A dragon, bottomless pit, 1,000-year reign, fire that “devours” yet torments “forever and ever,” a second death, and two resurrections? Revelation 20 contains some of the most confusing and controversial topics in the entire Bible. But this chapter isn’t impossible to understand. In fact, when we utilize the surrounding passages and other connected verses—even verses in the Old Testament—the timeline and events laid out in this chapter not only become clear; they reveal truths about God’s character and the eternal future He has planned for His people.
Alongside your Bible and the Holy’s Spirit’s guidance, you can use this article to understand what Scripture says about:
- The first resurrection and Second Coming
- The millennium
- The second resurrection and final judgment of the wicked
- The second death
- God’s eternal kingdom of glory
The Prophetic Timeline of the First Resurrection
To understand the events detailed in Revelation 20, we must glance at the previous chapter. Revelation 19 describes the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when He, “the Lamb,” will return to Earth to be “married” to His “wife,” His loyal followers (verse 7). Bible prophecy reveals that Jesus will return in the final days of Earth’s history, characterized by:
- Supernatural phenomena in the sky
- Unprecedented natural disasters
- International unrest
- The rise of deceptive spiritualism
- Widespread moral decline
- Religious persecution
- The global proclamation of the Gospel
Quoting the words of Jesus Himself, Matthew writes dramatically about the era directly preceding Christ’s return:
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24:21)
Although Scripture advises us to watch for signs of the Second Coming, it tells us plainly that we cannot accurately predict when it will occur:
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” (Matthew 24:36)
Thankfully, God’s Word instructs us how to prepare for the Second Coming in hope, not fear. Many of those instructions are based on one of God’s most beautiful promises: death is not the end!
The Bible tells us that those who die “fall asleep,” entering a state of complete unconsciousness that will end with resurrection. For those who die “in Christ,” this resurrection (the first resurrection) will occur at the Second Coming, when:
- Jesus will appear gloriously in the clouds, surrounded by an army of angels and seen by every person on the planet (Matthew 25:31; Revelation 19:11–16; 1:7).
- Then, He will raise all dead believers back to life to rule with Him in heaven for 1,000 years; this is the “first resurrection” (Revelation 20:4–6).
“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17)
What a joyful and victorious event the first resurrection will be! Loved ones long separated will be eternally reunited. Persecuted Christians and martyrs, “those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God,” will rise to meet their loving Savior (Revelation 20:4). As Paul wrote centuries ago, death will be “swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). What did he mean, exactly? Revelation 20 explains:
“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over 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.” (verse 6)
The second death is permanent. The first death is not.
At the Second Coming, all true believers will receive immortality and ascend to their home in heaven, and those who rejected God’s grace will die from the glory of Christ’s appearance (2 Thessalonians 1:7–9; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:21). In their graves (states of full unconsciousness), they will await the end of the millennium, second resurrection, final judgment, and second death. These are the events described in Revelation 20.
A Verse-by-Verse Breakdown of Revelation 20
As we dig into each verse of Revelation 20 to understand the millennium, first and second resurrections, and second death, open your physical Bible or bring up the chapter in a separate tab/app on your viewing device.
The Binding of Satan and the Millennium (Verses 1–3)
- Verse 1: The angel descending from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit is Jesus Christ, who alone possesses the “keys of death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18).
- Verse 2: Immediately following the first resurrection, Christ lays hold of the dragon (Satan) and binds him for a literal 1,000-year period (the millennium). The devil is not bound by a literal chain but by a chain of circumstances: since the righteous are in heaven and the wicked are slain, he is confined to a desolate, uninhabited Earth with no one left to deceive (Jeremiah 4:23–27).
- Verse 3: The “bottomless pit” represents Earth in its wasteland state following the Second Coming, similar to its state at the beginning of creation (Genesis 1:1–2). Satan is effectively sealed in this prison, but he will be released at the end of the millennium.
The First Resurrection and the Saints’ Millennial Reign (Verses 4–6)
- Verse 4: During the millennium, the saints, those who chose to obey God instead of receiving the mark of the beast, live and reign with Christ in heaven. They sit upon thrones of judgment, performing an investigative work to understand the fairness of God’s dealings with the lost and the fallen angels (1 Corinthians 6:2–3).
- Verse 5: The “rest of the dead,” referring to the wicked who died throughout history or were slain at the Second Coming, do not live again until the millennium ends. This confirms there are two distinct resurrections separated by a millennium, and the first resurrection is the resurrection to immortality.
- Verse 6: Those awakened in the first resurrection are called blessed and holy because the second death has no power over them. Alongside the believers still alive at Christ’s return, they serve as priests of God and Christ throughout the millennium, opening the books of heaven to review God’s judgments. He is a transparent God!
The Release of Satan and the Final Conflict (Verses 7–9)
- Verse 7: When the millennium ends, the wicked are raised in the second resurrection, which provides Satan with subjects to deceive once again, “releasing” him from his prison of inactivity.
- Verse 8: Satan goes out to deceive the resurrected wicked, termed “Gog and Magog”—a vast multitude of dictators, warmongers, and evildoers from all ages, as numerous as the sand of the sea. He convinces them to make one final, desperate attempt to capture the New Jerusalem, the capital city of God’s eternal kingdom, which has descended from heaven (Revelation 21:2).
- Verse 9: This massive army surrounds the redeemed, who have descended with their “beloved city” to Earth. Before any battle can take place, fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours the wicked. This fire is the instrument of God’s justice, purifying Earth of all traces of sin. This is hell—not a place of judgment but a judgment event. It will erase pain forever and make way for the New Earth (Revelation 21:1–4).
The Great Judgment and Second Death (Verses 10–15)
- Verse 10: The devil is cast into the “lake of fire and brimstone” (literal fire that comes out of heaven and utterly consumes its victims) where the beast (the papal system) and false prophet (a major religio-political power that persecutes God’s people at the end of time) were previously destroyed at the start of the millennium (Revelation 19:20). Here, Satan faces his final end, being tormented until he is entirely destroyed forever.
- Verse 11: The scene shifts to the “great white throne,” where God sits in majesty. The earth and heavens flee away, signifying the end of the current order of things.
- Verse 12: Before they are destroyed, all the wicked stand before God to be judged according to their works, recorded in the books reviewed by the righteous during the millennium. The “Book of Life,” which determines who is granted entrance into eternity, is also opened.
- Verse 13: The wicked, awakened at the second resurrection and deceived again by Satan, are now judged individually.
- Verse 14: Death and Hades (the grave) are cast into the “lake of fire.” This signifies the total and final destruction of death itself so that it will never again plague the universe. This is the second death.
- Verse 15: Whoever is not found written in the Book of Life—meaning all of the wicked, all who chose to acquire the mark of the beast and thus refuse God’s grace—experience the second death. They will never awaken. This final execution ensures a clean universe, opening the way for a new reality, a new kingdom, a New Earth that will never experience sin or death!
The End of the Millennium and the Second Resurrection
Did you notice that Revelation 20 foreshadows the second resurrection in verse 5 before fully explaining the event in verse 12? This writing practice, found throughout Bible prophecy, helps us fully grasp the timeline being painted before us. What’s more, Revelation 20’s detailed description of the second resurrection continues the book’s overall purpose: unveiling the details of God’s plan for the future that were once hinted at but veiled.
Before the time of Revelation, students of Scripture and the words of Jesus understood that He would one day resurrect all dead humans, even those who chose not to follow God. The books of Daniel, John, and Acts, for example, clearly state that the wicked will rise from the grave one day:
“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2)
“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” (John 5:28–29)
“I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.” (Acts 24:15)
The second resurrection is clearly important. God showed John what this event would look like and inspired him to include this vision in Revelation because He wants us to understand why it must happen.
After all of the redeemed—those who rose in the first resurrection and those who were alive at Christ’s return—spend 1,000 years reviewing the lives and choices of the lost, they will descend to Earth in God’s holy city, “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). They will witness the wicked rise from the dead. And they will watch as Satan immediately dives back into his evil ways, unchanged by His 1,000 years in the “bottomless pit” of complete isolation.
The redeemed will watch the unredeemed rush the New Jerusalem, tricked by the devil into thinking their numbers, intelligence, and determination can overpower the mighty city. But their power is nothing compared to the glory of God. When He appears, the saved will observe each unsaved individual realize the tragedy of their selfish decisions yet continued lack of repentance.
At the second resurrection and final judgment, every created being in the universe will understand God’s love, mercy, and justice as they never had before.
Paul writes about this amazing moment:
“For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.’ ” (Romans 14:10b–11)
Drawing from Revelation 15 and 20, theologian Ellen G. White paints a powerful picture of this final judgment following the second resurrection:
“Every lost soul will understand the nature of his own rejection of truth. The cross will be presented, and its real bearing will be seen by every mind that has been blinded by transgression. Before the vision of Calvary with its mysterious Victim, sinners will stand condemned. Every lying excuse will be swept away. Human apostasy will appear in its heinous character. Men will see what their choice has been. Every question of truth and error in the long-standing controversy will then have been made plain. In the judgment of the universe, God will stand clear of blame for the existence or continuance of evil. It will be demonstrated that the divine decrees are not accessory to sin. There was no defect in God’s government, no cause for disaffection. When the thoughts of all hearts shall be revealed, both the loyal and the rebellious will unite in declaring, ‘Just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? . . . For Thy judgments are made manifest.’ ” (The Desire of Ages, p. 58)
He who sits on the great white throne (Revelation 20:11) is a God of pure and powerful love. He desires that each person be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) and makes His character known to all people (Psalm 19:1–3; Romans 1:18–20). Yet even when they choose sin over Him, He desires that they understand the reasons for their own destruction.
The Final Judgment and the Execution of the Second Death
The last two verses of Revelation 20 describe the conclusive result of the final judgment as the “second death.” Similar to the second resurrection, the second death is foreshadowed earlier in the chapter, in verse 6, which states that those who take part in the first resurrection will only experience death once—the second death has no power over them!
Thus, the second death is reserved only for the devil, his fallen angels, and unredeemed humans:
“Then [the Son of Man, Jesus] will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ ” (Matthew 25:41)
Although many have interpreted “everlasting fire” as “fire that burns forever,” a comprehensive look at Scripture reveals that the second death results in annihilation, not eternal conscious torment. For example:
- Paul writes, “The wages of sin is death,” not, “The wages of sin is eternal life in misery” (Romans 6:23).
- Ezekiel uses plain language to support this point: “The soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
- Eternal redemption does not require Christ to repeatedly redeem His people forever (Hebrews 9:12). Redemption is eternal because its impact is eternal. The same logic applies to the destruction of the wicked. Their “everlasting destruction” described in Scripture (2 Thessalonians 1:9) is everlasting because its impact is everlasting. The second death is permanent. The wicked will never rise again.
- Revelation 20:10 says the lake of fire will torment its victims “day and night forever and ever.” Understandably, many Bible scholars have used this verse to support an argument for eternal hell, yet further study reveals that this phrase actually means “until the work is complete.” (See Isaiah 34:9–10 and Jude 1:7 for examples of what actually happens to the victims of God’s “unquenchable” fire.)
- Malachi leaves no question: “ ‘For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘That will leave them neither root nor branch’ ” (Malachi 4:1).
- Why would Revelation 20 describe the final punishment of the wicked as the “second death” if it did not result in true death?
The biblical case for annihilation shows us that the second death is good news! When God sends His fire to purify Earth and “devour” Satan’s rebellion (Revelation 20:9), He will banish death, suffering, selfishness, sickness, injustice, abuse, oppression, sadness—He will banish sin—forever.
Having studied God’s judgments for a millennium and witnessed His full transparency and glory at the final judgment, the righteous will enter into a new reality of peace and joy, beautifully described in the final chapters of Revelation:
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
“ . . . the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” (Revelation 21:10–11)
“But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.” (Revelation 21:22–24)
“And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. . . . And they shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 22:3)
We shall see the face of God. No temple needed. No veil necessary. Humanity will once again enjoy unhindered fellowship with our Creator.
Until then, we can grieve with hope, looking forward to the Second Coming and first resurrection. We can find peace in our world of sin, assured in God’s promises to one day return, take us to heaven, and end wickedness forever at the second resurrection and second death. We can, as Peter described, “look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).
Related Articles:
The Difference Between the First and Second Death: A Hopeful Study of Revelation 20
The Resurrection at the Second Coming of Jesus: Christian Hope After Death
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Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
