Revelation 20:7–15: Edit history

Context

The Book of Revelation records the visions that the apostle John saw on the island of Patmos and sent in writing to the seven churches in Asia. This passage immediately follows the scene in which Satan is bound and the saints reign with Christ for a thousand years (20:1–6; see Revelation 20:1–3). In verses 7–10, when the thousand years are expired, Satan is loosed and gathers "Gog and Magog," who compass "the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city." They are destroyed by fire from heaven, and the devil is cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and the false prophet are. The names Gog and Magog are drawn from Ezekiel 38–39. Verses 11–15 depict the dead being judged before a "great white throne" according to their works, as written in the books. Even death and hell (Greek Hades, the abode of the dead) are cast into the lake of fire, which the text calls "the second death." Chapter 21, which follows, portrays a new heaven and a new earth.

Interpretation

• Premillennial reading: After Christ's second coming there is a literal thousand-year reign, at the end of which come Satan's final rebellion and the Last Judgment. Dispensationalism commonly distinguishes the great white throne judgment as a judgment of unbelievers.
• Amillennial reading: The thousand years symbolize the entire church age. Satan's release represents the final apostasy and persecution immediately before the Second Coming, and the battle of Gog and Magog is understood as a retelling, from another angle, of the final battle described in chapters 16 and 19. This view is widely held in the Reformed tradition.
• Postmillennial reading: After a period of prosperity in which the gospel has spread widely, there is a brief rebellion, followed by the Second Coming and the judgment.

For a detailed comparison, see the article Millennium.

Debates and Issues

• Judgment by works and faith: A question arises as to how the statement that the dead are judged "according to their works" is to be reconciled with justification by faith. Mainstream Protestantism regards works as evidence of faith and holds that the ground of salvation lies in having one's name written in "the book of life."
• The nature of the lake of fire: The traditional view understands it as unending conscious punishment. The Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches that the wicked are not tormented forever but are annihilated. Within evangelicalism as well, John Stott cautiously expressed a leaning toward annihilationism, and the discussion continues.

In the Korean Church

In Korean Protestant churches, "the great white throne judgment," "the book of life," and "the second death" are expressions frequently heard in sermons on eschatology and at revival meetings. With the emergence in Korea of groups that interpret Revelation in idiosyncratic ways, many Korean denominations have warned against interpretations that hastily identify the book's symbols with specific events or individuals.

Related Passages

• Ezekiel 38:1–23
• Daniel 7:9–10
• John 5:28–29
• 1 Corinthians 15:24–26
• Revelation 21:1–8