ApocalypseChapitre 20

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Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand.

He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

He threw him into the abyss, locked it, and sealed it over him, so that he could no longer lead the nations astray until the thousand years were completed. After that he must be released for a short time.

Then I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.

Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. Over such people the second death has no power; they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.

When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison.

He will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea.

They marched up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them.

And the devil, who had led them astray, was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are as well, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Then I saw a great white throne and the one seated on it. From his presence earth and heaven fled, and no place was found for them.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened as well—the book of life. The dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds.

The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds.

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death.

And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

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Résumé2

Chapitre 20

Main Theme: Satan's binding and final defeat, the millennium, and the final judgment at the great white throne.

Content: An angel binds Satan in the abyss for a thousand years, while martyrs and the faithful are raised to reign with Christ (the first resurrection). After the thousand years, Satan is released, gathers Gog and Magog for battle against the holy ones, but fire from heaven consumes them, and Satan is cast into the lake of fire. At the great white throne, all the dead are judged according to their deeds; death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire (the second death), along with everyone whose name is not written in the book of life.

Key Terms/Images:

Millennium (χίλια ἔτη): The period during which Satan is bound and the holy ones reign with Christ.
The first resurrection: The resurrection of believers to life and dominion; the second death has no power over them.
The great white throne: God's judgment seat where all people are judged according to their deeds.
The book of life: The book that determines final destiny; those not written in it are cast into the lake of fire.
The second death: The lake of fire, the final punishment for Satan, death itself, and the ungodly.

Contexte historique

Historical and Cultural Context for Revelation 20

Places

The Abyss (ἡ ἄβυσσος, hē abyssos) refers in Jewish cosmology to an underground prison for evil spiritual powers. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word tehom (the deep) is translated as abyssos in the Septuagint. In intertestamental literature, especially 1 Enoch, the abyss is described as the place where fallen angels are held captive until judgment. In this chapter, the abyss serves as Satan’s prison during the thousand-year period (vv. 1–3).

The beloved city (τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἠγαπημένην) in verse 9 is a reference to Jerusalem. This designation has roots in prophetic tradition where Jerusalem is called God’s beloved city (Ps 78:68; 87:2). For the first Christians, this represented the gathering place of God’s people, whether the historical Jerusalem or the eschatological people of God.

The lake of fire and sulfur (ἡ λίμνη τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ θείου) is mentioned three times in the chapter (vv. 10, 14, 15) as the final place of punishment. In verse 14 it is explicitly identified with "the second death." The image combines elements from the Gehenna tradition (the Hinnom Valley with its burning refuse) and prophetic descriptions of judgment by fire and sulfur (Isa 30:33; Ezek 38:22).

Events and Customs

Those beheaded (τῶν πεπελεκισμένων) in verse 4 refers to a specific method of execution. The Greek verb pelekizō means to behead with an axe. This was a Roman form of execution reserved for Roman citizens, while non-citizens were crucified. The reference indicates that the martyrs included Jews, Romans, and other nations who had refused emperor worship. Execution by beheading was regarded as more honorable than crucifixion.

Thrones and judgment (θρόνους... καὶ κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς) reflect both Roman legal culture and Jewish ideas of a heavenly council. In Daniel 7:9–10, thrones are set before God’s court. The fact that believers will judge together with Christ fulfills the promise from Daniel 7:22 that judgment will be given to "the holy ones of the Most High."

The great white throne (θρόνον μέγαν λευκὸν) in verse 11 represents the final court of judgment, distinct from the thrones in verse 4. The color white symbolizes purity and righteousness. The image of earth and heaven fleeing from God’s presence (v. 11) underscores the absolute authority and holiness of this judgment.

Key Terms

Gog and Magog (τὸν Γὼγ καὶ Μαγώγ) are drawn from Ezekiel 38–39, where Gog is a prince from the land of Magog who leads an end-time attack against Israel. In Jewish tradition, these names became symbols for all hostile nations that would attack God’s people in the last days. While Ezekiel describes Gog as a person from Magog, John treats both terms as designations for peoples from "the four corners of the earth"—that is, a universal coalition against God.

The thousand years (χίλια ἔτη)—repeated six times in the chapter—has its background in Jewish apocalyptic thought. In 2 Enoch and later rabbinic tradition we find the idea of a temporary messianic age before the eternal state. The number one thousand symbolizes completeness and wholeness (10³), representing a long but limited period.

The first resurrection (ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡ πρώτη) in verses 5–6 describes the resurrection of the martyrs who reign with Christ during the thousand years. The term suggests a two-stage resurrection: first, the faithful to life and rule, then "the rest of the dead" (v. 5) for judgment. Those who share in the first resurrection are protected from "the second death."

The second death (ὁ δεύτερος θάνατος) is an expression found in Jewish targums (Aramaic Bible translations), where it describes the final punishment of the wicked. In the Targum to Isaiah 65:6 and elsewhere, "the second death" refers to eternal destruction or punishment, distinct from physical death. In verse 14, the second death is explicitly identified with the lake of fire.

The book of life (βίβλος τῆς ζωῆς) has parallels in several biblical texts. In the Old Testament, God’s book is mentioned where the names of the living are written (Exod 32:32–33; Ps 69:29; Dan 12:1). In verse 12, other books are also opened containing people’s deeds—the basis for judgment. Not being written in the book of life results in being thrown into the lake of fire (v. 15).

Personnages4

Jesus1 Magog1 Gog1 Ba'al-Zebub3

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Mots-clés

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Chronologie2