Before examining Revelation 20, we need to deal with an important issue. We have come to a point in this study of the End Times, where we see the Beast and False Prophet being thrown into the lake of fire and their followers being killed. Yet, I know that there are some who are studying this series, who cannot answer this basic question. If you were to die, where would you go, to heaven or hell? Some of you know very well how to act and sound like a Christian. However, where is the fruit of your Christian walk in your life? Some of you may be wondering why I am asking this question during the study of this series on the End Times. You will understand why when we get back to the lesson, but right now please take some time to check your relationship with God through Jesus Christ. If the relationship is not right, please get it right before it is too late. You do not know and you cannot know when it will be too late. Only God knows. It is my prayer that you will make the right choice to become a Christian. But if not, please do not say no one told you about Jesus Christ or tried to get you to say yes to Jesus as your Savior and Lord. PLEASE DO NOT SAY, WELL MY PARENTS ARE CHIRSTIAN SO I AM COVERED. If you are saying this, you are lying to yourself.

    Okay, with that very important issue addressed, let us move into Revelation 20. John tells us that he saw an angel (messenger) descend from heaven with one key for the bottomless pit and chain. When you think of a bottomless pit, there is an image of a hole that has no bottom. Then why would you need a key to this pit? I cannot answer that question but I am going to tell what I think in a moment. In verse 2, we are told that this angel laid hold (seized) the dragon (Revelation 12:3-4, 9), the old serpent (Genesis 3:1), the Evil One (John 17:15), which is the Devil (diabolos), and Satan. This one was able to deceive nations, and accuse the family of God before God. His deceitfulness enables him to change his appearance before mankind. He is called the prince of the air. Do not forget how he interfered with God’s angels as they came to minister to God’s children. Therefore, the angel that seizes Satan must have something that allows him to seize Satan. That something would be the authority that comes from God. This is important because we have too many so-called Christians saying we have the power to cast the Devil into hell. In verse 2, we learn that this angel is the one given the power to fasten him with a chain for a thousand years. What God gave to us through His Son was the power to cast out demons (Matthew 10:8). There are too many so-called Christians who say that they beat Satan so that they will get the praise of mankind. Perhaps if we focus on what God has called us to do in this world, just maybe, we would spare a lot of mankind some unnecessary pain, by leading them to the knowledge of God through Jesus Christ. Too many Christians want to say that the Devil (diabolos) causes us to sin. However, in reality, it is our personal choice to sin.

    I believe that the chain suspends him between what locks the bottomless pit and emptiness. He will be in this condition for one thousand years. Think about this, in the last 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation, he goes from his home in the air to the bottomless pit. Furthermore, he goes from being able to accuse the brethren before God and walking around seeking whom to destroy to this place of confinement. In addition, his ability to tempt and seduce people will be stopped for a thousand years. Please keep this in mind as we move deeper into this chapter.

    With Satan being locked up for a thousand years, we read in verse 4 that there were thrones and those that sat on them were allowed to make judgments. Who are these that are on these thrones? What kind of judges would they be? From reading verse 4, we know that some came before the Great Tribulation and some came out of the Great Tribulation. In addition, we know that they are not fooled by the Beast or False Prophet nor are they moved by the people, but they stand on the word of God even if it cost them their heads. From this, we know that they are, more concerned about pleasing God through Jesus Christ than pleasing the world. We also know that life will continue as we know it, but without Satan’s influence for a thousand years. This is a foretaste of what is to come when Satan is finally defeated. In addition, we know that these that are sitting on the thrones were dead and now are alive. In verse 5, we see that the rest of the dead will have to wait until after the thousand years to live.

    When we read verse 6, we see that these saints who will live and reign with Christ during the first resurrection are called blessed and holy. The word blessed means happy. Holy means sacred and physically, morally, and religiously pure. These saints are consecrated to God. Not only are they blessed and holy, but they are the priests of God the Father and of Christ. What is John saying about them? The priest deals with all things related to serving God and Christ. Therefore, what we have here is a complete picture of how God’s word and His divine plan will control all areas of life. Remember in verse 4, they are called to make judgments as in civil matters and here they are performing duties related to God. You may ask why they would need to do this when Satan is bound up. We are coming to that soon. There is one other thing John shares with us about this group of saints. The second death will have no power over them. The second death is the lake of fire. This is the place into which the beast and false prophet are thrown alive. In other words, the one that caused the saints to be beheaded, now has no power over the new bodies that they got through Jesus Christ.

    As we look at verse 7, please remember that the world is still showing signs and ruins of the Tribulation and the great Tribulation. Therefore, during these thousand years without Satan around, you would think that people would ask why things are like this. Just as we have it today, with people changing or forgetting history, it will be then also. Many of us do not want to be reminded of where we came from and how we got to where we are now. Let us back up and look at the condition of the earth based on the seven seals, seven trumpets, and the seven vials:

    During the TRIBULATION:
    We had the seven seals.

1. First seal: white horse – the false messiah that starts worldwide conquest;
2. Second seal: red horse – war & violence (takes away peace);
3. Third seal: black horse – famine;
4. Fourth seal: pale horse – death to kill ¼ of the earth;
5. Fifth seal: the souls of them that were slain crying to God for judgment and to avenge their blood;
6. Sixth seal: great earthquake, the sun becomes black, the moon is as blood, stars fall from heaven, and every island and mountain is moved out of their places, and the sky rolls up and departs;
7. Seventh seal: opens up the seven trumpets.

The seven trumpets.

1. First trumpet: the burning up of 1/3 trees and grass;
2. Second trumpet: 1/3 of the sea becomes blood, killing 1/3 sea life and 1/3 of ships were destroyed;
3. Third trumpet: 1/3 of rivers and spring water are made bitter and many died;
4. Fourth trumpet: 1/3 of the sun, moon and stars become dark, and day and night are cut by 1/3;
5. Fifth trumpet: lasts 5 months and locusts which have the power of scorpions attack mankind that do not have the seal of God in their foreheads, but they do not die from these locusts yet. They will seek death and will not find it (Revelation 9:7 – 11 to see their shapes)
6. Sixth trumpet: four angels are released to kill 1/3 of mankind who do not have the seal of God in their forehead;
7. Seventh trumpet: marks the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

    During the GREAT TRIBULATION:
    We had the seven vials.

1. First vial: noisome and grievous sores are upon mankind that took the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.
2. Second vial: the sea becomes as the blood of a dead man and every living creature in the sea died.
3. Third vial: all rivers and springs of water become blood.
4. Fourth vial: the sun scorches mankind with fire.
5. Fifth vial: is poured onto the seat of the beast and it was full of darkness and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.
6. Sixth vial: is poured on the Euphrates and it dried up.
7. Seventh vial: poured into the air causing great earthquakes not seen in all of time and every island fled away and mountains were not found, and cities of the nations fell, and hail fell from heaven weighing 60-180 pounds.

    You would think with all of these reminders of what Satan had caused by deceiving mankind that those who remained on the earth would welcome life without him. However, mankind still is not accepting his responsibility in all that has happened because he has not accepted God’s love through His Son Jesus.

    Not all who live during these thousand years are believers in God through Jesus Christ. Remember the only ones killed are those that are in the armies of the kings of the earth and those which worship the image of the beast and who take the mark of the beast. Revelation is very clear on these points, which leads to the question, were there any who followed the mindset of the beast, but did not receive the mark or openly worship his image? I believe that this is the case according to the words John writes in Revelation 19:15: “…that with it [the rod] he should smite the nations…” He did not write that with it he should destroy the nations. For in the same verse it says He will rule them with an iron rod. This iron rod will be the word of God, which will come from those judges which sit on thrones and which are priests of God and Jesus.

    Therefore, some of these people are not truly committed to God, but are about self. Once again, God is trying to get them to accept His love through His son Jesus Christ, not wanting them to perish (2 Peter 3:9). Imagine God saying, “I have removed all of the most evil people and the one that caused them to be that way, so come on home to Me. In fact, I will give you a thousand years to come home to me.” Also, during this time these unbelievers will have those who were dead, but now are alive, living around them.

    In Revelation 20:7, we read that when the thousand years are over, Satan will be released out of his prison. Remember that part of his imprisonment included not being able to deceive mankind. Therefore, he will have all of this time to think on how to get even with God and His children. Satan still thinks he can beat God and become god.

    Upon Satan’s release, he goes out to deceive the nations. If Satan is not around for a thousand years, then why are there so many people that are deceived upon his release? Also, remember that these unbelievers have witnesses for Christ around them, which would be proof that Satan is NOT good for them. These witnesses sit on thrones and are priests of God and of Christ. Their behaviors and attitudes remind me of the so-called Christians of today. We have all of the testimonies of what God is doing and has done, as in Hebrews 11.

    Let us see what Satan is able to do upon his release. He is able to deceive many nations into taking up his cause and to battle God for total control of everything. He is able to bring people from all four corners of the earth like Gog and Magog. Who is Gog and Magog? What were their roles in earlier times? This is the first time they are talked about in the New Testament. So let us examine these people and the role they had in history.

    First, the Magog people came from Japheth who is the son of Noah. The Greeks called these people Scythians who were a number of ferocious tribes. Gog was their leader. Also, their women would go into battle with the men. In order for a woman to marry, she would have to kill three enemies in battle. These people are thought to be the first to ride horses into battle and were the first to use a double-curved bow. The image that we have of these people, is that they know how to do battle and know how to overpower their enemies. Their leader had to be the very best in order to keep these tribes together under his rule. Read Ezekiel 38 & 39 to learn more about Gog and Magog and how they fit into the final battle between Satan and God. Remember that Revelation 20 is after the thousand years of Christ’s and his servants’ rule. In this time, where did these people come from and to how could they number like the sand of the sea? Not all of the folks, which are alive during these thousand years, are fully committed to God. If all were committed to Him, this battle would not happen. Do you remember when Israel came out of Egypt? Not all who came out of Egypt accepted God, even after crossing the Red sea. So why would we think that these people would be any different?

    In Revelation 20:9, we see that again Satan and his cohorts do not understand who God is. They surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city, Jerusalem. They think that they can defeat God and His children, for they assume that God is in one location. God is in all locations at the same time, He is omnipresent, which means it is impossible to contain Him as Satan was contained. So as they surround the camp and Jerusalem to battle them, God sends fire from heaven to consume the enemies of God and His children. The enemies are consumed by the fire, but Satan or the Devil is taken, in verse 10, and thrown into lake of fire and brimstone with the beast, and false prophet. They will to be tormented day and night forever. This will mark the beginning of a new era for the earth and God’s children. Before this takes place, in verses 11 through 15, there is the clean up and judgment of the earth and heaven and mankind.

    John tells us that he sees a great white throne and Him that sat on it, the earth and heaven flee from Him. Why would earth and heaven flee from Him? The answer is simple. The white throne and He that sits on it are pure and holy which means that the earth and heaven still have scars of the evil that took place in them. This is why John says in Revelation 21:1, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”

    As we explore the rest of Chapter 20, we find out how God is true to His word. We will see how mankind can not say, “I did not know about Jesus” and “I did not know that I needed to truly say yes to Him.” We have a picture of this white throne from which anything not pure flees. If the earth and heaven flee from it and they have NO soul nor are they able to change their condition, then how do you think mankind will react to Him that sits on this throne? Remember that it was mankind that put the earth and heaven into this condition, because in Genesis 1 we are told that everything God spoke into existence and formed was good. In fact, the garden in which God placed mankind, was inside of Eden and everything planted there was good to the sight and for food (Genesis 2:8 – 9). However, due to the sin of mankind, the earth was cursed. Genesis 3:17 states:“…cursed is the  ground for thy sake;…”

    Please know that as active believers in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, you are required to put your faith into action. Your non-action will cause some people to flee from God. Yes, you will be held accountable for your non-action. However, please know that will not keep you out of heaven. As we read in 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

    In Revelation 20:12, we find two verdicts, one for unbelievers and one for believers. It reads: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” John says that the dead will be judged out of the books based on the deeds they have done. These will be the acts done while living here on earth. In addition, the word “dead” being used here stands for unbelievers. YOU WILL NOT GET A SECOND CHANCE TO ENTER HEAVEN AFTER YOU DIE!!! I know that there are some who think like this so that they can do anything they want here on earth. You notice that these are the ones who are judged (condemned) and the ones in the book of life are not judged. The second verdict is found in the book of life. We read that this book of life has no condemnation with it.

    In verses 13 - 14, it is thought that the souls of the unbelievers are restored back with their bodies. All of the unbelievers’ bodies, which are in the sea and grave are reunited with their souls, which were in hell, to be judged for their works. Therefore, they are going to relive their lives and death over again. Then they are thrown into the lake of fire to spend eternity in punishment for not seeking God’s forgiveness.