Satan is bound for a thousand years. The souls of the martyrs reign
with Christ in the first resurrection. The last attempts of Satan
against the church. The last judgment.
20:1. And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
20:2. And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the
devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
Bound him, etc.... The power of Satan has been very much limited by the
passion of Christ: for a thousand years; that is, for the whole time of
the New Testament; but especially from the time of the destruction of
Babylon or pagan Rome, till the new efforts of Gog and Magog against
the church, towards the end of the world. During which time the souls
of the martyrs and saints live and reign with Christ in heaven, in the
first resurrection, which is that of the soul to the life of glory; as
the second resurrection will be that of the body, at the day of the
general judgment.
20:3. And he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a
seal upon him, that he should no more seduce the nations till the
thousand years be finished. And after that, he must be loosed a little
time.
20:4. And I saw seats. And they sat upon them: and judgment was given
unto them. And the souls of them that were beheaded for the testimony
of Jesus and for the word of God and who had not adored the beast nor
his image nor received his character on their foreheads or in their
hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
20:5. The rest of the dead lived not, till the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection.
20:6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.
In these the second death hath no power. But they shall be priests of
God and of Christ: and shall reign with him a thousand years.
20:7. And when the thousand years shall be finished, Satan shall be
loosed out of his prison and shall go forth and seduce the nations
which are over the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog: and shall
gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of
the sea.
20:8. And they came upon the breadth of the earth and encompassed the
camp of the saints and the beloved city.
20:9. And there came down fire from God out of heaven and devoured
them: and the devil, who seduced them, was cast into the pool of fire
and brimstone, where both the beast
20:10. And the false prophet shall be tormented day and night for ever
and ever.
20:11. And I saw a great white throne and one sitting upon it, from
whose face the earth and heaven fled away: and there was no place found
for them.
20:12. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing in the presence of
the throne. And the books were opened: and another book was opened,
which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by those things
which were written in the books, according to their works.
20:13. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it: and death and hell
gave up their dead that were in them. And they were judged, every one
according to their works.
20:14. And hell and death were cast into the pool of fire. This is the
second death.
20:15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the pool of fire.