Revelation 20

7 translations · read through 12 traditions.

NCB · New Consensus Bible

¹And I saw an angel coming down out of the heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. ²And he seized the dragon, the serpent the ancient, who is the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him a thousand years, ³and threw him into the abyss, and shut him in, and sealed it over him, that he might not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. After these things he must be released for a short time. ⁴And 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 the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who did not worship the beast nor the image of it, and did not receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they lived and reigned with Christ the thousand years. ⁵But the rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years were finished. This is the resurrection the first. ⁶Blessed and holy is the one having a part in the resurrection the first; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him the thousand years. ⁷And when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released out of the prison of him, ⁸and will go out to deceive the nations those in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war, of whom the number of them is as the sand of the sea. ⁹And they went up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of the heaven and devoured them. ¹⁰And the devil, the one deceiving them, was thrown into the lake of the fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night into the ages of the ages. ¹¹And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it, of whom from the face the earth and the heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. ¹²And 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 out of the things written in the books, according to their works. ¹³And the sea gave up the dead those in it, and the death and the hades gave up the dead those in them; and they were judged, each one according to their works. ¹⁴And the death and the hades were thrown into the lake of the fire. This is the death the second, the lake of the fire. ¹⁵And if anyone was not found written in the book of the life, he was thrown into the lake of the fire.

AI-generated rendering, not a human translation. Read Revelation 20 in the New Consensus Bible →

Disputed passages in this chapter

The thousand years
What is the thousand-year reign in Revelation 20, and how should the meeting in the air in 1 Thessalonians 4 be understood? The answers shape Christian hope, mission, and pastoral practice.

What the traditions agree on

Across all families of Christianity, it is universally affirmed that the martyrs and those who resisted the beast partake in the first resurrection to reign with Christ for a thousand years, and that afterward, Satan is released to gather Gog and Magog for a final rebellion before being cast into the lake of fire. It is also agreed by nearly all that an angel binds Satan in the abyss to prevent him from deceiving the nations, and that a Great White Throne appears where the dead are judged… Sign in to read the full consensus →

Where the traditions differ

The 'thousand years' is a symbolic period representing the present era of the Church between Christ's first and second comings.
catholic: AFFIRM; orthodox: AFFIRM; oriental-orthodox: AFFIRM; anglican: AFFIRM; lutheran: AFFIRM; reformed: AFFIRM; baptist: QUALIFY; methodist: QUALIFY; anabaptist: QUALIFY; pentecostal: DENY; adventist: DENY; restorationist: AFFIRM
The 'thousand years' represents a future, literal earthly kingdom established after the second coming of Christ.
catholic: DENY; orthodox: DENY; oriental-orthodox: DENY; anglican: DENY; lutheran: DENY; reformed: DENY; baptist: QUALIFY; methodist: QUALIFY; anabaptist: DENY; pentecostal: AFFIRM; adventist: DENY; restorationist: DENY
The 'thousand years' represents a progressive, earthly triumph of the gospel and spread of holiness prior to Christ's return.
lutheran: DENY; reformed: QUALIFY; methodist: QUALIFY; pentecostal: DENY; adventist: DENY; restorationist: QUALIFY
The 'abyss' represents the earth in a dark, desolated state during the millennium, where Satan is circumstantially bound by having no living humans left to deceive.
catholic: DENY; adventist: AFFIRM
The binding of Satan was accomplished at Christ's first advent, presently limiting his ability to entirely deceive the nations and securing the success of global missions.
catholic: QUALIFY; orthodox: QUALIFY; oriental-orthodox: QUALIFY; anglican: QUALIFY; lutheran: AFFIRM; reformed: AFFIRM; baptist: QUALIFY; pentecostal: DENY; adventist: DENY; restorationist: QUALIFY
The 'first resurrection' signifies the spiritual regeneration of believers, primarily realized through Baptism.
catholic: AFFIRM; orthodox: AFFIRM; oriental-orthodox: AFFIRM; anglican: AFFIRM; lutheran: AFFIRM; reformed: DENY; pentecostal: DENY; adventist: DENY; restorationist: AFFIRM
The 'first resurrection' refers to the translation of the believer's soul to heaven immediately after physical death to reign with Christ in the intermediate state.
catholic: DENY; orthodox: QUALIFY; oriental-orthodox: QUALIFY; lutheran: DENY; reformed: AFFIRM; pentecostal: DENY; adventist: DENY
The 'first resurrection' is a literal, physical resurrection of the righteous that precedes the millennial kingdom.
catholic: DENY; orthodox: DENY; oriental-orthodox: DENY; anglican: DENY; lutheran: DENY; reformed: DENY; anabaptist: DENY; pentecostal: AFFIRM; adventist: AFFIRM; restorationist: DENY
The millennial reign of the saints occurs in heaven and involves a review judgment of the records of the lost to vindicate God's justice.
catholic: DENY; pentecostal: DENY; adventist: AFFIRM
Gog and Magog represent historical and spiritual enemies that continuously assault the true Church throughout the present age.
anglican: DENY; lutheran: AFFIRM; reformed: DENY; pentecostal: DENY; adventist: DENY
Satan's release and the gathering of the nations occur after a second physical resurrection of the wicked at the close of the millennium.
pentecostal: DENY; adventist: AFFIRM
The Great White Throne depicts a single, general judgment of all humanity, both righteous and wicked, at the end of history.
catholic: AFFIRM; orthodox: AFFIRM; oriental-orthodox: AFFIRM; lutheran: AFFIRM; reformed: AFFIRM; baptist: AFFIRM; methodist: AFFIRM; pentecostal: DENY; adventist: DENY; restorationist: AFFIRM
The Great White Throne represents a final judgment specifically reserved for the resurrection and condemnation of the wicked dead.
catholic: DENY; orthodox: DENY; oriental-orthodox: DENY; lutheran: DENY; reformed: DENY; baptist: DENY; methodist: DENY; pentecostal: AFFIRM; adventist: AFFIRM; restorationist: DENY
The judgment 'according to works' demonstrates that final salvation takes into account human obedience, lived discipleship, and cooperation with divine grace.
catholic: AFFIRM; orthodox: AFFIRM; oriental-orthodox: AFFIRM; anglican: QUALIFY; lutheran: DENY; reformed: DENY; baptist: DENY; methodist: AFFIRM; anabaptist: AFFIRM; restorationist: AFFIRM
The judgment according to the 'books' of works demonstrates God's strict justice under the law, while the 'book of life' is the sole basis for salvation by grace alone.
catholic: DENY; orthodox: DENY; oriental-orthodox: DENY; anglican: AFFIRM; lutheran: AFFIRM; reformed: AFFIRM; methodist: DENY; restorationist: DENY
The 'lake of fire' and 'second death' represent the eternal, conscious punishment of the devil and the unredeemed.
catholic: AFFIRM; orthodox: QUALIFY; oriental-orthodox: AFFIRM; baptist: AFFIRM; methodist: AFFIRM; pentecostal: AFFIRM; adventist: DENY
The 'lake of fire' and 'second death' represent the complete and permanent annihilation, or cessation of existence, of the wicked.
catholic: DENY; orthodox: DENY; oriental-orthodox: DENY; baptist: DENY; methodist: DENY; pentecostal: DENY; adventist: AFFIRM
To prevent literalist misinterpretations, this chapter is explicitly excluded from the Eucharistic lectionary.
orthodox: AFFIRM; anglican: DENY
The expectation of Satan's final destruction inspires present-day spiritual warfare and the exercise of authority over demonic forces.
lutheran: QUALIFY; pentecostal: AFFIRM
The threat of the Great White Throne judgment drives intense evangelistic urgency to ensure individuals' names are recorded in the Book of Life.
reformed: DENY; baptist: AFFIRM; methodist: AFFIRM; pentecostal: AFFIRM; restorationist: AFFIRM

How each tradition reads it

Each reading was generated in isolation — no tradition sees another’s answer.

Catholic

The apocalyptic vision recounts an angel binding the dragon for a thousand years in the abyss, preventing him from deceiving the nations (Rev 20:1-3). During this period, martyred souls and those who resisted the beast sit on thrones, experiencing the 'first resurrection' and reigning with Christ (Rev 20:4-6). Following this epoch, Satan is temporarily released to rally Gog and Magog for a final battle, only to be utterly consumed by divine fire and cast forever into the lake of fire alongside the beast and the false prophet (Rev 20:7-10). Finally, a universal judgment occurs before a great white throne, where all the dead are judged according to their deeds recorded in the books, the Book of Life is consulted, and death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:11-15). Reception: The Catholic communion, uniting both Latin and Eastern traditions, overwhelmingly interprets this chapter spiritually and ecclesiologically rather than as a literal chronological roadmap. In the Latin West, Augustine's 'City of God' decisively established the amillennial reading: the 'thousand years' (Rev 20:2-7) symbolizes the present age of the Church between Christ's first and second advents. For Augustine, the 'first resurrection' (Rev 20:5-6) is the spiritual resurrection of baptism, where believers pass from spiritual death to life in Christ, while the reign of the saints represents the current spiritual authority of the Church Militant and Triumphant. The Magisterium explicitly condemns 'millenarianism' or chiliasm, particularly the belief in a literal, earthly, political reign of Christ before the final judgment (Catechism of the Catholic Church). The Eastern Catholic churches share this spiritualized consensus, heavily informed by Greek Fathers like Andrew of Caesarea. In his 'Commentary on the Apocalypse,' Andrew interprets the thousand years as a symbol of completeness, encompassing the entire period of the Gospel dispensation. The binding of Satan (Rev 20:2) is understood sacramentally and objectively as the limitation of demonic power achieved by the Incarnation and the Cross, preventing the devil from totally deceiving the nations until the eschaton. Furthermore, the Great White Throne judgment (Rev 20:11-15) is read by both East and West as the definitive scriptural locus for the General Judgment, wherein the necessity of grace-wrought merit is affirmed, as all are judged 'according to their works' (Rev 20:12-13).

Eastern Orthodox

In this apocalyptic vision, an angel binds Satan and seals him in the abyss for a thousand years, preventing him from deceiving the nations. Thrones are set up, and the souls of martyrs and those who resisted the beast experience a 'first resurrection,' reigning with Christ during this thousand-year period. Afterward, Satan is released for a short time, deceiving the nations (Gog and Magog) to surround the camp of the saints. Fire descends from heaven to devour the attackers, and the devil is cast into the lake of fire. Finally, a great white throne appears for the universal judgment. The dead are resurrected and judged according to their works as recorded in opened books, including the book of life. Death, Hades, and anyone not found in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. Reception: The Eastern Orthodox tradition reads Revelation 20 through a strictly symbolic and spiritual lens, decisively rejecting 'chiliasm' (premillennialism)—the belief in a literal, future thousand-year earthly reign of Christ. Guided by the patristic consensus, particularly the commentaries of Andrew of Caesarea and Oecumenius, the 'thousand years' is understood as a symbol for the perfect, complete duration of the Church Age, spanning from Christ's Incarnation and Resurrection to His Second Coming. The binding of Satan represents the curbing of his absolute power over the nations through the victory of the cross. The 'first resurrection' is interpreted spiritually as the regeneration of believers in baptism and the present ongoing life of the saints and martyrs who reign with Christ in heaven right now. The 'second death' is understood as eternal condemnation and separation from God. The Great White Throne judgment reinforces the Orthodox understanding of synergism, where humanity is judged according to their works in cooperation with divine grace, determining their eternal state.

Oriental Orthodox

John recounts a vision of an angel descending from heaven to bind the dragon in the abyss for a thousand years. During this period, the souls of the martyred and the faithful live and reign with Christ, an event identified as the first resurrection, which grants immunity from the second death. Following the thousand years, Satan is released and gathers the nations of Gog and Magog to besiege the camp of the saints, but they are consumed by heavenly fire, and the devil is cast into the lake of fire. Finally, John witnesses the Great White Throne judgment, where all the dead are judged according to their works and the Book of Life. Death, Hades, and anyone not found in the Book of Life are cast into the lake of fire. Reception: The canonical reception of Revelation historically varied within the Oriental Orthodox communion. While the Syriac and Armenian churches initially excluded the book from their early canons (integrating it fully only in later centuries), the Alexandrian and Ethiopian traditions embraced it early, as evidenced by Athanasius of Alexandria's inclusion of it in his Festal Letter 39. Theologically, the Oriental Orthodox tradition uniformly rejects chiliasm (the belief in a literal, future thousand-year earthly reign of Christ). This amillennial approach was heavily shaped by early Alexandrian leaders like Dionysius of Alexandria, who opposed literalistic readings of the millennium. Consequently, the 'thousand years' (vv. 2-7) is interpreted symbolically as the current era of the Church, spanning from Christ's Incarnation, crucifixion, and harrowing of Hades—which bound Satan—to His Second Coming. The 'first resurrection' (vv. 4-6) is understood spiritually: it refers primarily to the believer's rising from spiritual death through baptism and repentance, and the present reign of the departed martyrs and saints with Christ in Paradise. The 'second death' (v. 14) is eternal damnation. The Great White Throne judgment (vv. 11-15) emphasizes a robust synergy of faith and deeds, as individuals are judged according to their works recorded in the books.

9 more traditions read this chapter.

Every translation

The same chapter in 7 public-domain translations.

WEB · World English Bible

¹I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. ²He seized the dragon, the old serpent, who is the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years, ³and cast him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years were finished. After this, he must be freed for a short time. ⁴I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and such as didn’t worship the beast nor his image, and didn’t receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵The rest of the dead didn’t live until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. ⁶Blessed and holy is he who has 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 one thousand years. ⁷And after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war, whose number is as the sand of the sea. ⁹They went up over the width of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven from God and devoured them. ¹⁰The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are also. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever. ¹¹I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them. ¹²I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. ¹³The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works. ¹⁴Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.

KJV · King James Version

¹And 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. ⁹And 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.

5 more translations to compare, side by side.

Differences that change the meaning (38)

v1 [lexical]: (vv 1, 3) translates the term for the bottomless pit differently — “abyss” (WEB, ASV, YLT, DARBY) vs “bottomless pit” (KJV, WEBSTER, DRC)
v2 [lexical]: uses different verbs or prepositions for seizing the dragon — “laid hold on” (KJV, ASV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “seized” (WEB) vs “of” (DARBY)
v2 [lexical]: uses different adjectives or phrasing for the ancient serpent — “the” (WEB, ASV, YLT, DRC) vs “that old” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “the ancient” (DARBY)
v2 [grammatical]: chooses between a relative pronoun for a person or a thing — “which” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “who” (WEB, YLT, DARBY)
v3 [grammatical]: differs in whether the pronoun refers to the dragon or the abyss — “him up” (KJV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “it” (WEB, ASV, DARBY)
v3 [lexical]: uses different verbs for the action of sealing — “sealed it over” (WEB, ASV, DARBY) vs “set a seal upon” (KJV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “put” (YLT)
v3 [grammatical]: uses different verb tenses and auxiliaries for completion — “should be fulfilled and” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “finished” (ASV, DRC) vs “were finished” (WEB) vs “may finished” (YLT) vs “were completed” (DARBY)
v3 [lexical]: uses different verbs or prepositions for the release of Satan — “loosed” (KJV, YLT, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “for” (ASV, DARBY) vs “freed for” (WEB)
v3 [lexical]: translates the noun for the duration of time with different synonyms — “time” (ASV, YLT, DARBY, DRC) vs “little season” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “short time” (WEB)
v4 [lexical]: chooses between 'thrones' and 'seats' for the ruling places — “thrones” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “seats” (DRC)
v4 [stylistic]: uses a synonymous preposition for 'upon' — “upon” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “on” (WEB)
v4 [stylistic]: chooses an archaic or modern preposition — “to” (WEB, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “unto” (KJV, ASV, DRC)
v4 [grammatical]: differs in phrasing the relative clause or participle for those beheaded — “them that were” (KJV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “those who had been” (WEB) vs “had been” (ASV) vs “those who have been” (YLT) vs “those” (DARBY)
v4 [lexical]: translates the preposition denoting cause or reason differently — “for” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “because of” (YLT) vs “on account of” (DARBY)
v4 [lexical]: uses synonymous nouns for the testimony borne by the martyrs — “testimony” (WEB, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “witness” (KJV)
v4 [grammatical]: employs different negative coordinating conjunctions — “nor” (WEB, YLT, DRC) vs “neither” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER) vs “nor to” (DARBY)
v4 [grammatical]: translates the body parts as singular or plural — “hands” (KJV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “forehead” (WEB, DARBY) vs “hand” (ASV, YLT)
v4 [grammatical]: uses different articles or prepositions for the duration — “a” (KJV, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “for” (WEB) vs “the” (YLT)
v5 [grammatical]: uses different verb tenses and moods to express completion — “were finished” (WEB, KJV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “should be” (ASV) vs “may be” (YLT) vs “had been completed” (DARBY)
v6 [grammatical]: translates the present participle with different relative clauses and tense forms — “that hath” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “who has” (WEB, DARBY) vs “who is having” (YLT)
v6 [grammatical]: uses different prepositions and structures to refer to those resurrected — “Over these” (WEB, ASV, DARBY) vs “resurrection on such” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “rising again over these” (YLT) vs “In these” (DRC)
v6 [lexical]: translates the noun for authority or power differently — “hath no power” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “has” (WEB, DARBY) vs “not authority” (YLT)
v6 [stylistic]: uses either 'shall' or 'will' as the future auxiliary — “shall” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “will” (WEB)
v7 [lexical]: uses different conjunctions for the timing of the release — “when” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “after” (WEB)
v7 [lexical]: uses different synonyms and prepositions for being set free from prison — “loosed out of” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DRC) vs “from” (DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “released from” (WEB)
v8 [interpretive]: reflects a versification difference affecting text alignment — “corners” (WEB, ASV, YLT, DARBY) vs “four quarters” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “breadth” (DRC)
v11 [grammatical]: differs in how the participial phrase describing the one seated is constructed — “him that sat on” (KJV, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “who” (WEB) vs “upon” (ASV) vs “who is sitting upon” (YLT) vs “one sitting upon” (DRC)
v11 [grammatical]: varies in the placement and phrasing of the negation regarding the place found — “found no place” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER) vs “not” (YLT, DARBY) vs “found” (DRC)
v12 [stylistic]: repeats the noun or replaces it with a demonstrative pronoun — “the book” (WEB, KJV, ASV, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “that” (YLT, DARBY)
v12 [grammatical]: uses different prepositions indicating the source or means of judgment — “the” (WEB, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “out of those” (KJV) vs “by” (DRC)
v13 [lexical]: translates the realm of the dead as 'Hades' or 'hell' and uses different verbs — “Hades gave” (WEB, ASV, DARBY) vs “hell delivered” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “the hades did give” (YLT) vs “gave” (DRC)
v13 [grammatical]: uses either a definite article or a possessive pronoun — “the” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “their” (DRC)
v13 [grammatical]: translates the distributive pronoun for each individual differently — “every man” (KJV, ASV, WEBSTER) vs “each one” (WEB, YLT) vs “each” (DARBY) vs “one” (DRC)
v13 [grammatical]: chooses singular or plural possessive pronoun matching the distributive subject — “their” (KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “his” (WEB)
v14 [lexical]: translates the realm of the dead differently and varies word order — “Hades” (WEB, ASV, DARBY) vs “And death and hell” (KJV, WEBSTER) vs “the the hades” (YLT) vs “and death” (DRC)
v14 [lexical]: uses different verbs or prepositions for being placed into the lake of fire — “cast into” (KJV, ASV, DARBY, WEBSTER, DRC) vs “thrown” (WEB) vs “to” (YLT)
v14 [lexical]: (vv 14, 15) translates the body of fire with different synonymous nouns — “lake” (WEB, KJV, ASV, YLT, DARBY, WEBSTER) vs “pool” (DRC)
v15 [grammatical]: uses a conditional clause or an indefinite relative pronoun — “And whosoever” (KJV, DRC) vs “if any one” (YLT, DARBY) vs “If anyone” (WEB) vs “if any” (ASV) vs “whoever” (WEBSTER)

Behind this page

Source text. Greek (TAGNT, public-domain critical text). Greek New Testament (eclectic, matching NA28/UBS5 traditions).

Divine names: Theos (God).

Also consulted, but not counted in the consensus

Academic textual-historical analysis

Academic textual-historical analysis identifies Revelation 20 as a classic example of Jewish-Christian apocalyptic literature, heavily utilizing the 'Chaoskampf' (divine combat) motif and earlier Jewish apocalyptic imagery. Scholars note that the binding of the dragon in the 'abyss' (ἄβυσσος, vv. 1-3) directly parallels the binding of the fallen angel Azazel in the extra-biblical text 1 Enoch 10. The chapter's central feature—a thousand-year reign (χίλια ἔτη, vv. 4-6)—is introduced to vindicate martyrs, specifically those 'beheaded' (πεπελεκισμένων, a term pointing to Roman capital punishment), which anchors the text in a late 1st-century context of social tension or persecution. The narrative adapts Hebrew Bible prophecies, notably transforming 'Gog and Magog' (vv. 7-8) from Ezekiel 38-39's specific northern invaders into a universalized, mythic symbol for all rebellious nations at the 'four corners of the earth.' The Great White Throne judgment (vv. 11-15) synthesizes the divine court scene of Daniel 7 with ancient Near Eastern motifs of heavenly ledgers (the 'books' and the 'book of life') and personified cosmic enemies ('Death and Hades') being destroyed in a 'lake of fire.'

Jewish interpretation

Because this text belongs to the Christian New Testament, it holds no canonical status in Judaism and is not read as Scripture. Viewed strictly historically by modern Jewish scholars, this chapter is a first-century Jewish-Christian apocalyptic narrative. It synthesizes Hebrew Bible motifs—specifically the final battle of Gog and Magog (v. 8, from Ezekiel 38-39) and the opening of heavenly books for judgment (v. 12, from Daniel 7 and 12)—to construct a vision of final vindication for sectarian martyrs and the ultimate destruction of cosmic evil. The text uses these Tanakh elements to assert that the present suffering of the faithful will be overturned in an eschatological kingdom.

Latter-day Saint

John envisions the binding of Satan in the abyss for a thousand years, initiating a period of righteous rule by those who participate in the 'first resurrection.' Following this thousand-year period, Satan is released for a 'little season' to deceive the nations and gather them for a final battle. Fire from heaven devours the rebellious armies, and Satan is cast into the lake of fire permanently. The chapter concludes with the Great White Throne judgment, where all the dead are judged according to their works based on what is written in the 'books' and the 'book of life,' with death, Hades, and the unwritten being cast into the lake of fire.

Jehovah's Witnesses

Revelation 20 narrates the immediate aftermath of the previous chapter's divine war. An angel descends from heaven, binds the dragon (Satan), and seals him in an abyss for one thousand years to prevent him from deceiving the nations. Thrones are established, and those martyred and faithful who did not receive the beast's mark participate in the 'first resurrection,' ruling as priests and kings with Christ for the millennium. After the thousand years, Satan is released, deceives the nations (Gog and Magog), and leads them against the beloved city. Fire from heaven destroys the attackers, and Satan is cast into the lake of fire where the beast and false prophet are. Finally, a great white throne appears; the dead are resurrected from the sea, Death, and Hades, and are judged according to their works based on opened books. Death, Hades, and anyone not in the book of life are thrown into the lake of fire, which is identified as the second death.

Translation choices the NCB made (53)

v1: out of the heaven — Preserves the specific definite article pattern with heaven
v1: abyss — Provides a clear modern term for the chaotic deep while avoiding archaism
v1: the key of the abyss — Maintains the definite article indicating a singular specific key
v2: seized — Contemporary active rendering of the verb over archaic idioms
v2: the serpent the ancient — Preserves the unusual accusative-to-nominative article shift
v2: who — Uses a personal relative pronoun matching contemporary personification of the devil
v2: a thousand years — Translates the unarthrous phrase literally upon its first occurrence (disputed among traditions)
v3: threw — Adopts a modern, active verb for forceful action
v3: shut him in — Accurately reflects the masculine pronoun referring back to Satan
v3: sealed it over him — Clarifies the spatial preposition indicating closure from above
v3: until the thousand years were finished — Uses straightforward contemporary phrasing to express the temporal boundary
v3: released — Applies a standard modern verb for being let out of confinement
v3: a short time — Natural contemporary phrasing for duration
v4: thrones — Accurately identifies the specific ruling stations
v4: on them — Selects the modern preposition over archaic options
v4: those who had been beheaded — Translates the perfect passive participle smoothly into natural English
v4: because of — Clearly renders the preposition denoting causal reason
v4: testimony — Applies a common contemporary term for bearing legal or public witness
v4: nor... and did not — Resolves the negative coordination smoothly into a non-contracted contemporary form
v4: their forehead and on their hand — Maintains the deliberate singular rendering of the body parts in the source text
v4: the thousand years — Preserves the definite article indicating the specific referring period (disputed among traditions)
v5: until the thousand years were finished — Keeps a consistent temporal rendering parallel to verse 3
v5: the resurrection the first — Preserves the distinct post-positive article pattern emphasizing order
v6: the one having — Renders the substantival participle directly and consistently
v6: the resurrection the first — Retains the exact structural article pattern mirroring verse 5
v6: over these — Conveys the concept of authority spatially
v6: has no authority — Uses an accurate modern noun for exousia and avoids archaic phrasing
v6: will be — Eliminates the archaic auxiliary in favor of direct future tense
v7: when — Provides the standard temporal conjunction
v7: out of the prison of him — Preserves the literal genitive pronoun construction attached to the definite article noun
v8: the nations those in the four corners — Keeps the definite article used structurally as a relative descriptor
v8: Gog and Magog — Translates the proper names directly while recognizing they now serve a universal symbolic scope (disputed among traditions)
v8: of whom the number of them — Preserves the intentional pleonastic Hebrew-style pronoun structure in the Greek text
v9: the breadth — Appropriately describes the vast conceptual expanse
v9: the camp of the saints and the beloved city — Adopts standard dignified wording, flattening the original Greek assonance
v9: from God — Includes the phrase as explicitly provided in the source text basis
v10: thrown into the lake — Contemporary rendering reflecting violent disposal
v10: sulfur — Replaces archaic brimstone with its modern equivalent
v10: into the ages of the ages — Preserves the Greek polyptoton while completely avoiding the archaic unto
v11: the one sitting on it — Translates the present substantival participle literally without finite verb approximation
v11: of whom from the face — Retains the specific relative spatial anchor particle exactly
v11: the earth and the heaven — Maintains both distinct definite articles per the source text
v12: the great and the small — Preserves the specific Greek word order and its definite articles
v12: according to their works — Employs natural contemporary English possessive flow
v13: the dead those in it... the dead those in them — Preserves the repeated definite article pattern acting as an adjectival restrictor
v13: the death and the hades — Personifies the realms comprehensively by preserving the twin definite articles
v13: hades — Treats the term as a realm space via lowercase to pair with death (disputed among traditions)
v13: each one — Employs a modern distributive pronoun over gendered archaic language
v14: were thrown — Consistent with identical verb renderings in surrounding verses
v14: is the death the second — Preserves the emphatic post-positive Greek article order forming inclusio
v14: the lake of the fire — Safeguards the specific defining article on the noun for fire
v15: if anyone — Applies a modern condition over archaic 'whosoever'
v15: the book of the life — Maintains the distinct double article present in the source text's construct

Limits worth knowing

This is AI-generated and source-grounded, and it is approved by no community that holds these traditions.
The readings were produced in isolated calls that do not see one another. Isolation prevents anchoring; it does not make them independent witnesses.
The Nicene-Trinitarian boundary, and the decision not to seat non-denominational Evangelicalism separately (it is a cross-traditional movement already present within several voting profiles), are editorial choices.
The roster, the grouping into three families, and the rule that families (not seat counts) carry consensus all shape the result. A different roster would produce a different synthesis.
One profile cannot exhaust a tradition; the synthesis reflects what the profiles said, not everything the traditions hold.
The non-voting panels (Academic, Jewish) never vote; LDS and Jehovah's Witness readings are a comparative appendix only.
Any profiles excluded for this chapter after failing the audit are named on the page and removed from the eligible roster for it.
The rendering is unreviewed by any tradition, and every contested wording it settled is listed in Choices Made — where the text forced a decision, the decision is documented rather than hidden behind a claim of preserved ambiguity.

See the full step-by-step working → · AI-generated Oct 12, 2026, gemini-3.1-pro-preview (high thinking) — every stage, v4 spec + Addendum B (claim-audited, cross-stage-checked)