Revelation 20:1-3

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 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.

An angel came down, and bound the devil with a chain for a thousand years.  Chained, satan was thrown into the pit, which was then locked and sealed.  Afterwards, he must be set free.

An angel did the binding, and the binding was for a specific length of time.  It specifically says the devil was bound, but does not mention any other beings, including thrones, dominions, principalities, powers, etc, or, note, any other demons.  They may also be bound, but scripture does not say that.  Only the ‘ring-leader’ is indicated.  It was the chain that bound him, and the pit that contained him.  Again, it is the chain that binds, not the pit.   If the it is more than simply the dragon, it would still be the chain that binds the others.  The rationale for the liberation is not expressed, other than its requirement “must be”.

 Revelation 20:4-6

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 for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part 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.

Once satan is bound, those who had been given authority to judge were seen.  They may have been there all along, but are now seen by the revelator.

The first resurrection is here.  Those beheaded for their testimony for Jesus and the word come to life.  The only ones explicitly mentioned ruling and reigning with Christ here are those beheaded, apparently those in the time of the beast, for it mentions they had not worshiped the beast nor received his mark, which indicates they could have.

The text explicitly says the rest did not come to life until after the thousand years.  Possibly, they did not come alive until after the “short time” too, although this is not specified.  It is somewhat plausible, however, since the short time brings forth ALL the dead.  But, let the text say what it will say.  Blessings of this first resurrection are listed.

Those explicitly listed as reigning during this millennium are those “who had been beheaded”, and no one else.  It says they came to life.  Understanding would seem to indicate that resurrected, they would have glorified bodies.  Like Jesus after his resurrection, He was still “man”, yet his body was changed.  As Paul wrote, that which is sown corruptible, raised incorruptible.  It is sown in dishonor, raised in glory.  Sown in weakness, raised in power.  Sown a natural body, raised a spiritual one (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).  The state of a “raised” beheaded person may not be what one would expect.  As Jesus’ glorified body could appear in a room, we do not know what the parameters, restrictions, and qualifications of a glorified body are.  We do not know what we shall become, but when we see Him, we shall be like Him (1 John 3:2).  We know He was not a ghost, and was tangible and could eat, but beyond that, we have little grasp of even what a glorified body is.  We are not guaranteed that those who are flesh and blood, still in their natural bodies, would even be directly aware of a ruling group of beheaded believers raised in glorified bodies.  They would know, but we, who are so often unaware of the spirit realm to begin with, may or may not.  If flesh and blood does not inherit the Kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:50), and those who are not born again cannot see it anyway (John 3:3), with no textual support that all of the powers of darkness are removed, what does this look like?

Revelation 20:7-10

When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 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. 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.

After the thousand years, satan is released again.  Again, no explanation of why, other than we know God’s perfect justice is involved.  Also of note, the demons are still not mentioned.  We hear a lot of talk these days about the Gog and Magog invasion, especially out of Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39.  But, if Revelation 20:8 is the same Gog/Magog invasion, this is POST MILLENNIAL.  If we are talking about Ezekiel 38 and Ezekiel 39 in reference to current events regarding Israel, then either these chapters refer to a different Gog/Magog war, or the Millenium is already occured, obviously.

Revelation 20:11-15

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 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. 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 he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

And, finally, the final judgement.  Earth and sky fled away from the True God on the great white throne.  Final judgement, apparently with the removal of heaven and earth itself, as Revelation 21 speaks of the New Heaven and the New Earth.  All the dead were judged, and the book of life was consulted.  Death and Hades itself, and all not listed in the book of Life were cast into the lake of fire.

No where does it specifically annotate the millennial reign in detail, nor does it describe what that “short time” of verse 3 is, in which satan is released.  No where does it LIMIT the ‘reign’ of Christ to only the thousand years, or the “short time” afterwards.  After the devil is cast “for ever and ever” into the lake of fire, it appears to transition immediately into the New Heaven and New Earth.  Most assuredly, as He was given a name above all names and title that can be given both in this age and in the age to come, Eternal Life, He will still be reigning perfectly in that New Heaven and New Earth.

Without a complete study of all possibly related texts, but only on this text, Revelation 20, which is the only text in the Bible to mention the Millennial period, there is no reason to believe that simply because the mastermind of evil, satan himself, is bound for a thousand years, that the period on the Earth will be peace, love, and glory.  Many passages, as I understand them, could be as easily interpreted in reference to the New Heaven and New Earth period, rather than the millennium, while still being a literal thousand years of reigning.

Again, from the text itself, Revelation 20 is the only mention of the millennial reign of Christ.  Other passages are attributed to it as well, but it is by interpretation.  Clearly, however, the thousand years of reigning could NEVER be construed as the full extend of the Kingdom of the Lord.  His Kingdom is Eternal, and will never be done away with.  Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.  So, however this thousand years of reigning fits in, it is merely one epoch of time within a vast, eternal array.  Whether it is the first installment, or sits somewhere within the middle, the focus here is not that this is the thousand years in which Christ will reign, for certainly He was upon the throne when Paul wrote his epistles, because that is where Paul places Him (Ephesians 1:20).  Instead, the focus here is on those raised to life in the first resurrection, that this is the thousand years that they specifically and apparently exclusively (compared with the rest who will rise later) will reign WITH Him.  He may have been ruling before this, but for this time period, they rule with Him, and possibly afterwards as well.

There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:7

References to David’s throne may first have been understood to be his physical seat in Jerusalem, but it is apparent through the words of Isaiah that it must refer ultimately, in the mind of God, to the spiritual throne, the house of the re-born, to the church of Christ.  Even as heaven and Earth pass away, but His words never do, the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy of the Kingdom must be the Eternal one in the heavens, and not the temporal one, which will, ultimately, pass away.