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Annotations & References

Revelation 20

20

1And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3and cast him into the abyss, and shutit, and sealeditover him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed for a little time. 4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such as worshipped not the beast, neither his image, and received not the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5The rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years should be finished. This is the first resurrection.

6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: over these the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

7And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8and shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which isthe bookof life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, eventhe lake of fire. 15And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.

What is Revelation 20 about?

After the beast and false prophet are judged, an angel comes down with a key and a great chain, lays hold on the dragon, that old serpent the devil, and binds him a thousand years, casting him into the bottomless pit. The martyrs live and reign with Christ during this time in the first resurrection, until Satan is loosed for a little season to deceive the nations, Gog and Magog, who are devoured by fire, and the devil is cast into the lake of fire forever. Faithful Christians hold differing views of this thousand-year reign, premillennial, amillennial, and postmillennial, over its nature and its timing in relation to Christ's return. The chapter closes at the great white throne, where the dead are judged out of the books according to their works, and death and hell and all not found written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire, the second death, so that God's justice is fully and finally satisfied.