Chuck Smith: The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ – Chapter 20

Pastor Chuck Smith teaches Revelation 20: Satan is bound in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years, briefly released to test hearts, and finally defeated. He explains the “first resurrection” (the church and tribulation martyrs) who reign with Christ during the millennial kingdom, and closes with the sobering Great White Throne judgment—urging all to confess Jesus as Lord for eternal life.

Key themes

• Binding, brief release, and final defeat of Satan

• Why God allows testing (cf. Job)

• The first resurrection & millennial reign

• Final rebellion and judgment

• The Great White Throne & the Book of Life

Scriptures

Revelation 20:1–15; Job 1–2; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; 1 Corinthians 15:20–26; John 5:28–29

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The Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ – Chapter 20

Let’s turn in our Bibles now to the 20th chapter of the book of Revelation.

John wrote, “I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.”

We’ve mentioned that this “bottomless pit” in the Greek is abussos (the abyss), which literally means “shaft.” It would seem from Scripture that this is the place where angelic beings are incarcerated. We read that the beast (the Antichrist) will come up out of the abussos (Revelation 17). When Jesus was at Gadara and met the demon-possessed man, the demons begged Jesus not to send them into the abussos before their time.

It is interesting that Satan will be bound and placed into the abussos. The angel comes down from heaven with the key to the abussos and a great chain in his hand. Back in Revelation 9 there was another “star” (an angel) who fell from heaven with the key to the abussos. When he opened it, the earth was invaded by demonic hordes that created great havoc. Demons were turned loose from the abussos in chapter 9.

“And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years; and cast him into the abussos, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

Someone may ask, “If God is ultimately going to bind Satan and put him in the abussos, why didn’t He do it long ago and spare us all the misery? And if he’s once chained, why will God allow him to be released again?”

Satan, in a mysterious way, serves a divine purpose. God allows him a measure of freedom so that he might serve God’s purposes—often as an instrument to test the sincerity of our love and obedience. It’s easy to say, “Lord, I love You with all my heart,” but God may allow that love to be tested. Satan is often the instrument in that testing.

Job is a classic example. When the sons of God presented themselves before the Lord, Satan came with them. God asked where he had been. “Going to and fro in the earth,” Satan replied. God said, “Have you considered My servant Job?” Satan argued that Job only served God because of the blessings and hedge of protection around him. God allowed Satan to strip Job of his possessions—with the restriction that he spare Job’s life. Job was tested, yet he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Satan was used as an instrument to test Job, and he is often used as an instrument to test us.

Imagine telling your son, “Stay in the yard; I’ll be back soon. I need your help moving a desk.” If you chain him to a tree and then return boasting of his obedience, that’s hardly a test. But if you leave him free, and even allow a tempter (“Come on, let’s go shoot hoops; Dad will never know”)—and your son still chooses obedience—then his father can justly delight in him. So God leaves us free, allows the tempter to entice, and receives glory when we remain faithful.

Now, in verse 4, it is important to notice that John observes not one but two companies in heaven. Those who hold a post-tribulation view often use this verse to argue their case, but they fail to distinguish the two groups John sees:

“I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them.” Who are “they”? This is the Church. Jesus promised, “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne” (Revelation 3:21). Paul wrote, “Do you not know that we shall judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:3). Jesus told His disciples they would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28).

Then John says, “And I saw the souls of those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” This second group is the martyred saints who came out of the Great Tribulation (see Revelation 6:9–11; 7:13–17). So John is speaking of two companies: the Church seated on thrones with Christ, and the Tribulation martyrs standing before the throne, serving Him day and night in His temple.

Both groups “lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Jesus will return to the earth; we will return with Him. He redeemed the world by His death on the cross; He will come to claim what He purchased. During this thousand-year reign (the Millennium), Satan will be bound in the abussos. We will not have to deal with him. The earth will be restored to Eden-like conditions—no destructive storms, likely a gentler global climate, renewed longevity, and the whole earth filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Scripture indicates that only a small fraction of humanity will survive the Great Tribulation—perhaps one in ten—but even that could be hundreds of millions of people. When Jesus returns, He will gather the nations for judgment to determine who among the survivors may enter the Kingdom age. Those who took the mark of the beast will be barred. He will separate them as a shepherd separates sheep from goats (Matthew 25). The righteous will enter the Kingdom; the others will be sent away.

Isaiah 65 gives us a glimpse of that era: no weeping, long life, fruitful labor, peace in nature (“the wolf and the lamb shall feed together”), and the Lord rejoicing over Jerusalem. Annual worship of the King will take place at Jerusalem. Under such ideal conditions—no disease, no disasters—population will flourish.

“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” There are two general resurrections. The first began with Christ and concludes when the last of the Tribulation martyrs is brought into glory. “Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power; but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

“When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them to battle—whose number is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.”

This reveals the desperate wickedness of the human heart. Social science insists that with the right environment people will be good. Scripture says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9). After a thousand years under the righteous reign of Christ—an iron-clad rule of enforced righteousness—multitudes will still join Satan’s final rebellion when given the chance. God’s righteousness in judgment will be vindicated forever. The revolt is crushed instantly by fire from heaven.

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are” (note: not “were” but “are,” a thousand years later), “and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

Do I believe “forever and ever” means what it says? I dare not add to or take away from the words of this book (Revelation 22:18–19). I will leave it as God has written.

“And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.” Peter tells us the present heavens and earth will melt with fervent heat; the elements will dissolve.

“I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened… and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” God keeps perfect records. “Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.” The sea gave up the dead, death and Hades gave up the dead, and each was judged according to his works. “And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Scripture frequently references the Book of Life—and often with the warning of being blotted out (Exodus 32:33; Psalm 69:28; Revelation 3:5; 22:19). I won’t explain that away. The warning stands.

Death, in the biblical sense, is separation from God. If you are only born once (physically), you will die twice—physically and then the second death. If you are born twice (physically and spiritually—“born again”), you will die only once, if at all (for those alive at the Lord’s coming).

This puts at the top of our priorities the certainty that our names are written in the Book of Life. How? By confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and trusting Him as Savior—truly, not merely with words. “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Lord is not His name; it is His title. He is my Lord; I am His servant.

Father, we thank You for redeeming us from our sins, washing and cleansing us from the defilement of this world, and claiming us as Your children. We gladly confess Jesus as Lord before men, and we thank You for the promise that one day He will confess us before the Father. Assure our hearts by Your Holy Spirit of the truth of these things. Keep us from adding to or taking away from Your Word; help us to receive it as truth and to live by it. In Jesus’ name, amen.

[Hymn]
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine;
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.