Catholic Commentary on Revelation 20

"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." (Revelation 20:11)

The Binding of Satan and the Millennium

An angel comes down from heaven with the key to the Abyss and a great chain. He seizes the dragon, the ancient serpent, the devil, and binds him for a thousand years, throwing him into the Abyss, which is sealed over him to keep him from deceiving the nations until the thousand years are ended. After that he must be set free for a short time. John sees thrones on which are seated those given authority to judge, and the souls of those who had not worshipped the beast or received its mark, who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.

When the thousand years are over, Satan is released to deceive the nations and gathers them for battle around the camp of God's people and the city he loves. Fire comes down from heaven and devours them. The devil is thrown into the lake of burning sulphur where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The Great White Throne

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. The dead, great and small, stand before the throne. The books are opened and another book, the book of life. The dead are judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. Death and Hades give up their dead. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. The Catechism identifies the last judgment as the final revelation of the full truth of every person's relationship with God and neighbour, the moment when the justice that history could not achieve is perfectly accomplished (CCC 1038).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, the earth and the heavens fled from his presence. At the last judgment, there is nowhere to hide and nothing to hide behind. The books will be opened. Ask yourself today not what you could hide from God but what you would want to be in the books. Then live today in a way that fills the record with what you would be glad to have read aloud before the great white throne.

Prayer

Lord God, you are seated on the great white throne before whom nothing is hidden. Write our names in the book of life. Judge us not by our works alone but through the blood of the Lamb, and raise us in the first resurrection to reign with Christ. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

20
Satan Bound
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.
 
4 Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
 
5 The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. 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.
Satan Cast into the Lake of Fire
 
7 When the thousand years are complete, 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—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.
 
9 And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven * 20:9 BYZ and TR came down from God out of heaven and consumed them. 10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Judgment before the Great White Throne
 
11 Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.
 
And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.
 
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

*20:9 20:9 BYZ and TR came down from God out of heaven

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