is more complicated.
Let's read from four different verses, to get this clue. As I read, ask yourself one question: What is the fate of the nations?:
Revelation 19:17-21:
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18 to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of the mighty, the flesh of horses and their riders—flesh of all, both free and slave, both small and great.” 19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to wage war against the rider on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed in its presence the signs by which he deceived those who had received the brand of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were killed by the sword of the rider on the horse, the sword that came from his mouth, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
All the kings of the earth come to fight Jesus, and all the kings of the earth, along with everyone else, gets killed by the sword coming out of Jesus' mouth, and get eaten by birds.
Now let's read four verses from today's passage. Revelation 20:7-10 (NRSV updated no reason):
7 When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle; they are as numerous as the sands of the sea. 9 They marched up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from heaven[b] and consumed them. 10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
On the far side of the 1000 years, the nations still exist. Satan gathers this huge army made up of people from the four corners of the earth, and the army gets consumed by fire.
Now let's read from Revelation 21:22-24 (NRSV updated no reason):
22 I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.
In chapter 21, the nations still exist, and are still wealthy. They bring their wealth to the city of God, and walk in the light of God and the Lamb. Global society is perfectly ordered, and works in line with God's purposes.
One last passage. Revelation 2:26-27:
26 To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end,
I will give authority over the nations,
27 to rule[e] them with an iron scepter,
as when clay pots are shattered—
So what's the final fate of the nations? We will rule over them. They will act how God wants, and bring their wealth to us. They will be destroyed by the sword coming out of Jesus' mouth. They will be destroyed by fire coming down from heaven.
This doesn't work. That doesn't mean that Revelation contradicts itself. It doesn't mean it has "errors." It means that a literal, chronological reading of the book is a misreading.
So I assume that Revelation 20 is, on some level, symbolic language.
With that in mind, let's read Revelation 20:1-3 to start:
(1) And I saw an angel coming down from heaven,
having the key of the abyss/Netherworld in his hand [Rev. 1:18; 9:1],
and a great chain in his hand,
(2) and he seized the dragon-- the ancient serpent-- who is [the] slanderer (diablo) and the adversary ("satan"),
and he bound him for a thousand years, [Jude 6?; 2 Peter 2:4?; 1 Enoch 54:3-4?; Mark 3:20-30?]
(3) and he threw him into the abyss/Netherworld [Isaiah 14:12-15?; Isaiah 24:21-22; 1 Enoch 53:3-5],
and he shut [it],
and he sealed [it] over him,
in order that he would no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years are completed [contrast 1 Enoch 10:12; 18:16; 21:6; Isaiah 24:22].
After these things, it is necessary for him to be released for a short time,
What we see in these verses, is symbolism. Satan isn't literally a dragon. He can't be tied up with a metal chain.
There's not a locked door, somewhere on earth, that leads to the abyss.
But this picture gives us an encouraging promise. The day will come when satan will no longer be able to deceive the nations. Right now, Christians across the globe constantly find themselves being attacked by human empires. Nations turn into the Beast, and find themselves passing anti-Christian laws, and hating us, and persecuting us. If we ask why they do those things, the answer isn't simply that humans are wicked, and have a sinful nature. The answer, is that satan works very hard to make the nations act this way. But one day, he will tied up, and unable to do any of this. He will lose his place on earth, and be restricted to the underworld.
All of this should make us remember Revelation 12. Let's turn there, and read bits and pieces of it.
First, verses 7-9 (NRSV updated no reason):
7 And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Then hopping down to verses 12-17:
Rejoice then, you heavens
and those who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
for the devil has come down to you
with great wrath
because he knows that his time is short!”
13 So when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued[c] the woman who had delivered the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent poured water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. 16 But the earth came to the help of the woman; it opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was angry with the woman and went off to wage war on the rest of her children, those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.
In Revelation 12, we see that there was a time when satan had access to heaven, and he used that time to accuse God's people, day and night (Zechariah 3:1ff; Job 1:6-12). But in chapter 12, an angel overpowered satan, and kicked him out of heaven, leaving him access only to the sea and the earth. The picture chapter 12 paints, is of a frustrated, defeated satan, who takes out his frustration on the church for the duration of the church's life-- all 3 1/2 years. But, verse 12, he knows his time his short.
What we see, in Revelation 20, is progress. Satan is further restricted. An angel again overpowers satan, binds him, and throws him into the abyss, where he lives as a prisoner, so that he can no longer deceive the nations. I think that this day, is a future day (and so the classic amillenial position really doesn't work). The day is coming when satan will no longer deceive people (2 Corinthians 4:4), and when he will lose his access not only to heaven, but to the earth and the sea. And on that day, he will no longer be able to summon beasts (Revelation 13) to fight God's people.
We then get this cryptic note at the end of verse 3:
"After these things, it is necessary for him to be released for a short time,"
We are used to the idea, today, of prisoners get life in prison for their crimes. But in the first century, prison was a temporary holding place where you were safely kept, while the state decided whether or not to kill you. Prison wasn't a forever place. So a first century Christian reading this, would understand prison can't be satan's final resting place. A more permanent decision needs to be made.
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Charismatic Christians, in particular, will also find themselves wrestling with a second question: What is the relationship of the binding of Satan here, to the binding of Satan described in Mark 3? How should we understand Mark 3?
After wrestling with this, I would say that Satan is not currently bound on earth. It's not like Jesus has "completed" the work of binding Satan, and it's just up to us to loot his stuff (=people). I think in Mark, Jesus uses symbolic language (!) to describe how he frees people from satan, by overpowering satan. He's not healing people, and casting out demons, by the power of satan. Those things are a demonstration of his greater power, through the Holy Spirit. It's through the Spirit that he casts out demons, and people who accredit that power to a demon, are blaspheming against the Holy Spirit (calling the "Holy" Spirit an "unclean" spirit) and won't be forgiven.
So when charismatic Christians lay hands on people to free them from satan, they shouldn't think that Jesus has already done it all, and we are just gathering up the loot. The Spirit inside of us, that partners with us, is stronger than any unclean spirit. And when we find ourselves confronted with an unclean spirit, we are expected to realize that in Christ, with the Spirit, we are empowered to deal with it.
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In verses 4-7, we read of another vision John sees. And this vision runs simultaneously to the one of verses 1-3, covering the same "thousand year" period:
(4) and I saw thrones,
and they sat down upon them [Revelation 3:21; 4:10?; 5:10; 22:5],
and judgment was given for them [Daniel 7:22]--
that is, to the souls/people who had been beheaded
because of their testimony about Jesus, [Rev. 6:9-11]
and because of the word of God, [Rev. 6:9-11]
and who hadn't worshipped/bowed down to the Beast or to its image,
and they didn't receive the mark upon their forehead or upon their hand,
and they came to life,
and they reigned with the Christ/Messiah for a thousand years [Revelation 5:10].
(5) The rest of the dead didn't come to life until the thousand years were completed.
This is the first resurrection.
(6) Blessed and holy [is] the one having a share/part in the first resurrection.
Over these people, the second death has no authority,
but they will be priests of God and of the Christ/Messiah,
and they will reign with him a thousand years,
These three verses are the most fiercely debated of them all. People find themselves arguing over three interconnected main questions:
(1) Who exactly gets to participate in this thousand year reign?
(2) When do these people get to reign?
(2) Where do these people get to reign?
(1) Who exactly gets to participate in this thousand year reign?
The grammar of verse 4 is tricky. But it looks like there is one single group that's described as getting to reign. This group, literally, is made up of Christians who were executed through beheading because of their faithfulness witness, and who didn't compromise by worshipping the Beast or accepting the mark of the Beast.
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A note on the translation of verse 4:
In verse 4, I translated one of the "kai"s as "that is," reading it as an epexegetical. When first reading it woodenly, "judgment was given to them AND to the souls..." But the kai here explains who this group sitting on the thrones is. The alternative is to say it's describing a second group that doesn't get to sit on the thrones, but is nevertheless given favorable judgment. But if we keep reading through verse 6, it's very clearly one group being described. English translations, by cleaning up verse 4, and adding in an extra "I saw," make a mess of it. NASB almost shows where it's added, by italicizing "saw" (but not the "I" for some reason). Young's Literal translation is the only one that shows what it actually looks like here. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2020%3A4&version=NRSVUE,NLT,YLT,KJV,NASB1995
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These people alone get to reign with Christ for a thousand years. These people alone will be priests of God and of the Christ during that time.
Are we supposed to take this language literally? Is the thousand year reign only for this tiny group of Christians, who are die for Jesus in a very particular way, through beheading?
My guess, is that we are here reading symbolic language, and we aren't supposed to press every detail literally. All of us are called to be the two witnesses, faithfully testifying about Jesus on earth, regardless of the cost. Some of us will be jailed for our witness. Others, will be killed. We all pay a different price. But those of us who are faithful, and courageous, are all part of that one group that Revelation calls "blessed" and "holy/consecrated."
Let's turn to Revelation 1:5-7 (NRSV updated no reason):
To him who loves us and freed[a] us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests serving[b] his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
7 Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him,
and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.
We are already a kingdom of priests, who live in service to God and to the Lamb. And Revelation 20 adds to that, by saying that if we are faithful now, we will have the privilege of continuing our service, even after we die on earth.
Now let's read from two letters to the seven churches. Revelation 2:26-27 (NRSV updated no reason):
26 To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end,
I will give authority over the nations,
27 to rule[e] them with an iron scepter,
as when clay pots are shattered—
Every Christian who is faithful, and conquers, will rule over the nations.
Now, Revelation 3:21:
21 To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Every Christian who is faithful, and conquers, will rule with Jesus, on Jesus' throne. They will have the same privilege as the beheaded martyrs in chapter 20.
So I would just encourage you to read chapter 20 symbolically. The focus is on those who are beheaded, and have suffered the ultimate earthly price for following Jesus. That's what you look at, when you think about the cost of following Jesus. But you should see yourself in this group. Every day, you wake up, and you submit yourself to God. You yield. You prepare yourself for your service, as his priest, today. You pray for opportunities; you take opportunities. And you do so, knowing that no matter what it costs, jail or death won't be the end of your story. Even if an evil human empire zeroes in on you, and you are executed for your faithfulness through beheading (the official form of capital punishment in the Roman empire), God will judge for you, and avenge your blood. And even if your body, in death, is terribly mistreated (Revelation 11:8), or you don't receive a proper burial, God can put you back together.
So serve without fear, knowing that one day, you will reign with Christ, and continue your priestly service.
At this point, we can tackle our second question: (2) When do we get to reign?
We get our answer in verse 4:
(4) and I saw thrones,
and they sat down upon them [Revelation 3:21; 4:10?; 5:10; 22:5],
and judgment was given for them [Daniel 7:22]--
that is, to the souls/people who had been beheaded
because of their testimony about Jesus,
and because of the word of God,
and who hadn't worshipped/bowed down to the Beast or to its image,
and they didn't receive the mark upon their forehead or upon their hand,
and they came to life,
and they reigned with the Christ/Messiah for a thousand years [Revelation 5:10].
So when we do reign with Jesus?
"After we die."
You're all impressed, I know. When you live faithfully toward Jesus, you will reign with Jesus sometime after you die. Maybe it's right away after you die (and so you'd reign in heaven). Maybe, you have to wait a couple thousand years (and so it'd be on earth). John doesn't see that. All we know for sure, is that it's after we die.
At this point, we are ready for our third question. Where do reign? This, again, is sharply debated. Do we reign on earth, or in heaven?
Let's reread verse 4 one last time, and see if Revelation doesn't give us a clear answer:
(4) and I saw thrones,
and they sat down upon them [Revelation 3:21; 4:10?; 5:10; 22:5],
and judgment was given for them [Daniel 7:22]--
that is, to the souls/people who had been beheaded
because of their testimony about Jesus,
and because of the word of God,
and who hadn't worshipped/bowed down to the Beast or to its image,
and they didn't receive the mark upon their forehead or upon their hand,
and they came to life,
and they reigned with the Christ/Messiah for a thousand years [Revelation 5:10].
So where do we reign?
Revelation tells us, but it doesn't give us the answer we expect. We get to reign with Jesus. That's where: "With Jesus." [h/t Craig Koester, who was brilliant throughout here].
We maybe find this answer dissatisfying. We maybe find ourselves reaching for verses elsewhere in Revelation, that make it sound like our thrones are in heaven (Revelation 4:10) or on earth (Revelation 2:26-27). But I think it's important to note that John could very easily have added two words, to make this obvious. He could've said, "They reigned with Christ... "ON EARTH." "They reigned with Christ "IN HEAVEN."
But that's not what John sees. All that John sees, is two things: (1) that they get thrones, and (2) that they get to reign with Jesus. The physical location doesn't matter. What matters, is who you reign with. It's like in a good marriage. It doesn't really matter where the two of you live, or what you do for a living. What matters, is who shares your house. Who you are "with."
There's lots of things about this 1000 year period I'd like to know. I'd like to know if this reign is on earth, or on heaven. I'd like a clearer picture of how I'll serve God, and the Lamb, during this time. I'd like to know the relationship of these verses to some of the really beautiful pictures of hope in the OT. But for me, it's enough to know that if I'm faithful, that I will get to reign with Jesus. I can trust the one who died for me, to give me a good future with him.
And I should say, I assume that this number, like every other number in Revelation, is symbolic. 10 is a number that symbolizes completeness (perhaps because most of us have 10 fingers and toes), and 1000 is 10 cubed. 1000 years is a really long, perfect time period. It's far longer than the 3 1/2 years of suffering and persecution on this earth. We will get to reign with Jesus, a really, really long time. And that future glory will far surpass any temporary suffering we have on earth now (Romans 8:18).
With this, we come to verses 7-10. Here, I want to work through it sort of slowly. Verse 7-8:
(7) and when the thousand years are completed, the satan/adversary will be released from his prison,
(8) and he will go out to deceive the nations-- the ones at the four corners of the earth-- Gog and Magog [Ezekiel 38:1-13]-- to gather them for war [note: on a strictly literal reading, the nations have already been destroyed in 19:18, 21],
whose number [is] like the sand of the sea [Joshua 11:4; Judges 7:12; 1 Samuel 7:7; h/t Koester],
On a strictly literal reading, the nations at this point have already all been killed, and eaten by the birds. That was the feast you don't want to miss, that we read about in Revelation 19. So a literal interpretation, reading these verses, struggles to make sense of it. Where do these nations come from? How can all the wicked have been judged, and at the same time, this utterly massive army can rise up from every corner of the earth, against God's people? [A number of scholars, feeling this pinch, argue that the army is a demonic army, and not made up of people. But they are called "the nations," and "the nations" throughout Revelation are human].
We can't press what John sees, to its logical limits. So what do we do with it? What are we supposed to learn from this?
I think if we focus on satan, we will be on the right track [again following Craig Koester]. Throughout Revelation, satan proves himself to be hopelessly wicked. First, an angel kicks him out of heaven for attacking God's people. His feet hit the ground, and he immediately tries to kill the Messiah, and then attacks the church. Then, an angel kicks him out of earth, for a 1000 years, for attacking God's people. And once he's freed, what does he do? Immediately, he raises up an army to try to wipe out God's people. Satan's character is unchanging. He will use every chance, so long as he lives, to attack God's people. So long as satan remains free, he will always remain a threat.
So satan somehow raises up this huge threat to God's people, from across the entire globe. And then, verse 9:
(9) and they went up upon the breadth/broad plain of the earth (Daniel 12:2 LXX; Hab. 1:6 LXX),
and they surrounded the fortified camp of the holy ones-- that is, the beloved city [Revelation 1:5; 3:19],
and fire came down from heaven [Ezekiel 38:22; 39:6],
and it consumed them,
In verse 9, we see a series of images-- symbols. God's people are first called a fortified camp. This makes us think about the Exodus, and how the camp of God's people traveled toward the Promised Land. We are pictured as Israel, as God's army, having to trust in God to keep us safe as we pass by enemies who hate us. Then, we are pictured as God's beloved city. WE are Jerusalem, God's chosen city, the place that God has chosen to make his home.
And what all of this means, is that we are not a people you want to mess with. We have a Friend in high places. And John sees this Friend send fire from heaven, and consume all our enemies.
God will always fight for us. He will always protect us, until our very last enemy is killed.
And, speaking of which, verse 10:
(10) and the devil-- the one deceiving them-- was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur-- where also the Beast and the false prophet [are]--
and they will be tortured/tormented day and night forever,
So what we see in verse 10, is that almost every enemy has been dealt with, permanently. Babylon has gone to destruction. The two Beasts-- one of which is now described as the false prophet-- have been thrown into the lake of fire. And now the devil joins them, forever.
The day of coming, when we will never again be surrounded, or attacked. We will never find ourselves confronted by people or nations who are deceived by satan, and committed to our destruction. God will execute judgment for us. He will avenge our blood, and the blood of our loved ones. We will be lifted up. We will reign with Christ. That's a good day. That's a good thousand years.
Translation:
(1) And I saw an angel coming down from heaven,
having the key of the abyss/Netherworld in his hand [Rev. 1:18; 9:1],
and a great chain in his hand,
(2) and he seized the dragon-- the ancient serpent-- who is [the] slanderer (diablo) and the adversary ("satan"),
and he bound him for a thousand years, [Jude 6; 2 Peter 2:4; 1 Enoch 54:3-4?]
(3) and he threw him into the abyss/Netherworld [Isaiah 14:12-15?; Isaiah 24:21-22; 1 Enoch 53:3-5],
and he shut [it],
and he sealed [it] over him,
in order that he would no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years are completed [contrast 1 Enoch 10:12; 18:16; 21:6; Isaiah 24:22].
After these things, it is necessary for him to be released for a short time,
(4) and I saw thrones,
and they sat down upon them [Revelation 3:21; 5:10; 22:5],
and judgment was given for them [Daniel 7:22]--
that is, to the souls/people who had been beheaded
because of their testimony about Jesus,
and because of the word of God,
and who hadn't worshipped/bowed down to the Beast or to its image,
and they didn't receive the mark upon their forehead or upon their hand,
and they came to life,
and they reigned with the Christ/Messiah for a thousand years [Revelation 5:10].
(5) The rest of the dead didn't come to life until the thousand years were completed.
This is the first resurrection.
(6) Blessed and holy [is] the one having a share/part in the first resurrection.
Over these people, the second death has no authority,
but they will be priests of God and of the Christ/Messiah,
and they will reign with him a thousand years,
(7) and when the thousand years are completed, the satan/adversary will be released from his prison,
(8) and he will go out to deceive the nations-- the ones at the four corners of the earth-- Gog and Magog [Ezekiel 38:1-13]-- to gather them for war [note: on a strictly literal reading, the nations have already been destroyed in 19:18, 21],
whose number [is] like the sand of the sea [Joshua 11:4; Judges 7:12; 1 Samuel 7:7; h/t Koester],
(9) and they went up upon the breadth/broad plain of the earth (Daniel 12:2 LXX; Hab. 1:6 LXX),
and they surrounded the fortified camp of the holy ones, that is, the beloved city [Rev. 1:5; 3:19],
and fire came down from heaven [Ezekiel 38:22; 39:6],
and it consumed them,
(10) and the devil-- the one deceiving them-- was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur-- where also the Beast and the false prophet [are]--
and they will be tortured/tormented day and night forever,
.
