New Testament · Prophecy

Revelation 20

The Thousand Years

Satan is bound for a thousand years, then released for a final rebellion. The dead stand before a great white throne, and the books are opened.

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1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12And 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.

13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Understand This

Revelation 20, explained

What Revelation 20 is saying

An angel binds Satan and casts him into the Abyss for a thousand years. Those who were beheaded for their testimony and refused the beast's mark come to life and reign with Christ during this millennium—the 'first resurrection.' After the thousand years, Satan is released, deceives the nations (Gog and Magog), and marshals them for a final assault that is consumed by fire from heaven. Satan is cast into the lake of fire. The chapter concludes with the Great White Throne judgment: death and Hades are emptied, the dead are judged by their works from the books, and anyone not found in the Book of Life is cast into the lake of fire—the 'second death.'

The background behind it

The millennium has generated three major interpretive traditions: premillennialism (literal future thousand-year reign), amillennialism (the millennium symbolizes the present church age), and postmillennialism (Christ returns after a golden age). The Gog and Magog reference draws on Ezekiel 38–39, where these represent eschatological enemies of God's people. The Book of Life concept appears in Exodus 32:32, Psalm 69:28, and Daniel 12:1.

Themes running underneath

The binding, release, and final defeat of Satan provides the comprehensive resolution to the cosmic conflict introduced in chapter 12. The 'first resurrection' and 'second death' create a binary that defines ultimate human destiny. The judgment by works alongside the Book of Life holds together human moral responsibility and divine grace in characteristic biblical tension.

Why it still matters

The chapter's vision of final accountability invites sober self-examination while the prominence of the Book of Life ensures that ultimate destiny rests on grace rather than moral achievement. The destruction of death itself (cast into the lake of fire) provides the ultimate answer to the human condition.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.