Revelation 20 - Should Everything in the Book of Revelation Be Interpreted Literally?

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The Thousand Years

20 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

The 1,000 years that Satan was thrown in hell and bound with a great chain is called the "millennium". The are major interpretive differences among New Testament theologians which relate to this term. You have post-millennialists, who believe we are living in that period now as the tribulation has already happened. Pre-millennialists believe this will happen after the 7 year period of tribulation and then followed by the end of the world. Amillennialism is the belief the millennial period is symbolic in nature. 

If you would like a summary of eschatology which is a study of the end times, you can click on this link. It is helpful in reviewing different approaches to interprets all the matters referring to the end times and return of Christ! 

Guide to Christian Eschatology or Study of the "End Times"  

We are reminded that Satan's primary tool is deception, which is why ready God's Word is so important. It is knowing the truth that sets Christians free. Satan is get bound in hell for the 1,000 years, which presumes there is more to come during future 1,000 years regarding the future state of Christians and non-Christians. 

Enduring Word describes the futurist view of the pre-Millennialism point of view as opposed to the Post-Millennial and Amillennialistic points of view. 

This thousand-year period is often known as the Millennium. Through church history, there has been many different ways of understanding the Millennium.

i. The Bible speaks powerfully to other aspects of the millennial earth. Tragically, the Church through history has often ignored or denied the promise of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. The early church until Augustine almost universally believed in an earthly, historical reign of Jesus, initiated by His return. Tyconius (in the late 300’s) was the first to influentially champion a spiritualized interpretation, saying that this Millennium is now (amillennialism) and must be understood as a spiritual reign of Jesus, not a literal reign. His view was adopted by Augustine, the Roman Catholic Church and most Reformation theologians.

ii. Growing out of amillennialism is the doctrine of postmillennialsim, saying the millennium will happen in this age, before Jesus’ return – but that the church will bring it to pass. Yet the clear teaching of the Bible isn’t amillennialism or postmillennialism, but what is called premillennialism – the teaching that Jesus Christ will return to this earth before the millennial earth, and He will establish and govern it directly.

Lutheran View of the Millennial Period

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod View of the Millennium

4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

These verses also depend on one's millennial view. The literal view is that literally these Christians who had died because of their testimony were resurrected first and reigned on the earth with Christ for a 1,000 years. The rest of the dead in Christ resurrect until after the 1,000 years ended. 

Here is more commentary coming from the literal 1,000 reign of Christ. 

Is it a literal 1,000 years? We should take a number literally unless there is clear reason or evidence to do otherwise. We should take this thousand years literally, because God has an important work to accomplish during the Millennium.

i. The Millennium is important because it will demonstrate Jesus’ victory and worthiness to rule the nations.

ii. The Millennium is important because it will reveal the depths of man’s rebellious nature in a perfect environment. Some people seem to believe that man is basically good, and deep down he really wants God’s righteous rule. Many believe that man is really innocent, and corrupted only by a bad environment. The Millennium will answer these questions before the great judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).

iii. The Millennium is important because it will display the eternal depravity of Satan, who continues his evil as soon as he is released from his incarceration.

iv. The Millennium is important because it will show the invulnerability of the city of God and God’s new order.

v. “Let us rejoice that Scripture is so clear and so explicit upon this great doctrine of the future triumph of Christ over the whole world … We believe that the Jews will be converted, and that they will be restored to their own land. We believe that Jerusalem will be the central metropolis of Christ’s kingdom; we also believe that all the nations shall walk in the light of the glorious city which shall be built at Jerusalem. We expect that the glory which shall have its center there, shall spread over the whole world, covering it as with a sea of holiness, happiness, and delight. For this we look with joyful expectation.” (Spurgeon)

The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. 

Got Questions - First and Second Resurrections

The Judgment of Satan

7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

The devil is given one last chance to try and deceive the nations. They also came to surround the people of Israel in the Great City. Finally, fire came down to destroy both Satan and the nations. The devil, the beast (antichrist), and the false prophet were all thrown into a lake of fire and tormented forever. Yes one day there will be justice for all the violence and pain the devil has perpetrated on the earth. 

For the thousand years of the direct reign of Jesus over this earth, Satan was bound and inactive. But after the thousand years are over, he will be released and successfully organize many people of the earth in another rebellion against God.

If Jesus has reigned so wonderfully for a thousand years, then why will the earth rebel? They will do it, and God will allow it, as a final demonstration of man’s rebellion and depravity. Outward conformity to Jesus’ rule will be required during His reign, but seemingly, an inward embrace of His Lordship will still be up to the individual.

 We don’t know if the saints referred to here are glorified saints who reign with Jesus, or earth-inhabitants who come to faith in Jesus during the Millennium. Either way, the strategy of this vast Satanic army is clear: to destroy God’s people, and the “headquarters” or “capital city” of His administration, Jerusalem (the beloved city).

The Judgment of the Dead

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the final judgment of the world. It seems as though the dead were judged by "what they had done", but it would be better to say they were judged by what they did with the gospel. We know there are no amount of good works we can do to be saved. We will be judged by one thing and one thing only, did we received the free gift of God's grace by faith in Jesus Christ. 

 If people are not listed in the Book of Life, then each one is judged according to his works. Those who refuse to come to God by faith will, by default, be judged (and condemned) by their works.

“The issue is not salvation by works but works as the irrefutable evidence of a man’s actual relationship with God.” (Mounce)

The second death is the eternal destiny of those who have died. Those who were not written in the book of life (those who accepted Christ) were thrown into a lake of fire. 

Again this begs this question, will unbelievers really be thrown into a lake of fire, or is this symbolic language?

In my opinion, as I have studied and read these scriptures for many years, these are incredibly hard questions to answer. We all know God can do what He wants. We all believe in scripture, so a literalist interpretation would say, "If the bible says it, it will be so." But the problem with taking everything literally in the bible is that once you take everything literally then you have to be consistent with that stance. 

You will have to hold to the fact that 144,000 Jews will be saved? One more or one less and the bible is not literally true. If the bible said Jesus fed 5,000, it can't be 4,999 or 5,001? If people are thrown into a lake of fire and they are tormented forever then this can't be seen in any other way? You have to ask the question, "Would God torment someone forever in hell with fire because they refused his offer of salvation?" Or, could you say those who reject God will be forever separated from him because God can't make anyone believe in Him just like you can't make someone love you. Would being separated from God forever knowing you rejected his free offer of salvation be like being tormented with fire forever.  

The question for us to answer as we consider these questions of interpretation is, "Is this the purpose and nature of the bible to be taken literal in every jot and tittle". I.e. If Jesus says, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off" then you have to take that literally. A literalist might say, "Jesus is clearly being metaphorical at this point", but that too is a human judgment based on what you generally know of Jesus to be true. I.e. You don't think Jesus would ever be an advocate of self-mutilation. 

So you see the challenge? I believe the bible is literally true, but I don't believe unless I believe every single word in the bible is literally true is the only litmus test for the authority of God's Word in my life . The main purpose of the bible is to lead us to salvation in Jesus Christ. It is a love story between God and the people he created. The bible is historically true. I.e. Jesus was really born, Jesus did really die, and Jesus did really rise from the dead. Those literal facts of the bible are non-negotiable upon which the bible stands or falls. Clearly those texts are written as literal history just as the Old Testament stories of the patriarch in our faith are. \

But the Revelation is "apocalyptic literature", which came to the apostle John in a vision. It was a vision of the end times when Jesus would return to judge the living and the dead and set up a kingdom which would never end. 

But does my faith rest on the 144,000 can only mean 144,000 Jews who are saved in the end. (After all in Romans 13 Paul says "all Israel will be saved!" If I take both literally one has to be wrong.  Are unbelievers being thrown into a literal lake of fire? 

It is enough for me to believe at the time appointed by God, that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. Those who believe in Jesus will live eternally with Him, and those who reject Jesus will be eternally separated from him.  

Someone once told me to "major in the majors". If we get so caught in the minors it can be highly divisive in the church. Whole denominations and church have split of these matters with well meaning Christians on both sides getting caught in the crossfire. Some might think that anyone who doesn't take a literal view of the bible in ways that I have mentioned here don't really believe in the bible and therefore even their salvation might be in question.  

This is why I think Creeds that have been used by the church to summarize the essence of what we believe in are important. One such Creed that I believe majors in the majors is the Apostle's Creed written in the 5th century. 

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died and was buried.

He descended into hell.

On the third day He rose again from the dead.

He ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.

From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy Christian* Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.