Day 26 of Revelation Study: Chapter 20

The Final Fall of Satan:

In chapter twenty, John tells us that he saw an angel coming down from Heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. It is with this chain that the angel seizes the dragon, binds this terrible beast and locks him away for one thousand years. We are made aware in 20:2 that this great dragon is none other than that ancient serpent who deceived Adam Eve so many years ago. While he was able to deceive the nations for thousands of years, he has finally met his end — that is, at least until the thousand years are up. The text informs us that at the end of the thousand years Christ will let him loose, but only for a short time. Why? In order that the kingdom population of the Earth [i.e. those who have not died yet] will have one final decision to make which will then lead them into their eternal destiny.

Now, ultimately all the true believers living during this time will obviously continue to submit to God because of God’s gracious gift of eternal security. However, when the thousand years are ended there will be many people on the Earth who are merely performing an act and giving lip service to their King [i.e. they are not genuine believers]. The choice they make will determine where their true allegiance lies. Will they submit to God and live? Or will they join in on Satan’s final rebellion and die? Only God knows.

During this unknown amount of time, Satan will raise up military power from all over the world and bring all of his human pawns to surround the encampment of the saints and the holy city. However, their escapade will not last very long at all. Before they know it, they will all be consumed by fire from Heaven and the Devil will once and for all be cast into the lake of fire where he and his followers will be tormented day and night. He will never again be released from his prison. Thus, it seems like the third time will indeed be the charm — casting Satan out of Heaven [1^st fall], out of Earth [2^nd fall], and finally out of both [3^rd and ultimate fall].

The Great White Throne Judgment

Afterward, John saw what he refers to as the Great White Throne Judgment. This is not a place for saints. If you look carefully at this passage, then you will notice that the only people found here are “the dead” [i.e. the unbelievers (20:12-13)]. They are dead because they refused life when it was offered to them. They did not repent of their sins or trust in Christ’s finished work. They are here at this judgment because they did not want the Lord Jesus to represent their case before God. Thus, it is here that they represent themselves. This is why 20:12 says that “…the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.”

The judgment of God is all about works because the righteous requirement of the Law is perfect obedience (Rom. 8:4). However, for us as believers, our hope is in what Christ has done. Our confidence is based on the truth that His sacrifice was enough to satisfy the eternal wrath of God. Thus, God is going to judge us [believers] based upon Christ and His finished work on our behalf. Nevertheless, since the individuals in this text [i.e. unbelievers] did not receive the works of Christ, the only thing God has to judge them on are their own works. This will be a sad and scary day for multitudes of people because none of their names will be found in the book of Life.

Continue on to read about the Kingdom Controversy.

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