Sunday School Notes: Revelation 20:7-10

⁷ And when the 1,000 years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and he will be set free to deceive the nations, those in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them unto battle, of whom their number [is] as the sand of the sea[shore]. ⁹ And they went over the width of the earth and circled the camp of the saints, even the beloved city, and fire was [sent] down from heaven and consumed them. ¹⁰ And the diabolos, the one deceiving them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where both the beast and the false prophet [were cast]. And they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be released from the abyss. In verse 7, John calls this abyss Satan’s “prison,” which emphasizes the fact that he has been under confinement. As we’ve noted previously, this doesn’t mean Satan wasn’t active during this time. Rather, his activity has been constrained. Verse 3 already indicated the nature of this constraint: he is not allowed to deceive the nations until the 1,000 years are over. Notice the use of the passive voice in verse 7. Satan does not release himself from his prison. He must be released, presumably by the angel under the direction of God. This reminds us that Satan is not a free agent in the world. There is no power struggle happening between God and Satan. The devil is, and always has been, under God’s sovereign control. We can see this in the story of Job (Job 1 and 2), and we see it again here. God can chain Satan up or set him free at will, and Satan has no grounds upon which to object.

As we discussed in verses 2 and 3, the 1,000 years is “a very long time,” equivalent to the time period we might call the “church age”–from the Resurrection to the Final Judgment. This means that at the end of that 1,000 years, just prior to that Final Judgment, there will be a “short time” (v. 3) when Satan is released. Verses 8 and 9 indicate that during this time there will be a brief confrontation between the nations and the church, which will not end well for the nations. The time frames for all of this are vague. John leaves us with the impression that the “church age” will go on for a long period of time, and will culminate in some kind of global escalation of hostility toward the church for a short period of time, that will end with Final Judgment. I think this is intentional. Remember, the message of Revelation is one of hope to the church as it battles with all the earthly forces that would try to prevent God’s people from fulfilling their calling. If we knew exactly when all of this was going to happen, if there were specific signs we could watch for, or an exact time period we could calculate, then we might fall into the trap Jesus warned us about in his parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). Being constantly ready for the Lord’s return is a strong theme throughout the New Testament (see also Mark 13:32-37; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; 2 Peter 3:10-14), and I think that’s the underlying message here.

In verse 8, John tells us the intention behind Satan’s deception of the nations when he is released: to gather them for battle. This implies that the nations have, until this time, not been doing this. In Revelation 13, the second beast (the false prophet) leads people astray, performing signs to deceive the earth dwellers into worshiping the first beast (vv. 13-14). Satan has, through his agents on earth, been able to deceive people, even those in authority. However, there has not yet been a collective, world-wide uniting of nations in opposition to God’s people. Throughout the 1,000 years, the gospel has been going into all the world, despite cultural and, in some places, legal or governmental opposition. After the 1,000 years are over, that opposition will unite across global borders in a way it has not been able to before.

John expresses the global nature of this uprising in two ways. Firstly, he speaks of the nations “in the four corners of the earth.” We’ve seen the number four used in Revelation to refer to the totality of creation (e.g., the four creatures in Revelation 4). Here, by relating the nations to the “four corners of the earth,” he is indicating that all nations will be involved.

The second way John expresses the global nature of this battle is with a reference to “Gog and Magog.” These names first appear in Ezekiel 38 and 39, a prophecy concerning nations battling against Israel. In John’s vision they represent all the nations of the earth, however in Ezekiel 38, they appear to refer only to a handful of specific nations. How can they represent all nations?

• In 38:5, Persia, Cush (Ethiopia), and Put are actually southern nations, yet they are associated with Gog.
• 38:13 includes Sheba, Dedan, and Tarshish in the group, people who control the trade routes from east to west.
• The prophecy in Ezekiel 38-39 is directed at Gog as the adversary, and yet all these other nations are included in what God says to Gog.
• The Lord says that the outcome of this battle will be that the nations will know “I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel” (39:7). This implies that while the battle may be between a few nations, all the nations will be involved somehow.
• Gog and Magog are actually two people of the land of Meshech and Tubal. It is understood in Revelation 20 that they represent all the nations listed. Those nations are: Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah. Seven nations. Given that the number seven often signifies completeness, or totality (e.g., seven churches, seven seals, etc.), this could be significant.
• Ezekiel 38:7 indicates that Gog is the leader of the nations arrayed against God’s people.

So the names of Gog and Magog are used as a shorthand for those who challenge God’s people. What’s most significant is the fact that the battle in Ezekiel 38-39 is a foreshadowing of the battle in Revelation 20:7-10. I don’t think it’s coincidental that the chapters following this in Ezekiel (40-48) speak of the new temple, and Revelation 21-22 describe the new Jerusalem.

Another interesting point about this battle in Revelation 20:7-10 is the fact that it has been mentioned three times already:

• 16:13-16: Three demonic frogs gather the nations for a final battle in a place called Har-Megiddo (Armageddon–see the notes on this for a discussion).
• 17:12-14: The kings of the earth are of one mind and give authority to the beast to make war on the Lamb.
• 19:19: The beast and the kings of the earth, along with their armies, make war on Jesus and his army.

I don’t believe these are separate battles, but are different presentations of this same final battle. This further strengthens the argument that the seven seals, trumpets, and bowls are, likewise, three different versions of the same events. It seems that the Lord intended these visions to present a picture of His activity in judgment and salvation from a number of different perspectives, for His glory and the encouragement of His people.

John speaks of these armies being numerous, like “the sand of the sea.” This is a common phrase used to describe a vast multitude. God told Abraham that his offspring would be as numerous as the sand of the sea. Perhaps using the same phrase here is supposed to indicate that the numerical odds are in favor of the nations. Just as at various points in Israel’s history, God’s people are surrounded and outnumbered by her enemies.

Ezekiel 38:9 says that God’s forces are as “a cloud covering the land.” In Revelation 20:9, the assembled nations go up to the “plain of the earth” and surround the camp of the saints. The same kind of imagery is in play.

I believe the two phrases “the camp of the saints” and “the beloved city” are supposed to reference the same thing, which explains my translation, “even the beloved city.” In Revelation 3:12, Jesus promises the one who overcomes (i.e., the church) that he will be made into a pillar in God’s temple, and he will wear the names of God and the city of God, the new Jerusalem (see also Revelation 21:2). So I see no reason why the two phrases can’t be equated. The ESV and others simply say, “and the beloved city.” Both are acceptable and legitimate translations.

The battle is short-lived. Fire comes down from heaven and consumes the nations gathered against God’s people. They don’t even get to fight. As soon as they surround the people of God, the Lord sends fire down and it’s all over. Fire in Scripture can represent purification and also God’s presence with His people (the pillar of fire that led Israel in the wilderness at night, for example). Often, especially in Revelation, fire represents judgment–perhaps even God’s presence in judgment. We can determine how to understand a particular use of fire by looking at the context and how it is used. Clearly, the armies here are not being purified. They are unrepentant, rebel sinners undergoing judgment, in a similar way the men of Ahaziah were judged when they challenged Elijah in 2 Kings 1:10-14. The point is that God is sovereign, and He will exact judgment and vindicate His people, regardless of the odds.

Next John sees the final destruction of Satan, the beast, and the false prophet, the unholy trinity. Verse 10 says they are thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone (or sulfur). We saw the beast and the false prophet thrown alive into the lake of fire and sulfur back in 19:17-21. What we see in verse 10 is the same thing, only with a few more details. First, the devil, diabolos, joins them. Secondly, they are all tormented there day and night forever. This verse raises some very important points about the nature of Satan and of this final judgment.

The fact we are told that Satan and the two beasts are “tormented” underscores the fact that these are real, personal beings. They are not merely symbols of generic “evil.” Symbols, or forces, cannot suffer, and cannot be tormented. Certainly, the beasts are symbolic representations, but they are symbolic representations of real people. Those in government, those in authority, those who are cultural leaders, all those who lead people away from Christ to worship false gods, whatever forms those may take. This is not just the judgment of “evil,” but of a real, literal person, Satan, who is the chief adversary of God and His people, and of those who gain their authority, power, and influence from him.

Also, note that this is a torment that goes on day and night forever. It is a conscious torment, and it is eternal. This parallels the eternal joy and glory of Jesus and those who follow him. You can’t spiritualize the eternal torment of Satan, the beasts, and the lost, and then say that the eternal reward given to Jesus and his people is real. Either they are both real or both spiritual. And the indication given in verse 10 is that the torment of the lost is real, so we can be assured that our heavenly reward is, likewise, real.

In the same way, the torment of the lost goes on “day and night forever.” It is eternal, just as the heavenly reward for the heaven-dwellers is eternal. Sin doesn’t end at death. We were born under Adam’s curse, and apart from Christ’s saving grace, we die under that same curse, and take that curse with us into eternity.

Does this mean the lake of fire is a real, literal lake into which God will consign Satan and the lost? Since fire is symbolic of judgment, I would say that the “lake of fire” is a symbol of a very real judgment that results in a very real torment. Since we are dependent upon revelation from God to know these things, I can only go by what Scripture says. There might, in fact, be a literal, real lake of fire at the end of time. But given the amount of symbolism in Revelation, I would guess that the lake is a symbol of final judgment. The important message is that there will certainly be a real, eternal, conscious judgment for Satan and the lost. And there will be a real, eternal, conscious glory for the saved. Both are very real, even if the words used to describe them are symbolic.