And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
[i]King James himself called this restraining "chain" The Gospel of Christ[/i]
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
[i]This "thousand years" could mean literally "one thousand years" or a "great measure of time". If it is the latter, Satan is bound, or restrained, for a long time by the Gospel.
"For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." (PSA 90:4)
"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (II PET 3:8)[/i]
And cast him into the bottomless pit, 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.
[i]Christanity flourished under the European monarchs until the 17th and 18th centuries. The French, American, and Russian revolutions and two World Wars effectively nullified the power of the ruling elite. The farsightedness of the monarchs was replaced by the greed of merchants and lawyers... spiritism, astrology, psychoanalysis, evolution, etc replaced the Gospel as truth... Thus, Satan is loosed on the Earth.[/i]
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped 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.
[i]These are all the saints and martyrs of Jesus Christ who "loved not their lives unto death"; they include those who have lived, preached and died since Early Church times, today, and those who will suffer perseuction under the beast.[/i]
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
[i]A "first resurrection" implies a "first death". This is Spirit Baptism by Fire, the spiritual death of the "old man" and the resurrection of the "new man" (symbolised and declared by water baptism). Once Baptised, the believer is immortal and lives on even after his physical body dies. Thus, the "second death", or death of the physical body, has no power.[/i]
And 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 together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
[i]King James said "Gog" meant "hidden" or "hypocritical" enemies of Christ that worked against the Church from within. "Magog" means "revealed", or open enemies of God, like communists, secularists, humanists, socialists, etc.
True believers, according to the King, would be buffeted by so-called Christian hypocrites on the right and Athiestic forces on the left.[/i]
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
[i]Notice here the "Beloved City" of the elect is described as a "camp", surrounded and horribly outnumbered. Few, not many, are Christ's citizens and sons and daughters of God.[/i]
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
[i]"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." (II PET 3:10)[/i]
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.
[i]"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." (II PET 3:13)[/i]
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
[i]"And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." (REV 17:15)[/i]
And death and hell 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.
[i]Whoever is Baptised dies the first death and is resurrected in newness of life. Physical death will not kill Christ's elect and hell will never hold them. Thus, they don't suffer the second death.
But those who didn't die spiritually before dying physically [b]must[/b] die spiritually in the hereafter...
That's my take on Rev 20. I hope it helps.[/i]
