Revelation Ch 20-21 Bible Study
The Book of Revelation.
Chapter 20-21
This is an AI Recap of the class.
Some things may be incorrect.
Short Summary of the Whole Class
This Bible study walked through Revelation 20–21, highlighting God’s ultimate defeat of evil, the reality of judgment, the hope of bodily resurrection, and the renewal of creation as heaven comes down to earth. We connected Revelation’s imagery to Genesis, Job, the Gospels, and Romans, countered gnostic misunderstandings, and applied these truths pastorally to Christian grief and funerals. The class emphasized that Jesus has overcome, believers share in His victory, death cannot separate us from God’s love, and God will dwell with His people in a renewed creation.
Section 1: Reading and Framing Revelation 20
We recalled Revelation 20’s imagery: the abyss (bottomless pit), the dragon/serpent, and links back to Genesis 1 (primordial depths), Genesis 3 (serpent), and Job’s cosmic conflict.
We read about the thousand years, the first resurrection, Satan’s brief release, Gog and Magog, the final defeat of the devil, the great white throne judgment, the opening of books and the Book of Life, and death and Hades being cast into the lake of fire.
We framed the chapter as victory portraits rather than a strict timeline, underscoring God’s sovereignty and evil’s restraint.
Short summary:
Revelation 20 sets the stage for God’s sovereign victory: evil is restrained and ultimately destroyed, the saints reign with Christ, judgment is rendered, and death is defeated.
Section 2: Noticing the Theme of Destruction and Hope
We noted the recurring theme of destruction, clarified as God’s destruction of evil, not of creation’s goodness.
The call to “overcome” in Revelation was traced from the churches to Jesus Himself; believers share in His overcoming.
Short summary:
Destruction in Revelation is hopeful because it targets evil, and believers share in Jesus’ victory through the call to overcome.
Section 3: The Sea, Death, and Hades Giving Up the Dead
We discussed how the sea, death, and Hades “give up the dead,” affirming God’s power to raise all, regardless of how or where bodies were lost.
We addressed cremation history (noting some 19th-century atheist challenges) and clarified that God can resurrect all.
We explained “Hades” as the Greek underworld concept used culturally to show nothing is beyond God’s summons to judgment.
Short summary:
No realm can retain the dead—God will raise all for judgment and restoration; “Hades” reflects cultural language to emphasize God’s comprehensive authority.
Section 4: Countering Gnosticism: Tangibility and Resurrection
We confronted gnostic ideas that demean material creation and over-spiritualize hope.
We highlighted Scripture’s affirmation of creation’s goodness and Jesus’ bodily resurrection (eating, being touched) as the anchor of our future bodily resurrection.
Funeral language was examined to avoid implying that bodies are bad; the Christian hope is embodied and tangible.
Short summary:
Christian hope is bodily; Jesus’ real resurrection grounds our own, and creation’s goodness will be restored—counter to gnostic tendencies.
Section 5: Pastoral Application—Death, Grief, and Hope
We named death as the problem and evidence of sin; grief is honest and appropriate.
Lutheran funerals center on resurrection hope, contrasting abstract or purely spiritual views (e.g., Masonic elements).
We affirmed that believers are “with Jesus,” and nothing—death included—can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8).
Short summary:
We grieve honestly because death is the evidence of sin, yet we hope confidently in Christ’s presence and the promise of bodily resurrection and reunion.
Section 6: Grieving with Hope and the Trajectory Toward Eden
We discussed cultural practices of celebrating life at funerals, holding stories and hope together.
We framed Scripture’s trajectory as movement back toward Eden—reunification and restoration—anticipating Revelation 21–22.
We preferred saying “with Jesus” over speculation about the intermediate state, trusting His promise to be with us.
Short summary:
Christian grief blends sorrow and hope, aiming toward restored Eden; Jesus’ abiding presence secures our comfort even amid judgment scenes.
Section 7: The “Second Death,” the Millennium, and Evil Restrained (Revelation 20)
We examined the “second death” (lake of fire) as final judgment.
We acknowledged diverse millennial views without settling on one, focusing pastorally on God’s sovereign restraint of evil.
Like in Job, what threatens is limited by God; Satan is bound, and the climactic battle is anticlimactic under God’s reign.
Short summary:
Revelation 20 emphasizes God’s sovereign control—evil is restrained; the second death is final judgment, but believers rest secure in Christ.
Section 8: The “First Resurrection” and Interpreting Difficult Passages
We wrestled with the “first resurrection,” considering various interpretations.
Pastorally, we connected it to Christ’s resurrection and believers’ participation, ensuring the second death has no power over those in Him.
Central theme: death is the problem; Christ’s resurrection is the solution.
Short summary:
Though interpretive details vary, sharing in Christ’s resurrection secures believers against the second death; our hope is anchored in Jesus.
Section 9: The Books, the Book of Life, and Judgment (Revelation 20:11–15)
We explored the “books” recording deeds and the Book of Life identifying God’s people.
We connected Revelation 20 with Revelation 5, where only the Lamb is worthy to open the scrolls, implying Christ mediates judgment.
Without Christ, none could stand; with the Lamb’s victory, judgment becomes survivable for believers.
Short summary:
Judgment is comprehensive and mediated by Christ; the Book of Life marks God’s people, and the Lamb’s victory makes salvation possible.
Section 10: Clarifying the Millennium and Transition to Revelation 21
We noted traditional distinctions between the millennium and the new creation (world to come), avoiding rigid timelines.
We anticipated Revelation 21’s clearer comfort: God’s dwelling with humanity, end of death and sorrow, and renewal.
Short summary:
We emphasized Christ’s reign over precise chronology and looked forward to Revelation 21’s clearer promises of renewal and presence.
Section 11: Reading and Hearing Revelation 21:1–27
We read the vision of new heaven and new earth, New Jerusalem descending, and God dwelling with His people.
Former things pass away—no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain.
The city’s radiance, open gates, and God/Lamb as light underscore holiness and welcome for those in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Short summary:
Revelation 21 paints a vivid, hope-filled picture of renewed creation and God’s dwelling with His people, ending suffering and establishing holy, radiant life.
Section 12: “No More Sea” and the End of Chaos
“No more sea” was explained as symbolic of the end of chaos and evil (Leviathan imagery), not literal ocean removal.
This draws on biblical patterns where the sea represents disorder opposed to God’s purposes.
Short summary:
“No more sea” signals the complete removal of chaos and evil as God brings new creation.
Section 13: The New Jerusalem Comes Down—Heaven to Earth
We emphasized that heaven comes down—God’s kingdom arrives here.
Christian hope is renewal, not escape; “Thy kingdom come” shapes ethical living and stewardship now.
Short summary:
God brings heaven to earth; therefore our present life, justice, and care for creation matter in light of God’s coming kingdom.
Section 14: God Dwelling with His People—Emmanuel and Presence
We focused on God’s permanent dwelling among His people (Revelation 21:3), fulfilling the Emmanuel promise and Jesus’ “I am with you always.”
God consistently comes down—from incarnation to consummation.
Short summary:
God’s abiding presence culminates in Revelation 21, fulfilling Emmanuel as He dwells with His people forever.
Section 15: Alpha and Omega, Overcomers, and Evil Excluded
God declares His sovereignty: “I make all things new… I am the Alpha and Omega.”
Those who thirst receive the water of life; overcomers inherit.
Evil and unrepentant wickedness remain outside, preserving the holiness of the city.
Short summary:
God’s total sovereignty guarantees new creation; the faithful inherit life, and evil is excluded to maintain holiness.
Section 16: City Dimensions, Gates, Foundations, and Light
The city’s measurements and symbolism unite Israel’s tribes (twelve gates) and the apostles (twelve foundations).
No temple is needed—God and the Lamb are its temple; no sun or moon—God’s glory is its light.
Gates remain open; the nations bring their glory; only those in the Lamb’s Book of Life enter.
Short summary:
The city’s design signifies the unity of God’s people and perpetual, holy openness under God’s radiant presence.
Section 17: Bible Project Video—“Heaven and Earth”
The video explained heaven (God’s space) and earth (our space), once united in Eden, separated by sin, and overlapping through temples—ultimately reunited in Jesus.
Jesus as true temple and sacrifice creates “pockets of heaven,” culminating in the New Jerusalem where heaven and earth fully unite.
Clarified that while believers are with Jesus after death, Scripture’s focus is the future union of heaven and earth.
Short summary:
Jesus reunites God’s space and human space, leading to the full renewal of creation when heaven comes down and New Jerusalem fills the world with God’s presence.
End-of-Class Summary
We connected Revelation 20–21 to the broader biblical story and pastoral life: Jesus has overcome, evil is destroyed, judgment is mediated by the Lamb, and death itself is cast out. Christian hope is bodily resurrection and renewed creation as heaven comes to earth. We countered gnostic misunderstandings, affirmed creation’s goodness, and emphasized honest grief anchored in Christ’s presence. Revelation 21’s vision of New Jerusalem gave clear comfort: God dwells with His people, suffering ends, and the holy city welcomes the redeemed nations.
Main Points
God sovereignly restrains and defeats evil; Satan, death, and Hades are vanquished.
Judgment is comprehensive; the books record deeds; the Book of Life marks God’s people; the Lamb mediates judgment.
The “second death” is final judgment; those who share in Christ’s resurrection are secure from it.
The Christian hope is bodily resurrection and tangible renewal of creation, not escape from the material world.
Gnosticism’s denigration of the body is rejected; Jesus’ bodily resurrection guarantees ours.
Grief is honest; death is the evidence of sin, yet nothing can separate believers from God’s love.
Heaven comes down; New Jerusalem descends; God dwells with His people forever.
“No more sea” symbolizes the end of chaos and evil; God makes all things new.
The city’s architecture signifies the unity of Israel and the apostles; God and the Lamb are the temple and light.
Present life and stewardship matter because God is renewing this world.
Scriptures Mentioned or Alluded To
Revelation 20 (entire chapter): millennium, first resurrection, Satan’s release, Gog and Magog, great white throne, books opened, Book of Life, death and Hades cast into the lake of fire
Revelation 21:1–27: new heaven and new earth, New Jerusalem, God dwelling with His people, end of death and sorrow, city’s radiance and holiness
Revelation 3:5: overcoming, white garments, names in the Book of Life
Revelation 5:1–10: scroll with seven seals; only the Lamb is worthy to open them
Genesis 1: primordial depths (abyss) imagery
Genesis 3: the serpent of old
Job (general allusion): cosmic imagery and limits on evil
Romans 8: nothing can separate us from the love of God
Gospel accounts of Jesus’ bodily resurrection (e.g., Luke 24:36–43; John 20:24–29): Jesus eats and is touched
Matthew 1:23: Emmanuel (“God with us”)
Matthew 28:20: “I am with you always, to the end of the age”
Matthew 6:10 (Lord’s Prayer): “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
Leviathan/sea-as-chaos themes (e.g., Job 41; Psalm 74:13–14) noted conceptually
Stories and Topics Discussed
Abyss and serpent imagery connecting Revelation to Genesis
Sea, death, and Hades giving up the dead; God’s authority over all realms
Historical note on cremation and 19th-century atheist movements; pastoral implications
Gnosticism’s influence on modern funeral language and the correction by Scripture
Lutheran funeral focus on resurrection contrasted with Masonic elements
Pastoral language: speaking of the deceased as “with Jesus”
Assurance of bodily resurrection and restored creation
Cultural practices of celebrating life at funerals; grieving with hope
The story of Job illustrating evil’s limits under God’s sovereignty
The Lamb’s victory and authority to open the scrolls in Revelation
The anticlimactic “big battle” under God’s reign
Distinctions between the millennium and the new heavens/new earth in traditional thought
The New Jerusalem descending; heaven to earth renewal
Bible Project “Heaven and Earth” framework: Jesus as temple and sacrifice, pockets of heaven, final union in New Jerusalem