Revelation Chapter 20

3. The Binding of Satan (Verses 1 – 3)

Chapter 20 describes the events connected with the thousand years.

Verse 1

In Revelation 9, Satan was given the key to the bottomless pit (see notes on Rev. 9:1), allowing him to release his forces of darkness. Here in Rev. 20 we see the situation reversed. An angel from heaven now has the key to the bottomless pit and a chain, and he binds Satan and casts him into the bottomless pit. Satan is a spiritual being (Hebrews 1:14) that cannot be bound by a literal chain, so this chain represents circumstances that bring his work of deception to an end.

What are the circumstances that bind Satan? The earth has been depopulated of living human beings at the Second Coming (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17, 2 Thessalonians 1:7,8, 2:8), reduced to shambles by the plagues (Rev. 16:18-21), and is now in total darkness (Jude 6). Thus Satan’s work of deception and ruin has been brought to an end.

Verse 2

He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan – See Rev. 12:9.

And bound him for a thousand years – The thousand years is the length of time the earth will remain in darkness and desolation. This will be a time of Sabbath rest for the earth after the six thousand year reign of sin (Exodus 23:10,11, Leviticus 26:32-35, 2 Chronicles 36:21).

Verse 3

And he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up - During the thousand years Satan will be confined to this earth, unable to continue the work he has carried on for the past six thousand years.

And set a seal on him - This seal reminds us of the seal Satan influenced evil men to place on Jesus’ tomb (Matthew 27:62-66). That seal was powerless to hold Jesus in the tomb, but Satan will be unable to break the seal God has placed upon him.

So that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished – This statement explains the purpose of the binding of Satan. It will prevent his work of deception for a thousand years.

But after these things he must be released for a little while – At the end of the thousand years, Satan will again have access to the resurrected wicked, and will continue his work of deception for a short time (Rev. 20:7,8).

Note: This binding of Satan was symbolized by the scapegoat ceremony during the Day of Atonement services in the earthly sanctuary (Leviticus 16:20-22). (SOP 1)

4. The Thousand Years (Verses 4 – 6)

Verse 4

This verse describes the activities of the redeemed during the thousand years. The judgment will continue in heaven with the cases of the lost and the fallen angels. The saints will participate in this judgment (1 Corinthians 6:2,3).

The following two classes of the saints are singled out as being present during this judgment:

I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God – This refers to the martyrs who cried out for justice under the fifth seal (Rev. 6:9,10).

I saw the souls of those…who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands – This refers to the martyrs from the great end-time persecution, when the mark of the beast was enforced (Rev. 12:17, 13:15).

They lived [came to life] and reigned with Christ for a thousand years – See Daniel 7:26,27. (SOP 2)

Verses 5,6

But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished – This is a parenthetical statement, explaining the condition of the wicked during the thousand years and telling us when they will be resurrected (compare with John 5:28,29).

The rest of verse 5 and verse 6 are a blessing pronounced upon the redeemed, who are reigning with Christ in heaven during the thousand years. The assurance is given that the second (eternal) death has no power over them. They are now immortal, and will not be affected by the fire that destroys the wicked.

5. The Final Battle (Verses 7 – 10)

Verses 7,8

Satan is released from his prison by the resurrection of the wicked, and he again resumes his work of deception. Notice that Satan’s character is unchanged, even after the thousand years he was given to reflect upon his work of rebellion.

Gog and Magog –These names come from Ezekiel 38, where they refer to the enemies of God’s people. Gog means “warlike leader” and Magog means “family of Gog.” They are used represent Satan and his followers, still full of hatred against God and His people (Ezekiel 38:1-3,7,8).

To gather them together to battle - Satan will convince his followers that they can capture the New Jerusalem and defeat God, although he knows it is impossible (Ezekiel 38:10-12,14).

Whose number is as the sand of the sea – Satan’s host will be far larger than the hosts in the New Jerusalem (Ezekiel 38:9).

Verses 9,10

These two verses describe the final battle and its outcome.

They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city – See Ezekiel 38:15,16.

The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone – See Ezekiel 38:18-23. Satan’s final destruction will be a fulfillment of Ezekiel 28:18,19.

Where the beast and the false prophet are – The wicked that constituted end-time Babylon are also in the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20).

And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever – This is a repeat of the thought in Rev. 14:10. The phrase “day and night forever and ever” is sign language, reminding us that the fire’s results will be eternal. This cannot refer to an eternally burning hell, because the wicked will be turned to ashes and the fire will go out (Malachi 4:1,3, Ezekiel 28:18,19). (SOP 3)

6. The White-Throne Judgment and the Second Death (Verses 11 – 15)

This judgment scene is parenthetical, taking place after the wicked surround the New Jerusalem and before the fire comes down out of heaven and destroys them.

Verse 11

This is the great white throne judgment that takes place at the end of the thousand years. The resurrected wicked have been deceived into trying to conquer the New Jerusalem, and are surrounding it. God will convene this judgment just before the fire falls from heaven and consumes them. Every human being that has ever lived will be present at this third and final judgment, the saved inside the city and the lost outside.

There was found no place for them – This is the decision of the court regarding the fate of the wicked. There will be no place for sin and sinners in God’s glorious eternal kingdom (See verse 15. Also compare this phrase with Daniel 2:35).

Verse 12

I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God – This refers to the wicked standing outside the city. God refers to the lost as “the dead” because they have refused salvation and are about to suffer the second death (compare with Matthew 8:21,22, 22:31,32).

Books were opened – These are the same books referred to in Daniel 7:10. The books of the judgment include a record of sin (Ecclesiastes 12:14, Matthew 12:36,37) and a book of remembrance (Malachi 3:16).

Another book was opened, which is the book of life – The book of life is the deciding book in the judgment (Rev. 3:5).

The dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books – For a third time the books of the judgment will be opened, and the wicked will see that God has been fair in excluding them from heaven. They have forfeited eternal life by their own deliberate choice and their unfitness for heaven.

At the end of this judgment, even the wicked will acknowledge that God has been fair in His dealings with them (Romans 14:10-12, Philippians 2:9-11).

Verse 13

This verse refers to the second resurrection at the end of the thousand years, when the lost are resurrected.

The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades [the grave] delivered up the dead who were in them – Burial at sea is a common practice, and many persons have been lost at sea and their bodies never recovered. The point here is that this resurrection will be universal. Every lost person will come forth from his or her grave for the final judgment.

Verse 14

Then Death and Hades [the grave] were cast into the lake of fire – This is sign language, reminding us that there will be no more death after sin and sinners are destroyed in the lake of fire (Rev. 21:4).

This is the second death – The second death is final, eternal non-existence.

Verse 15

The fate of all will be decided by whether or not their names are written in the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5). (SOP 4)

Spirit of Prophecy Quotations

1 “Now the event takes place foreshadowed in the last solemn service of the Day of Atonement. When the ministration in the holy of holies had been completed, and the sins of Israel had been removed from the sanctuary by virtue of the blood of the sin offering, then the scapegoat was presented alive before the Lord; and in the presence of the congregation the high priest confessed 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." Leviticus 16:21. In like manner, when the work of atonement in the heavenly sanctuary has been completed, then in the presence of God and heavenly angels and the hosts of the redeemed the sins of God's people will be placed upon Satan; he will be declared guilty of all the evil which he has caused them to commit. And as the scapegoat was sent away into a land not inhabited, so Satan will be banished to the desolate earth, an uninhabited and dreary wilderness. . . .

“Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a thousand years. Limited to the earth, he will not have access to other worlds to tempt and annoy those who have never fallen. It is in this sense that he is bound: there are none remaining, upon whom he can exercise his power. He is wholly cut off from the work of deception and ruin which for so many centuries has been his sole delight. . . .

“For a thousand years, Satan will wander to and fro in the desolate earth to behold the results of his rebellion against the law of God. During this time his sufferings are intense. Since his fall his life of unceasing activity has banished reflection; but he is now deprived of his power and left to contemplate the part which he has acted since first he rebelled against the government of heaven, and to look forward with trembling and terror to the dreadful future when he must suffer for all the evil that he has done and be punished for the sins that he has caused to be committed.” – The Great Controversy, pages 657-660,

2 “During the thousand years between the first and the second resurrection the judgment of the wicked takes place. . . . It is at this time that, as foretold by Paul, "the saints shall judge the world." 1 Corinthians 6:2. In union with Christ they judge the wicked, comparing their acts with the statute book, the Bible, and deciding every case according to the deeds done in the body. Then the portion which the wicked must suffer is meted out, according to their works; and it is recorded against their names in the book of death.

“Satan also and evil angels are judged by Christ and His people. Says Paul: "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" Verse 3. And Jude declares that "the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Jude 6.” – The Great Controversy, pages 660, 661.

3 “At the close of the thousand years, Christ again returns to the earth. He is accompanied by the host of the redeemed and attended by a retinue of angels. As He descends in terrific majesty He bids the wicked dead arise to receive their doom. They come forth, a mighty host, numberless as the sands of the sea. What a contrast to those who were raised at the first resurrection! The righteous were clothed with immortal youth and beauty. The wicked bear the traces of disease and death. . . .

“Now Satan prepares for a last mighty struggle for the supremacy. While deprived of his power and cut off from his work of deception, the prince of evil was miserable and dejected; but as the wicked dead are raised and he sees the vast multitudes upon his side, his hopes revive, and he determines not to yield the great controversy. . . . The wicked are Satan's captives. In rejecting Christ they have accepted the rule of the rebel leader. They are ready to receive his suggestions and to do his bidding. Yet, true to his early cunning, he does not acknowledge himself to be Satan. He claims to be the prince who is the rightful owner of the world and whose inheritance has been unlawfully wrested from him. He represents himself to his deluded subjects as a redeemer, assuring them that his power has brought them forth from their graves and that he is about to rescue them from the most cruel tyranny. . . . Satan works wonders to support his claims. He makes the weak strong and inspires all with his own spirit and energy. He proposes to lead them against the camp of the saints and to take possession of the City of God. With fiendish exultation he points to the unnumbered millions who have been raised from the dead and declares that as their leader he is well able to overthrow the city and regain his throne and his kingdom.

“In that vast throng are . . . kings and generals who conquered nations, valiant men who never lost a battle, proud, ambitious warriors whose approach made kingdoms tremble. . . . Satan consults with his angels, and then with these kings and conquerors and mighty men. They look upon the strength and numbers on their side, and declare that the army within the city is small in comparison with theirs, and that it can be overcome. They lay their plans to take possession of the riches and glory of the New Jerusalem. All immediately begin to prepare for battle. Skillful artisans construct implements of war. Military leaders, famed for their success, marshal the throngs of warlike men into companies and divisions.

“At last the order to advance is given, and the countless host moves on--an army such as was never summoned by earthly conquerors, such as the combined forces of all ages since war began on earth could never equal. Satan, the mightiest of warriors, leads the van, and his angels unite their forces for this final struggle. Kings and warriors are in his train, and the multitudes follow in vast companies, each under its appointed leader. With military precision the serried ranks advance over the earth's broken and uneven surface to the City of God. By command of Jesus, the gates of the New Jerusalem are closed, and the armies of Satan surround the city and make ready for the onset. – The Great Controversy, pages 662-664.

4 “Now Christ again appears to the view of His enemies. Far above the city, upon a foundation of burnished gold, is a throne, high and lifted up. Upon this throne sits the Son of God, and around Him are the subjects of His kingdom. The power and majesty of Christ no language can describe, no pen portray. . . . The brightness of His presence fills the City of God, and flows out beyond the gates, flooding the whole earth with its radiance.

“In the presence of the assembled inhabitants of earth and heaven the final coronation of the Son of God takes place. And now, invested with supreme majesty and power, the King of kings pronounces sentence upon the rebels against His government and executes justice upon those who have transgressed His law and oppressed His people. Says the prophet of God: "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. 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." Revelation 20:11, 12.

“As soon as the books of record are opened, and the eye of Jesus looks upon the wicked, they are conscious of every sin which they have ever committed. They see just where their feet diverged from the path of purity and holiness, just how far pride and rebellion have carried them in the violation of the law of God. . . .

“Above the throne is revealed the cross; and like a panoramic view appear the scenes of Adam's temptation and fall, and the successive steps in the great plan of redemption. . . . And now before the swaying multitude are revealed the final scenes--the patient Sufferer treading the path to Calvary; the Prince of heaven hanging upon the cross; the haughty priests and the jeering rabble deriding His expiring agony; the supernatural darkness; the heaving earth, the rent rocks, the open graves, marking the moment when the world's Redeemer yielded up His life.

“The awful spectacle appears just as it was. Satan, his angels, and his subjects have no power to turn from the picture of their own work. Each actor recalls the part which he performed. “The whole wicked world stand arraigned at the bar of God on the charge of high treason against the government of heaven. They have none to plead their cause; they are without excuse; and the sentence of eternal death is pronounced against them.

“As if entranced, the wicked have looked upon the coronation of the Son of God. They see in His hands the tables of the divine law, the statutes which they have despised and transgressed. They witness the outburst of wonder, rapture, and adoration from the saved; and as the wave of melody sweeps over the multitudes without the city, all with one voice exclaim, "Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints" (Revelation 15:3); and, falling prostrate, they worship the Prince of life.

“Satan seems paralyzed as he beholds the glory and majesty of Christ. . . . As Satan looks upon his kingdom, the fruit of his toil, he sees only failure and ruin. He has led the multitudes to believe that the City of God would be an easy prey; but he knows that this is false. . . . the time has now come when the rebellion is to be finally defeated and the history and character of Satan disclosed. In his last great effort to dethrone Christ, destroy His people, and take possession of the City of God, the archdeceiver has been fully unmasked. Those who have united with him see the total failure of his cause. Christ's followers and the loyal angels behold the full extent of his machinations against the government of God. He is the object of universal abhorrence.

“ . . . And now Satan bows down and confesses the justice of his sentence. . . . With all the facts of the great controversy in view, the whole universe, both loyal and rebellious, with one accord declare: "Just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints.”

“Notwithstanding that Satan has been constrained to acknowledge God's justice and to bow to the supremacy of Christ, his character remains unchanged. The spirit of rebellion, like a mighty torrent, again bursts forth. Filled with frenzy, he determines not to yield the great controversy. The time has come for a last desperate struggle against the King of heaven. He rushes into the midst of his subjects and endeavors to inspire them with his own fury and arouse them to instant battle. But of all the countless millions whom he has allured into rebellion, there are none now to acknowledge his supremacy. His power is at an end. The wicked are filled with the same hatred of God that inspires Satan; but they see that their case is hopeless, that they cannot prevail against Jehovah. Their rage is kindled against Satan and those who have been his agents in deception, and with the fury of demons they turn upon them. . . .

“Fire comes down from God out of heaven. The earth is broken up. The weapons concealed in its depths are drawn forth. Devouring flames burst from every yawning chasm. The very rocks are on fire. The day has come that shall burn as an oven. The elements melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein are burned up. Malachi 4:1; 2 Peter 3:10. The earth's surface seems one molten mass--a vast, seething lake of fire. It is the time of the judgment and perdition of ungodly men--"the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion." Isaiah 34:8.

“The wicked receive their recompense in the earth. Proverbs 11:31. They "shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts." Malachi 4:1. Some are destroyed as in a moment, while others suffer many days. All are punished "according to their deeds." The sins of the righteous having been transferred to Satan, he is made to suffer not only for his own rebellion, but for all the sins which he has caused God's people to commit. -- The Great Controversy, pages 665-673.