Re 20:1
20:1 And {1} I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the
     key {2} of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his
     hand.

 (1) Now follows the third part of the prophetic history, which
     is of the victory by which Christ overcame the dragon, as I
     noted in @Re 7:1. This part must necessarily be joined
     with the end of the twelfth chapter and be applied to the
     correct understanding of it. This chapter has two parts,
     one of the dragon overcome, to @Re 20:2-10: the other
     of the resurrection and last judgment to @Re 20:11-15.
     The story of the dragon is twofold: First of the first
     victory, after which he was bound by Christ, to the sixth
     verse @Re 20:1-6. The second is of the last victory,
     by which he has thrown down into everlasting punishment,
     there to the fifteenth verse @Re 20:7-15. 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,
     @Re 12:17,18:1. For which cause I gave warning, that
     this story of the dragon must be joined to that passage.
 (2) That is, of hell, where God threw the angels who had
     sinned, and bound them in chains of darkness to be kept
     till damnation, @2Pe 2:4

Re 20:2
20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is
     the Devil, and Satan, and bound him {3} a thousand years,

 (3) The first of which (continuing this history with the end of
     the second chapter) in the 36 years from the passion of
     Christ, when the Church of the Jews being overthrown, Satan
     attempted to invade the Christian church gathered from the
     Gentiles, and to destroy part of her seed, @Re 12:17.
     The thousandth year falls precisely on 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, from then on
     to annoy the saints of God with most cruel persecutions,
     and the whole world with dissentions, and most bloody wars:
     as Benno the Cardinal reports at large. This is the first
     victory gained over the dragon in the earth.

Re 20:3
20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and
     set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations {4}
     no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and
     after that he must be loosed {5} a little season.

 (4) Namely, with that public and violent deceit which he
     attempted before in chapter 12 and which after a thousand
     years (alas for woe!) he most mightily achieved in the
     Christian world.
 (5) Which being once expired, the second battle and victory
     shall be; @Re 20:7,8.

Re 20:4
20:4 {6} And I saw {a} thrones, and they sat upon them, and {7}
     judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them
     that were {8} beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for
     the word of God, and which {9} had not worshipped the
     beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark
     upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and
     reigned with Christ a thousand years.

 (6) A description of the common state of the Church of Christ
     in earth in that space of a thousand years, during which
     the devil was in bonds; in which first the authority, life,
     and common honour of the godly, is declared, @Re 20:4.
     Secondly, newness of life is preached to others by the
     gospel after that time; @Re 20:5. Finally, he
     concludes with promises, @Re 20:6.
     (a) For judgment was committed to them, as to members
         joined to the head: not that Christ's office was given
         over to them.
 (7) This was a type of the authority of the good and faithful
     servants of God in the Church, taken from the manner of
     men.
 (8) Of the martyrs, who suffered in those first times.
 (9) Of the martyrs who suffered after both the beasts were now
     risen up, chapter 15. For there, these things are
     expounded.

Re 20:5
20:5 {10} But the rest of the dead {11} lived not again until
     the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first
     resurrection.

 (10) Whoever shall lie dead in sin, and not know the truth of
      God.
 (11) They shall not be renewed with newness of the life by the
      enlightening of the gospel of the glory of Christ. For
      this is the first resurrection, by which souls of the dead
      do rise from their death. In the second resurrection their
      bodies shall rise again.

Re 20:6
20:6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first
     resurrection: on such the {12} second death hath no power,
     but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, {13} and
     shall reign with him a thousand years.

 (12) That by this both body and soul, that is, the whole man is
      condemned and delivered to eternal death; @Re 2:11.
 (13) A return to the intended history, by resuming the words
      which are in the end of the fourth verse @Re 20:4.

Re 20:7
20:7 {14} And when the {15} thousand years are expired, Satan
     shall be loosed out of his prison,

 (14) The second history, of the latter victory of Christ, as
      was said in @Re 20:1. In which are summarily
      described the work, overthrow, and eternal punishment of
      Satan.
 (15) Of which I spoke. \\See Geneva "Re 20:2"\\ Then there will
      be given to him liberty to rage against the Church, and
      to molest the saints for the sins of men: to whom the
      faithful shall have associated themselves more then was
      fitting, tasting with them of their impurity of doctrine
      and life.

Re 20:8
20:8 {16} And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in
     the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather
     them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the
     sand of the sea.

 (16) The work or act of Satan (which is the first part, as I
      distinguished in the verse before) to deceive the whole
      world, even to the uttermost nations of it: 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.

Re 20:9
20:9 And they went up on the {b} breadth of the earth, and
     compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved
     city: and {17} fire came down from God out of heaven, and
     devoured them.

     (b) As if he said, in so much that the whole face of the
         earth, however great it is, was filled.
 (17) The wrath of God, consuming the adversaries, and
      overthrowing all their enterprises; @He 10:27. This
      is the second part mentioned \\see Geneva "Re 20:7"\\, in
      the overthrow of Satan.

Re 20:10
20:10 {18} And the devil that deceived them was cast into the
      lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false
      prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for
      ever and ever.

 (18) The third part, eternal destruction against those that are
      overcome: as I noted in the same place.

Re 20:11
20:11 {19} And I saw a great {20} white throne, and him that sat
      on it, {21} from whose face the earth and the heaven fled
      away; and there was found no place for them.

 (19) The second part of this chapter, in which the judge is
      described in this verse, and the last judgment in the
      verse following.
 (20) That is, a tribunal seat most princelike and glorious: for
      so does the Greek word signify.
 (21) That is, Christ, before whom when he comes to judgment,
      heaven and earth shall perish for the greatness of his
      majesty; @2Pe 3:7,10.

Re 20:12
20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before {22}
      God; and the {23} books were opened: and another book was
      opened, which is [the book] {24} of life: and the dead
      were judged out of those things which were written in the
      books, according to their works.

 (22) That is, Christ the judge; @2Co 5:10.
 (23) As it were, his books of reckoning or accounts, that is,
      the testimony of our conscience, and of our works, which
      by no means can be avoided.
 (24) The book of the eternal decree of God, in which God the
      Father has 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.

Re 20:13
20:13 {25} And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and
      death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them:
      and they were judged every man according to their works.

 (25) This is a reply or an answer to an objection: for
      some man will say, "But they are dead, whom the sea, death
      and the grave has consumed, how shall they appear before
      the judge?" John answers, by resurrection from death,
      where all things (however repugnant) shall minister and
      serve at the commandment of God, as in @Da 12:1,2.

Re 20:14
20:14 {26} And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
      This is the second death.

 (26) The last enemy which is death shall be abolished by Christ
      (that he may no more make any attempt against us)
      @1Co 15:16 and death shall feed on the reprobate in
      hell for evermore, according to the righteous judgment of
      God, in the next verse @Re 20:15.



This document (last modified July 21, 1997) from Believerscafe.com
Home | Bible versions | Bible Dictionary | Christian Classics | Christian Articles | Daily Devotions

Sister Projects: Wikichristian | WikiMD

BelieversCafe is a large collection of christian articles with over 40,000 pages


Our sponsors:   sleep and weight loss center W8MD sleep and weight loss center