The Thousand Years

20 I saw an angel coming down from heaven. He had the key to the ·bottomless pit [Abyss; 9:1] and a ·large [great] chain in his hand. ² The angel ·grabbed [seized] the dragon, that ·old snake [ancient serpent] who is the devil and Satan [12:9; Gen. 3:15], and ·tied him up [bound him; Mark 3:27] for a thousand years. ³ Then he threw him into the ·bottomless pit [Abyss], ·closed [or locked] it, and ·locked it [^Lsealed it; or placed a seal on it] over him. The angel did this so he could not ·trick [deceive; lead astray] the ·people of the earth [nations] anymore until the thousand years were ·ended [finished; completed]. After ·a thousand years [^Lthese things] he must be set free for a short time.

⁴ Then I saw some thrones and people sitting on them who had been given the power to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been ·killed [^Lbeheaded] because ·they were faithful to the message [of their testimony/witness] of Jesus and [^Lbecause of] the ·message from [word of] God. They had not worshiped the beast or his ·idol [image], and they had not received the ·mark [brand; stamp] of the beast on their foreheads or on their hands. They came back to life and ·ruled [reigned] with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ (The others that were dead did not live again until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first ·raising of the dead [resurrection]. ⁶ ·Blessed [Happy] and holy are those who ·share [have a part] in this first ·raising of the dead [resurrection]. The second death [^Cbeing cast in the lake of fire] has no ·power [authority] over them. They will be priests for God and for Christ and will ·rule [reign] with him for a thousand years.

⁷ When the thousand years are over, Satan will be set free from his prison. ⁸ Then he will go out to ·trick [deceive; lead astray] the nations in ·all [^Lthe four corners of] the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle [Ezek. 38—39]. ·There are so many people [^LIn number] they will be like ·sand on the seashore [or the sand of the sea]. ⁹ And ·Satan’s army [^Lthey] marched across [^Lthe breadth of; or the broad plain of] the earth and ·gathered around [surrounded] the camp of ·God’s people [^Tthe saints] and the city God loves. But fire came down from heaven and ·burned them up [consumed/devoured them; 13:13; 1 Kin. 18:38; 2 Kin. 1:10, 12]. ¹⁰ And ·Satan [^Lthe Devil], who ·tricked them [deceived them; led them astray], was thrown into the lake of ·burning sulfur [^Lfire and sulfur] with the beast and the false prophet. There they will be ·punished [tormented; tortured] day and night forever and ever.

People of the World Are Judged

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and the One who was sitting on it. Earth and ·sky [heaven] ·ran away [fled] from ·him [^Lhis presence/face] and ·disappeared [^Lno place was found for them]. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. Then ·books [scrolls] were opened, and [^Lanother book/scroll, which is] the ·book [scroll] of life was opened [3:5; Dan. 12:1–2]. The dead were judged by what they had done, which was ·written [recorded] in the ·books [scrolls]. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades [^Cthe realm of the dead, also known as Sheol; 6:8] gave up the dead who were in them. Each person was judged by what he had done. ¹⁴ And Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ¹⁵ And anyone whose name was not found written in the book [scroll] of life was thrown into the lake of fire.