CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 20
NOTE: (Aug. 2016)
The final dealing of God with Satan and his angels and Satan's Earthly servants! The Millennial Reign of Christ/God; after which 1000 years later is the general resurrection and the Great White Throne Judgement; followed by the termination of death and the grave!
These events are clearly just prior to the Millennial Reign of Christ and God (“His Name One”), from Jerusalem. There is much speculation as to the timing of these events worldwide amongst Christians. No one knows the timing other than the “Father in Heaven” (Matt. 24 etc.); however, we are told to “watch”.
The fact is that the State of Israel celebrates its 70th Anniversary in 2018; on the 14th May, of the declaration of the then “League of Nations”, (now the UN) in 1948!
NOTE (Sept. 2018);
Present Trump moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem on the 14th May 2018; which was the 70th Anniversary of the State of Israel, and stated that the U.S. Embassy would be located in the Capital of the Country! This enraged the many enemies of Israel, led largely by Iran. The “alliance” of Nations north, west, south and east of Israel has enlarged and strengthened recently led by Turkey, Russia, Syria and Iran etc.; and military operations are strengthening against “rebel” forces in Syria, ostensibly to eliminate the anti-Assad military. Iran seems to have secured military rights of access to Syrian Military Bases; which makes Israel vulnerable to “accidental strikes” from its north! The Russians are currently engaged in “war games” off the coast of Syria, which involves 26 warships!
The USA announced recently that it is eliminating the US$ 300 million “aid” to the Palestinian Authority, much of which was reportedly used in operations against Israel.
With such activity surrounding Israel, there must soon be more conflict in that area. (See: Biblical 7 and 70 Significance)!
The Jewish Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed 70 years after our Lord’s birth in AD 69-70, by the occupying Romans. The number 70 is important in the Bible; so at least celebrations can be expected in 2018; see above note!
See also the importance of 7 and 10 in App. 10 of the Companion Bible!
V.1 (a)And I saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key of the (b)bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
V.2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
V.3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and (c)set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the Nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: (d)after that he must be loosed a little season.
(a) Satan is then helpless to fight or resist after his time has expired. This angel is fixed in purpose, the binding of Satan with chains, and locking him away, in the “bottomless pit”!
(b) This translation in Interlinear as "abyss", i.e. "depths", but with the same meaning.
(c) This banishment/imprisoning of Satan, clearly has profound purpose. The remaining population of the world is about to experience 1000 years of freedom from his constant assault, temptation and deceit. Justice, fairness and truth, are all about to be meted out on the world's peoples, from Christ at Jerusalem, and Satan cannot be blamed for any of the misdeeds of the population during this period. The fallen nature of mankind is still in place during this period, and is clearly being highlighted for a purpose, see: Millennial Purpose (See also Rev. 9:1,2,3 & 11 and notes).
(d) The fact that Satan is released again for a short time, at the end of the 1000 year period, clearly is again for purpose. Heavenly Creation especially, as well as human kind, have to be reminded of the utter devastation of Satan's deceit, falsehood and lies, as 1000 years is a long time, and human memory short. (See Chp. 12:12(a) (b) (c)).
V.4 And I saw thrones, and (a)they sat on them, and judgement was given to them; and the (b)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 on their foreheads, or on their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
V.5 (c)The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
V.6 (d)Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power. (e)But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
(a) "They sat on them"; (Dr. Bullinger Comp. page 1920, "The Father and Christ, Chp. 3:21, and Heavenly beings associated with them as assessors, Chp. 1:4)".
(b) "Souls"; Interlinear 5590, derived from 5594; which is by implication "SPIRIT", as opposed to "a living soul", which is body + spirit of life = soul! These are the "Overcomers", of Chp. 2:26.
(c) This resurrection is the first of the Millennial period, it concerns the "Overcomers", of the early Chapters of Revelation and probably those of Dan. 12:2, and in the opinion of the writers is a totally separate event to the "translation", of believers (Christ - ones), prior to the wrath of God, (1Thess. 4:13-17), (2Thess. 2:7-9) & (Phil. 3:11).
(d) See 20:14.
(e) See Rev. 5:10.
V.7 (a)And when the thousand years are over, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.
V.8 And shall go out to deceive the Nations which are in the four quarters of the Earth, (b)Gog and Magog, to gather them together to (c)battle: the number of whom is the sand of the sea.
(a) Satan allowed again to do his worst, for a defined period (short).
(b) Gog and Magog, apparently an inclusive term for all Gentile Nations; East (Gog), West (Magog).
The destruction of GOG and MAGOG, Ezk. 39, is pre-millennial, (see Ezk. 39:25) (Comp. p. 1911), therefore the post Millennial comment here, as mentioned are certainly the descendants of the original Gog and Magog! See: Gog and Magog.
(c) Again against Israel, and again attempting to deceive the Nations of the world, and is a reminder to the Nations that Satan is destruction, deceit, pain, anguish, and all evil of every sort, inflicted on humankind, and Heavenly Creation!
V.9 (a)And they went up over the breadth of the land and encircled the camp of the saints and the beloved city: (b)and fire came down from God out of Heaven, and destroyed them.
(a) As soon as Satan again threatens Israel, this time the time is right to destroy the anti-Israel, anti-God, armies of the world, without delay! His imprisonment had not any effect; and now God is seen to destroy him, to avoid a repeat of his earlier devastations on Earth with humankind, and prior to Gen. 1:1; and is without reservation justified in the act of destruction, see: The Genesis 1:1 Enigma.
(b) See 9:17(a). 11:5(a).
V.10 (a)And the devil that deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they shall be tormented day and night to the (b)Age of the Ages.
(a) Satan finally dealt with, never to return! This "Lake of Fire", was prepared for Satan and his angels, and those of Satan’s people who persecuted Israel and Christians; and is (Age abiding "App. 151"), and who were sent there at the Judgement of "sheep and goats"; Matt. 25:41. (See: also Rev. 14:9-11).
(b) The KJV translates “for ever and ever”.
V.11 (a)And I saw a Great White Throne, and Him That sat on it, from Whose face (b)the Earth and the Heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
V.12 (c)And I saw the dead, the great and small standing before the throne; and (d)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.
(a) This is the "Great White Throne Judgement", which commences after the end of the Millennial reign and after the final demise of Satan.
(b) See Chp. 21:1.
(c) All people that ever lived who were not in the first resurrection, or the Rapture of The Body of Christ, or of Overcomers.
(d) "The books"; "these books", i.e. records are kept on all humans, in Heaven. They do not apply to those of THE BODY OF CHRIST, or THE OVERCOMERS of earlier Chapters. The results of these records are the judgements about to be given in these verses. The second death applies to those people whose life actions are against good conscience, in the case of Gentiles, or the Law of Moses, in the case of Jews, (Rom. 2:12-16), and is the penalty for those failing! (See: Matt. 10:28). Also see App. 131; “fires of destruction”.
Reference has been made to these books from the earliest record in Holy Writ. Some of these are; Ex. 32:32-33, Dan.7:10, 12:1, Rev. 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 20:15 & 21:27.
V.13 (a)And the sea gave up the dead which are in it; and death and the (b)grave delivered up the dead which are in them: and they were judged each one according to their works.
(a) See Vs. 11 and 12 and notes.
(b) This in A.D. 1611 translated incorrectly "Hell"; the concept of Hell is Babylonian and Greek in origin (Pythagoras) and adopted by the Roman Church, and later by the Church of England and other Protestant groups. The Greek word "HADES", renders (Str. No. 86), a place or state of departed souls, (i.e. bodies) i.e. grave, “Hell". This led the Roman Church to develop the concept of "Purgatory", a place between life, and Heaven or "Hell". This was due to the Roman adoption of the Greek concept of soul, i.e. as a separate continuing entity to the body, which ignores the clear definition given in Genesis, 2:7, where God "formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul". The soul therefore is the result of the dust + the breath of life = the soul! The Roman error has led to the awful practice of praying by Roman Catholics for "the souls of departed loved ones", which leads them to believe that their prayers can overcome the departed ones sins, and gain them access to Heaven! This terrible teaching negates the work of Our Lord on The Cross, and millions of people worldwide are thus misled. This is part of the "Harlot", of Chps. 17 and 18 etc.
It is certain that the subject of "Hell", has become more mixed together with the “grave”, mistranslation. See: Hell; and Hell's Punishment?
V.14 (a)And death and the grave were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the Second Death; the Lake of Fire.
(a) See Chapter 12:11(c); and Chapter 20:6.
V.15 (a)And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire.
(a) Lake of Fire and Brimstone; 20:10 (a) & 21:8 (b).
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