Bible Questions and Answers

Can you explain Revelation 20 in simple language? A summary of the chapter will do.

Revelation 20:1-3 The first thing we need to understand is that Revelation is a book of symbols. Its purpose is to signify future events in symbols. Chapter 20 describes events following the return of Jesus Christ to establish the kingdom of God and reign over the mortal population of the earth for 1000 years.

Satan, a transliteration of the Hebrew meaning adversary, is not the fallen angel of Christian mythology. Satan is the personification of the opposition to God that comes from within man, as Jesus explains in Mark 7:15-23.

The bottomless pit represents a state of non-existence. This is made plain in Revelation 17:8.‘is not’ – i.e. does not exist = in the bottomless pit.

Satan bound in the bottomless pit represents the suppression of the lawlessness arising from within man for the initial 1000-year duration of Christ’s reign. This because there will be no escape for criminality with rulers having the divine nature who are able to discern the thoughts of men. Further, the mortal population will be fully aware of the true God and his precepts. Revelation 20:4

When Christ returns to begin his 1000-year reign there will be a resurrection of faithful men and women who will be given eternal life and positions of authority to reign over the mortal population for 1000 years. Not all will be raised. Others will be raised after the 1000-year reign. Revelation 20:5

The second death is a description of the fate of those raised and rejected who will be condemned to die a second time and perish forever. This is described by Jesus as the resurrection of condemnation. John 5:29

At the end of the millennial reign the tight control will be relaxed to permit a final rebellion by man. A rebellion that will meet a fiery end. Revelation 20:7-10

The lake of fire represents the total destruction of those or that which is cast into it. The devil, the beast, and the false prophet are not literal beings. The devil, also known as Satan, is the personification of the tendency to sin within every human being. The beast personifies the kingdom of men and the false prophet personifies false religion. This being the case the torment described cannot be taken literally.

Revelation 20:11-13 This is the second resurrection and final judgment which takes place at the end of the millennium. Following this judgment Death will cease because those approved will receive eternal life and hades (the grave) will be no longer required. All who live on will possess the divine nature and have eternal life.

Revelation 20:14 Death and the grave are cast into the lake of fire which represents the second death a figure for total oblivion. The criterium for salvation is that of having our name written in the book of life. First mentioned in Exodus 32:32; in Psalm 69:28; and Philippians 4:3. This due to the foreknowledge of God who knows the end from the beginning.

Following this God will live in and with his people on the earth forever. Revelation 21:3-8. Not that God will be restricted to living on the earth for God is everywhere present by his Spirit. 2 Chronicles 6:18; Jeremiah 23:24

I hope you find this helpful.

God bless,
Glenn