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LESSON 25 - CHAPTER 20:01-15

R E V E L A T I O N

Charles Caldwell Ryrie, p. 157-162

A Reminder

These lessons are written as an accompanment to
Charles C. Ryrie's [1996] Book
REVELATION
Everyday Bible Commentary
Moody Publishers
Chicago
ISBN: 978-0-8024-1825-8
(You Must Own your own copy)
(Ryrie's book text is not included in these lessons)

THE MILLENNIUM AND

THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT

KEY NUMBER 12: THE MILLENNIUM

Ryrie, Pg. 157

INTRODUCTION

OUR COMMENT
Just a minor clarification to Ryrie’s last couple of sentences. Speaking of the earth as Jesus’ “arena,” He was absolutely victorious in His war against human sin. There is not a single real believer in the Christ who was not chosen and called to become one of those written in the Lamb’s book of life from before the foundation of the world. As His Father’s perfect servant… He absolutely, perfectly, fulfilled every desire of His heavenly Father’s will for His plan for the salvation of believers. Again, He was absolutely victorious as to His mission in His First coming.

CHAPTER 20

C. THE MILLENNIUM 20:1-15

1. The Millennium and the Great White Throne

20:1-15 (A Calm in the Storm)

a. The Millennium 20:1—10

OUR COMMENT

I placed the comment here as an introduction to this part of the study. John breaks down the revelation given to him into 8 major categories: Satan; the Saints; the sinners: the Time; the Judge; the Subjects; the Basis; and the Result. Clear, Precise and easy to follow.

Satan, 20: 1—3

THE TEXT

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven,

holding the key of the abyss

and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold of the dragon,

the serpent of old,

who is the devil and Satan, and

bound him for a thousand years;

3 and he threw him into the abyss, and

shut it and sealed it over him,

so that he would not deceive the nations any longer,

until the thousand years were completed;

after these things he must be released for a short time.

Ryrie, Pg. 158

KEY NUMBER 13: THE RESURRECTIONS AND

THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT Ch-20:1-15

Saints, 20:4—6

THE TEXT

4 Then I saw thrones,

and they sat on them, and

judgment was given to them.

And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded

because of their testimony of Jesus and

because of the word of God, and

those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and

had not received the mark on their forehead

and on their hand

and they came to life and

reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

5 The rest of the dead did not come to life

until the thousand years were completed.

This is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is the one

who has a part in the first resurrection;

over these the second death has no power,

but they will be priests

of God and of Christ and

will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Ryrie, pg. 159 2^nd paragraph

OUR COMMENT

To clarify, in the first paragraph these are the Tribulation saints who have been martyred, who are then resurrected when Christ arrives in His second coming. The second paragraph presents the future of unbelievers who died during the Tribulation, they will not be raised at this time, but at the end of the thousand year millennium.

Sinners, 20:7—10

(Satan Freed & Doomed)

THE TEXT

7 When the thousand years are completed,

Satan will be released from his prison,

8 and will come out to deceive the nations

which are in the four corners of the earth,

Gog and Magog,

to gather them together for the war;

the number of them

is like the sand of the seashore.

9 And they came up on the broad plain

of the earth and

[and they] surrounded the camp

of the saints and the beloved city, and

fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

10 And the devil who deceived them

was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone,

where the beast and

[where] the false prophet are also; and

they will be tormented day and night

forever and ever.

Ryrie, Pg. 159 Bottom

OUR COMMENT

The earthly plan for mankind can be described as Four periods of testing in different ways. The first period began with Adam and Eve in the Garden. They were in a nearly perfect place and had great responsibilities. They were given a single rule to obey – “don’t eat of the fruit of the tree of life.” Eve ate, Adam joined her, and sinless life left human kind. Two thousand years later the entire human population of the earth had left any love and worship of Almighty God far behind. Only Noah and his family are recorded as remaining faithful to God. They built the Ark, loaded it up with all animal life, and God shut the door as it started to rain. All human life was lost in that great flood – End Test-1

Test-2 brought in the choosing of a nation of people who were of the family and line of the man Abram. Roughly 2000 years later, virtually all of the nation of Israel had wondered away from heir God and they went so far as to put the Son of God to death on the Cross.

Test-3 is where we find ourselves today. The love of God moved on from the single family of Abraham (Abram) to the “Gentiles,” the non-Hebrew people of the world. Our age will end in a similar situation as did the first two. Mankind will go to war with God under the direction of Satan and His evil followers. Once again Faith is the issue and many of faith will lose their lives in those final days of tribulation and become martyrs. Those with no faith will lose their lives.

Test-4 brings in the Millennium – a thousand years of living under the authority of the resurrected and returned Jesus Christ – only at the end to go to war with Him.

Then, final judgment all faithless humanity and demonic forces will be sentenced to “The Second Death” and be imprisoned in a place that cannot be found again. All faithful saints of God and Christ will be united with Him and His program forever.

The whole plan was and is to bring forth a human population of faithful believing and God loving people to be with Him, His Son, His Holy Spirit – forever.

b. The Great White Throne Judgment 20:11-15

The Time, 20:11

THE TEXT

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it,

from whose presence

earth and heaven fled away, and

no place was found for them.

Ryrie, Pg. 161 Top

OUR COMMENT

I believe these words indicate to us that there will be no hiding place from the righteous judgments of Almighty God – for anyone. Ryrie will speak more about this.

The Judge, 20:12

THE TEXT

12 And I saw the dead,

the great and the small,

standing before the throne, and

books were opened; and

another book was opened,

which is the book of life; and

the dead were judged

from the things

which were written in the books,

according to their deeds.

Ryrie, Pg. 161 2^nd Paragraph

OUR COMMENT

No further Comment

The Subjects, 20:13

THE TEXT

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and

death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and

they were judged,

every one of them according to their deeds.

Ryrie, Pg. 161 Middle

OUR COMMENT

“All” is the all important word here. All will stand before Christ in this judgment!

The Basis, 20:14

THE TEXT

14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Ryrie, Pg. Last Paragraph

OUR COMMENT

While salvation is brought about by Jesus, the Son of God’s sacrifice on the Cross, previous generations, who knew not the Christ will be weighed based upon their love of God and their willing and voluntary belief in whatever God had revealed to them for faith and belief.

The Result, 20:15

THE TEXT

15 And if anyone’s name was not found

written in the book of life,

he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Ryrie, Pg. 162 Top

OUR COMMENT

No further comment

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2026-04-21