Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Revelation 20

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

Satan

Satan. Rev 20:2, 7, 10. (Gen 3:1.)

a thousand years

The duration of the kingdom of heaven in its mediatorial form (Scofield 1 Corinthians 15:24, note).

Rev 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 no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

that he should deceive the nations no more

Rev 20:8; 2Co 4:4.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the 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 upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

them that were beheaded

Remnant. Rom 11:1-5. (Isa 1:9; Rom 11:5).

which had not worshipped the beast

Rev 13:15-17; 14:9-13.

reigned with Christ

Christ (Second Advent). Rev 20:4-6; 22:12. (Deu 30:3; Acts 1:9-11.)

Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

the first resurrection

The "resurrection of the just" is mentioned in Luk 14:13-14, and the resurrection of "life" distinguished from the "resurrection unto damnation" in Jhn 5:29. We here learn for the first time what interval of time separates these two resurrections. See Scofield 1 Corinthians 15:52, note.

resurrection

Resurrection. Rev 20:4-5; 1Co 15:1-52. (Job 19:25; 1 Cor 15:52.)

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

Blessed

Rev 14:13.

priests of God

Rev 1:6.

God

Jehovah. Isa 61:6.

Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

Satan shall be loosed

Rev 20:3. [above]

Rev 20:8 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.

Gog

Scofield Ezekiel 38:2, note.

battle

the war.

Rev 20:10 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.

devil

Satan, Summary: This fearful being, apparently created one of the cherubim (Scofield Ezekiel 1:5, note; Ezekiel 28:12-14, note) and anointed for a position of great authority, perhaps over the primitive creation, (Scofield Genesis 1:2, note 3; Ezekiel 28:11-15), fell through pride (Isa 14:12-14). His "I will" (Isa 14:13) marks the introduction of sin into the universe. Cast out of heaven (Luk 10:18), he makes earth and air the scene of his tireless activity (Eph 2:2; 1Pe 5:8). After the creation of man he entered into the serpent (Scofield Genesis 3:1, note), and, beguiling Eve by his subtilty, secured the downfall of Adam and through him of the race, and the entrance of sin into the world of men (Rom 5:12-14). The Adamic Covenant (Scofield Genesis 3:14-19, note) promised the ultimate destruction of Satan through the "Seed of the woman." Then began his long warfare against the work of God in behalf of humanity, which still continues. The present world-system (Rev 13:8), organized upon the principle of force, greed, selfishness, ambition, and sinful pleasure, is his work and was the bribe which he offered to Christ (Mat 4:8-9). Of that world-system he is prince (Jhn 14:30; 16:11), and god (2Co 4:4). As "prince of the power of the air" (Eph 2:2) he is at the head of vast host of demons (Scofield Matthew 7:22, note). To him, under God, was committed upon earth the power of death (Heb 2:14). Cast out of heaven as his proper sphere and "first estate," he still has access to God as the "accuser of the brethren" (Rev 12:10), and is permitted a certain power of sifting or testing the self-confident and carnal among believers (Job 1:6-11; Luk 22:31-32; 1Co 5:5; 1Ti 1:20), but this is strictly permissive and limited power, and believers so sifted are kept in faith through the advocacy of Christ (Luk 22:31-32; Scofield 1 John 2:1, note). At the beginning of the great tribulation Satan's privilege of access to God as accuser will be withdrawn (Rev 12:7-12). At the return of Christ in glory Satan will be bound for one thousand years (Rev 20:2); after which he will be "loosed for a little season" (Rev 20:3, 7-8), and will become the head of final effort to overthrow the kingdom. Defeated in this, he will be finally cast into the lake of fire, his final doom. The notion that he reigns in hell is Miltonic, not biblical. He is prince of this present world-system, but will be tormented in the lake of fire.

where the beast and the false prophet are

Rev 19:20.

shall

they shall.

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

a great white throne

Rev 20:12, note. [below]

Day of Judgment. (Mat 10:15).

The expressions, "the judgment," or, "day of judgment," as the passages and their context show, refer to the final judgment of Rev 20:11-15.

there was found no place for him

The "day of destruction" is that aspect of the day of Jehovah (Isa 2:12; Scofield Revelation 19:19, Summary) which visits final and eternal judgment upon the wicked. Three such "days" are included in the "day" of Jehovah, and are described in the references beginning with Isa 34:1-9. (See Scofield Matthew 25:32, note; Rev 20:11, refs.)

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and 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.

I saw the dead

Judgments (the seven). (2Sa 7:14).

God

the throne.

the books were opened

Dan 7:10; Mat 12:36.

another book was opened

Luk 10:20; Phl 4:3.

judged

The final judgment. The subjects are the "dead." As the redeemed were raised from among the dead one thousand years before (Rev 20:5), and have been in glory with Christ during that period, the "dead" can only be the wicked dead, from the beginning to the setting up of the great white throne in space. As there are degrees in punishment (Luk 12:47-48), the dead are judged according to their works. The book of life is there to answer such as plead their works for justification, e.g. Mat 7:22-23; an awful blank where the name might have been.

The Judgments, Summary: Among the many judgments mentioned in Scripture, seven are invested with especial significance. These are:

1. The judgment of the believers' sins in the cross of Christ (Scofield John 12:31, note);
2. the believers' self-judgment (Scofield 1 Corinthians 11:31, note);
3. the judgment of the believers' works (Scofield 2 Corinthians 5:10, note);
4. the judgment of the nations at the return of Christ (See Scofield Mat 25:32, note);
5. the judgment of Israel at the return of Christ (Scofield Eze 20:37, note);
6. the judgment of angels after the one thousand years (Scofield Jude 1:6, note); and
7. the judgment of the wicked dead with which the history of the present earth ends.

Rev 20:13 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.

hell

Scofield Luke 16:23, note.

Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

hell

hades.

second death

Death (the second) Rev 20:6, 14-15; Rev 21:8. (Jhn 8:21, 24; Rev 21:8.)

second death, the lake of fire.

Second death, Summary: "The second death" and the "lake of fire" are identical terms (Rev 20:14) and are used of the eternal state of the wicked. It is "second" relative to the preceding physical death of the wicked in unbelief and rejection of God; their eternal state is one of eternal "death" (i.e. separation from God) in sins (Jhn 8:21, 24). That the second death is not annihilation is shown by a comparison of Rev 19:20 with Rev 20:10. After one thousand years in the lake of fire the Beast and False Prophet are still there, undestroyed. The words "forever and forever" ("to the ages of the ages") are used in Heb 1:8 for the duration of the throne of God, eternal in the sense of unending.

Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

whosoever was not found

Kingdom (N.T.). Rev 20:1-15; Rev 21:1-6. (Luk 1:31-33; 1Co 15:28).

life

Life (eternal). Rev 20:12, 15; Rev 21:6, 27. (Mat 7:14; Rev 22:19.)

cast into the lake of fire

Day (of destruction). (Job 21:30).