(Chapter 20)

Now Satan, who used to have access to heaven - but whose access to Heaven was denied (see R9 & 12) shortly before he manifested himself as the anti-Christ, - mimicking Jesus; and DECEIVING people; causing them to worship him, etc. - Satan is now captured and LOCKED UP - for ONE THOUSAND years.

He is imprisoned into the Abyss; which he had earlier opened; when given the key; releasing demonic beings upon the earth and mankind . . . He no longer has the key to the Abyss; and God now wishes to rule the Earth without ANY interference from Satan - so Satan is LOCKED UP in the Abyss - for ONE THOUSAND years.

The fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. (Rev 9:1)

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Rev 20:1 - 6)

In Revelation prophecy chronology; the above verses might be hard to understand in regards to the first resurrection; and the saints. These verses discuss a resurrection. The resurrection they are discussing - has ALREADY taken place.

The statement: “They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years . . .” is a true statement; but the same description of them coming to life is also found in R11:11 & R14:16.

Those two scriptures (& R11:15) are referencing the exact same event from different perspectives. So too - with this (R20:4) description. God wishes to be quite clear - that if you persevere and remain faithful to Jesus - you ARE rewarded; and have ETERNAL life; and will RULE with Jesus! This prophecy ties various events together; and God emphasizes various aspects - at various times in the prophecy. The LAST trumpet sounded in R11:15; and we saw that at this point - the two witnesses; and the ENTIRE ‘church’ (all saints) rose up into the air to be FOREVER with Jesus. Just as described in 1Cor 15:52.

Chapter 20 has a brief description of this event - but it has ALREADY occurred and happened. It is being repeated here from a different perspective; since that is the format and structure of Revelation prophecy. Soon, we will be again describing the BRIDE of Christ in R21 - but as we have also seen - the BRIDE is currently with Jesus (R14); and we saw initial references to the Bride in R3 & R6: and the first description or calling out of Her in R7.

We saw the Winepress of God’s wrath being treaded at the end of Chapter 14; the results of that action displayed in chapters 15 & 16; and the same winepress is again mentioned in chapter 19.

If you are in Jesus - you will be Resurrected into an immortal and indestructible body. And you will RULE with Jesus! And chapter 20 has a reference to these events; but they have already occurred. You were already on a WHITE horse; FLYING thru the air, in an immortal and indestructible body; looking at your LORD; and the KING of KINGS - who was ahead of you - on His white horse; preparing to do battle at Armageddon!

They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings - and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.” (R17:14)

The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. (R19:14)

. . . Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints. (R19:8)

And chapter 20 is also again referencing that the Church or Saints - WILL experience the ‘tribulation’ period. The ONLY people who are spared this experience - are those who qualify for the BRIDE of Christ; or the Wife of the LAMB! She is special, special, special! She had immense, immense LOVE; and Jesus protected Her . . . The rest of the church - those of us who were to busy with our own importance and all of our life’s business; and various distractions; who did not have a deep, deep, DEEP LOVE for our fellow brothers and sisters - WE get to experience the tribulation period; and make a choice! And if you recognize that the anti-Christ is NOT JESUS (not an easy thing to do); and if you refuse to take his mark; and refuse to worship him; and if you OVERCOME; and remain faithful - then you will be blessed in Christ!

. . . And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (Rev 20:4)

Chapter 20 of Revelation now briefly moves on - to what will happen after the Thousand years of reign - are finished and completed.

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth - Gog and Magog - to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:7 - 15)

The prophecy which is Revelation discusses much! Including - JUDGEMENT. God’s wrath and JUDGEMENT against those who reject Him & His Son. (Jesus - who is fully GOD.) Revelation is given for many reasons, including - so that we can KNOW - what MUST come to pass!

The 6^th seal of the scroll; which ONLY Jesus or the Lamb was found worthy to open - mentioned in a prophetic manner - the WRATH of GOD which was gong to come upon the entire earth! This wrath is again mentioned at the end of chapter 14; and is discussed in much greater detail in chapters 15 & 16. And here, in chapter 20 - Revelation mentions what will happen AFTER Jesus has ruled with a rod of iron! When the entire Earth has experienced the rule of GOD; and His righteousness, and glory; where will their allegiance lie - if given the chance . . .

Jesus’s ruling is briefly mentioned in the letters to the churches - where it is stated (Thyatira) that He and US (if you overcome) will RULE the nations with an iron scepter.

But after this Thousand years of reign is over - what occurs? Revelation prophecy briefly discusses just the very beginning of that wonderful, and eternal time . . .

So during this Thousand years of reign - we still have DEATH; (see Isaiah 65:20 & Ezekiel 47:10) & we also have the tremendous result of God and His reign. (see Isaiah 11:7)

People are being born; growing up; getting married, etc. LIVING - under God. But - LIVING. Some of those who are living - received the mark of the beast under his rule of deception. Some are just now being BORN . . . And WE - (those who OVERCAME; and were given Indestructible and Immortal bodies at the last trumpet) - are alive FOREVER - and are Ruling with Jesus as well . . .

Wait! WAIT!! Do you mean to say that IMMORTAL, GOD LIKE PEOPLE, will be living on the earth; with OTHER people who are capable of DYING??

YEP! That is what scripture, and prophecy teaches.

This is not quite so odd as you might first believe . . .

Haven’t you wondered why YOU didn’t get the chance that Adam had?? YOU wouldn’t have ‘blown it’; now would you . . . OR - what about the time of Jesus? WHY were YOU not allowed to live during THAT time; to SEE GOD walking on the earth . . . WHY do you have to live during this great massive deception time discussed as the TRIBULATION - which has NEVER been equaled; and will NEVER come close to being equaled again . . . Huh?? WHY?? That is just not fair . . . Why were YOU not BORN a Jew; and get to MEET PETER!

But, in God - EVERYTHING has a place. WHO KNOWS what GOD will be doing ONE TRILLION years from now! I DON’T! I HOPE I remain Faithful to GOD; and do not run after the anti-Christ! I hope that I allow myself to be killed for Jesus! Or, that I finally acquire enough genuine and deep, deep LOVE for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ; and the unsaved - that I qualify for the Wife of the Lamb! To be part of His marvelous and glorious BRIDE! WOW!!

But, God gives everyone various choices. We do not all have the SAME choice. Only in serving GOD do we have the SAME choice. But God certainly does not give every person the same task; or ask every person to DO the same thing . . .

Abraham was asked to walk to a place he had never been; and a place he did not know where . . . Noah was asked to build a BOAT - when he was surrounded by dry land . . . Moses was asked to be a Shepherd to an unruly, complaining group of people . . . David was taken from being a Shepherd to ruling a nation . . . Ezekiel lay on his left side for 390 days - bound so that he could not turn - and eating food cooked over cow manure . . . Paul was stoned three times . . . Jesus died on a cross (a terrible, painful death) for US . . . GOD walked about 7 miles to a village named Emmaus; discussing scripture with two disciples . . . Peter walked ON water . . . John slaved away in a MINING penal colony; and most people ignore the tremendous prophecy he was given while enduring such hard physical labor . . .

We are all asked by God - to DO different things; and walk different walks - in GOD!

God is going to rule for ONE THOUSAND years. Hopefully, you will not have taken the mark of the beast; and you will have an IMMORTAL and INDESTRUCTIBLE body! And you will get to RULE with absolute GODLINESS!

So, we are ruling, and encouraging (to dwell in God) those mortal people who took the mark of the beast; and those who are being BORN while during this 1,000 year reign . . .

“Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. (Isaiah 65:20)

The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. (Isaiah 11:8)

They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD, they and their descendants with them. (Isaiah 65:23)

And at the end of this glorious 1,000 years - Satan is RELEASED! Satan is released by God. And a FINAL test occurs for those who do not as yet have immortal and indestructible bodies. A test for all of those that we have been encouraging and instructing during the glorious 1,000 year reign.

Some fail that test; and some don’t. Unfortunately - ALL of those who originally received the mark of the beast; or who worshiped the image of the beast - will fail this test! Even though LOVE hopes all things; and we have LOVED and instructed, and encouraged . . .

EVERYONE who took the mark of the beast - fails this test. Very, very sad. And some who were born during the 1,000 years - fail this time as well . . . And some don’t! Hallelujah!!

So, Satan is released; and he goes out and BRAGS; probably stating that he somehow managed to escape because he is so ‘powerful’; and the world is astonished (see R17:8) - because Satan takes the FORM of; and APPEARS as - the person who was the ‘beast’. And many people declare that he has ‘come back’ and that he is in fact ‘god’; etc. And so - those who are being deceived FOLLOW him; and they go to attack the WIFE of the lamb! The ‘city’ which God loves! The wife of Jesus! And they surround the dwelling place of God and Jesus and the Wife; with the purpose of destroying Her . . .

God destroys the armies which have come against the Wife of the Lamb; and Satan is FINALLY forever cast into HELL! FOREVER!

And we have the massive, massive JUDGEMENT day! EVERYONE who has EVER lived - stands before the tremendous judgement seat of God! But the Wife of the lamb; and the rest of US - who are all in Immortal and Indestructible bodies - have already been judged - and we have NOTHING to fear! We are with our LORD and GOD! We are REWARDED.

And those who were born during the Millennial reign - if they did not march with Satan against the ‘city’ which God loves - then they are found to be written in the Lamb’s book of life! And they too are REWARDED; and receive Indestructible and Immortal bodies . . . And ANYONE whose name is NOT found written in the LAMB’S book of LIFE (JESUS is in CONTROL of this ENTIRE judgement) - is cast FOREVER into HELL. ETERNAL TORMENT; and ETERNAL JUDGEMENT! And, it is at this point in time - that DEATH is finally destroyed. NO MORE DEATH!

*Chapter 19*   *Chapter 21*

"Questions??? Give a shout!"

All Greek/Hebrew definitions (unless otherwise noted) are taken from
The NIV Exhaustive Concordance by Edward W. Goodrick & John R. Kohlenberger III © 1990 by The Zondervan Corporation. ISBN 0-310-436970-7

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, International Version®, NIV84®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Copyright 2011 - Revelation Disclosed Updated 10/14/11

revelation, end times, tribulation, rapture, Jesus, anti-christ, dragon, John, apocalypse, Armageddon, judgement, reward, seven churches, commentary, prophecy, prophetic, revelations, end time, satan, throne, rainbow, wilderness, beast, 666, mark, mark of the beast, river of life, tree of life, asia, 7 churches, clouds, second coming, end of the world, throne of judgement, great white throne, devil, abyss, remnant, white horse, black horse, red horse, pale horse, death, hades, 2 witnesses, witnesses, lamp stands, olive trees, bride, wife, wife of the lamb, king of kings, lord of lords, new name, forehead, right hand, jerusalem, holy city, iron septor, rod of iron, disclosed, revealing, patmos, lord's day, scroll, seal, seals, trumpet, trumpets, trumpet blast, sound, sounded, bowl, bowls, bowls of wrath, harlot, harlots, babylon, mystery babylon, mother of prostitutes, abominations, abomination, kingdom, darkness, pour out, turned to blood, worthy, slain, seven heads, ten horns, sea, out of the sea, multitudes, nations, languages, battle, sea captains, cargo, slave, free, small, great, harvest, harvest of the earth, bridegroom, birds