Chapter 20 is a fast-moving
account that moves us from the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the Battle of
Armageddon (Chapter 19) to the final culmination of all things in the Eternal
Kingdom of God (Chapters 21 and 22). It
includes the mysterious Millennium, the final judgment of Satan, and the Great
White Throne Judgment of humans. This
post will cover the first six verses of Chapter 20 in a preliminary way. It will seek to clarify the identity of
Satan, to introduce the Millennium, and to begin an intense look at verses
20:4-6. Future posts will continue
thinking through verses 20:4-6, discuss further the Millennium, and then discuss
the latter part of the chapter, including the final judgment. Obviously, a lot of work lies ahead.
Scripture
quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the English Standard Version (ESV). Other abbreviations are
· ESVSB = English Standard Version
Study Bible
· NIVSB = New International Version
Study Bible
· KJV = King James Version
VERSE
20:1: John has a new vision, which he
introduces with “then.” In the Greek, it
simple is “and.” The translator
observes, rightly I believe, that this sentence begins a new focus. The Battle of Armageddon is over, and now we
are observing the next series of events.
It begins with an angel, one of many who play important roles in
Revelation. The angel comes down from
heaven, and he is equipped with a key and a great chain. The key is to the “bottomless pit,” which I
translate as “Abyss.” This, it seems to
me, is faithful to the Greek word (it is a transliteration of the
original). It does not draw any
conclusions about how deep the Abyss is, nor whether it has a bottom. It is a deep, dark hole that seems to have
some sort of lid.
VERSE 20:2: The angel goes into action. He seizes the dragon. It is significant that an ANGEL did
this. Notice that Satan is big and
powerful and scary, but there are persons—angels—that can lick him. In Revelation 12:7ff, Satan (the Dragon) and
his angel fight against Michael and his angels.
And—guess what?—Satan loses. He
is thrown out of heaven. Moreover,
credit for this defeat is also given to the “brothers,” which are the human
followers of Jesus: “And they [the
brothers] have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their
testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (12:11)
So, this is the formula for whipping the devil:
· Rely on the blood of the Lamb: The blood of Jesus was shed for our
sins. If the devil tries to convince us
that we’re no good, we’re failures, jerks, of no value, we do not point to our
accomplishments or our family name or our good looks. We point to the cross of Jesus Christ where
he died for our sins.
· Testify faithfully about Jesus: The one thing that Satan wants to do is to
“control the narrative.” But the word of
God has another explanation: it tells of
who Jesus is—the Son of Man and the Son of God, what he has done—he died and
rose again, and what it means for us—Jesus has conquered sin, hell, and the
grave and has made us a kingdom and priests unto our God. We can give an extended, detailed testimony
to all that, or just simply say: Jesus
is my Savior and I trust him. It will
destroy the works of the devil.
· Love not your life even unto death: Be willing to risk reputation, social
standing, money, and even your life to tell the story of Jesus and to live for
him. When you take that stand, you have
cut the ground from under Satan.
The
description takes additional words to identify exactly who is seized: “the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the
devil and Satan…” (See Revelation 12:9.)
The “dragon” is used exclusively in Revelation—in Revelation 12:3, 4, 7,
9, 13, 16, and 17; 13:2, 4, and 11; 16:13; 20:2 (the present verse). Chapter 12 describes the dragon to be a
monstrosity with seven heads and ten horns.
He is sort of a prototype for the Beast.
He is described as sweeping stars from heaven, which may mean that he
has a great many followers, especially demons.
He also is a threat to the male child of the “woman clothed with the
sun,” whose description identifies him as Christ. He has a huge war with Michael that involves
angelic hosts on both sides. He is
identified as the deceiver of the whole world and is expelled from heaven. He is an archenemy of the woman and of her
offspring, those “who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of
Jesus.” The dragon gives the Beast power
and great authority (13:2). The Beast
draws people, not only into worship of himself, but also into worship of the
dragon. (13:4) The second beast of chapter 13 is described
as speaking “like a dragon” (13:11), perhaps a reference not just to dragons in
general but to the dragon who is Satan. In
16:13, three demonic spirits appear, one from each member of an unholy
trinity: the dragon, the Beast, and the
False Prophet. These will entice the
kings of the earth and their armies into a battle that ultimately will be with
Christ and his armies at Armageddon.
The term “serpent” has some connection
with evil and with Satan. For example in
Luke 10:19, Jesus promises his followers “authority to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy…” The “serpent deceived Eve…” is mentioned in
II Corinthians 11:3, in reference to the narrative in Genesis 3. Serpents are in the tails—or the tails are
like serpents—of monstrous horses that are released as part of the nightmare of
the sixth trumpet in Revelation 9:19. In
Revelation 12, verses 9, 14, and 15, “Satan” and the “serpent” are used as
synonyms. In fact, the wording of 12:9
is very similar to verse 20:2:
· Verse 12:9: And the great dragon was thrown down, that
ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole
world…
· Verse 20:2: And he seized the dragon, that ancient
serpent, who is the devil and Satan…
The term “devil” (Greek “Diabolos”) is a common word. It is used 36 times in 14 different books of
the New Testament. The following are a
few examples:
· Matthew 4:1 “Then Jesus was led up by the
Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”
· Luke 8:12 “The ones along the path
are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from
their hearts, so they may not believe and be saved.”
· John 8:44 “You [his Jewish adversaries] are of your
father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.”
· Acts 10:38 “…He [Jesus] went about
doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with
him.”
· Ephesians 4:27 “and give no
opportunity to the devil”
· I Timothy 3:6 “He must not be a
recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the
condemnation of the devil.”
· Hebrews 2:14 “Since therefore the
children share in flesh and blood, he himself partook of the same things, that
through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the
devil.”
· I Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a
roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
· I John 3:8 “Whoever makes a practice
of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the
beginning. The reason the Son of God
appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”
· Revelation 2:10 “Do not fear what you
are about to suffer. Behold, the devil
is about to thrown some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten
days you will have tribulation. Be
faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Verse 20:2 continues with a very few words: “and bound him for a thousand years.” Those very few words and the reference to a
thousand years in verses 20:3, 4, 5, 6, 7 are the basis for the concept of the
“Millennium,” or 1000-year reign of Christ over the earth. The following is from George Eldon Ladd:
The interpretation of this chapter [Revelation 20] has been a
source of great debate and even conflict in the church. Systems of eschatology have often been
identified in terms of the way they treat the question of the millennium—the
thousand-year reign of Christ. A
postmillennial view was popular among interpreters of the historical school,
who saw in the Revelation a prophecy of the course of history down to the
end. Postmillennialism means that
the return of Christ would not occur until the Kingdom of God had been
established by the church in human history.
In this view, chapter 19 does not describe the coming of Christ but is a
very symbolic way of describing the triumph of Christian principles in human
affairs and the triumph of Christ through his church. After this “golden age,” Christ will return
to raise the dead, judge the world, and inaugurate the new eternal order.
Amillennialism
is the term used to describe the view of those who do not look for a
millennial reign of Christ either before or after his second coming. This way of interpreting Rev. 20 involves the
principle of recapitulation, viz., that the structure of Revelation does not
relate consecutive events but frequently covers the same ground from different
perspectives.
Interpreters of this viewpoint often
identify the binding of Satan and his incarceration in the abyss with the
victory over Satan accomplished by our Lord in his earthly ministry. It is clear that the gospels do represent
Jesus as having bound Satan (Matt. 12:29) and toppled him from his place of
power (Luke 10:18); and this victory over Satan is reflected in the Revelation…;
it is an open question as to whether the binding of Satan in Rev. 20 is the
same as that in Matt. 12 or is an eschatological event.
Amillennialists
usually understand the “first resurrection” in one of two different ways. Some see here the resurrection unto eternal
life, which is an altogether spiritual reality that occurs for each believer
when he becomes a Christian (John 5:25; Eph. 2:5-6). The reign of Christ with his saints is either
the reign of Christ manifested in history through his church, or the spiritual
reign of believers with Christ “in the heavenly places” (Eph. 2:6). The thousand-year period is not literal piece
of history; it is a symbolic number coextensive with the history of the church
on earth between the resurrection of Christ and his return.
A different
amillennial interpretation understands the resurrection and reign of the saints
with Christ to represent the destiny of the martyrs. Though they were slain, the martyrs did not
really die. In fact, they lived and
reigned with Christ in heaven. The
“millennium” is the church age when martyred saints reign with Christ in
heaven, awaiting the resurrection.
Premillennialism
is the view that Rev. 20 is altogether eschatological. The coming of Christ will be followed by a
binding of Satan and the resurrection of the saints who will join him [Christ]
in a temporal kingdom when he reigns over the earth. This millennial kingdom will end with a final
rebellion and the last judgment.
A variant form
of premillennialism is Dispensationalism, which sees the millennial kingdom
primarily in terms of God’s theocratic promises to Israel. The entire book of Revelation is interpreted
in terms of these dispensational presuppositions and is concerned with the fate
of restored Israel in the last days and not with the church. In many circles the only form of
premillennialism known is Dispensationalism.
The form of premillennialism which sees the Revelation as a prophecy of
the destiny of the church is not widely held today but it is the theology
expounded in the present commentary [Ladd’s book].
A key issue in
our understanding of the millennium is whether chapter 20 involves
recapitulation, looking back from the end to the whole history of the
church. In chapter 12, it is
unmistakably clear that the passage looks back to the birth of Messiah. However, in the present passage, no such
indication is found. On the contrary,
chapters 18-20 appear to present a connected series of visions. Chapter 18 tells of the destruction of
Babylon; chapter 19 tells of the destruction of the beast and the false
prophet; and chapter 20 moves on to tell of the destruction of Satan himself—a
destruction accomplished in two stages…. (Ladd, 259-261)
The preceding material is pretty heavy for anyone to grasp,
and especially difficult for someone who is a newcomer to all this terminology. A brief set of definitions of my own making
are the following:
· Postmillennialism asserts that the
church will triumph in the world and create a thousand-year paradise BEFORE Christ returns.
· Amillennialism asserts that there
will be NO 1000-year reign of Christ on earth.
Instead, the millennium represents the age of the church—quite
imperfect—which Christ oversees from heaven.
· Premillennialism asserts that there
will be a literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth after his Second Coming. Dispensationalism is a complex set of ideas that
includes premillennialism. It asserts that Christ will reign from Jerusalem
over Israel, which will be the dominant nation on earth. Christ will set up the throne of David and literally
fulfill all of the promises to Abraham, the nation of Israel, and David.
Another
commentator, certainly more liberal than Ladd, comments on the thousand
years: “For the present the Dragon is
not slain or consumed, but only made a prisoner…for a term of a thousand
years, i.e. a long period of time, a great epoch in human history…” (Swete, 257) He further comments:
Any serious attempt to interpret the vision of the Thousand
Years must begin with an examination…of contemporary Jewish belief [about]…the
Messianic Reign. (1) While the O.T.
represents this Reign as permanent (Daniel ii. 44, vii 27…), the
pseudepigraphic writers of 100 B.C—100 A.D….looked for a temporary triumph of
righteousness before the consummation of all things… (2) To this golden age
varying periods were assigned [from 40 to 7000 years]. (3) In Enoch xci. ff. human history is
divided into weeks, of which the eighth and ninth witness the victory of
righteousness, while the tenth is that of the final judgment…This conception of
a week of millennia took root in early Christian thought [with
allegorical treatment of Genesis 2]…
It can scarcely be doubted that St. John’s mind is familiar
with these conceptions; yet he employs them with considerable reserve…But St.
John does not commit himself to a reign upon earth. When [a commentator named Charles] writes “the
martyrs…reign with Christ personally on earth for a thousand years…with
Jerusalem as the centre of the kingdom,” he introduces…ideas which are in fact
absent from [this passage]…
Early Christian interpretation fell into the same snare. [He quotes various early commentators.] [However Augustine saw] in the
captivity of Satan nothing else than the binding of the strong man [Mark 3:27]. [And interpreted] the thousand years [as] the
whole interval between the first Advent and the last conflict…[And he saw] in
the reign of the Saints, the entire course of the Kingdom of Heaven; in the
judgment given to them, the binding and loosing of sinners; in the first
resurrection, the spiritual share in the Resurrection of Christ which belongs
to the baptized…
[Augustine’s interpretation] overlooks…the limitation of the
first Resurrection to the martyrs and confessors. But on the whole it seems to be on right
lines. The symbolism of the Book is
opposed to a literal understanding of the Thousand Years… (Swete, 260-262)
VERSE
20:3: This verse continues the account
of the imprisonment of Satan. He is put
in the Abyss sealed within it. This
action disables Satan as the deceiver of the nations. In chapter 12, Satan was expelled from heaven. The implication seems to be that he no longer
has access to God to accuse the Christians (12:10). However, he continued to have considerable
power and freedom on earth (12:12). Now,
he has totally lost his freedom.
However, his final act is yet to come:
“After that he must be released for a little while. (20:3c)
This is explained later in the chapter.
VERSE 20:4-6: The following verses are a bit
confusing. Allow me to give an
interpretive outline, which does not strictly follow the order in these verse:
I.
Humans
are given thrones and authority to judge
II.
The
fate of the martyrs
a. The souls of those who were beheaded are
seen (see 6:9-11)
b. Included among these are the souls of
those who had not worshiped the Beast nor taken his Mark
c. These all come to life
d. They reign with Christ for 1000 years
e. This is the First Resurrection (?)
f. They are blessed and holy
g. They do not experience the Second
Death
h. They will be priests of God and
Christ and will reign with Christ for 1000 years
III.
The
fate of the rest of the dead:
a. They do not come to life until the
1000 years are over
b. They experience the Second
Resurrection (?)
c. They experience the Second Death (?)
There are
several difficulties in this passage. First,
I shall give a fairly standard version of events, and then I shall point out
how this passage creates questions about that standard version. In the standard version, ALL
CHRISTIANS ARE EITHER RESURRECTED OR RAPTURED AT THE RETURN OF CHRIST. (Dispensationalists have a different twist on
this, but their version does not affect this “version.”) This is the First Resurrection. At his return, Christ sets up the Millennial
Kingdom and Christians participate in his reign. At the end of the Millennium, and after a
brief skirmish with Satan, the Great White Throne Judgment takes place. Sinners are resurrected (the Second
Resurrection) long enough to be judged and thrown in the Lake of Fire. Being thrown into the Lake of Fire
constitutes the Second Death. The
following chart may help (or not) clarify this terminology:
|
|
Saved individuals |
Sinners |
|
Normal physical death = First Death |
Most |
All |
|
Resurrection/Rapture = First Resurrection |
All |
None |
|
Second Resurrection Before Judgment |
None |
All |
|
Second Death = Lake of Fire |
None |
All |
The present
passage (20:4-6) seems to imply that ONLY martyrs reign with Christ during the
1000 years. This is implied in 20:4b, in
which those who had been beheaded for their testimony are mentioned, and 20:4c,
in which those who refused Beast worship and refused to take the Mark of the
Beast are mentioned. In 20:4d “they”
come to life and reign with Christ.
There are several questions that one may have after reading
these verses. These questions include:
· What does it mean to see the “souls
of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus”? Are these “souls” without bodies—of persons
who had not been resurrected?
· Do these descriptions allow for “all
Christians,” including those who have not been martyred, to have thrones and
reign with Christ?
· Does this verse even allow for
martyrs previous to the reign of the Beast to reign with Christ?
· Who are the “rest of the dead” in
verse 20:5.
· What exactly is the “First
Resurrection” of verse 20:5?
I shall quote extensively from
commentators and study Bibles to give their views on some these verses. Before I do, I would like to say that I
believe that the “standard version,” which I described above is an accurate
representation of the two resurrections and the two deaths that these verses
refer to. I have put in the questions
because, if we read these verses, it is quite possible to raise these
questions. I shall present several
commentators’ views and then—in a second post—come back to face these questions
again and try to sort them out. I
honestly do not think any of these commentators face the passage in an honest
way, but simply impose their views (variants of the “standard version”) on the
passage.
The following is a quote of the notes
on Revelation 20:4 and on 20:5 from The Ryrie Study Bible King James Version. As I quote from notes in study Bibles, I must
deal with the style of these notes. A
note often includes a brief quotation of part of the verse referred to. I include these quotations, including italics
when they are used, so that the reader knows exactly what the note is
commenting about. Ryrie’s notes are as
follows. “20:4 the souls of
them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus. These are the martyrs of the tribulation days
who will share the joys of the millennial kingdom.” “20:5 the rest of
the dead. The wicked dead will be raised and judged after the
millennium. The first resurrection
Refers back to the end of v. 4. This
resurrection includes all the righteous
(the resurrection of life, John 5:29, and the resurrection of the just,
Luke 14:14), who will be raised before the millennium begins.” (Ryrie)
Ryrie does not comment on John 5:29 directly. In his comment on John 5:21-27, he comments
that “Those who believe will escape judgment (v. 24).” In the KJV, John 5:28-29 states: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that
are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have
done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto
the resurrection of damnation.” John
5:24 states: “Verily, verily, I say unto
you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from
death unto life.” All of these
quotations from John are in the context of an extended direct quotation from
Jesus.
Similarly, Ryrie does not comment on Luke 14:14, nor does he
make any pertinent remarks on the passage.
Luke 14:14 (KJV) states [direct quotation from Jesus]: “And thou shalt be blessed: for they [the poor whom you invited to a
banquet] cannot recompense thee: for
thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.”
To summarize Ryrie’s comments: He believes that those who reign with Christ
during the Millennium include all believers.
Other comments in other study bibles are not as
definitive. ESVSB does not deal with
these questions head-on. It indicates,
but rather ambiguously, that the Premillennial view is that all believers will
reign during the Millennium. NIVSB
recognizes the problem, without much comment.
Its comment on verse 20:5 is as follows:
“rest of the dead Either the wicked or everyone except the
martyrs (see v. 4).”
The Wesley Study Bible describes the Premillennial
view briefly: “Other Christians believe
that 19:1-21 depicts Christ’s Second Coming which will culminate in the binding
of Satan pictured in 20:1-3, after which the saints will be raised and rule
with Christ on earth for a period symbolized by 1,000 years (20:4-6). At the end of this period Satan will be
released for one last rebellion and will be destroyed (20:7-10). Then the unrighteous will be raised and all
will be judged (20:11-15). This position
is called premillennialism (pre = before) since it teaches the return of Christ
before the millennium. It is an ancient
Christian position which has become popular again since the last century.”
Pentecost, a Dispensationalist, argues that 20:5 is a
reference to the resurrection of the unrighteous: “It will be observed that the first part of
verse five [20:5], ‘But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand
years were finished,’ is a parenthetical statement that explains what happens
to those who are left in the realm of death when the first resurrection is
completed at the second advent of Christ. This passage teaches that one
thousand years will intervene between the first resurrection, or the
resurrection unto life, and the resurrection of the rest of the dead, which,
according to Revelation 20:11-13, is the resurrection unto damnation. The only way that the obvious teaching of
this passage can be obviated is to spiritualize it so that the passage is not
speaking of physical resurrection, but rather of the blessedness of the souls
who are in the presence of the Lord….the New [Testament] makes it clear that
the resurrection unto life and the resurrection unto judgment are separated by
a span of one thousand years.” (Pentecost, 401-402)
The original Scofield Bible notes comment on Revelation 20:5
as follows. “The ‘resurrection of the
just’ is mentioned in Luke 14:13, 14, and the resurrection of ‘life’ is
distinguished from the ‘resurrection unto damnation’ in John 5:29. We here learn for the first time what
interval of time separates these two resurrections. See I Cor. 15. 52, note.” (Scofield)
Scofield’s note on I Corinthian 15:52 presents the
Dispensationalist view in a way similar to Pentecost and Ryrie, but, I believe,
makes the case for a separation between the “resurrection of the just” and the
“resurrection unto judgment” better than the other two authors: “Two resurrections are yet future, which are
inclusive of ‘all that are in the graves’ (John 5:28). These are distinguished as ‘of life’ (I Cor.
15.22, 28; I Thes. 4.14-17; Rev. 20. 4), and ‘of judgment’ (John 5.28, 29; Rev.
20.11-13). They are separated by a
period of one thousand years (Rev. 20.5).
The ‘first resurrection, that ‘unto life,’ will occur at the second
coming of Christ (I Cor. 15.23), the saints of the O.T. and church ages meeting
him in the air (I Thes. 4. 16, 17); while the martyrs of the tribulation, who
also have part in the first resurrection (Rev. 20.4), are raised at the end of
the great tribulation….The bodies of living believers will, at the same time,
be instantaneously changed (I Cor. 15.50-53; Phil. 3.20, 21)…After the thousand
years the ‘resurrection unto judgment’ (John 5.29) occurs. The resurrection-body of the wicked dead is
not described. They are judged according
to their works, and cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20.7-15).
The
table that follows may clarify (or not) the views of these commentators.
|
Verse # |
Quotation from the verse |
Comment |
|
Revelation 20:4 |
“The souls of them that were beheaded for the
witness of Jesus” |
Ryrie: These
are the martyrs of the tribulation days who will share the joys of the
millennial kingdom |
|
Revelation 20:5 |
“The rest of the dead” |
Ryrie: The
wicked dead will be raised and judged after the millennium. |
|
Revelation 20:5 |
“the first resurrection” |
Ryrie: “Refers
back to the end of v. 4. This
resurrection includes all the righteous (the resurrection of life, John 5:29,
and the resurrection of the just, Luke 14:14), who will be raised before the
millennium begins.” ESVSB: (Comment
does not clarify who is on the throne) “Premillennialists think this [all of
verse 4] means that deceased believers will experience bodily resurrection at
the beginning of the millennium” |
|
Revelation 20:5 |
“the rest of the dead” |
NIVSB: “Either the wicked or everyone except the
martyrs (see v. 4)” |
|
Revelation 20:5a |
“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished.” |
Pentecost: : “It will be observed that the first part of
verse five [20:5], ‘But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished,’ is a parenthetical statement that explains
what happens to those who are left in the realm of death when the first
resurrection is completed at the second advent of Christ.” |
|
Revelation 20:5 |
“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the
thousand years were finished. This the
first resurrection.” |
Scofield Bible:
“The ‘resurrection of the just’ is mentioned in Luke 14:13, 14, and
the resurrection of ‘life’ is distinguished from the ‘resurrection unto
damnation’ in John 5:29. We here learn
for the first time what interval of time separates these two
resurrections. See I Cor. 15. 52,
note.” |
|
John 5:21-27 |
(See below for quote of John 5:24.) |
Ryrie: Those
who believe will escape judgement (v. 24).
|
|
John 5:28-29 |
“Marvel not at this:
for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall
hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation.” |
|
|
John 5:24 |
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my
word and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. |
|
|
Luke 14:14 |
“And thou shalt be blessed; for they [the poor who
are invited to a banquet] cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the
resurrection of the just.” |
|
|
I Corinthians 15:52 |
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” |
Scofield:
“Two resurrections are yet future, which are inclusive of ‘all that
are in the graves’ (John 5:28). These
are distinguished as ‘of life’ (I Cor. 15.22, 28; I Thes. 4.14-17; Rev. 20. 4),
and ‘of judgment’ (John 5.28, 29; Rev. 20.11-13). They are separated by a period of one
thousand years (Rev. 20.5). The ‘first
resurrection, that ‘unto life,’ will occur at the second coming of Christ (I
Cor. 15.23), the saints of the O.T. and church ages meeting him in the air (I
Thes. 4. 16, 17); while the martyrs of the tribulation, who also have part in
the first resurrection (Rev. 20.4), are raised at the end of the great
tribulation….The bodies of living believers will, at the same time, be instantaneously
changed (I Cor. 15.50-53; Phil. 3.20, 21)…After the thousand years the
‘resurrection unto judgment’ (John 5.29) occurs. The resurrection-body of the wicked dead is
not described. They are judged
according to their works, and cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20.7-15). |
REFERENCES:
Biblica,
Inc. NIV Study Bible. Kenneth L. Barker, Gen. Ed., Grand Rapids,
MI: Zondervan, 1985, 2011.
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