Revelation Chapters 19 & 20
Revelation 19 could be entitled, The Return of the King. If you are a fan of JRR Tolkien’s series on The Lord of the Rings, (published in 1955), you know that the final book and movie in the series is about and is called, The Return of the King.
While he did not directly fashion the books after the events in the Bible, he did take the major themes of grace and redemption from it. And let’s talk about another book that begins with the famous opening line from Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities (published in 1859), “It was the best of times, It was the worst of times.” All of that depends on which side you’re on. If you’re a believer, seeing Jesus coming for you is the most exhilarating event in history. If you are not a believer, then all you have to look forward to is hell.
So, as we head into Rev. 19-20, we are indeed going to experience the best of times and the worst of times as we witness this future return of our King. We are finally to the place in this book where the good guy wins! The turning point of every story is when hope is ushered in. The redemption of the world is about to happen! Everything in human history from Adam and Eve to this point will culminate now.
When I wrote and taught through Revelation in 2020, I told the people who did the study that all hell had broken loose in my life. It truly had. I realized then and I realize now that anytime you step out to do something for the kingdom of God, then the powers of darkness in high places will be out to make whatever you do difficult. I won’t get into all the bad stuff that happened during 2020, but it was significant.
And now in 2025-2026, the same kinds of things have happened. My husband had a massive heart attack. My mother has been gravely ill. My mother in law has been gravely ill and in some regards, she still is. My son, Gabriel, who has had cancer and who is disabled is having increased medical issues. I’m having increased medical issues and addressing some of those issues has caused a great financial constraint on our family.. And today, as I type this, I was just notified that something I’ve been working on, hoping for, and praying for since 2023 has fallen through causing me great discouragement.
Why do these things happen when we’re trying to do good and follow through with what we think God wants us to do? I will tell you. Bad things often happen when believers step out in faith to do anything for the kingdom of God because that step of faith is threatening to the kingdom of darkness. Every single time I start to write a new study, I brace myself for what might transpire as a result. We never want Satan to have any victory in our lives and we certainly never want to see any kind of evil triumph.
Then (2020) and now (2026), I’m trusting that God will intervene and be triumphant in my life and the situations going on right now. I’m certain that He is going to win and that He will continue to be faithful to take care of me and my family. When my mind travels to the question of whether God has forgotten me, I quickly dismiss that because even when my feelings say “yes”, my mind says “no”. After all, the heart is deceitful above all, who can trust it?
As I ponder all my personal stuff today, I’m also getting into Revelation 19-20. I’m wondering if that 1⁄3 remnant of Jews and the other tribulation saints who are still alive at that time will be pondering whether God has forgotten them or not. I’m wondering if those who will become believers in Christ during the tribulation period and who are still alive on the earth will look to heaven and ask “How long oh Lord, how long?!!”. They will likely wonder if there will ever be an end to the seemingly endless triumph of evil they witness. I believe their minds will go there. After all, they’re only human. But Jesus is getting ready to show up!
And friends, Jesus is coming soon to take us all up to heaven! My goodness, what joy we have to look forward to. Do you remember the lyrics to the song, “Jesus is Coming Soon”?
Jesus is coming soon, morning or night or noon
Many will meet their doom, trumpets will sound
All of the dead shall rise, righteous meet in the sky
Going where no one dies, heavenward bound
That is us! Although this song is ultimately about the rapture of the Church and not the 2nd coming of Christ, it is a relieving thought to know that in the midst of the hell that is going on here on planet earth, that Jesus is coming. Indeed He is! Here we go!
We finally made it through the fall of Babylon back in Rev. 17-18. There is a
difference between the fall of Babylon and the destruction of Babylon. We
discussed this in class.
The Fall of Babylon
1. Occurred in 539 BC
2. Babylon fell without a battle when the Medes and the Persians snuck in
under the moat of the city and captured the city without a battle.
3. Babylon became the capital of Alexander the Great when he, along with
the armies of Greece defeated the Medes and the Persians in 331 BC.
4. Currently, the ancient city of Babylon is in ruins and is a tourist
attraction.
5. Since the days of Sadaam Husein, the government of Iraq has been
planning on rebuilding Babylon and making it a major tourist
attraction. Now, with the Al-Faw Port being constructed in the Persian
Gulf and the main railway from that port to Turkey is in the works, it
looks as if the ancient glory of Babylon will finally be restored..
Destruction of Babylon
1. Never again to be inhabited. Isaiah 13-14, Jer. 50-51
2. Building materials will never be reused.
3. Will become like Sodom and Gomorrah.
The sequential order of this book is mind-blowing and pretty confusing. The chronology of the 2nd coming of Christ has to be explored through many other books than just the book of Revelation. This is something that we have to piece together from other parts of Scripture. Raise your hand if you believe that the first thing Jesus will do at His 2nd coming will be when He comes down to step on the Mount of Olives? Yes, I see your hands out there! This is only part of the story. He will be making a few pit stops before coming to the Mount of Olives.
I’m going to give you a basic outline of the arrival of Christ and what will happen prior to His arrival on the Mount of Olives. I need to tell you that this is another place of hot debate amongst theologians. Some believe that He descends from heaven and immediately His feet touch the Mount of Olives and splits it. Others believe that He goes to Bozra first to rescue the 1⁄3 remnant of remaining Jews whom Christ has hidden safely away until His coming. I happen to believe the latter and that is what we will look at this week in your homework. Someone much brighter than I put this together and after examining the ins and outs of both arguments, I have concluded the following:
1. At the 6th bowl, the armies will gather in an area called Armageddon.
2. Jerusalem will be captured.
3. The world armies pursue the 1⁄3 remnant to the mountains of Edom in Jordan.
4. Jesus Christ descends to Bozrah (Edom) to protect His remnant (Israel).
5. All Israel is saved.
6. Jesus treads the winepress (vengeance against the peoples and nations) on His way to Jerusalem.
7. Jesus arrives on the Mount of Olives and when His feet touch it, it splits.
8. Israel (Judah and Jerusalem) are restored when the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven.
1. Now, read Rev. 16:12-16. What happens to the Euphrates River and where are the people gathered?
2. By what means are the people told to gather for war?
These verses tell where they are gathered. However, they do not say that the battle takes place in Armageddon. The battle is elsewhere.
3. Read Zechariah 12. Take time to carefully go through this chapter and write down every instance of what God is going to do in that day. In that day is a reference to the day of the Lord.
4. Read Zech. 14:1-3. What will happen to Jerusalem in that day?
5. What will Jesus do in Zech. 14:3?
6. Read Zech. 12:10 and 13:1. What happens to the remnant (those remaining Jews who are still alive at the coming of Christ) in these verses?
Shew, talk about bittersweet! After all the years of denying Him, they can no longer deny Him and when they realize this, they grieve with deep regret and sorrow. I have had regrets in my life. I’m dealing with one of them now.
Some of the deep regrets I’ve had have kept me up at night. But, there will be no regret like this one. And then in Zech. 13:1, we read that a fountain will be opened for them. This will be their Day of Atonement. If you look back to the feasts of God that we addressed earlier in this study, you will find that although this day was fulfilled for us as believers when Jesus died on the cross, the acceptance of that day will not come for Israel until His 2nd coming.
And although all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26-27), we need to keep in mind that salvation does not come to nations, it comes to individuals.
7. In Rev. 14:17-20, we discover that when the earth is reaped in God’s winepress, that blood flows pretty deep and wide. How far and how deep does Scripture say it flows?
It is almost 200 miles between the area known as Armageddon and the place in southeast Jordan where Jesus is going. Edom is the land that Esau settled in. It is in the area we know as Jordan. Bozrah was a city in Edom. We’re not exactly sure where this city was located, but it is highly possible that it was in the area we now refer to as Petra or at least very close to it. You’ve already seen a picture of just how magnificent Petra is when we looked at it earlier in this study. Petra is a stone city carved into the mountains. There is a slim passthrough to get there. A car is even too large to pass through. Currently, this city is uninhabited, but it is possible that this will be the location Israel runs to during the last 3 1⁄2 years to be protected by God. It is estimated that as many as 1 million people could live in Petra. That’s a lot of people.
8. Now read Isaiah 63:1-6. What in the world is going to happen in Bozrah?
When Jesus leaves heaven to come back to earth, it is possible that He goes to Bozrah first to get the 1⁄3 Jewish remnant out of there and to destroy those who are trying to kill them. I say possible because we cannot know with complete certainty that this is the order. It looks as if it is, but I always need to let you know that there is no way to know for sure. Because Isaiah 63 says that Jesus alone will be taking the lifeblood from those in Bozra (Edom), we must assume that:
1. He is absolutely not speaking of the Jewish people as He came there to save them and not to destroy them.
2. There are other armies coming against them at that time that He must destroy in order to save the Jewish remnant.
In recent days since the war with Iran started, there has been a tremendous amount of talk about Jeremiah 49 and the prophecy against Elam in Jer. 49:34-39. I have not responded yet to all of this as I really wanted to know what I was talking about and not just reacting to something that someone else said.
While I generally never disagree with Amir Tsarfati on any issue, especially biblical ones, I must disagree with him on this issue. He says that the events of Jer. 49 related to Elam is not a future prophecy, but something that has already occurred. I actually believe it is both. Elam was a city in Persia (present day Iran). He argues that the Elamites were restored during the Messianic age because many of them were present at Pentecost. The entire chapter of Jer. 49 looks to be future to me. There are prophecies against: Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar and Hazor, and Elam. Although the wrath of God will rain down on the peoples in these areas, only Ammon and Elam will be restored in the end. Therefore, my take on Jer. 49 (as well as the entire chapter) is going to take place in the future.
9. Read Jeremiah 49:13-22. This is a yet-to-be battle. What will happen to Bozra/Petra?
Look at the picture from the first page of this lesson. Have you wondered why Jesus is depicted with red all over Him instead of white? He is covered in blood! That’s why! The rest of us with Him are still in our clean, white, linen garments. We don’t have to and won’t have to lift a hand. He will take care of everything.
10. According to Isaiah 11:4, how will He accomplish this?
Can you even fathom the kind of power that will be?!!! He opens His mouth and slays the enemy!
11. Read Joel 2:30-3:21. Make a list of every single time God says, “I will”.
12. What happens to Jerusalem and its people after this battle?
13. Who is going to be in charge?
14. What happens in Zech. 14:4 when Jesus arrives at the Mount of Olives?
What we are piecing together here is not easy. But, it is worth it to understand that so many Old Testament passages lead us to fill in the blanks of events that might not be mentioned here in the book of Revelation. Look at the location of Petra and Bozra. They are actually side by side (and could even be synonymous) and the distance between there and Megiddo (Armageddon) is 200 miles. That will be the deep trail of blood up to the horse’s bridle. God does not miss a detail, even a gross one! Take a deep breath and breathe! We’re headed into some amazing and comforting Scripture ahead.
Finally, we’re past the blood! Well, technically we have just a little bit more. Chapter 19 begins with the Hebrew word, metatauda (after these things). We’ve seen this word a lot in the book of Revelation. After what things? After the things that occurred in Rev. 18.
15. Read Rev. 19:1-6. There are 4 hallelujahs in these verses. This is the hallelujah chorus in the Bible. List each of them and what they are related to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The voice of many people from heaven follows after the destruction of Babylon. This event marks the end of the tribulation period and ushers in the greatest event other than the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, His 2nd coming!
It is the event that every believer left on earth dreamed of. It is the event that those souls under the altar in Rev. 6 were crying out for. What we will read in Rev. 19 is the culmination of world history as we know it. The beginning of a whole new chapter of life changes with the 2nd coming of Christ.
16. There are some familiar faces here in the throne room of God. Who are they?
If you notice, they are worshiping in a different way from the 24 elders and the 4 living creatures in Rev. 19:4. I believe the “much people” are the tribulation saints who were martyred for their faith in God during the tribulation period.
17. What do you think is meant in Rev. 19:3 by “and her smoke rose up forever and ever”?
I’m not sure and I could be wrong, but I don’t believe this is literal in the sense of a physical burning of the city of Babylon going on perpetually throughout eternity. What I do think is that those who participated in her sin (aka, the whole Beast system) will be tormented in hell forever and ever and the smoke of their torment will be eternal.
From out of the throne room, a voice directs everyone whether great or small to worship God and give Him praise. In the actual Greek text, v. 5 means “keep on praising God”. We may not always thank God and praise Him for who He is and for what He has done for us, but there will be a time when we’re in heaven that the praise will be endless.
Revelation 19:7-10 chronicles the marriage supper of the Lamb. You may want to go back to lesson 5 and re-familiarize yourself with the ancient Jewish marriage rite. It is fascinating! Marriage is always the picture of intimacy that Scripture uses to describe the relationship between Jesus and us (His bride, the Church). There are 3 phrases to the ancient Jewish marriage:
1. The marriage contract (Ketubah) is signed.
2. A ceremony where the groom and groomsmen would march through the streets to get the bride and take her back to the groom’s father’s home.
3. The marriage supper. There are a few questions that are not fully answered regarding the marriage supper of the Lamb:
1. Where does it occur? Does it occur in heaven or on earth?
2. When does it occur? Does it occur just after the rapture of the Church or does it occur after the 2nd coming of Christ?
We can become obsessed with the timeline of Revelation, but the timing and place of the marriage supper are not exactly spelled out for us.
18. Who is the “wife” mentioned in Rev. 19:7?
Also, we need to note here that the tribulation saints and the Church are 2 separate entities. Yes, we will all be in heaven with Christ, but the Church has been granted a special status that no other group has been granted. We are the bride of Christ.
The marriage contract between Christ and the Church was signed in blood on the cross. He redeemed the Church when He died for the Church. Remember, the betrothal period is legal and binding. This would be the betrothal period. The rapture of the Church is when Christ returns to catch His bride up in the air with Him and take all believers back to His Father’s home. Now, it’s time for the marriage supper. In western culture, we do it differently. We have the betrothal period and then the marriage and marriage supper.
19. How is the Church depicted in 2 Cor. 11:2?
Does this verse give you some insight into how very special you are to Jesus? He wants to protect you. He wants to keep you clean and pure because He will be presenting you to His Father one day soon.
20. Who else is invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb?
In lesson 5, we discussed the ancient Jewish wedding and how that mimics the flow of what happens to the Church after the rapture. I’m including a couple of things from that lesson to re-familiarize yourself with what we talked about..
The Marriage Supper
Shortly after the arrival to the home of the groom’s father, the bride and groom would be escorted by the other members of the wedding party to the bridal chamber. While the groomsmen and bridesmaids would wait outside, the bride and groom would enter the inner sanctum of the bridal chamber alone. There in the privacy of that place, they would enter into a physical union for the first time, thereby consummating the marriage that had been covenanted earlier.
21. Read Rev. 19:7-9. What happens in heaven after the bride/Church is in the place that Jesus has prepared for her?
The Jewish bride, groom, and wedding party would remain in the father’s house for 7 days. All the wedding party and guests would be clothed in white garments. Once all the guests were inside, the doors would be shut and locked and nobody else would be allowed to enter. Similarly, if you believe in a pretribulation rapture of the Church, the Church will remain hidden for 7 years during the 70th week of Daniel (Dan. 9) that includes the Great Tribulation period that takes place on the earth. The Church will be in heaven totally hidden from the sight of those living on the earth.
Think about marriage. You have the Bride, the Groom, their attendants, the officiant, and the invited guests. The marriage between the Church and Jesus will have a lot of guests, a multitude in fact! There will be Old Testament saints, tribulation saints, the Jewish remnant from the tribulation, and angels! I promise you that you’ve never seen anything like this marriage. All of the symbolism of marriage is so beautiful, but what we are witnessing in Rev. 19 is not the wedding, but the wedding feast. As I stated earlier, we just don’t know exactly when it will play out or where it will play out.
At any wedding, the marriage dinner is the last thing that is celebrated. Therefore, once we get to the wedding feast, it is a foregone conclusion that Christ has already come for His bride (the Church), hence, the rapture. If you remember lesson 5 (Rev. 4), then you will recall that at ancient Jewish wedding ceremonies, everyone wore white. That is so interesting because if you wore white to a wedding today and you were not the bride, then this would be considered to be in poor taste.
22. Read Matt. 22:11-13. Why did the man get thrown out of the wedding?
23. How then would one get the wedding clothes? Read the following verses and note what they say about clothing ourselves?
Job 29:14
Isaiah 61:10
Rev. 3:4
Rev. 19:8
Has your house ever been a mess and you’ve thought to yourself, “Goodness, I sure hope nobody comes by my house today!”? What is going on in your spiritual house? Is it a hot mess? We all need to get our spiritual house in order because Jesus is coming soon!
24. Read Rev. 19:11-19 and record how Jesus is described. This is the most detailed picture of Him that we have in all of Scripture.
What we see in Rev. 19:11-13 is a victory march of sorts. In Roman culture, when there was a successful military campaign, the general who was in charge of the battle would ride through the streets of Rome on a white horse to the cheers of others along the parade route. Behind him would be wagon loads of the things that had been taken from the enemy and behind these wagons, the prisoners of war would be marched through the streets to their shame and some would be marched straight into being executed while others would be sold as slaves.
This event is very different from the rapture of the Church. Jesus did not come all the way to the earth at the rapture, nor was He suited up for battle and judgment.
25. Read Zech. 14:3-4. What do you discover about Jesus’ return in these verses?
Do you recall any such event taking place at the rapture of the Church? No! This is yet another reason to explain that the rapture and the 2nd coming are 2 separate events.
26. In Rev. 19:13-14, is Jesus’ robe clean and white? Are the armies who are following HIm dressed in robes clean and white?
If the armies of heaven who follow Him do not have blood stains on their robes, that would lead us to believe as we’ve already discussed, that we don’t have to lift a hand. He is the One and only One who is conducting any kind of military conquest.
27. From Rev. 19:11-16, Jesus is referred to in a few different ways. List them.
28. Are we told who the “armies of heaven” are?
Here is another place of debate amongst scholars. Some say this is the Church since we already know that the Church will be arrayed in white linen. Some say that it is the Church, the angels, and all the saints of heaven. Truth is, we don’t know for sure. I’m okay either way.
29. How does Jesus smite the enemy?
The “rod of iron” is used to denote His absolute rule. We saw this first in Rev. 2:27. So, for all of those people out there who criticize believers because they think that all we are supposed to do is love others and that speaking truth is hateful and unloving, show them these verses! The long tolerance period that God has exercised since the beginning of time has come to an end. Sin will be dealt with swiftly and decisively.
Read Rev. 19:17-19. The Greek word here for “supper” (deipnon) is the same word that was used in Rev. 19:9 at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. But these 2 meals could not be more different. Do you remember last week when we looked at the Ezek. 38-39 Gog of Magog War? I told you then that the vulture population in Israel has been purposely grown in the last several years because that part of the food chain almost died off. Here again, we see a need for these birds of prey to be abundant in number because they will be eating the flesh of men and horses. The Day of the Lord will be a good day for the fowl of the earth!
Who are these armies of the earth coming to fight? Are they coming to fight one another or are they coming to fight Jesus? They are gathered together to fight one another. There will be some serious falling out between these armies, because once they get to their destination, they don’t fight one another. They join forces and fight against Jesus and His armies. You may be thinking, “I thought we just finished up with the battle of Armageddon!”.
John goes back and forth filling in some of the details as we go along. You might find it interesting too that in ancient historical texts, Nimrod referred to himself as the king of kings and lord of lords. Satan loves to imitate.
30. In Rev. 19:19, where are they assembled?
31. This is the battle of Armageddon. Yes, we already know how it ends. Read Rev. 19:20-21. Who is seized and where are they thrown?
Is the lake of fire the same thing as hell? No, it isn’t. Scripture indicates that there are multiple places under the earth.
32. Let’s get a collective idea of what all of these places are called, where they are, and who is in them currently and in the future yet to come:
33. What did Jesus tell the thief on the cross who believed in Him in Luke 23:43?
Obviously then, the spirit and the soul of the thief on the cross who believed in Jesus went to the Paradise section of the underworld upon his death and Jesus saw him there.
34. What did He retrieve in Rev. 1:18?
The Apostle Paul speaks of being caught up to Paradise which in Paul’s time was in the 3rd heaven because at Jesus’ death, He emptied out the Paradise section of the underworld and took those people to the 3rd heaven. The Paradise section of the underworld is empty. The Hell/Hades section of the underworld is full of the unrighteous dead who refused to accept Jesus during their lifetime.
I’m so glad that I’m top-side-up! But even when we die, death and hell will have no hold on us! If the worst thing that could happen to us is death, that’s fine. We have a 1-way ticket to heaven!
35. Who is the remnant in Rev. 19:21?
As we move into Rev. 20, I need to tell you again that there are many different viewpoints on the millennial reign of Christ. I’m not going to go into all of those. We covered them earlier in our study. As we have been taking a literal understanding of this book up til now, we will continue to do so.
36. Read Rev. 20:1-4. Satan thinks he is so strong and powerful and he is, but look at who takes hold of him. Who is this?
37. Remember that Satan is an angel too, a fallen one. It will take one holy angel to throw Satan into the abyss and he will be all bound up. Then, the door is shut and sealed. Why is this?
38. This will not be the permanent, eternal dwelling place for Satan. How long will he be in the abyss?
39. After 1000 years in the abyss, what happens?
There will be those who do not die in the battle of Armageddon and who did not take the mark of the Beast. They will enter into the millennium with Jesus. They will have children and their children will have children and so on.
Many of the tribulation saints we have read about will die by being beheaded. There is one religion today that beheads as a punishment and that Is Islam. This leads me to believe that the Islamic form of punishment will be enmeshed within the Babylonian/Beast culture that will be on the earth during those last 7 years. In the West, we cringe when we read the word behead. I have a dear VA chaplain friend who served in Desert Storm. He told me a story about an Iraqi man who helped translate for our US soldiers. One day, a zippered cloth bag was dropped off at his tent. In that bag was the head of that poor man who helped them translate Arabic into English.
Friends, we simply cannot imagine the brutality of these people and when we read that a great multitude from every tongue, tribe, and nation will be standing on that glassy sea in front of the throne of God, we must also think about the kind of death they most likely suffered on earth. All of these people will be given a new body to reign with Christ on earth for 1000 years.
Imagine for one moment what the world would be like without Satan and his demonic gang! We really can’t imagine because the world is so mean and evil right now.
40. Who are the rest of the dead mentioned in Rev. 20:5?
When the Church is raptured prior to the tribulation beginning, we are told in 1 Thess. 4:16-17 that the dead in Christ will rise first. That means Christians who have already died. And then those Christians who are still alive will come up to meet Christ in the air immediately after the dead in Christ meet Him.
At the end of the tribulation period, those believers who died in the tribulation will also have their bodies raised. Those who are raised first after the tribulation are said to be in the first resurrection that takes place before the millennium begins.
At the end of the 1000 years, the rest of the dead will be raised. Some Bible teachers refer to this group of people as the wicked dead. In other words, their bodies will not join their souls until after the 1000 year millennial reign of Christ on earth and the Great White Throne Judgment. One might wonder why their bodies will even need to be joined with their spirit and souls. I believe the answer to that is because spirits and souls are impervious to fire, but physical bodies are not.
41. But can the earthly physical bodies that human beings live in on earth withstand everlasting fire?
What we have to assume is that they will be reunited with their bodies and that their bodies will be fitted for eternity in the lake of fire.
42. What is meant by the term the 2nd death in Rev. 20:6?
43. After the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth, something very strange happens. Read Rev. 20:7-10 and describe what happens.
Don’t you just hate that Satan once again has any time on this earth? I must be honest, I don’t like this part of the story, but I am not the author. By the time the 1000 years have passed, the earth has repopulated itself. Satan will have a short time to deceive the people of the world. We have no idea how long that will be. I always ask myself when I read v. 8 why and how the earth could possibly be deceived again. After all, there have been 1000 years of peace and tranquility upon the earth. Theologian William Holte has an excellent answer to this:
The golden age of the kingdom will last 1000 years, during which righteousness will reign, and peace, prosperity, and the knowledge of God will be universally enjoyed. But this will not entail universal conversion, and all profession must be tested...Will not a thousand years under the beneficent sway of Christ and the manifested glory suffice to render men immune to his (Satan’s) temptations, will they not have radically changed for the better, and become by the altered conditions of life and the absence of Satanic temptations, children of God and lovers of His will? Alas! It will be proved once more that man whatever his advantages and environment, apart from the grace of God and the new birth, remains at heart only evil and at enmity with God. William Holte,
The Visions of John the Divine, pp. 160-61
44. There is another war that is mentioned. What war is this?
45. Is this the same war as the Ezekiel 38-39 war that we studied about last week?
46. What happens to those involved in this Rev. 20 war? Gog and Magog as it is mentioned in this chapter is a wider and different war than the one in Ezekiel 38-39. We know this because of the qualifying words “the four corners of the earth”. This is an idiom in Scripture that means worldwide.
47. What happens to Satan in Rev. 20:10?
How long is forever? Forever is eternity. How all these denominations and prominent people can say that the lake of fire is not FOREVER is beyond me! It is clearly stated here. Satan goes to have a permanent staycation with his friends, the Beast and the False Prophet in the lake of fire where they will be tormented day and night for all of eternity. If the Beast and the False Prophet are still alive in the lake of fire after 1000 years, I think we can safely say that they are not annihilated, but are in eternal flames of torment.
48. Read Rev. 20:11-15. What does it mean that earth and heaven fled away?
The present earth and heaven are the crime scenes of Satan and his crew. It would make sense to not just clean up the scene, but to completely replace it which we will read about next week.
49. Who are those who are standing at the Great White Throne Judgment? Are they the wicked dead or the saved dead?
Whenever there is a trial and the person on trial is found guilty, the judge asks the defendant to stand for their sentencing. This is exactly what is going on here.
50. From these verses, does it sound to you like there are degrees of judgment? In other words, will some have greater punishment than others?
Dante’s Inferno lists 9 levels of hell. Perhaps this 14th Century poet knew more than we thought he did! Someone always asks the question here about when will the resurrection of the righteous dead who died during the millennial period of time be. Answer, I don’t know because we are not told. What we do know is that they will receive a new body just like other believers.
By the time we get to v. 15, all the righteous dead and the wicked dead are in their eternal state, either in heaven or in the lake of fire. Those are the only 2 options.
The Book of Life is not Santa’s list of good girls and boys. It is God’s list of the redeemed. This is the same book that is referred to in Rev. 13:8 as the Lamb’s Book of Life.
51. According to Rev. 3:5, once your name is written in this book, will it ever be erased?
God is the best record keeper ever! He knows whose name is in this book and whose is not. God always makes good on His promises. To all those who have been violated in any way by an unrepentant individual:
Those who were abused as children.
Those who were made to do things that made them feel shame.
Those who were neglected by the very ones who should have loved them?
Those who have been betrayed.
Those who have been lied to and lied about.
Those who have been stolen from.
Those who have suffered in any way for the sake of God.
The Day of the Lord is coming and there will be a day of reckoning! I was thinking about this earlier today as I read about a handsome 19 year old man who won an Olympic gold medal in wrestling for Iran. Because he was among those opposing the tyrannical Iranian regime, he was hung. This just made me sick and it made me want to strangle someone....literally! And as much as I hate this, God hates it more.
Regardless of how long you have suffered, I promise you this, one moment in heaven will erase any pain suffered on this earth. He WILL make all things right. Evil may seem to be triumphing today, but tomorrow may be a different story! Get your spiritual house in order! We’re going home very soon!
