A Sovereign & Just Judge
12/24/25 Bible Thought (Revelation 20)
God is sovereign over not only creation itself but also every inhabitant within. This is true in both the physical and spiritual realms.
This in mind, though the Christian has a real adversary (see 1 Pet. 5:8), that adversary was really defeated at the cross and will be finally defeated in the eschaton.
This is the message of Revelation 20.
A Look at Revelation 20
As we turn to this chapter, we see the famous passage concerning the millennial reign of Christ.
Now, opinions abound as to what exactly the millennium is. Some believe it is a spiritual reality and representative of the church age. Some believe that the millennium will effectively be established through the church’s successful gospel witness. Others believe that the millennial reign of Christ is a literal earthly reality as it is plainly presented in today’s chapter.
Personally, I am of the belief that it is a future reality that will be coming in literal fashion when Christ returns.
That said, regardless of one’s position on the millennium, it is clear that Christ is victorious.
The dragon whose wrath was unleashed upon the believing world is not sovereign. He is not the most high, nor the almighty. He is a created being who is subjected to the sovereign rule of the only one titled “Most High.”
When his time has come, he will be locked in the abyss for a period of a thousand years (perhaps simply representative of a very long time).
Compared to the very temporary reign of the beast and his cronies, the reign of the Lion of Judah, as detailed in this passage, is very long. Even more, this is merely preceding the eternal reign that is to come.
After this period, John foresaw that Satan would be released for a short time to deceive the nations once more. Now, at first glance, this seems like a really unusual chronology for the end.
Why would Satan be bound while Christ was enthroned on earth, only to be unbound again?
A handful of scholars have pointed out that this showcases God’s just judgment. For when Satan is unbound, the nonbelieving world flocks to him once again. One scholar has written:
“Perhaps the most reasonable explanation for this rather unusual parole is to make plain that neither the designs of Satan nor the waywardness of the human heart will be altered by the mere passing of time.”[1]
Experiencing prosperity and blessing under the reign of the true King didn’t change the hearts of people, and Satan’s temporary imprisonment didn’t change his either. These truths justify the coming judgment of God.
The end of the story for Satan is the same as it was for the beast and the false prophet—the lake of fire.
Furthermore, when the books are opened, every person is judged according to what they did, and their eternal destiny hinges upon whether or not their name was in the book of life.
All whose names are not found in the book of life have their destiny in the lake of fire with the unholy trinity:
“And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15).
Revelation 20 shows the inescapable justice of God.
He keeps a record of every wrong, and no one escapes Him. People may get away with murder either literally or figuratively in this life, but the Judge of all the earth will act justly. There are no cold cases before the One who is omnipresent.
This is something that the afflicted churches of Revelation needed to hear. The martyrs would be avenged as they cried out for justice (Rev. 5:9-11). Even today, the Christian can rest assured that God, as the cosmic Judge, will do what is right.
Bringing it Home
With evil on the rise, persecution of Christians taking off in foreign nations, and countless local crimes and tragedies in the news, we can rest assured that God will handle things rightly.
With this in mind, we must remember to accept the justice of God humbly. For if it weren’t for the Lord Jesus Christ taking our place upon Calvary, we would still be in the crosshairs of His just judgment.
The only one that can stand before a holy God is one whose record of debts has been cancelled and whose sins have been forgiven.
I rejoice today that my name has been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Lk. 10:20) and that I am a recipient of undeserved mercy.
[1] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 371.