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1 I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding the key of the Abyss and a large chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him in chains for one thousand years. 3 The angel threw him into the Abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would no longer be able to deceive the nations until the thousand years were over. After that he has to be set free for a little while.
4 I saw people sitting on thrones who had been given the responsibility to judge, and the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for sharing the word of God.* Some believe those who are sitting on the thrones are the same as those who have been beheaded. They had not worshiped the beast or his image, nor had they received the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years had ended.) 6 Blessed and holy are those who take part in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them. They will be priests of God, and of Christ, and they will reign with him for one thousand years.
7 Once the thousand years are over, Satan will be set free from his prison, 8 and will go out to deceive the nations, symbolized by Gog and Magog,† See Ezekiel 38:1, 2. to gather them together for battle from the four corners of the world. Their number is as uncountable as sand on the seashore. 9 They marched over the earth on a broad front and encircled the camp of the believers, the beloved city. But fire rained down from heaven and burned them up. 10 The devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet had also been thrown, and they will suffer in anguish day and night for ever and ever.
11 Then I saw a large white throne with the One who sits on it. Heaven and earth vanished, and they were never seen again.‡ This does not mean that the universe disappeared, but that God is recreating damaged Creation. 12 I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened. Another book, the Book of Life, was opened and the dead were judged based on what was written in the books about what they had done. 13 The sea handed over the dead in it, and death and Hades handed over the dead that were in them,§ In other words, all those who have died, wherever they were buried, will be judged. and everyone was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

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*20:4 Some believe those who are sitting on the thrones are the same as those who have been beheaded.

†20:8 See Ezekiel 38:1, 2.

‡20:11 This does not mean that the universe disappeared, but that God is recreating damaged Creation.

§20:13 In other words, all those who have died, wherever they were buried, will be judged.

© 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher