(The
objective of these ‘Frameworks' is to provide an easy-to-read
layout of the text in order then to use these individual verses
for verse-by-verse study or meditation. To focus each
verse we have also added in italic a description of what is happening)
FRAMEWORKS:
Revelation 19 & 20
GO
TO Ch.20
FRAMEWORKS:
Revelation 19: Praise in Heaven and the Return
of the King
v.1-10
Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon's Fall
v.11-21
The Son of God Returns
v.1-10
Fourfold Hallelujahs in Heaven
v.1,2
(heaven acclaims
the Lord's sovereignty: the first Hallelujah declares His judgment…)
After this I heard what sounded like
the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: “Hallelujah!
[1] Salvation and
glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are
his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who
corrupted the earth by her adulteries. He has avenged on her the
blood of his servants.”
v.3
( …acknowledging
eternal punishment) And again
they shouted: “Hallelujah!
[2] The smoke from
her goes up for ever and ever.”
v.4
(Agreement is
given) The twenty-four elders
and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who
was seated on the throne. And they cried: “Amen,
Hallelujah!” [3]
v.5
(encouragement
from the throne) Then a voice
came from the throne, saying: “Praise our God, all you his
servants, you who fear him, both great and small!”
v.6-8
(the wedding
of the Lamb is proclaimed) Then
I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar
of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Halleujah! [4]
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding
of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine
linen stands for the righteous acts of God's holy people.)
v.9
(blessed are
all believers who are invited) Then
the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited
to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the
true words of God.”
v.10
(John wants
to worship the messenger but is stopped) At
this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don't
do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers
and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For
it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
v.11-21
The Son of God Returns
v.11
(the coming
of a conqueror from heaven) I
saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse,
whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges
and wages war.
v.12
(an all-seeing
ruler) His eyes are like blazing
fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on
him that no one knows but he himself.
v.13
(who has to
be Jesus [see Jn 1]) He is dressed
in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
v.14
(he leads an
army of purity) The armies of
heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed
in fine linen, white and clean.
v.15
(he brings judgment
by the word of God) Coming out
of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.
“He will rule them with an iron scepter.” [Psa 2:9]
He treads the winepress of the fury
of the wrath of God Almighty.
v.16
(he is identified
as The Ultimate King and Lord) On
his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings
and lord of lords.
v.17,18
(the angels
affirm the slaughter to come) And
I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice
to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for
the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings,
generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the
flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”
v.19
(all the rebels
of earth, demonic & human amass to fight him) Then
I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered
together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army.
v.20
(but the beast
& false prophet are cast into the lake of fire) But
the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had
performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded
those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its
image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of
burning sulfur.
v.21
(all the human
rebels were killed) The rest
were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider
on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
[Note:
in Rev 16:16 this gathering against the Lamb and his
army was noted at Armageddon. Note their rebellion right up to
the end, to resist the Second Coming of Christ. Nevertheless the
son of God simply speaks the word of God and the demonic leaders
are cast down and all the human rebels killed.]
FRAMEWORKS:
Revelation 20: Peace, Testing & the Final Judgment
v.1-6
The Thousand Years
v.7-10
The Judgment of Satan
v.11-15
The Judgment of the Dead. i.e. the Final Judgment
v.1-6
The Thousand Years
v.1
(an angel is
shown with authority over Satan) And
I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the
Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.
v.2
(Satan is bound
for a thousand years) He seized
the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan,
and bound him for a thousand years.
v.3
(he is locked
up in the underworld to free the world from his activities and
then is released for a short time) He
threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to
keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand
years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short
time.
v.4
(this is a time
when the martyrs reign) I saw
thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority
to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because
of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God.
They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received
its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life
and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
v.5
(all others
who had died remain out of sight during this period) (The
rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years
were ended.) This is the first resurrection.
v.6
(this is called
‘the first resurrection' when all the martyrs of history come
alive again to reign) Blessed
and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second
death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God
and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
[Note:
These verses, which have attracted much controversy
over the years, reveal
•
Satan being bound for a thousand
years (v.1-3)
•
the martyrs of history are
resurrected to reign for this period
In
v.19 of the previous chapter were revealed a rebel army being
defeated but presumably there were still many humans still alive
who had not been soldiers which would account for ‘the nations'
of v.8 that follows. Satan being released [see below] is surely
to reveal those with hearts still not committed to God and vulnerable
to Satan's persuasive activities of deception.]
v.7-10
The Judgment of Satan
v.7,8
(after this
period Satan is released to deceive those who will be deceived
and lead them astray) When the
thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison
and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of
the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number
they are like the sand on the seashore.
v.9
(they go to
war against God's people but are destroyed by fire from heaven)
They marched across the breadth of
the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he
loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
v.10
(the devil then
joins the other two demonic beings in the lake of fire) And
the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning
sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.
They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
[Note:
After his period of further deception and Satan is finally
cast down, we should note that he, the Beast and the false prophet
are the only ones recorded who suffer eternal punishment. Although,
after the Final Judgment [see below], all unbelievers are thrown
into the lake of fire there is no mention of them continuing there
eternally. Fire usually burns up material beings and so all humans
will thus be utterly burnt up and destroyed in the lake and it
is only the three spirit-beings who remain there eternally]
v.11-15
The Judgment of the Dead. i.e. the Final Judgment
v.11 (everything
disappears from before God's throne [except [people]) Then
I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth
and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place
for them.
v.12
(the dead are
brought before the throne and records noted of how they had lived)
And I saw the dead, great and small,
standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book
was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according
to what they had done as recorded in the books.
v.13
(everyone who
had died, by whatever means, was brought before Gd to be judged)
The sea gave up the dead that were
in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them,
and each person was judged according to what they had done.
v.14
(all past ‘waiting
rooms' were destroyed) Then
death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of
fire is the second death.
v.15
(all unbelievers
are finally annihilated) Anyone
whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown
into the lake of fire.
[Note:
‘Human existence' appears here in three ‘periods' although
outside of time perhaps ‘stages' is a better word to use:
•
Being born and existing in
human life on earth.
•
Death – the stage between
the other two stages
•
Raised for Judgment – to appear
before the Final Judgment.
In
the ongoing-ness of this last stage, believers continue into eternity
with God, and unbelievers are destroyed and cease to be.]