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Revelation Chapter 20

Context

The first word of this chapter is "Then", meaning that it begins in the same context as chapter 19 ends. So, what was happening at the end of chapter 19? Christ's second coming as "King of kings" was described earlier in the chapter, then this at the end =>

Revelation 19:20-21 ... Both the beast{papacy} and his false prophet{USA} were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one{Christ} riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

More about Revelation 19 => http://sidnash.org/docs/Rev19.html

It is after all this, that Revelation 20 begins...

Revelation 20:1-3 Then I{John} saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. 3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.

In Genesis 3, satan was known as "the serpent" who deceived Eve in the garden of Eden. In Revelation 12, satan was known as "that old serpent, called the devil, and satan, which deceived the whole world".

Why was satan put into "prison"(see verse 7) for a "thousand years"? So he "could not deceive the nations anymore"(Vs3). John also saw that satan would again tempt the nations. Why else would John have said, "until the thousand years were finished"? Further proof of this is in verses 7-8 => "... Satan will be let out of his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations...".

Was it just satan that went to prison? What about his evil angels?

Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge.

Daniel 7:18-27 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever. ... 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom... 27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

2 Timothy 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

Revelation 3:21 To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Revelation 20:4-6 And I{John} saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.

Regarding the "first resurrection", this is likely a prophesy of the same event from the old testament => Ezekiel 37:1-14 "... 12 ... Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And ye shall know that I am Jehovah, when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I will place you in your own land: and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it and performed it, saith Jehovah."

Revelation 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Revelation 5:10 And {Christ} hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Revelation 20:7-9 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.

The "beloved city" must not be the "New Jerusalem", but rather the literal city of Jerusalem in the country of Israel, for the reasons documented here => http://sidnash.org/MK/BelovedVSHolyCity.html

Revelation 20:10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

For more information about burning forever, see => http://sidnash.org/docs/BurnForever.html

However, here is something that I failed to address in the above study: Shortly after Christ's 2nd coming, in Rev19:20, "the beast" and "false prophet" were "both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone ." According to Rev20:1-10, it was about 1,000 years later that "the devil" "was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet." This wording seems to indicate that "the beast"(the papal system) and "false prophet"(the USA) were in "the fiery lake of burning sulfur" for about 1,000 years. At this time, I don't have a complete explanation for this. However, the following might be worth considering =>

It does make sense that the Devil and his angels were consumed by fire on this planet, since we know from Rev21:1 that John "saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away...". So, not only will the devil and his angels, along with the beast and his false prophet and everyone else who was thrown into the lake of fire be fully consumed, but our entire planet "shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up."( 2 Peter 3:7-10 )

Of course, this doesn't explain "the beast and the false prophet" burning for 1,000 years. Everyone else who were burned up in the lake of fire were all literal living beings. However, this is likely not so for "the beast and the false prophet." Why? Because these are not individual beings. Rather, "the beast" represents a religious institution - the papacy and all it entails, and "the false prophet" represents a nation - the USA. So then, how does a religious institution and a nation burn for 1,000 years? Well, perhaps we've missed the point. Maybe this is not a literal burning of the papal system and the USA nation, but rather a complete destruction of the Vatican and Washington DC, along with all of the evil leaders of both. I'm not sure about this. But, to me, it seems like a reasonable explanation...

Revelation 20:11 And I{John} 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.

This must be a reference to the Almighty Father Jehovah in the Heaven, where He lives. Why? Because "the earth" "fled away" and "the heaven" that also "fled away" is likely that atmosphere that envelopes the earth. Could it be that the earth was already in the process of being destroyed?

Revelation 20:12-13 And I{John} saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 And 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 all judged according to their works.

So, where is this "great white throne"? It seems to me that it must be in the Holy City - the New Jerusalem. But, where is that? John answers this question at the beginning of the next chapter =>

What we see here is that in Rev20:12 "the throne" must still be in Heaven, since the new Jerusalem has not yet descended to the new earth, according to Rev21:1-3 . Therefore, since all humans that were dead at that time were "standing before the throne" in the highest Heaven "and they were all judged according to their works." Will there be dead people at that time who are "found recorded in the Book of Life"? The Bible doesn't seem to answer this, but I think there might be some...

What about the humans who are still alive before the last resurrection(s)? Well, they must have been "found recorded in the Book of Life", otherwise they would have been thrown in the lake of fire. But, where are the saints of God, at this time? Since the earth is likely already being destroyed and since they will soon be in the New Jerusalem that will soon be coming to the New Earth, then they must also be in the highest Heaven at the time depicted in Rev20:12 . Perhaps all the living saints on earth were taken to Heaven when "fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them" in Rev20:9 .

Revelation 20:14-15 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

1 Corinthians 15:26 The last enemy that shall be abolished is death.

Revelation 21:8 ... the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Regarding "death and the grave" being "thrown into the lake of fire", I find it interesting that, just like "the beast and the false prophet", "death and the grave" never were living, breathing beings. Note that the lake of fire "is the second death".

So, what is "the second death"? Based on what is said about it in Revelation, it seems that whoever or whatever suffers "the second death" will never ever return. To me, this explains "the second death" of "the beast", "the false prophet", "death", and "the grave". These will never ever be seen again in the entire Universe. PRAISE BE TO THE ALMIGHTY AND TO HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON! Amen!

Desiring to live by every word that comes from the mouth of Jehovah ( Deut8:3; Matt4:4 )

-Sid Nash: 04/19/2025. Latest version: http://sidnash.org/docs/Rev20.html