(Chapter 19:11–21:8)
The prophecies thus far in the book have taken us up to the Appearing of Christ. Things have been developed from three different standpoints, each ending at the point of His coming in judgment (chap. 11:15-18; 14:14-20; 16:15-21). This closing section of the book picks up the thread of things from that moment and takes us from the Appearing of Christ, through the Millennium, to the Eternal State.
Eight Great Visions
There are eight great visions in this section indicated by the words, “I saw ... ” (chap. 19:11, 17, 19; 20:1, 4, 11, 12; 21:1). These visions are of consecutive order, stretching from the Appearing of Christ to the Eternal State.
The First Vision—Christ the Victorious Conqueror
Chap. 19:11-16—The thread of prophetic events is now resumed with a detailed account of the Appearing of Christ. The heavens are “opened” because the moment of Christ’s Appearing has come. This is quite different from chapter 4:1 where a door in heaven was opened for John to pass in; here it is opened for Christ and the armies of heaven to come out. The Lord Jesus said that no one knows the exact hour when this will be (Matt. 24:36). The sovereignty of the earth is really the great thing at stake, and it will be decided once and for all at this time. The result is that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (Rev. 11:15). This is the Lord’s Davidic (warrior) character of judgment.
• He rides a “white horse.” This is not literal, but symbolic of His victorious power (vs. 11a). In ancient eastern countries when a king came to a place on an ass, it meant he was coming in peace (Zech. 9:9), but when he came on a horse, it was in war. This Rider must not to be confused with the rider on a “white horse” in chapter 6:1-2, which is papal Rome professing purity of motive in gathering the nations of western Europe together into a federation.
• He is called “Faithful and True” because He judges in righteousness and according to the truth (vs. 11b).
• His eyes are “a flame of fire,” meaning that He has divine omniscience that searches out all hidden evil and deals with it according to righteousness (vs. 12a).
• He wears “many crowns [diadems]” referring to the universal dominion that belongs to Him (vs. 12b).
• Having a “name written, that no man knew” speaks of the intrinsic glory of His person that no human can know (vs. 12c; Matt. 11:27).
• He is clothed with “a vesture dipped in blood” meaning that He comes in vengeance (vs. 13a). The blood here is not His blood that was shed for sinners, but the blood of His enemies (Compare Isa. 34:6; 63:1-4).
• His name is “the Word of God” because He is the perfect exponent of the mind of God as expressed in judgment (vs. 13b; John 1:1).
• The “armies” of heaven that follow Him are the glorified heavenly saints from Old Testament and New Testament times who will attend His coming (vs. 14; 1 Thess. 3:13; 4:14; Jude 14; Zech. 14:5; Rev. 17:14). They have no weapons because they don’t need any; the battle is the Lord’s.
• Out of His mouth goes “a sharp sword” (vs. 15). Thus, His Word will be the instrument of His enemies’ destruction (Heb. 4:12; Isa. 30:31). The purpose of His coming in judgment is twofold: firstly, to “smite the nations ... with a rod of iron” which assemble at Armageddon––the Harvest judgment. Secondly, to tread “the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God”––the Vintage judgment (Isa. 63:1-6; Rev. 14:18-20). (This latter judgment is not mentioned here because the Spirit of God is focusing on Christ’s Appearing, and the Vintage does not happen then, but sometime later.)
• His name (or title) is “King of kings, and Lord of lords” (vs. 16). This indicates His sovereign right to rule over all kingdoms.
The Second Vision—the Summoning of the Ravenous Birds of Prey to the Supper of God
Chap. 19:17-18—So sure is the judgment of the armies that gather to oppose the intervention of Christ that an angel summons “all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven” to feed on the fallen warriors. This is the second “supper” in this chapter. “The marriage supper of the Lamb” is a scene of joy and blessing in heaven; “the supper of the great God” is a scene of judgment on earth. This supper is of the dead who have fallen in battle (vss. 17-18).
The Third Vision—the Judgment at Armageddon
Chap. 19:19-21—The judgment the Lord will execute at this time is the first in a series of judgments. When He appears, He will first deal with the Western powers at Armageddon. These are the confederate armies under the Beast (political Babylon) who will come to the land of Israel from the west with their massive navy (Num. 24:24). At the same time, the Lord will dispatch His angels who will go through the prophetic earth and take out all who have rejected the gospel and cast them into Hell (Matt. 13:38-43; 24:40-41). This is the Harvest judgment.
Vss. 20-21—There is no account of the battles at Armageddon given here, just the result. The Beast (the leader of the Western confederacy) is taken with the Antichrist and cast alive into the lake of fire. The Antichrist is not called “another beast” or “the king,” but “the false prophet,” because at this point he will be reduced to that role, having lost his place of rule in the land of Israel as king. Prior to this, he will have fled from his post in the land when the King of the North and His Arab confederacy attacked (Zech. 11:17; Isa. 22:19; Jer. 39:4; John 10:13).
The Fourth Vision—Satan Bound for 1000 Years (the Millennium)
Chap. 20:1-3—It is God’s desire to display the glory of Christ through the Church in the very place where He was rejected and cast out, and thus vindicate Him before the eyes of all (Matt. 17:1-2; John 17:23; 2 Thess. 1:10). He will do this in the Millennium—the 1000-year reign of Christ. However, the whole scene must be cleansed before the stage can be set for the display of His kingdom glory. As we have seen in the previous chapters, this cleansing will be through judgment. Having judged His enemies, the Lord will make “wars to cease” (Psa. 46:6-9; Isa. 2:4).
If peace and blessing is to be had on earth, Satan, who is the great instigator of violence and corruption, must be removed. The final act of preparing the scene for the display of Christ’s glory will be to cast him and his angels into “the bottomless pit [abyss].” They will remain there “for many days”—the duration of the Millennium (Isa. 24:21-22). The earth will be free of his influence for 1000 years! This is something the world has never known.
The sphere of Satan’s movements will continually be restricted, until at last he will be thrown into the lake of fire (Hell). He once had the privilege of being in “the garden of God” (the abode of God), but when he sinned, he was expelled (Ezek. 28:11-19). Being cast out, he has had the run of the heavens and the earth, which he has sought to corrupt (Job 1:6-7; 15:15). At the time of the flood, some of his emissaries were confined in the pit on account of their particular wickedness of attempting to co-habit with the daughters of men (Gen. 6:2; 2 Peter 2:5; Jude 6). Then, in the middle of the coming prophetic week of Daniel, he will be cast out of the heavens “into the earth” (Rev. 12:7-9; Luke 10:18). When Christ appears at the end of the prophetic week, Satan and his angels will be cast into “the bottomless pit [abyss]” for 1000 years. Then, after his last revolt (having been let out of the pit after 1000 years), he will be cast into “the lake of fire”—his eternal abode of everlasting judgment (Rev. 20:10; Matt. 25:41).
The Fifth Vision—the Heavenly Saints Reign With Christ for 1000 Years (the Millennium)
Chap. 20:4-10—After all hostile powers are put down, Christ will reign over all the works of His hands with the heavenly saints (Rev. 20:4-6). Scripture tells us that God has “appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained” (Acts 17:31). This “day” is not a single day of 24 hours but the whole period of 1000 years—the Millennium. It is “the day of the Lord” (2 Peter 3:8-10; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2; Isa. 2:10-22; Joel 1:15; Zeph. 2:2; Mal. 4:5). The Harvest and Vintage judgments prior to this are the Lord’s Davidic warrior judgments, but this is His Solomonic reign in peace (1 Kings 5:4; Psa. 72:7-8; Psa. 147:14; Isa. 60:18).
A summary is given of those who will be privileged to share in Christ’s reign of righteousness. There are three classes of heavenly saints who will sit on “thrones” in the administration of the kingdom. These thrones are in the heavens, not on earth (Dan. 7:22, 27 JND – “the saints of the high [places]”). Thus, the saints will assist in the judgment of the world to come (1 Cor. 6:2):
• “They sat upon them” are the glorified saints from New and Old Testament times (vs. 4a).
• “The souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word of God” are the martyrs from the first half of the prophetic week who will be raised and glorified (Rev. 6:9-11).
• Those who “had not worshipped the Beast, neither his image” are the martyrs from the last half of the prophetic week who will also be raised and glorified (Rev. 14:2-3; 15:2-4).
Chap. 20:7-10—At the end of the Millennium, Satan will be “loosed out of his prison.” Immediately he will make one final, desperate attempt to regain mastery over the world. He will go out and “deceive” those who are lost, and they will follow him in an all-out attempt to overthrow the saints in “the beloved city.” This is the last siege of Jerusalem. Those who follow him are called “Gog and Magog,” but they are not the same people as in Ezekiel 38-39. Those who follow Satan at this time are called that because they have the same godless character of unbelief. God will use this event to bring Satan and all who follow him to their final end. “Fire” (a symbol of judgment) will come down from God and devour them. Satan will be cast into the lake of fire—his eternal abode of judgment.
The Sixth Vision—the Great White Throne
Chap. 20:11—The sixth vision is of “a great white throne” and “Him” who sits on it. Hence, the Millennium begins and ends with a sessional judgment (vss. 4, 12-15). Who is the occupant of this throne? It is not God the Father, but God the Son, for all judgment has been committed into His hand (John 5:22).
The Seventh Vision—the Judgment of the Wicked Dead
Chap. 20:12-13—This final scene of judgment is that of the wicked dead. The last recorded act in time is the judgment of those who follow Satan in his final revolt; the first recorded act in eternity is the resurrection and judgment of the wicked dead. Between these two events the “earth and heaven” will flee away from the “face” of Him who sits on the throne. They actually happen at the same time. At this point, the melting of the elements of the whole creation will take place (2 Peter 3:7-12). This will not include the abode of God (“the third heaven”) for the fires of purification cannot touch it.
There will not be a universal resurrection of all men. Scripture indicates that there are two resurrections: a “resurrection of life,” and a “resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15). This chapter calls the resurrection of life “the first resurrection” (vs. 5). It involves the righteous only. The fact that it says, “The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished,” indicates that there is another resurrection after the first resurrection—and it involves the wicked. Hence, it could be called, “the second resurrection.”
The wicked dead from the beginning of time will be raised to receive their eternal sentence of judgment. They will stand there suspended in space before their Creator and will be sentenced to a lost eternity in “the lake of fire”—Hell (Job 14:12). Contrary to popular teaching, there is no one in Hell (the lake of fire) yet. Those who have died in their sins are presently in “prison” in Hades (1 Peter 3:19), which is a temporary state of confinement for disembodied spirits who are lost. The first persons cast into Hell (the lake of fire) are the Beast and the Antichrist, then all those who have rejected the gospel of the grace of God in the Western nations will be put there by the angels (the Harvest judgment). The wicked dead are the last to be consigned there. Since these people will be raised from the dead to stand before the great white throne, they will be cast into the lake of fire alive (spirit, soul, and body) and will suffer in endless separation from God.
All who are not found written in “the book of life” are judged according to their works, as recorded in “the books.” The fact that there are books indicates that God keeps records of men’s lives. Every thought, word, and deed is recorded there. Luke 12:47-48 indicates that there will be varying degrees of punishment for the lost in Hell. It will be a just judgment, and they will be punished “according to their works.” No one will suffer for something he or she didn’t do.
Chap. 20:14-15—“Death and Hades” are personified as powers, and are cast into the lake of fire in everlasting defeat. Both have come into existence because man sinned, but now there will be no further need of them. “The lake of fire” is the eternal depository of the lost where they will suffer. A “lake” denotes a place of confinement; water flows into it from various creeks and rivers and is confined there. “Fire” is a symbol of judgment throughout Scripture. Hence, the lost are in a place of eternal confinement under the judgment of God. God never intended that any person should end up in that awful place of judgment; it was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41). But wicked men who refuse the movements of God’s love and grace toward them will also end up there.
The fact that this judgment of wicked persons is called “the second death” shows that they did not cease to exist when they experienced the first death (physical death). If there was nothing left of them after they die, as some falsely teach, then they couldn’t experience this judgment. Some think that “everlasting destruction” (2 Thess. 1:9; Phil. 3:19; Matt. 7:13; 2 Peter 2:1, 12; 3:16, etc.) means that people are consumed by the fire of God’s judgment and they cease to exist thereafter. This false doctrine is called Annihilationism. God’s Word, however, indicates that “everlasting destruction” has not to do with the loss of one’s being, but the loss of his well-being.
It is clear from Job 30:24 that the lost still exist after they die. It says that they “cry” out even after they have been destroyed. Revelation 19:20 tells us that the Beast and the false prophet were cast alive into the lake of fire. Then, in chapter 20 we are told that the devil is put into the bottomless pit for the duration of the Millennium and then let loose. And after a brief rebellion we read, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are” (Rev. 20:10). Notice: the Beast and the false prophet were still there in the lake of fire after the thousand-year reign of Christ! They didn’t cease to exist. The Lord Jesus said, “He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). “Abideth” is an on-going thing. If the wrath of God abides on the unbeliever, there must be the existence of the unbeliever for it to abide on him. Again, it says in Revelation 14:11, “the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever.” Torment signifies a condition that requires a living person to endure it. You cannot torment what does not exist. The Lord also said, “Their worm dieth not” (Mark 9:48). This indicates that the torments of a guilty conscience will not die in the lost under eternal punishment. Moreover, a number of Scriptures tell us that the fire of God’s judgment “never shall be quenched” (Matt. 3:12; Mark 9:43, 45; Luke 3:17). What need would there be for it to continue if those who are cast there are annihilated immediately? Some tell us that death itself is the judgment. But Scripture says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this (death) the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). If, “after” death is the judgment, how could death be the judgment?
Even in our ordinary language, “destruction” doesn’t mean the cessation of existence. For instance, if we took an axe and destroyed a beautiful wooden table, there would be just as much material lying in a useless heap on the floor as when it sat as a beautiful, useful table. Once it has been destroyed, it is no longer useful for the purpose for which it was made. It is the same with the destruction of human beings. Man was made for the glory of God (Isa. 43:21; Rev. 4:11). If he goes into “everlasting destruction,” he can no longer be fitted through salvation for the purpose for which he was created.
The Eighth Vision—the Eternal State
Chap. 21:1-8—The final vision is the Eternal State, which is the summit of God’s holy desires in the fullest sense. This brings us to the end of all God’s purposes in regard to the glory of Christ and the blessing of man. There is relatively little given to us in Scripture about the Eternal State. There are really only three main passages that speak of it (Rev. 21:1-8; 2 Peter 3:10-13; 1 Cor. 15:24-28).
It is significant that the number eight marks this passage. It speaks a new beginning:
• It is the eighth vision.
• Eight things are said to exist no more—the first heaven, the first earth, the sea, tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain (vss. 1-4).
• Eight classes of sinners are found under eternal judgment—the fearful, the unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars (vs. 8).
God will begin to “reconcile all things” to Himself in the Millennium, but it will not be complete until the Eternal State is reached (Col. 1:20). Sin and death will still exist in the Millennium (1 Cor. 15:25-26), but in the Eternal State all trace of sin and Satan and death will be gone (John 1:29). During the Millennium, righteousness will “reign” (Isa. 32:1), but in the Eternal State, righteousness “dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). In contrast to this, those who stand for righteousness today “suffer” (1 Peter 3:14).
Righteousness will reign in the Millennium through Christ ruling with “a rod of iron” (Psa. 2:9; Rev. 2:27). But in the Eternal State, there will be no need for reigning because there will be nothing to subjugate, for all will be of God, and He will be “all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28). Christ and the heavenly saints will “reign to the ages of ages” (the Eternal State) but not in the ages of ages (Rev. 22:5 – J. N. Darby Trans.). There is no mention of a King reigning in His kingdom here in this passage because it will have been delivered up to the Father (1 Cor. 15:24). Hence, the Millennium will be for the vindication of God’s holy character, but the Eternal State is for the satisfaction of His heart.
The great point in regard to the Eternal State is that everything will be “new” (vs. 1). Heaven and earth will abide as distinct places throughout all eternity, but they will be in an entirely new condition. The “heaven” mentioned here is not the abode of God, which doesn’t need to be made new, but rather the atmospheric and stellar heavens.
The fact that there will be “no more sea” indicates that there will be no more separation in circumstances, as we know them. A “sea” is a separating element in nature and is used to indicate separation in circumstances, age, time, and nationality, etc. Time distinctions, geographical boundaries, human limitations and differences will be gone then. There will be nothing to separate men from happy fellowship with one another and with God.
New Jerusalem comes into view as the eternal abode of the Church. It is “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (vs. 2). The Church is seen in the closing chapters of this book in her “bride” character and in her “wife” character. As a bride, she is wholly for the enjoyment and satisfaction of the heart of Christ. As a wife, she will assist the Lord in the administration of the world to come—the Millennium (vs. 9). It is interesting to note that her wife character does not continue in the Eternal State, because that side of things will cease. However, the bride side continues forever.
It mentions new Jerusalem “coming down from God,” but there is no indication that it touches the earth and makes them one place. The two will remain distinct places of human destiny, but in the closest harmony.
The declaration is made, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them” (vs. 3). This is God’s great desire—to dwell in fellowship with “the sons of men” (Prov. 8:31). It will be accomplished perfectly then.
Verse 4 indicates a condition of fixed happiness. “Tears,” “death,” “sorrow,” “crying,” and “pain” are five things that are the result of sin. All of these will be gone forever because all things will be made new (vs. 5). It will be announced victoriously: “It is done.” This marks the fulfillment of God’s purpose.
Verses 6-7 indicate that redeemed men will always have a thirst. Our thirst in the day of God will be for more of Christ and His love. He is the “the Water of life” who alone can satisfy that thirst. Though being in the Eternal State, we will still be dependent creatures; we will never be self-sufficient. God will meet our every desire perfectly, and will eternally satisfy us with Him who is “enough, the mind and heart to fill” (L.F. #174).
Verse 8 indicates that not only will there be a fixed state of happiness and bliss for the righteous, but there will also be a fixed state of damnation for the lost. Eight classes of sinners are mentioned as being under eternal judgment in the lake of fire.