We Will Reign With Christ (A Really Long Time) [revelation 20:1-10] Series

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],