20 1 The Angel 2 bindeth Satan for a thousand years. 8 Being loosed, he stirreth up Gog and Magog, that is, privy and open enemies against the Saints, 11 but the vengeance of the Lord cutting off their insolency. 12 The books are opened, by which the dead are judged.

And [a]I saw an Angel come down from heaven, having the key [b]of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand.

And he took the dragon that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and he bound him [c]a thousand years:

And cast him into the bottomless pit, and he shut him up, and sealed the door upon him, that he should deceive the people [d]no more till the thousand years were fulfilled: for after that he must be loosed for [e]a little season.

[f]And I saw [g][h]seats: and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them, and I saw the souls of them that were [i]beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which [j]did not worship the beast, neither his image, neither had taken his mark upon their foreheads or on their hands: and they lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

[k]But the rest of the dead men [l]shall not live again, until the thousand years be finished: this is the first resurrection.

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

[o]And when the [p]thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

[q]And shall go out to deceive the people, which are in the four quarters of the earth: even (A)Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the Sea.

And they went up into the [r]plain of the earth, and they compassed the tents of the Saints about, and the beloved city: but [s]fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

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

11 [u]And I saw a great [v]white throne, and one that sat on it, [w]from whose face fled away both the earth and heaven, and their place was no more found.

12 And I saw the dead, both great and small stand before [x]God: and the [y]books were opened, and (B)another book was opened, which is the book [z]of life, and the dead were judged of those things, which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 [aa]And the sea gave up her dead, which were in her, and death and hell delivered up the dead, which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 [ab]And death, and hell were cast into the lake of fire: this is the second death.

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

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 20:1 Now followeth the third place of the prophetical history, which is of the victory whereby Christ overcame the dragon, as I note, Rev. 7:1. This place must necessarily be joined with the end of chapter 12 and be applied unto the just understanding thereof. This chapter hath two parts, one of the dragon overcome, unto verse 10, the other of the resurrection and last judgment unto the end of the chapter. The history of the dragon is double: First of the first victory after which he was bound by Christ unto verse 6. The second is of the last victory, whereby he has thrown down into everlasting punishment, thence unto verse 10. This first history happened in the first time of the Christian Church, when the dragon thrown down from heaven by Christ, went about to molest the new birth of the Church in the earth, Rev. 12:17, 18. For which cause I gave warning, that this story of the Dragon must be annexed unto that place.
  2. Revelation 20:1 That is of hell, whither God threw down the Angels which had sinned, and bound them in chains of darkness to be kept unto damnation, 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6.
  3. Revelation 20:2 The first whereof (continuing this history with the end of chapter 12) is the 36 year from the passion of Christ, when the Church of the Jews being overthrown, Satan assayed to invade the Christian Church gathered of the Gentiles, and to destroy part of her seed, Rev. 12:17. The thousandth year falleth precisely upon the times of that wicked Hildebrand, who was called Gregory the seventh a most damnable Necromancer and sorcerer, whom Satan used as an instrument when he was loosed out of bonds, thenceforth to annoy the Saints of God with most cruel persecutions, and the whole world with dissentions, and most bloody wars: as Benno the Cardinal reporteth at large. This is the first victory gotten over the dragon in the earth.
  4. Revelation 20:3 Namely, with that public and violent deceit which he attempted before, Chapter 12, and which after a thousand years (alack for woe) he most mightily procured in the Christian world.
  5. Revelation 20:3 Which being once expired, the second battle and victory shall be, of which verses 7, 8.
  6. Revelation 20:4 A description of the common state of the Church of Christ in earth in that space of a thousand years, for which the devil was in bonds: in which first the authority, life, and common honor of the godly, is declared, verse 4. Secondly, newness of life is preached unto others by the Gospel, after that space, verse 5. Finally, he concludeth with promises, verse 6.
  7. Revelation 20:4 For judgment was committed to them, as to members joined to the head, not [that] Christ’s office was given over [to] them.
  8. Revelation 20:4 This was a type of the authority of the good and faithful servants of God in the Church, taken from the manner of men.
  9. Revelation 20:4 Of the Martyrs, which suffered in those first times.
  10. Revelation 20:4 Of the Martyrs which suffered after that both the beasts were now risen up, Chapter 13, for these three things are expounded.
  11. Revelation 20:5 Whoever shall lie dead in sin, and not know the truth of God.
  12. Revelation 20:5 They shall not be renewed with that newness of the life by the enlightening of the Gospel of the glory of Christ. For this is the first resurrection, by which the souls of the godly do rise from their death. In the second resurrection their bodies shall rise again.
  13. Revelation 20:6 That whereby both body and soul, that is, the whole man is addicted and delivered unto eternal death. So Rev. 2:11.
  14. Revelation 20:6 A return unto the intended history, by resuming the words which are in the end of the fourth verse.
  15. Revelation 20:7 The second history, of the latter victory of Christ, as was said verse 1. In which are summarily described the work, overthrow and eternal punishment of Satan.
  16. Revelation 20:7 Of which I spake, verse 2. Then therefore shall be given unto him liberty to rage against the Church, and to molest the Saints for the sins of men: unto whom the faithful shall have associated themselves more than was meet, tasting with them of their impurity of doctrine and life.
  17. Revelation 20:8 The work or act of Satan (which is the first member as I distinguished in the verse beforegoing) to deceive the whole world, even unto the uttermost nations thereof: to arm them against the people of God, in this verse, and to besiege and oppress the Church, with his whole strength, in the verse following.
  18. Revelation 20:9 As if he said insomuch that the whole face of the earth, how great soever it is was filled.
  19. Revelation 20:9 The wrath of God, consuming the adversaries, and overthrowing all their enterprises, Heb. 10:27. And this is the second member mentioned, verse 7, the overthrow of Satan.
  20. Revelation 20:10 The third member, eternal destruction against those that are overcome: as I noted in the same place.
  21. Revelation 20:11 The second part of this Chapter, in which is described the judge, in this verse, and the last judgment in the verse following.
  22. Revelation 20:11 That is, a tribunal seat most Princelike and glorious: for so doth the Greek word also signify.
  23. Revelation 20:11 That is, Christ, before whom when he cometh unto judgment, heaven and earth shall perish for the greatness of his majesty, 2 Pet. 3:7, 10, etc.
  24. Revelation 20:12 That is, Christ the judge, 2 Cor. 5:10.
  25. Revelation 20:12 As it were, our books of reckoning or accompts: that is, the testimony of our conscience, and of our works, which by no means can be avoided. This is spoken after the manner of men.
  26. Revelation 20:12 The book of the eternal decree of God, in which God the Father hath elected in Christ according to the good pleasure of his will, those that shall be heirs of life. This also is spoken according to the manner of men.
  27. Revelation 20:13 This is a prevention or an answer to an objection: for happily some man will say, but they are dead, whom the sea, death and the grave hath consumed, how shall they appear before the judge? S. John answereth by resurrection from death, whereunto all things (however repugnant) shall minister and serve at the commandment of God, as Dan. 12.
  28. Revelation 20:14 The last enemy which is death shall be abolished by Christ (that he may no more make any attempt against us), 1 Cor. 15:16, and death shall feed upon the reprobate in hell for evermore, according to the righteous judgment of God, in the next verse.

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