Welcome to this week’s blog. For the past several weeks, I have focused on my favorite book, the Bible.
This week I am focusing on the last book of the New Testament, Revelation, Chapter 20. I identify the purpose of each book, the author of each book, the date written, key verses and key people involved to help give you a better understanding of the Bible before you dive into it on your own.
When you open your Bible, you will find the New Testament has 27 books, starting with Matthew (28 chapters) and ending with Revelation (22 chapters). To date, I’ve completed the overview of the Old Testament, 39 books. Regarding the New Testament, I will continue to focus on the final book (Revelation).
If you wish to revisit any of the Old Testament or New Testament blogs, you can find them on my website: https://www.thewitnesstoday.com/blog-archives.
The author and compiler of the final book of the New Testament is John, from the Island of Patmos. For hundreds of centuries there have been many approaches to interpreting the book of Revelation. Many of these approaches have supporters, but none of which have proved to be the only way to interpret or read this last book of the Bible.
The book of Revelation is written in “apocalyptic” form – a type of Jewish literature that uses symbolic imagery to communicate hope (in the ultimate triumph of God) for all of us who will be in the midst of persecution. The events in Revelation are ordered according to literary, rather than a traditional, chronological timeline. Revelation provides a powerful message of warning and instruction for end times or otherwise known as judgment day.
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. – Revelation 1:3 (NIV).
The purpose of the book of Revelation is to reveal the full identity of Christ, and to give warning and hope to believers. The author, Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation approximately 95 A.D. (From the Latin word annō Dominī – stands for “In the year of the Lord”), from the Island of Patmos.
Below is the chapter I have covered in this week’s blog. This format will help readers move through the book of Revelation at their own pace. I encourage you to study and jot down your questions as you go through each chapter and the supporting scripture.
Revelation - Chapter 20
(The 1,000 Year Reign, The Judgment of Satan, The Judgment of the Dead)
From the heavens appeared an angel having the key to the Abyss, and holding a great chain. The dragon, an ancient serpent, the fallen angel, and Satan will be seized, and bound for a thousand years. God will throw him into the Abyss, lock it, seal it to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until a thousand years has ended.
When the thousand years have passed, God will set Satan free for a “short time.”
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.
The throne of judgment in heaven is where elders will be given the authority to judge. They are the souls of believers who had been tortured, and beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus, and the Word of God. These are the earthly people who did not worship the mark of the Beast or its image. They would not receive the mark of the Beast on their foreheads or their hands. They are the ones who will be brought up into the clouds to reign with Christ for a thousand years. Blessed are those who are holy, and who will share in this first resurrection.
Those who were sleeping in their graves prior to the “Day of the Lord,” will not come to life, and sit at the throne of judgment until the thousand years have passed.
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 about Jesus and because of the word of God.
They had not worshiped the Beast or its image and had not received its 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 share 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.
This is the judgment of Satan after the thousand years has ended. 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—and to gather them for battle.
Satan, and his army will once again deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth, and gather his army for battle once again. 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.
Fire comes down from heaven, and once and for all throws them into the lake of burning sulfur, where they will be tortured day and night for eternity. 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.
The dead, those who were sleeping in their grave for one thousand years will stand before the great white throne. The books will be opened. Another book will also open, the book of life. This is the great white judgment of the dead after the thousand-year reign has ended. The sea will surrender the dead that were in it. Death and Hades will surrender the dead that were in them. Those from the grave, the sea and the death and hades will be judged by God according to what they had done, which will be recorded in the books. Anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life will then be thrown into Lake of Fire of burning sulfur.
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens 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 they had done.
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. – Revelation 20:1-15 (NIV).
Let’s recap. This week we covered Revelation, Chapter 20 (The 1,000 Year Reign, The Judgment of Satan, The Judgment of the Dead). I hope that you have found the last several weeks of blogs, the study of the Old Testament and the New Testament and the book of Revelation, helpful, enlightening and educational.
Next week I will cover Revelation, Chapter 21, (A New Heaven and a New Earth, Making all things New, The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb).
Blessings until next week,
Debra Pauli Unstoppable Believer
Scripture Quoted From: New International Version Bible (NIV) Archived Blogs: https://www.thewitnesstoday.com/blog-archives