Mike,

A quick question: Is Rev 20 written in chronological order? And if so how far back does that chronology go? Isa 19 – 20 in chronology? Or 18 – 20?

Thanks!
J____

Hi J____,

The answer to your question is no, this is not a book about dispensational, chronological, historical events. It is a book about the progression of the revelation of Jesus Christ within each of us at our appointed time. It is not words about apocalyptic events at the end of this age of mankind’s rule on this earth.. These words are the words of Christ, and they were and are as applicable today as they were the day they were first written. That is the nature of every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. We all live them all:

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Mat 24:34  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Christ’s words were as relevant when He first spoke them as they are today, and they will be just as relevant tomorrow and in the lake of fire as they are today. Christ’s words “will never pass away.”
Nothing has more effectively kept the message of the book of Revelation from reaching the masses of Christianity than the teaching that this is a book about events at the end of this age in which we live. This is not a book about events at the end of the time of mankind’s rule on this earth. It is rather a book, like all the rest of scripture, which instructs us on how we are to live our lives.
Only in the sense that each life is its own aion, its own age, does this book have anything to do with end times or end- time events. In other words, the “ends of the world” have been around since the death and resurrection of Christ.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world [ Greek aion, age]  are come.

The book of Revelation is about “the revelation of Jesus Christ within those in whom He lives His life. That is how the book is introduced to us, and that is how the book concludes. The time to “keep the things written therein” has been around since the days this book was committed to pen and paper (or papyrus).

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Like all of scripture, this book is intended to be read, heard and kept because the time is at hand to do so. That is what we are told in the third verse of the first chapter, and that is the exact same way this book closes:

Rev 22:7  Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Now let me pose to you the question I posed to a gentleman when he told me I had the wrong premise on which to understand this book. My question for all who think this is a book about end times in a dispensational, chronological sense is “what part of ‘the things written therein’ is not for you to ‘keep’?” What part of “the sayings of the prophecy of this book” is not for you to “keep?” Be very careful how you answer that question, because “out of thine own mouth I will judge you… according to the multitude of thine idols” (Luk 19:22 and Eze 14:9).
All of mankind, each in his own appointed time, will live and be judged by every one of the seven seals. Each of those seven seals will in turn be followed by the seven trumpet judgments, which are that seventh seal. All of mankind will in turn be partakers of the seven last plagues, which are that seventh trumpet judgment.  No man who has ever lived will enter into the temple, which temple we are, without the seven angels first pouring out their plagues.

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Rev 16 lists all those plagues which every man will have poured out into his life. Chapter 17 describes the great whore who rules over the lives of all men, each in his own time and in his own way. Chapter 19 is the simultaneous destruction of the beast and the false prophet and the marriage supper of the Lamb. This is all a part of the establishment of the kingdom of God, and it is not given to one person in one thousand to see and understand that all these events and all events connected to the establishment of this kingdom of God, are all within each of us on whom that honor is bestowed.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

That is why Peter tells us that judgment is now on the house of God. That is just another way of saying “I come quickly… the time is at hand.”

1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

I hope this helps you to see that “the time had come” in Peter’s day. I hope this helps you to see that this is not a dispensational book about apocalyptic, end time events, but is rather is a book about the kingdom of God within you, and how every one of mankind will live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
Rev 20 is about the first resurrection and the rulership with a rod of iron of God’s elect over the rebellious nations of this earth, for a symbolic 1,000 years. We endure our own time of rebellion while still in these rebellious vessels of clay, and like those nations at that time, we too, must be broken in shivers and crushed to powder.

Mat 21:44  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

We are all, in our time, “the chief priests and Pharisees” before we fall on that Stone and before that Stone falls on us and crushes us to powder. We are not one or the other; we “live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Mat 4:4 and Luk 4:4).
Rev 20 also includes the fire that comes down from God after the millennium and destroys all flesh and brings an end to “all flesh”. That event is immediately followed by the second resurrection, which is the resurrection of every man who has ever lived. All who come up in that resurrection must be subjected to the symbolic flames of the lake of fire, and purified of whatever kept them from being in the blessed and holy first resurrection.

Rev 20:6  Blessed 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.
Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And 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.
Rev 20:9  And 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.
Rev 20:10  And 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.
Rev 20:11  And 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.
Rev 20:12  And 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.
Rev 20:13  And 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.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

The lake of fire after the millennium is the death of death of 1Co 15.

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end [ harvest], when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed [ is] death.

Rev 21 describes the new heavens and the new earth, which merge into one within all in whom is the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is already within those who will one day rule the world kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ.

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Eph 2:5 (we also being dead to the offenses and the lusts), vivifies us together in Chris t (in grace are you saved!)”
Eph 2:6 and rouses us together and seats us together among the celestials, in Christ Jesus,
Rev 11:15  And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [ the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

“For ever and ever” is ‘the eons of the eons’ and can mean nothing less than the ages of the millennium and the ages of the lake of fire.
Chapter 22 recaps the whole prophecy with the reminder that we must “keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book”. It concludes with a solemn warning against adding to or taking way from the personal application of the words of the prophecy of this book. If we think that there are parts of this prophecy which have no personal application, then our part in the sayings of this prophecy will be diminished until the lake of fire. On the other hand, if we add to these words, then the plagues in this book will be added to us in the lake of fire.
I hope this helps you to see that this is not a book about dispensational, apocalyptic, end- time events, but is rather just a part of the words of our Lord which all mankind must live each in his own order.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike