Text -- Revelation 20:8-15 (NET)

20:8 and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea. 20:9 They went up on the broad plain of the earth and encircled the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely. 20:10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever.

The Great White Throne

20:11 Then I saw a large white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then books were opened, and another book was opened– the book of life. So the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. 20:13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. 20:14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death– the lake of fire. 20:15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Rev 20:8

¹ tn Or “mislead.”

² sn The battle with Gog and Magog is described in the OT in Ezek 38:1-39:20.

³ tn Grk “of whom the number of them [is] like the sand of the sea” (an allusion to Isa 10:22).

NET Notes: Rev 20:9

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² tn The shift here to past tense reflects the Greek text.

³ tn On the phrase “broad plain of the earth” BDAG 823 s.v. πλάτος states, “τὸ πλάτος τῆς γῆς Rv 20:9 comes fr. the OT (Da 12:2 LXX. Cp. Hab 1:6; Sir 1:3), but the sense is not clear: breadth = the broad plain of the earth is perh. meant to provide room for the countless enemies of God vs. 8, but the ‘going up’ is better suited to Satan (vs. 7) who has recently been freed, and who comes up again fr. the abyss (vs. 3).” The referent here thus appears to be a plain large enough to accommodate the numberless hoards that have drawn up for battle against the Lord Christ and his saints.

⁴ tn Or “surrounded.”

⁵ tn On the term παρεμβολή (parembolh) BDAG 775 s.v. states, “Mostly used as a military t.t.…so always in our lit.…1. a (fortified) camp…ἡ παρεμβολὴ τῶν ἁγίων Rv 20:9 is also to be understood fr. the OT use of the word.”

⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

⁷ tn See L&N 20.45 for the translation of κατεσθίω (katesqiw) as “to destroy utterly, to consume completely.”

NET Notes: Rev 20:10

¹ tn Or “misled.”

² tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”

³ tn The verb in this clause is elided. In keeping with the previous past tenses some translations supply a past tense verb here (“were”), but in view of the future tense that follows (“they will be tormented”), a present tense verb was used to provide a transition from the previous past tense to the future tense that follows.

NET Notes: Rev 20:11

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

² tn Traditionally, “great,” but μέγας (megas) here refers to size rather than importance.

³ tn Or “and the sky.” The same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky,” and context usually determines which is meant. In this apocalyptic scene, however, it is difficult to be sure what referent to assign the term.

⁴ tn Or “vanished.”

sn The phrase the earth and the heaven fled from his presence can be understood (1) as visual imagery representing the fear of corruptible matter in the presence of God, but (2) it can also be understood more literally as the dissolution of the universe as we know it in preparation for the appearance of the new heaven and new earth (Rev 21:1).

NET Notes: Rev 20:12

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

² tn Grk “another book was opened, which is of life.”

³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the books being opened.

⁴ tn Grk “from the things written in the books according to their works.”

NET Notes: Rev 20:13

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² sn Here Death is personified (cf. 1 Cor 15:55).

NET Notes: Rev 20:14

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

NET Notes: Rev 20:15

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

² tn The word “name” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

³ tn Grk “he”; the pronoun has been intensified by translating as “that person.”