Revelation 20 - New English Translation (NET)

The Thousand Year Reign

20 Then^[a] I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding^[b] in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. ² He^[c] seized the dragon—the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan—and tied him up for a thousand years. ³ The angel^[d] then^[e] threw him into the abyss and locked^[f] and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.)

⁴ Then^[g] I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge.^[h] I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These^[i] had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They^[j] came to life^[k] and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.)^[l] This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy is the one who takes part^[m] in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them,^[n] but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

Satan’s Final Defeat

⁷ Now^[o] when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will go out to deceive^[p] the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog,^[q] to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea.^{[r] 9} They^[s] went up^[t] on the broad plain of the earth^[u] and encircled^[v] the camp^[w] of the saints and the beloved city, but^[x] fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely.^{[y] 10} And the devil who deceived^[z] them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur,^[aa] where the beast and the false prophet are^[ab] too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever.

The Great White Throne

¹¹ Then^[ac] I saw a large^[ad] white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven^[ae] fled^[af] from his presence, and no place was found for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then^[ag] books were opened, and another book was opened—the book of life.^[ah] So^[ai] the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds.^{[aj] 13} The^[ak] sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death^[al] and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. ¹⁴ Then^[am] Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. ¹⁵ If^[an] anyone’s name^[ao] was not found written in the book of life, that person^[ap] was thrown into the lake of fire.

Footnotes

1. Revelation 20:1 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
2. Revelation 20:1 tn The two clauses “having/holding the key of the abyss” and “a huge chain in his hand” can be construed in two ways: (1) both are controlled by the participle ἔχοντα (echonta) and both are modified by the phrase “in his hand”—“having in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain.” (2) The participle ἔχοντα refers only to the key, and the phrase “in his hand” refers only to the chain—“having the key of the abyss and holding a huge chain in his hand.” Because of the stylistic tendency in Rev to use the verb ἔχω (echō) to mean “hold (something)” and the phrase “in his hand” forming a “bracket” along with the verb ἔχω around both the phrases in question, the first option is preferred.
3. Revelation 20:2 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
4. Revelation 20:3 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel introduced in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5. Revelation 20:3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
6. Revelation 20:3 tn Or “and shut.” While the lexical force of the term is closer to “shut,” it is acceptable to render the verb ἔκλεισεν (ekleisen) as “locked” here in view of the mention of the key in the previous verse.
7. Revelation 20:4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
8. Revelation 20:4 tn Grk “I saw thrones, and those seated on them, and judgment was given to them.” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 3 says, “judging, judgment, the κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς authority to judge was given to them Rv 20:4.”
9. Revelation 20:4 tn Grk “God, and who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “these” as subject.
10. Revelation 20:4 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
11. Revelation 20:4 tn On the use of the aorist ἔζησαν (ezēsan) BDAG 425 s.v. ζάω 1.a.β says, “of dead persons who return to life become alive again: of humans in general (3 Km 17:23) Mt 9:18; Ac 9:41; 20:12; Rv 20:4, 5.”
12. Revelation 20:5 sn This statement appears to be a parenthetical comment by the author.
13. Revelation 20:6 tn Grk “who has a share.”
14. Revelation 20:6 tn The shift from the singular pronoun (“the one”) to the plural (“them”) in the passage reflects the Greek text: The singular participle ὁ ἔχων (ho echōn) is followed by the plural pronoun τούτων (toutōn). In the interests of English style, this is obscured in most modern translations except the NASB.
15. Revelation 20:7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
16. Revelation 20:8 tn Or “mislead.”
17. Revelation 20:8 sn The battle with Gog and Magog is described in the OT in Ezek 38:1-39:20.
18. Revelation 20:8 tn Grk “of whom the number of them [is] like the sand of the sea” (an allusion to Isa 10:22).
19. Revelation 20:9 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
20. Revelation 20:9 tn The shift here to past tense reflects the Greek text.
21. Revelation 20:9 tn On the phrase “broad plain of the earth” BDAG 823 s.v. πλάτος states, “τὸ πλάτος τῆς γῆς Rv 20:9 comes fr. the OT (Da 12:2 LXX. Cp. Hab 1:6; Sir 1:3), but the sense is not clear: breadth = the broad plain of the earth is perh. meant to provide room for the countless enemies of God vs. 8, but the ‘going up’ is better suited to Satan (vs. 7) who has recently been freed, and who comes up again fr. the abyss (vs. 3).” The referent here thus appears to be a plain large enough to accommodate the numberless hoards that have drawn up for battle against the Lord Christ and his saints.
22. Revelation 20:9 tn Or “surrounded.”
23. Revelation 20:9 tn On the term παρεμβολή (parembolē) BDAG 775 s.v. states, “Mostly used as a military t.t.…so always in our lit.…1. a (fortified) camp…ἡ παρεμβολὴ τῶν ἁγίων Rv 20:9 is also to be understood fr. the OT use of the word.”
24. Revelation 20:9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
25. Revelation 20:9 tn See L&N 20.45 for the translation of κατεσθίω (katesthiō) as “to destroy utterly, to consume completely.”
26. Revelation 20:10 tn Or “misled.”
27. Revelation 20:10 tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”
28. Revelation 20:10 tn The verb in this clause is elided. In keeping with the previous past tenses some translations supply a past tense verb here (“were”), but in view of the future tense that follows (“they will be tormented”), a present tense verb was used to provide a transition from the previous past tense to the future tense that follows.
29. Revelation 20:11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
30. Revelation 20:11 tn Traditionally, “great,” but μέγας (megas) here refers to size rather than importance.
31. Revelation 20:11 tn Or “and the sky.” The same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky,” and context usually determines which is meant. In this apocalyptic scene, however, it is difficult to be sure what referent to assign the term.
32. Revelation 20:11 tn Or “vanished.”sn The phrase the earth and the heaven fled from his presence can be understood (1) as visual imagery representing the fear of corruptible matter in the presence of God, but (2) it can also be understood more literally as the dissolution of the universe as we know it in preparation for the appearance of the new heaven and new earth (Rev 21:1).
33. Revelation 20:12 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
34. Revelation 20:12 tn Grk “another book was opened, which is of life.”
35. Revelation 20:12 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the books being opened.
36. Revelation 20:12 tn Grk “from the things written in the books according to their works.”
37. Revelation 20:13 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
38. Revelation 20:13 sn Here Death is personified (cf. 1 Cor 15:55).
39. Revelation 20:14 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
40. Revelation 20:15 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
41. Revelation 20:15 tn The word “name” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
42. Revelation 20:15 tn Grk “he”; the pronoun has been intensified by translating as “that person.”