God and His Saints Shall Triumph Over Sin, Satan, and Death

As I prepare for another overview lecture on the book of Revelation I came to chapter 20 again. Although there are issues that need to be sorted out in this chapter, it is such an edifying and encouraging study as the chapter tells us about the triumph of God and His people over their enemies.

The first heartening truth that comforts me a lot in this chapter is the coming to life and the reign of the saints who have died. These saints are described as "those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God" and because "[t]hey had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands" (Rev. 20:4).

These saints are alive and are reigning with Christ in the heavenly realm (as the thrones in verse 4 indicate that they are in the heavenly realm having been beheaded).

Revelation 20 also portrays the binding and restraining of Satan. This binding of Satan is "to keep him from deceiving the nations" (v. 3) in order that the preaching of the gospel could progress to the nations throughout the world for a thousand years (v. 3) which period corresponds with the reigning of the souls of the beheaded saints with Christ (v. 4).

The chapter also talks about the release of Satan towards the end "for a little while" or "for a short time" (v. 3) in order to gather the unbelieving nations for the battle ('τὸν πόλεμον,' v. 8; see also Rev. 16:14; 19:19) against the people of God (v. 9).

Their huge gathering could be intimidating but their threat to the church will only be followed by the fire coming down from heaven devouring them (v. 9), casting the devil into the lake of fire and brimstone "where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown" (v. 10).

For the saints of the first century who were suffering under the fury of the devil and the beast and their earthly minions, this vision was comforting. They saw that their faithfulness even to the point of death was not pointless but was real victory over sin and death, and the devil himself.

Like their Lord Jesus, they conquer their enemy by dying. Their death ushered them into the glorious presence of Christ and they came out victorious through their death, just like their Lord and Master who conquered death by dying and coming back to life.

Thus, when it seems that evil is gaining the upper hand in our time, when wickedness seems to prosper, when saints seem to be defeated and the church oppressed by the enemies of the Lord, the message of Revelation 20 in particular gives hope to the suffering and oppressed church of Jesus Christ.

In times of apparent defeat, setback, and weakness, may God remind us of this biblical truth that in dying for Christ and for the sake of the gospel, we shall be victorious.

We need to remember that because of Christ’s decisive victory over sin and death, and over the devil, and in light of His glorious appearing, the church of Jesus Christ shall prevail in conquering and discipling the nations with the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God (Matt. 24:14).

In spite of the seemingly insurmountable oppositions, by the power of the Spirit of Christ, the Church shall advance and go forth with the gospel of salvation that even the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18).

Notwithstanding the cost – suffering, sacrifice, self-denial, even death – and the infirmities that afflict the bride of Christ in this world, and in spite of the harm that many false teachers and apostate churches are inflicting upon the cause of the gospel, the Church of our Lord Jesus shall fulfill her mission.

That mission is to call the nations to bow down and to submit to the authority of her Lord, Redeemer, and King (Matt. 28:18-20), who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David (Rev. 5:5), the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8).

The message of Revelation in general and Revelation 20 in particular is that God and the Lamb shall triumph over the seemingly formidable and ruthless enemies of His people.

One commentator aptly summarized the message of Revelation 20 saying, “At history’s end the deceivers (dragon, beast, false prophets) will dupe the world’s kings and nations, gathering them to wage the war against Jesus and his people…Persecution is bad now, but it will get worse then, just before the end."

He then adds this encouraging message, "Yet even when Satan is unleashed to work his worst, it only will be for ‘a short time,’ and the outcome of the conflict is certain to be the defeat and destruction of dragon, beast false prophet, and all who worship and obey them. John has seen history’s ugly end: now he will see eternity’s beautiful beginning” (Dennis E. Johnson, “Triumph of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation,” 299-300).