The big picture
Revelation 20 opens in verse 1 with “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 8 with “And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog…”, and closes in verse 15 with “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Repeated or prominent terms include years, dead, death, fire, book. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Revelation · King James Version · 15Revelation 20:1-8
1–8: I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless…
Revelation 20:1–8 opens with “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain…” and reaches “And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The dragon restrained, faithful witnesses reigning, final rebellion ended, and the great white throne judgment, with particular weight carried by years, bottomless, Christ.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.” The line’s distinctive content terms include angel, bottomless, chain. Its relationship to verses 2 shows what work it does in this passage.
“And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” The number thousand makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Revelation 20:1-8
King James Version1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Revelation 20:9-15
9–15: They went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the…
Revelation 20:9–15 opens with “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and…” and reaches “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The dragon restrained, faithful witnesses reigning, final rebellion ended, and the great white throne judgment, with particular weight carried by dead, fire, book.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and…” The verse names God rather than leaving the action without a source. Watch whether the next line continues, answers, or contrasts that action.
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there…” The line’s distinctive content terms include earth, face, fled. Its relationship to verses 10 and 12 shows what work it does in this passage.
Revelation 20:9-15
King James Version9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Revelation 20:1 begins with “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.”
Where the chapter turns
Revelation 20:5 forms a natural hinge: “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”
The final note
Revelation 20:15 leaves the reader with “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words years, dead, death, fire, book, earth help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What assumption drives Abraham's deception?
He assumes there is no fear of God in the place and that he will be killed.
How does the chapter expose that assumption?
Abimelech responds seriously to God's warning and confronts Abraham about wrongdoing.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.