Revelation 20:1-15

Though Revelation carries with it a plethora of mysteries, God’s children can be confident that He will bring His own to glory – the most unimaginable, greatest glory, Amen?  Glory that “No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him,” as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV).  Even though, as Paul also states in Acts 14:21-22 (NIV), we must go through many hardships to enter:
21 They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 

We also discover in Job 36:7 (NIV):
7 He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. 

The writer of the song –’Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus - Missionary Louisa Stead – wrote: “One cannot in the face of peculiar difficulties help saying, ‘Who is sufficient for these things?’ but with simple confidence and trust we may and do say, ‘Our sufficiency is of God.’”
God is to be our strength and sufficiency as we pass “through” our Valleys of Baca (tears) on our sojourn through earth to heaven. Paul also tells us in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NIV):
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? 
The answer is no one in their flesh excepting those who go forth in the power of God – aided by the indwelling Holy Spirit who is in every true believer in sweet Jesus. It is He that equips us and causes us to stand.  Because He is faithful and able to cause us to stand.

Now we are going to read Chapter Twenty and discuss:
Prayer: Father open our eyes that we can see clearly exactly what you would have us to learn. Take away all that is about me and fill me to the fullness of You Lord Jesus because if you do not teach us nothing worthwhile will be taught. We ask this for Your glory alone.

1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. 4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. 7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth--Gog and Magog--to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves.  But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 

Prayer: Lord if you do not teach us nothing will be taught. Holy Spirit, make the Word come alive to us – make it come alive. Both for your glory and our good.  
In Verses One – Three of Chapter Twenty, the Apostle John opens with the familiar phrase “And I saw an angel coming down from heaven”. There is no reason to think that this section of Scripture does not follow consecutively after Chapter 19 where the antichrist and the false prophet have been thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This section serves as a continuation of the sequence of those events which have just occurred.
The Abyss mentioned in verse one is a place of judgment and captivity.  The angel coming down from heaven carries with Him the key to this prison of “the bottomless pit” – the home of demons and unclean spirits.  This, of course, symbolizes God’s authority over it. The angel is holding in his hand a great chain and with it he seizes and binds Satan in the Abyss - locking and sealing it - for a thousand years. During Satan’s captivity, he will no longer be able to deceive the nations. He is not merely restricted but he is also rendered completely inactive – Hallelujah! The bottomless pit by its character is a place of confinement. Further, there is no evidence whatsoever that Satan is bound today, but rather the mounting evil in the world and in the church seems to demonstrate that he is more active today than ever. The nations are presently being deceived and the saints are being opposed by the ceaseless activity and deceptive power of Satan. We will discover, however, at the end of the Millennium the sinfulness of humanity within the human heart will not be completely removed from the scene during this period yet thankfully, Satan’s ability to worsen or intensify it through his deceptive practices will be gone. He will, however, be set free after the thousand years is over but only for a short time.   
The word “thousand” is repeated six times in Chapter Twenty marking a key theological concept in this section of Scripture. The six mentions of “a thousand years” in Revelation Twenty are sufficient to establish the doctrine as scriptural. A thousand years with us is only a moment with God yet this does not deny that it is actually a thousand years with us.  Christ will return to earth prior to His thousand year reign on earth and Satan’s thousand year binding in the Abyss. Following Satan’s binding there will be a thousand year period of righteousness and peace on earth.  Just as God would have it.        
Chapter Twenty is one of the great chapters of the Bible which presents in summary the tremendous events that relate to the Millennial reign of Jesus on earth. In this Chapter many expositors believe that hundreds of Old Testament prophecies will be fulfilled. And remember God will fulfill every prophecy He has made.
Again, the reigning of Christ in the Millennial (the one thousand year period) is cited many times throughout the Scriptures. This is where Jesus will set up a kingdom on earth where He will rule and be glorified and honored – whether it is forced or not. This is what all the Jewish people were expecting out of His first advent. A few sightings from the Old Testament attesting to this are as follows.

Isaiah 2:1-4 (NIV) tells us: 
1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 

Isaiah 11:1-10 (NIV) states:
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. 6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. 
Micah 4:1-5 (NIV) also states:
1 In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. 2 Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”  The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 4 Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken. 5 All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever. 
Jeremiah 23:5-6 (NIV) tells us as well:
5 “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. 
Daniel 2:44 (NIV) states:
 44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people.  It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” 

Lastly for the Old Testament sighting’s, Zephaniah 3:14-20 (NIV) also tells us:
14 Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel!  Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. 16 On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. 17 The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” 
18 “The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. 19 At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. 20 At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the LORD. God will most assuredly restore Israel, regathering them in the Promised Land, giving them praise and honor among the nations in a favorable reputation and restoring their fortunes. All this will happen before their very eyes. In the Millennium, Israel will possess her land as God promised in Genesis 12:1-7 (NIV) to Abraham:
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” 2 “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram left, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 

Also in the Millennium, the Messiah, Israel’s King, will establish His kingdom and will reign. Isaiah 9:6-7 (NIV) states:
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. 

Isaiah Chapter 11 also describes the righteous reign of Christ and the peace and tranquility of His kingdom. There will be justice for all, the ungodly will be punished, and even the natural ferocity of animals will be terminated. The character and extent of the kingdom are summarized in Isaiah 11:9 (NIV):
9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 
The curse will be lifted, peace and harmony will be present, and wild animals will again be tame and harmless to domesticated animals and humans. 
This is merely a sampling of the Old Testament passages. There are so many more that we could address. The New Testament also speaks of the second coming of Christ being followed by a reign of righteousness on earth.  Two sighting’s from the New Testament include: Matthew 19:28-30 (NIV) stating:
28 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. 

Also, Revelation 2:25-27 (NIV) gives us the following insight:
25 “Only hold on to what you have until I come. 26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations. 27 ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery.’” 

One of the major features of Christ’s righteous rule upon the earth is the binding of Satan making possible the peace and tranquility and absence of spiritual warfare predicted for the Millennial kingdom. The period before the binding of Satan is the Great Tribulation and the period at the close of the Millennial when Satan is again loosed stands in sharp contrast to the tranquility of the thousand years in between. The fact is that the only period in all of human history in which Satan will not execute his work of deception will be the thousand years in which Christ will reign. In Verse Four of Chapter Twenty we are told that immediately following the Great Tribulation period at the beginning of the Millennium, John sees thrones and seated on them were those to whom God had given authority to judge. He also saw souls of those who had been martyred for their testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God and who had not received the mark of the beast on their foreheads or hands. These came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. These who were the special objects of Satan’s hatred and the beast’s persecution are now exalted, rewarded, and blessed by being resurrected and reigning with Christ for a thousand years. The church will also be reigning with Christ as well as the Old Testament saints. 
Of the Millennial Walvoord writes: “For the whole period of a thousand years the earth will revel in the immediate presence of the Lord and His perfect divine government. Israel will be exalted and Gentiles also will be blessed. The major factors of the Millennium, therefore, include a perfect and righteous government with Christ reigning in absolute power over the entire earth. Every nation will be under His sway, and God’s purpose in originally placing man in charge of the Garden of Eden will have its ultimate fulfillment in the last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will reign over the earth.”   
God will judge all non-believers who come out of the great tribulation – those who cast their allegiance with the Antichrist and took the mark of the beast. This judgment is implied by the presence of thrones and the people seated on them who were given the authority to judge. John apparently was not told the identity of the individuals seated on the thrones. They evidently do not include the martyred dead themselves. In stark contrast to the judgement of unbelievers from the tribulation, all followers of Christ from all ages will reign with Him during the Millennium – including those from the Great Tribulation.  
According to the Scriptures a series of judgments is related to Christ’s return. The beast and the false prophet will be cast into the fiery lake (Revelation 19:20 (NIV)), Satan will be cast into the Abyss (Revelation 20:1-3)), and then the martyred dead of the Great Tribulation will be judged and rewarded (Revelation 20:4 (NIV)). These judgments precede and lead up to the Millennial kingdom. If the Old Testament saints are also raised at this time, they too may be the objects of divine judgment and reward. 

In Verses Five and Six of Chapter Twenty we see that the resurrection at the beginning of the Millennium is characterized as “the first resurrection.”  It is obvious though that Christ was the first one raised from the dead with a resurrection body as the firstfruits from the dead.  Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:20 (NIV):
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 

Matthew tells us that a number of believers were also resurrected at this time in Matthew 27:51-53 (NIV):
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 

This difficult passage is best explained as an actual resurrection of a token number of believers in keeping with the symbolism of the feast of the firstfruits, when a handful of grain, not just one stalk, was presented to the priest.  

Daniel 12:1-2 (NIV) seems to place the resurrection of the Old Testament saints immediately after the great tribulation prior to the Millennium:
1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people--everyone whose name is found written in the book--will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”
At the end of the church age the rapture of the church will take place, and the dead in Christ will also be raised. At the end of the great tribulation, the tribulation saints will also be raised from the dead. It would seem clear from these facts that the term “the first resurrection” is not an event but an order of resurrection including all the righteous who are raised from the dead before the Millennial Kingdom begins. They are “first” in contrast to those who are raised later, after the Millennium, when the wicked dead are raised and judged. The first resurrection of the righteous and the second resurrection of the evil are separated by at least a thousand years. Those who take part in the first resurrection, regardless of classification, are called “blessed and holy”. They are delivered from the power of the second death, given the special status of priests of God and of Christ, and are privileged to reign with the Lord Jesus for the thousand years. 

All righteous saints are given the privileged place of service. Each believer is rewarded according to his individual relationship to the sovereign will of God. They are declared to be “priests of God and of Christ” – a designation of a privileged rank similar to that which the church enjoys in this present age under Christ our High Priest. The main thrust of this passage is to demonstrate beyond any question that there will be a thousand year period between the resurrections of the righteous and the resurrection of the evil. 
The Millennial reign of Christ and His followers is the utopia for which the world longs. There will  be no war. The lion will lie down with the Lamb.  Lifespans will increase exponentially as in the early days of the Old Testament. The reason such utopia will be possible is that Jesus will be ruling with a rod of iron, and there will be no allowance for rebellion. Each believer will be co-regent with Jesus, receiving rewards and responsibilities in accordance with His or her level of faithfulness in their present life. Because Christ’s followers will have glorified, heavenly bodies, each person will be perfectly suited to carry out his or her responsibilities.  

In Verses Seven and Eight of Chapter Twenty we discover the thousand year period is over and Satan will be released from his prison to go out and deceive the nations – to the four corners of the earth.  Excepting his confinement, this adversary has been deceiving mankind since the fall of mankind. It is so surprising that even after a thousand years of blissful utopia on earth under Christ’s reign, there will be people that will rebel against God and fall for Satan’s deception. Isaiah Eleven describes this Millennial period with the words peaceful and tranquil – the very antithesis of Satan. There will be justice for all. This kingdom is summarized in Isaiah 11:9 (NIV):
9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 

Psalms 72 also gives a similar picture of the righteous reign of Christ.  Psalms 72:2-4 (NIV) tells us:
2 He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. 3 The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. 4 He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor. 

Psalms 72:7 (NIV) states:
7 In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more. 

Psalms 72:12-14 (NIV) adds:
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. 13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. 14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight. 

When Satan is released from captivity, he will not force anyone to rebel against Christ. He simply will take advantage of what is already inside them. Yet, Satan loses no time in resuming his evil activities and plunges into his despicable campaign to deceive the nations of the whole earth. Those who are tempted are the descendants of the tribulation saints who survive the tribulation and enter the Millennium in their natural bodies. Undoubtedly, the earth is filled with inhabitants at the conclusion of the Millennium, yet, despite the personal rule of Christ and a perfect moral society, there will be those who choose to rebel against the Lord Jesus.  We would do well to remember that unlike the resurrected believers who go into the kingdom, those born during this time will still have their sinful Adamic nature and need salvation. Due to their inexperience of real temptation, they are easy prey for Satan’s wiles. The release of Satan serves to reveal  once more his incurable bent towards evil. There will always be people who will choose to rebel against the Lord Jesus. It also reveals the incurable evil of the human heart that does not experience the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps most important of all, Satan’s release demonstrates the power and the necessity of the righteous judgment of God.  
Not too dissimilar to the people in the first century A.D. who followed Jesus applauding His miracles in one verse and then in another verse yelling “Crucify Him!” before Pilate, these people may have followed outwardly without an inward transformed heart. Satan will not have to force anyone to rebel against the Lord Jesus. He will simply take advantage of what is already inside of them. The numbers of the enemies of God will be vast – like the sand of the seashore.  
No sooner has Satan’s army been assembled, however, than fire comes down and the attackers are destroyed. Not to dissimilar to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Thus the last vain attempt of Satan to overthrow the throne of God is shattered. This also ends the false theory that human beings in a perfect environment will willingly serve the God who created and redeemed them. This is all too similar to Adam and Eve in the Garden, Amen?  Even in the ideal situation of the Millennium, innumerable people will respond to the first temptation to rebel – sadly, to their own harm.  This is the end of the road for the nations who revel against God as well as for the end of the great adversary of mankind – Satan.

In Verse Ten we discover Satan’s predestined judgment in Genesis 3:15 (NIV) executed:
15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” 
Satan would cripple mankind - you will strike at his heel, but the_ _Seed, Christ, would deliver the fatal blow - He will crush your head.
Attention is called to Satan’s nature as the deceiver. He was first self-deceived in trying to be like God and then he began his career by deceiving Eve in the Garden of Eden. Nothing has changed at his final judgment. There is no sanctifying grace for fallen angels. The judgment experienced by individuals in hell will not be identical. The judgment a person or demon receives will be in proportion to their sin. In this case the devil is thrown straight into the same portion of hell as the Antichrist and the False Prophet. The punishment in hell is eternal, lasting forever and ever. It is an eternal torment. There is no annihilation – the ungodly wicked exist forever and ever in this torment. There would be no way possible in the Greek language to state more emphatically the everlasting punishment of the lost than that used here in mentioning both “day and night” and the expression “forever and ever,” quite literally “to the ages of ages.” The lake of fire prepared for the devil and the evil angels is also the destiny of all who follow Satan. No one goes to Hell by chance. The only way people go there is by rejecting God’s offer of Salvation through the blood of Jesus, His Son and actively choosing the way of Satan.

In Verse Eleven we are introduced to the great white throne. This is the site at which all unbelievers from all ages of history will be judged by God.  The One John sees on this great throne is of such great majesty that the earth and the sky flee away from before Him. This throne is probably to be distinguished from any previously mentioned in the book. The white may represent God’s unchanging holiness. It is proper to assume that it is God on the throne and, more specifically, Christ Jesus Himself. This is according to John 5:22 (NIV):
22 “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.” 

Other passages of Scripture speak of Christ judging as well. We see in Matthew 19:28 (NIV):
28 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” 

And lastly in 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV): 
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 

The most natural interpretation of the fact that the earth and the sky flee away is that the present earth and the sky are destroyed and will be replaced by the new heaven and the new earth. This is also confirmed by the additional statement in Revelation 21:1 (NIV) where John sees a new heaven and a new earth replacing the first heaven and the first earth.  Frequent references in the Bible seem to anticipate this future time when the present world will be destroyed. 2 Peter 3:10 (NIV) tells us:
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 

Peter follows this with a rightful question for us all in 2 Peter 3:11-13 (NIV):
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 

Scripture states explicitly that this destruction is literal and physical. It would be most natural that the present earth and heaven – the scene of the struggle with Satan and sin, should be displaced by an entirely new order suited for eternity. The whole structure of the universe is operating on the principle of a clock that is running down. What could be simpler than for God to create a new heaven and a new earth by divine decree in keeping with His purposes for eternity, Amen? As Revelation 21:1 (NIV) states:
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 
The time of this is clearly at the end of the Millennium in contrast to the other judgments that precede the Millennium.  
In Verses Twelve and Thirteen the Apostle John sees the dead standing before God awaiting their judgment. From the context it may be assumed that these are the evil dead who are not raised in the first resurrection when the righteous are raised.  
Each nonbeliever’s level of punishment will be according to their works.  However, no one’s deeds will save them as apart from the righteousness of Christ, all fall short of the glory of God and are doomed to destruction as the wages of their sins is death.   
All the righteous, regardless of when they are raised, take part in the resurrection first which is before this final resurrection (of the wicked dead) at the end of the Millennium. This supports the conclusion that the resurrection of the righteous is by stages. Christ was “the Firstfruits” (1 Corinthians 15:23 (NIV) which states:
23 But each in his own turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 

This was preceded by the token resurrection of a number of saints as described in Matthew 27:51-53 (NIV):
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 

Then will occur the Rapture of the church, which will include the resurrection of dead church saints and the translation of living church saints.  This is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NIV):
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. 

The resurrection of the two witnesses will occur in the Great Tribulation Revelation 11:11-12 (NIV):
11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.  12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on. 

Then the resurrection of the martyred dead of the Great Tribulation will occur soon after Christ returns to earth in Revelation 20:4-6: 
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. 

To these may be added the resurrection of Old Testament saints which apparently will also occur at this time, though it is not mentioned in this text. The Prophet Isaiah mentions it in Isaiah 26:19-21 states:
19 But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. 

Ezekiel also mentions it in Ezekiel 37:12-14:
12 “Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. 14 I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”

The purpose of establishing the great white throne is the judgment of the wicked dead. John wrote that the dead, great and small, stood before the throne.  This indicates that those appearing before the Great White Throne come from all walks of life and degrees of greatness.  Their posture of standing indicates that they are now about to be sentenced.  This is fulfillment of the principle stated in Hebrews 9:27 (NIV):
27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.  

Unbelievers will appear at the judgment in a resurrected state, in which their souls are united with non-glorified bodies. John describes a bodily resurrection to judgment when he says the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them. At death, the soul is separated from the body, with the soul going immediately into the presence of God or to a state of judgment. At the rapture, believers’ souls will be united with glorified bodies appropriate to their eternal existence in paradise. Here, non-believer’s souls are united with bodies suited for their eternal location.

The lake of fire in Verse Fourteen will be an utterly awful destiny. It is the eternal final location for every human being that rejects Christ Jesus as Lord of their lives and salvation for their souls. Their names are not found written in the book of life because again, apart from Christ the wages of their sin is death. The lake of fire is a place of eternal, conscious torment received in proportion to one’s sins in the body. Those who receive this judgment have not necessarily committed worse sins than those who dwell with God in paradise. They simply are reaping the fruit of their sins rather than enjoying the benefits of having Christ’s perfect record credited to their accounts. Jesus Christ in His death reconciled the world to Himself and He died for all. Anyone who would turn to Him would be received by Him. Their ultimate destiny of eternal punishment is not because God wished it - as He desires for none to perish but all to come to repentance. Rather, they would not turn to Him and be saved – rejecting the grace that He so freely offered. 

It also seems very clear that those thrown into the lake of fire are not annihilated. The beast and the false prophet are still alive and are still tormented a thousand years after they are cast into it, and the Scriptures make plain that along with Satan they will be tormented forever. Not only is no termination of eternal punishment recognized in the Bible, but explicit statements are made to the contrary in the strongest possible language.   

The revelation that has been given in Scripture concerning the eternal state of mankind recognizes only two destinies: one of blessedness in the presence of the Lord Jesus and the other of a fiery eternal punishment separated from the love, blessings and benefits of God. “He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 11:15 (NIV).    

These are Beth’s personal notes, due to this fact sources are not often stated.