Apostle John starts this chapter with ‘and I saw’ or ‘then I saw’.
He is connecting with previous events of throwing Antichrist & False prophet into the lake of fire.
So God broke the unholy trinity once for all and the only one left is Satan.
This chapter can be divided into three sections:
I. Millennial rule of Lord Jesus Christ – Verses 1-6
Six times we come across this word ‘1000years’ in seven verses
A. Satan is removed (1-3)
Number one priority for the 1000 years is to disconnect Satan from kingdom of Lord Jesus
Serpent in Genesis; devil or Satan is a deceiver of people throughout human history.
He was captured and bound with a great chain by an angel could be an arch angel.
It is all literal-no symbolism or signs used here.
The angel throws Satan into Abyss, shuts the lid, locked and sealed.
Abyss is the bottomless as a prison for the fallen angels.
It is located inside the earth – a virtual place for evil spirits
B. The people in the kingdom (4-6)
John saw thrones were set up and people were assigned positions of authority.
All the saints will be ruling with the Lord in the millennial kingdom.
1. The Church was raptured and then came with the Lord Jesus Christ.
These are saints resurrected before tribulation in their glorified bodies.
2. The tribulation martyrs who did not take mark of the beast, stood for faith and killed.
They came to life in glorified bodies
3. All the Old Testament saints were raised in their glorified bodies.
These saints died before the cross of our Lord Jesus and HIS resurrection
4. All Saved people who came out of the tribulation physically alive.
Antichrist could not kill them as God protected them during tribulation
All unsaved people’s groups were killed during Armageddon and were wiped out completely.
So when 1000 years rule of the Lord begins, there are no unsaved people on earth.
First resurrection is a process where the believers in the lord Jesus Christ (Church); the Old Testament saints; and the tribulation martyrs were all raised in glorified bodies to rule with HIM in the millennial kingdom.
II. Satan is permanently removed – verses 7-10
Satan will be released from the abyss soon after 1000 years rule of the Lord.
He will deceive the nations of the globe
Who are these people deceived by Satan?
In the absence of evil, earth will revisit Garden of Eden like atmosphere under Lord’s rule.
Only people who will have physical bodies are the tribulation believers.
Like in the days of pre-flood period, people will have extended life living more than 100 years.
They will have children and grandchildren and populate the earth in the 1000 years rule.
Only human beings who are still capable to reproduce as all others are in the glorified bodies
Let us not forget that these human beings though saved still possess the original sin.
The children born to them are capable of sinning again due to the sin factor.
Outwardly they may not rebel due to the millennial rule but inwardly they are still sinners capable of sinning.
These rebels all over the globe and will be deceived by Satan.
They gather once again under Satan to fight Lord Jesus who is ruling from Jerusalem.
Fire from heaven devours everyone that rebelled.
Satan was thrown into the lake of fire to join the Antichrist and the false prophet.
Lord God purges the evil from the earth once for all.
III. White Throne judgment – verses 11-15
This judgment is for unbelievers only – not for believers
A great white throne was set up in heaven as the earth and heaven were removed.
It is simply called the ‘un-creation’ of what God created.
God has to wipe out the old creation which was polluted with sin and evil.
God has to create a new heaven and new earth for the dwelling of all saved people.
The ideas of “giving up the dead” and “delivering up the dead” has to do with restoring physical bodies to their spirits.
The earth, the sea, and Hades (the temporary holding place of all unsaved) will give up every person who rebelled against God from the first family Adam and Eve.
Their physical bodies long died but their spirits were in Hades.
Hades gives up all unsaved souls to join their bodies fit for eternal punishment.
All unsaved people will be raised to a body that is fit for the Lake of fire.
This is not a spirit but an identifiable body to stand before the White Throne Judgment.
Books are opened containing all the information recorded of the unsaved people.
They are like individual hard drives of each person containing all the information recorded from birth to death.
Lord Jesus Christ will judge each unsaved person according to their deeds recorded in each person’s book or a hard drive.
Another book called the Book of Life was opened containing all names of the saved people who are destined for eternity.
Not only old creation of earth and heaven are removed but also death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire.
There is no death and no Hades in the new creation.
No place is needed for the condemned souls as there is no sin in the new order.