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Lesson 28 – The Final Doom of Satan and The Great White Throne Judgment

Lesson 28 – The Final Doom of Satan and The Great White Throne Judgment

(Revelation 20:1-15)

Revelation 20 records four final-day events.  Revelation 20:1-3 records the thousand-year period in which Satan will be bound in the abyss.  Revelation 20:4-6 records some brief information about the millennial reign of Christ.  Revelation 20:5-10 records the final doom of Satan.  Revelation 20:11-15 records information regarding the Great White Throne Judgment.

At the end of the Tribulation, after Jesus Christ and His army has conquered His enemies and the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet have been cast into the Lake of Fire, Satan will be bound for a thousand years in the Abyss (we know this is temporary because of Revelation 20:7-10).  Revelation 20:1-3 describes what is going to happen.  An angel from Heaven will come to earth, seize Satan, put him in chains, cast him into the Abyss (bottomless pit) and seal it for a thousand years.  This event marks the beginning of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ and those who reign with Him.  Those who reign with Him include believers from the Old Testament, Church Age believers and tribulational believers.

Characteristics of the Millennium

  1. Believers only enter the Millennium – Revelation 20:9
  2. Israel restored as a nation – Isaiah 35:3-10
  3. No religion exists, Jesus Christ is in the Temple
  4. Jesus Christ is on earth as ruler – Revelation 20:4
  5. There will be universal peace – Isaiah 2:2-4
  6. Business will prosper – Psalms 72:1-7, 16
  7. There will be universal knowledge of God – Isaiah 11:1-10
  8. Creation loosed from the bondage of sin – Romans 8:19-22
  9. Animals are peaceful – Isaiah 11:6-9
  10. Weather conditions will be perfect causing plant life to flourish –    Isaiah 35:1-2,7
  11. Satan will be bound for 1000 years – Revelations 20:3

Satan’s deceit of all nations will cease during the Millennium.  Even though all unbelievers will be destroyed at the end of the Tribulation, people will continue to be born in the Millennium.  Some of these people will believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and some will reject Him.  Therefore, we can conclude that even without Satan on the scene, people will still use their volition to reject Jesus Christ. 

John saw in his vision thrones (seats of authority) and persons seated on them to whom the authority to judge was given.  John saw the tribulational believers who had not succumbed to the deceit of the Anti-Christ by worshipping him, his image or receiving his mark, reigning with Christ for a thousand years.  It is reasonable to believe that all believers who are part of the Lord’s army are in view here as ruling with Him.  (Revelation 2:26-28, 3:12,21, 5:10; I Corinthians 6:2-3)

Beginning in Revelation 20:7 John records the brief period in which Satan is released from his prison at the end of the Millennium.  When he is released he is allowed the opportunity to once again deceive the nations.  The nations are called Gog and Magog.  Magog first appears in Scripture in Genesis 10:2 as a name of one of Noah’s grandsons.  It appears again in Ezekiel 38:2 where Magog is a region and Gog is the prince of the land.  This reference in Revelation seems to be used symbolically to refer to the enemies of God.  Therefore, the battle at the end of the Millennium is most often called the Battle of Gog and Magog.

From the unbelievers who Satan will deceive, a great army will be gathered to do battle with the Lord Jesus Christ.  They will surround the city of Jerusalem where the throne of Jesus Christ is located and is the dwelling place for a large number of believers.  Fortunately, Satan and his army do not get the opportunity to do battle, as they are destroyed by the Lord with fire from Heaven. 

Satan will then be seized and cast into the Lake of Fire along with the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet who have been there since the end of the Tribulation.  As a side note, this proves that the torment in the Lake of Fire (hell) is not annihilation.  Their existence is for all eternity where they will experience torment forever.

Revelation 20:11, seems to indicate that the earth and heavens are destroyed at this time (the earth and the heaven fled away and no place was found for them). (II Peter 3:7-12) John saw the throne of God, which he described as a “great white throne.”  For this reason, this judgment is called The Great White Throne Judgment.  The verses that follow let us know that this judgment is for unbelievers only from all dispensations.  Several books are opened revealing the works of the unbelievers. 

The Book of Life will also be opened revealing the fact that no one is justified by his good works.  No amount of human good works adds up to the righteousness of Christ, which is necessary to have eternal life. (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 3:5, 13, 8; 21:27)

Unbelievers – Revelation 20:11-15

  1. All unbelievers
    1. At death
      1. Body goes into the grave
      2. Soul goes into Hades – Luke 16:19-31
    2. At resurrection
      1. Unbeliever receives a body of some kind – John 5:28-29; Matthew 18:8-9
      2. Soul joins the body to appear before the Great White Throne Judgment – Revelation 20:11-15

The sea will give up its dead.  Death and Hades will give up their dead and all will be judged.  Those who were in these categories will be cast into the Lake of Fire, which is the second death.  Luke 16 gives us a brief look at what the Lake of Fire (hell) will be like.

Hell

Greek: Hades

Hebrew: Sheol

Both mean “the lower parts of the earth”

Jesus Christ has the keys- Revelation 1:18

Made up of three parts originally

  1. Tartarus – place where fallen angels of Genesis 6 are bound
  2. Torments – place where unbelievers’ souls are awaiting the last judgment – Luke 16:23, Revelation 20:11-15
  3. Paradise – place where the believer went until Jesus Christ ascended- Luke 16:20-31

Paradise is now located in heaven

  1. Paul’s testimony – II Corinthians 12:1-4
  2. Jesus led captivity captive – Ephesians 4:8-10

Torments was enlarged when Paradise was removed by Jesus Christ – Isaiah 5:14

Tartarus

  1. Fallen angels of Genesis 6 are bound here – II Peter 2:4
  2. Bound because they left heaven (their first estate) – Jude 6
  3. Disobeyed God in cohabiting with human women – Jude 7
  4. Jesus proclaimed His victory showing them that they had not been successful in cutting of the line of the Messiah – I Peter 3:19-20

Lake of Fire is called hell (Greek: Geenna) from the Hebrew (Ge-Hinnom (the valley of Tophet) and Gehenna – it was prepared for Satan and his demons but is also the final place for all unbelievers.  (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:11-15)