1 And I saw a messenger coming down out of Heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain over his hand, 2 and he laid hold on the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is [the] Devil and Satan, and bound him one thousand years, 3 and he cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and put a seal on him, that he may no longer lead the nations astray, until the one thousand years may be completed; and after these it is necessary for him to be loosed a short time. 4 And I saw thrones, and they [that] sat on them, and judgment was given to them, and the souls of those who have been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus, and because of the word of God, and who did not worship the beast, nor his image, and did not receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand, and they lived and reigned with the Christ one thousand years; 5 and the rest of the dead did not live again until the one thousand years may be completed; this [is] the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy—he who is having part in the first resurrection; the second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will reign with Him one thousand years. 7 And when the one thousand years may be completed, Satan will be loosed out of his prison, 8 and he will go forth to lead the nations astray, that are in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them together to war, of whom the number—as the sand of the sea; 9 and they went up over the breadth of the land, and surrounded the camp of the holy ones, and the beloved city, and there came down fire from God out of Heaven, and devoured them; 10 and the Devil, who is leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet [are], and they will be tormented day and night through the ages of the ages. 11 And I saw a great white throne, and Him who is sitting on it, from whose face the earth and the sky fled away, and no place was found for them; 12 and I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and scrolls were opened, and another scroll was opened, which is that of the life, and the dead were judged out of the things written in the scrolls—according to their works; 13 and the sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and they were judged, each one according to their works; 14 and death and Hades were cast into the lake of the fire—this [is] the second death; 15 and if anyone was not found written in the Scroll of Life, he was cast into the lake of the fire.
Revelation · Literal Standard Version
Revelation 20 Literal Standard Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (15)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Revelation 1:18; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 9:1–2; Revelation 18:1
- 2 2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 12:9; Jude 6; Isaiah 27:1; John 12:31
- 3 Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:1; Daniel 6:17; 2 Thessalonians 2:9–11; Revelation 12:9
- 4 Daniel 7:27; Daniel 7:18; Matthew 19:28; 1 Corinthians 6:2–3; 2 Timothy 2:12
- 5 Philippians 3:11; Revelation 11:15; Ezekiel 37:2–14; Luke 14:14; Revelation 11:11
- 6 Revelation 2:11; Revelation 1:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 5:10; 2 Timothy 2:12
- 7 Revelation 20:2
- 8 Revelation 16:14; Ezekiel 38:1–39:1; Revelation 20:10; Revelation 20:3; Hebrews 11:12
- 9 Ezekiel 38:16; Ezekiel 39:6; Ezekiel 38:9; Ezekiel 38:22; 2 Thessalonians 1:8
- 10 Matthew 25:41; Revelation 19:20; Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:2–3; Revelation 20:14–15
- 11 Revelation 21:1; 2 Peter 3:7; Daniel 2:35; Matthew 25:31; 2 Peter 3:10–12
- 12 2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 16:27; Daniel 7:10; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Revelation 2:23
- 13 John 5:28–29; Revelation 6:8; Hosea 13:14; Revelation 20:14; Isaiah 26:19
- 14 1 Corinthians 15:26; Revelation 20:6; Revelation 21:8; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 1:18
- 15 John 3:36; Matthew 13:50; 1 John 5:11–12; Acts 4:12; Matthew 25:41
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… them sit down, and minister to them; or if this be in the second, or it be in the third, blessed are they." Again John also says the very same in the Apocalypse: "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection." Then, too, Isaiah has declared the time when these events shall occur; he says: "And …
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." Those who, on the strength of this passage, have suspected that the first resurrection is future and bodily, have been moved, among …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
For after the times of the kingdom, he says, "I saw a great white throne, and Him who sat upon it, from whose face the earth fled away, and the heavens; and there was no more place for them." And he sets forth, too, the things connected with the general resurrection and the judgment, mentioning "the dead, great and small." …
do not ye judge them that are within?" "And the souls," says John, "of those who were slain for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God,"--understanding what he afterwards says, "reigned with Christ a thousand years," --that is, the souls of the martyrs not yet restored to their bodies.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Moreover," he says, "the book of life was opened, and the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the books, according to their works; and death and hell were sent into the lake of fire, the second death." Now this is what is called Gehenna, which the Lord styled eternal fire.