SCRIPTURE READING: Revelation  20:1-15

GOLDEN TEXT:  Revelation 20:6

Revelation chapters 20 through 22 are in chronological order.

1. Did the apostle John see an angel coming down from heaven having a key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand? (Revelation 20:1.)

Note: Modern translations translates the term "bottomless pit" as the "abyss."

2. Did the angel laid hold of the dragon? (Revelation 20:2.) Who is the dragon? How long did the angel bound him?

Note: What this angel does is symbolized in the ceremony that takes place on the Day of Atonement. In Leviticus 16 two goats are presented to the Lord at the Tabernacle and Aaron the high priest cast lots over them. One goat is killed for a sin offering, which represents Jesus Christ being offered for our sins, and then the other goat which is alive is brought before Aaron the high priest and he lays both of his hands on it (verses 20-22). This goat is taken by a ‘fit’ or ‘suitable’ man into the wilderness. The ‘fit man’ represents the angel in Revelation 20:2 who lays hold on Satan the devil. This angel might be Michael who is a powerful archangel (Jude 9), probably more powerful than Satan who is a cherub angel (Ezekiel 28:16). In any case God has given this angel his authority and spiritual power to restrain Satan.

Notice in Revelation 20:2 that Satan is called a serpent. He was the serpent in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-4) and Leviathan, the piercing serpent and dragon that is in the sea (Isaiah 27:1,Job 41:1, Psalms 74:14, 104:26.) This serpent Satan deceived Eve in the garden of Eden and he has also deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9.)

3. Did the angel cast the dragon into the bottomless pit and set a seal on him? (Revelation 20:3.) Was the seal so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were finished? What happens after this thousand year period.

Note: After the thousand year millennium Satan will be released for a little while. The Bible does not define how long this will be.

4. Did John see thrones and people sitting on them? (Revelation 20:4-5.) Did John see people who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God? Did these people worship the beast or his image, and did they receive his mark on their foreheads or on their hands? Is this why they were beheaded? As their reward did they live and reign with Christ for a thousand years? Is this the first resurrection? (Verse 5.) Are the people that John saw sitting on the thrones the Saints of God? (Daniel 7:22.) Will they posses the Kingdom of God? Are these the firstfruits of God that will follow the Lamb Jesus Christ wherever He goes? (Revelation 14:1-5.)

Note: Some of the Saints will have to go through the great tribulation and will be beheaded. Many of the Saints will have died before the tribulation and will not have to deal with the Beast. A point to keep in mind is that if you don’t use your head now while you have the time to grow and overcome then you will have to lose it in the future to make it into the millennial Kingdom of God.

5. Did the rest of the dead not live again until the thousand years were finished? (Revelation 20:5.)

Note: What does the apostle Paul say about the first resurrection? (1 Corinthians 15:50-54, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.) Do the dead in Christ, those with God’s Holy Spirit, rise first and then those who are alive who are in Christ rise next in the first resurrection? The first resurrection occurs at Christ’s return at the beginning of His thousand year millennial reign. Notice that in Revelation 20:5 it says: "But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished." This indicates that the second resurrection will occur at the end of the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ. This is referring to the White Throne Judgment.

6. Are the people who are resurrected in the first resurrection blessed and holy? (Revelation 20:6.) Will the second death have any power over them? Will they be priests of God and Christ? Will they reign with Jesus Christ for a thousand years?

Note: Those in the first resurrection are resurrected to immortality and have eternal life and they then can never die. This is why the second death has no power over them.

Note: Let’s notice that people can die twice. Is it appointed for man to die once and then is there judgment? (Hebrews 9:27.) Does Jesus warn to "fear God who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (gehenna fire.) (Matthew 10:28.) The word ‘soul’ (Greek ‘psuche") is defined as your breath. The word ‘soul’ is not referring to an immortal soul, but could be referring to your ‘spirit in man’. Notice how this is defined in Job 32:8 (NKJV): " But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding."

(Request our free article: "Do You Have an Immortal Soul" for more info on this topic.)

7. What happens after the thousand years are completed? (Revelation 20:7.) Does Satan deceive the whole world? (Revelation 12:9.)

Note: When the thousand years have expired, Satan will be loosed and he will be free to go and deceive the whole world again. Now while he was bound he had no influence to deceive and all men were living God’s way of life of love, peace and joy.

8. What will Satan the devil do then? (Revelation 20:8.) Will he go out to deceive the nations? Will he gather them to battle? Will this be a very large group of people?

Note: Ezekiel 38 and 39 are parallel passages referring to this time period. During the millennial reign of Jesus Christ people will not be armed with weapons because swords will have been beaten into plowshares (Isaiah 2:4.) It will probably take a couple of decades for Satan to deceive the people, make them disgruntled and to implement his evil plan of rearming the people with weapons of war and consolidate the nations into a plan of attack against Jerusalem.

9. Will these Satan deceived people go all over the earth and will they then surround the Saints in Jerusalem? (Revelation 20:9.) Will God cause fire to come down from heaven and devour them?

10. Where was Satan the devil cast? (Revelation 20:10.) Will he be tormented day and night forever and ever?

Note: Satan will be cast into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet were cast. Satan is a spirit being and fire does not have any effect on him. His torment will be mental in that he will not have any more influence on mankind.

11. Did the apostle John see a great white throne? (Revelation 20:11). Did he see who sat on it? Did the earth and heaven disappear from the face of him who sat on the throne? Is Jesus Christ righteous? (1 John 2:1). Will He judge the living and the dead? (John 5:21-22, 2 Timothy 2:4). Will He judge in Righteousness? (Isaiah 11:1-5). What does Jesus Christ look like in His glorified state? (Revelation 1:12-16).

Note: The one who is sitting on this white throne is Jesus Christ. White is a symbol of righteousness (Revelation 19:8) and Jesus Christ will judge in righteousness. The reason that the earth and heaven will flee away from Jesus Christ who is sitting on the throne is that when He is in his glorified state, His countenance is like the sun shining in its full strength, and His brilliance dwarfs the limited light of the sun and moon (Isaiah 24:23). This is similar to when the sun comes up in the morning and it overpowers the light of the night, the stars and moon, and they disappear.

12. Did John see the dead, small and great, standing before the throne? (Revelation 20:12). Were the books opened? Was the Book of Life also opened? Were the dead judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books?

Note: What is it when dead people stand up? It is a resurrection. Here are dead people who are being resurrected back to life. The first resurrection occurred at the beginning of the thousand year millennial kingdom (Revelation 20:4-6) and here we are a thousand years later and we have another resurrection in which the books are opened and the dead are being judged according to their works.

The Greek word for "books" is "biblia" and it is from the exact word that we derive our English word "Bible". The books that are opened are the books of your Bible! The billions of people who will be resurrected from the dead in this second resurrection will have their minds opened to the truth of God and the Bible and they will be judged "according to their works" just the same as we in the church are being judged now (1 Peter 4:17.)

They will be judged out of the law and the magnification of the law which is the New Testament. They will be judged on how they apply the law of God. To be righteous is to keep God’s law (Psalms 119:172) and to do what is right. If we love God and Jesus Christ we must keep God’s Law (1 John 5:2, John 14:15).

The dead who have been brought back to life in this second resurrection are being judged, similar to a prize fight. The judges of a prize fight judge as the fight is in progress, giving points and taking points away, then at the end of the fight, they tally up the points and the fighter wins by a decision. During the time of the white throne judgment, judgment goes on while life is going on.

Now the next question is, why is the Book of Life opened in this judgment? Everyone written in the Book of Life was in the first resurrection so why is the Book opened now? The only logical reason to open the Book of Life again is to write new names in it so that they can receive eternal life (Romans 6:23).

The first part of this verse in Revelation 20:12 says: "I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God." The word for ‘God’ is translated as ‘throne’ in more modern Bible translations. It is Jesus Christ who is sitting on this throne and judging. Now Jesus is also a member of the God Family as John recorded in John 1:1-3 and the word ‘God’ is also a correct translation in this verse.

13. During the White Throne judgment, who will be resurrected in this Last Great Judgment? (Matthew 11:21-27.) Did Jesus say that Tyre and Sidon had not received the witness of the gospel? (Verse 21.) If the people of those cities had heard the gospel would they have repented? (Verse 21.) Wasn’t the same true of Sodom? (Verse 23.) Then, to be fair, they ought to hear the good news gospel shouldn’t they? Are the people of Tyre and Sidon, as well as Sodom, yet to hear the message of the gospel? (Verses 22-24.) Did Jesus speak of a time of Judgment when they would be given the opportunity to understand what He had been preaching to the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum? (Same verses.) Did Jesus also foretell of the resurrection of the heathen people of Nineveh and the resurrection of the Queen (Sheba) of the South? (Matthew 12:41-42.) Will those of Palestine in the time of Christ, who were unable to understand God’s plan, also be resurrected to a time of judgment? (Same verses.)

14. Does the prophet Ezekiel describe a Valley of Dry Bones? (Ezekiel 37:1-14.) Is he describing a resurrection of the "whole house of Israel" (Ezekiel 37:11.)

15. Did the sea give up the dead who were in it? (Revelation 20:13). Did Death and Hades deliver up the dead who were in them? Were they judged according to their works? Did Jesus talk of a resurrection to damnation? (John 5:29).

Note: Following the White Throne judgment period which may last one hundred years (Isaiah 65:20), there will be a third resurrection to damnation. The Greek word ‘Hades’ should be translated as ‘grave’ and not as ‘hell’ as the KJV translates it.

16. Is Death and Hades (the Graves) cast into the lake of fire? (Revelation 20:14). Is this the second death?

17. What happens if your name isn’t written in Book of Life? (Revelation 20:15). Will you be cast into the lake of fire? What is this "lake of fire"? (2 Peter 3:10.)

Note: This "lake of fire" will be our earth’s surface burning up and all things will be burned up except those who have been given the gift of eternal life, converted to spirit beings, of which fire cannot harm.

The Bible’s "hell fire" - gehenna fire - the "lake of fire" will consume completely those who are put into it. It’s a lot HOTTER than Dante’s "hell fire" which he believed to be only hot enough to torment. This Bible "hell fire" will totally consume the disobedient! Never will they exist again. Death means death, cessation of life and consciousness - total oblivion! In Conclusion: The great White Throne Judgement pictures the time when billions of people will be resurrected to mortal life and given their opportunity for salvation. This time will picture a time of reunion, hope and healing.

Look at our Bible Studies on Hell and the Resurrection to Damnation for more information on these topics.

The Thousand Years

(Revelation 20 NKJV) Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. {2} He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; {3} and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. {4} And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. {5} But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. {6} Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Satan's Doom

{7} Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison {8} and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. {9} They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. {10} The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The Dead Are Judged

{11} Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. {12} And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. {13} The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. {14} Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. {15} And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

1. See Scripture Reading.

2. See Scripture Reading.

(Leviticus 16:20-22 NKJV) "And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat. {21} "Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. {22} "The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

(Leviticus 16:20-22 KJV) And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: {21} And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: {22} And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.

(Jude 1:9 KJV) Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

(Ezekiel 28:16 KJV) By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

The Temptation and Fall of Man

(Genesis 3:1-4 KJV) Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? {2} And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: {3} But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. {4} And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

(Job 41:1 KJV) Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?

(Psalms 74:14 KJV) Thou brakest the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wilderness.

(Psalms 104:26 KJV) There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.

(Isaiah 27:1 KJV) In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.

(Revelation 12:9 KJV) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

3. See Scripture Reading

.4. See Scripture Reading.

(Daniel 7:22 KJV) 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.

The Lamb and the 144,000

(Revelation 14:1-5 KJV) And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. {2} And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: {3} And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. {4} These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. {5} And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

5. See Scripture Reading.

6. See Scripture Reading.

Our Final Victory

(1 Corinthians 15:50-54 KJV) Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. {51} Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, {52} In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. {53} For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. {54} So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 KJV) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: {17} Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

(Hebrews 9:27 KJV) And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

(Matthew 10:28 KJV) And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

7. See Scripture Reading.

(Revelation 12:9 NKJV) So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

8. See Scripture Reading.

(Isaiah 2:4 NKJV) He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.

9. See Scripture Reading.

10. See Scripture Reading.

11. See Scripture Reading.

(1 John 2:1 NKJV) My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

(John 5:21-22 NKJV) "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. {22} "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,

(2 Timothy 4:1 NKJV) I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:

The Branch From Jesse

(Isaiah 11:1-5 NKJV) There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. {2} The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. {3} His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; {4} But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. {5} Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.

(Revelation 1:12-16 NKJV) Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, {13} and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. {14} His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; {15} His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; {16} He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

(Revelation 19:8 KJV) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

(Isaiah 24:23 NKJV) Then the moon will be disgraced And the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before His elders, gloriously.

12. See Scripture Reading.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

(1 John 5:2 NKJV) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.

(John 14:15 NKJV) "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

(Romans 6:23 NKJV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Word Became Flesh

(John 1:1-3 NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. {2} He was in the beginning with God. {3} All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

13. (Matthew 11:21-27 NKJV) "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. {22} "But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. {23} "And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. {24} "But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

Rest for the Weary

{25} At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. {26} "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. {27} "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

(Matthew 12:41-42 NKJV) "The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. {42} "The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

14.) The Valley of Dry Bones

(Ezekiel 37:1-14 NKJV) The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. {2} Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. {3} And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know." {4} Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! {5} 'Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. {6} "I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD."' " {7} So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone. {8} Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them. {9} Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live."' " {10} So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. {11} Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!' {12} "Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. {13} "Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. {14} "I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.'"

15. See Scripture Reading

(John 5:29 NKJV) "and come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

(Isaiah 65:20 NKJV) "No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, Nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; For the child shall die one hundred years old, But the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.

16. (2 Peter 3:10 NKJV) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.