Revelation 20:1-6, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Revelation 20:1-6
Satan Is Bound and the Faithful Reign for a Thousand Years
An angel chains the deceiver for a thousand years
John sees an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He lays hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and binds him a thousand years, casts him into the bottomless pit, shuts him up, and sets a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years are fulfilled. After that he must be loosed a little season. The named purpose of the binding is to stop national deception for a marked span. The span is given as a thousand years; the book does not convert it into a start date.
Premillennial readings place a future reign after Christ's return. Amillennial readings hear a present heavenly reign during the church's time. Postmillennial readings expect gospel-shaped historical change before the end. The disagreement is real. None of the frames authorizes a coercive Christian utopia, a theocracy over dissenters, or a calendar.
Souls of the faithful live and reign; the second death has no hold
John sees thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. He sees the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection. On such the second death has no power; they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. First resurrection is read as bodily rising, heavenly life, regeneration, or vindication. Martyr witness is honored. It is not a command to seek death, and priestly reign is not dominion over neighbors.
How this should shape us
Hold the promise that deception is not forever and that faithful witnesses are not forgotten. Do not turn a thousand years into a date, a land program, or a government you get to impose.
Teach it back
Explain Revelation 20:1-6 in your own words. Include its place in Revelation's visionary movement, one major interpretive uncertainty, one Old Testament or first-century control, and one use the passage does not authorize.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters differ?
Best judgment: Premillennial readings place Christ's return before a future reign; amillennial readings see the present heavenly reign; postmillennial readings expect gospel-shaped historical transformation. First resurrection may be bodily, heavenly life, regeneration, or vindication; no view erases the passage's constraints.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete coverage.
Revelation 20:1-6, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording and sentence relations checked independently of the KJV.
Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Revelation.txt, 20:1-6
Supports: Greek form, morphology, and lexical-range cross-check; lexical data does not decide context by itself.
STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT Acts–Revelation data, rows for 20:1-6
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual variants, imagery, cross-references, and stated alternatives.
NET Bible Revelation PDF, printed pp. 2408–2447, 20:1-6 and attached translator/textual notes
Supports: Revelation's textual transmission, KJV/TR history, local uncertainty, and limits of reconstructing an earliest text.
Hernández, 'The Greek Text of Revelation,' author preprint, sections on textual plurality, Textus Receptus, Erasmus, manuscript recovery, Hoskier, Schmid, and Text und Textwert; local implications for 20:1-6
Supports: Methodological control for verbal, thematic, structural, authorial, reader, and later intertextual claims.
Moyise, 'Intertextuality and the Use of Scripture in the Book of Revelation?' pp. 391–401; allusion-method discussion applied to 20:1-6
Supports: Authorship, date, audience, genre, cycles, Roman setting, Lamb-shaped conquest, and limits on persecution reconstructions.
Oxford Handbook authorized preview: Koester, 'Revelation in Its Historical and Theological Context,' printed pp. 1–20; Reddish, 'The Genre of the Book of Revelation,' printed pp. 21–32; applied to 20:1-6
Supports: Reader-first whole-book context, Roman Asia, symbolism, worship, judgment, endurance, and responsible reception.
Enter the Bible Revelation course, sections Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and Bible in the World; applied to 20:1-6
Supports: Full confessional commentary, Greek observations, Old Testament links, four major interpretive approaches, millennial options, and application.
Tabb, 'Revelation,' commentary heading covering Revelation 20:1-6 plus Introduction and Theology
Supports: Reception history for literal and symbolic millennia and the risks of coercive apocalyptic programs.
Svenungsson, 'Millenarianism,' sections 1–7 on scriptural origins, early Christianity, Augustine, medieval and Reformation reception, modern premillennial/postmillennial developments, liberation, and political cautions; applied to 20:1-6
Supports: Violent imagery, worship, witness, repentance, Lamb-shaped conquest, creation, and the unresolved divine-violence problem.
Decock, 'Images of War and Creation, Violence and Non-Violence in the Revelation of John,' complete article, sections 1–5; applied to 20:1-6
Supports: Gendered rhetoric, Roman power, faithful witness, worship, nonviolent application, and new creation.
Kirby, 'The Book of Revelation: Following the Lamb,' printed pp. 466–484, especially Gender and Violence, imperial setting, literary features, and Following the Lamb; applied to 20:1-6
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete coverage.
Exact location: Revelation 20:1-6, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and sentence relations checked independently of the KJV.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT official repository, data/sblgnt/text/Revelation.txt, 20:1-6
Open the Revelation Greek text file ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Greek form, morphology, and lexical-range cross-check; lexical data does not decide context by itself.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data official repository, TAGNT Acts–Revelation data, rows for 20:1-6
Open source ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — Revelation with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual variants, imagery, cross-references, and stated alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible Revelation PDF, printed pp. 2408–2447, 20:1-6 and attached translator/textual notes
Open the official NET Revelation PDF ↗peer reviewed handbook chapter author preprint
The Greek Text of Revelation
Juan Hernández Jr.
The Oxford Handbook of the Book of Revelation, 2020
Supports: Revelation's textual transmission, KJV/TR history, local uncertainty, and limits of reconstructing an earliest text.
Exact location: Hernández, 'The Greek Text of Revelation,' author preprint, sections on textual plurality, Textus Receptus, Erasmus, manuscript recovery, Hoskier, Schmid, and Text und Textwert; local implications for 20:1-6
Open Hernández's author-uploaded preprint ↗peer reviewed open access article
Intertextuality and the Use of Scripture in the Book of Revelation?
Steve Moyise
Scriptura 84, 2003; online record 2013
Supports: Methodological control for verbal, thematic, structural, authorial, reader, and later intertextual claims.
Exact location: Moyise, 'Intertextuality and the Use of Scripture in the Book of Revelation?' pp. 391–401; allusion-method discussion applied to 20:1-6
Open Moyise's Scripture-use article ↗modern scholarly handbook preview
The Oxford Handbook of the Book of Revelation — publisher preview
Craig R. Koester, editor; chapters by Craig R. Koester and Mitchell G. Reddish
Oxford University Press, 2020
Supports: Authorship, date, audience, genre, cycles, Roman setting, Lamb-shaped conquest, and limits on persecution reconstructions.
Exact location: Oxford Handbook authorized preview: Koester, 'Revelation in Its Historical and Theological Context,' printed pp. 1–20; Reddish, 'The Genre of the Book of Revelation,' printed pp. 21–32; applied to 20:1-6
Open the Oxford Handbook preview ↗modern scholarly book introduction
Revelation course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world
Craig R. Koester and Kristofer Phan Coffman
Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, current online course inspected 2026
Supports: Reader-first whole-book context, Roman Asia, symbolism, worship, judgment, endurance, and responsible reception.
Exact location: Enter the Bible Revelation course, sections Summary, Outline, Background, Introductory Issues, Theological Themes, and Bible in the World; applied to 20:1-6
Open the Enter the Bible Revelation course ↗modern open commentary
Revelation
Brian J. Tabb
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023 online edition
Supports: Full confessional commentary, Greek observations, Old Testament links, four major interpretive approaches, millennial options, and application.
Exact location: Tabb, 'Revelation,' commentary heading covering Revelation 20:1-6 plus Introduction and Theology
Open Tabb's Revelation commentary ↗modern peer reviewed theology encyclopedia article
Millenarianism
Jayne Svenungsson
St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology, 2022
Supports: Reception history for literal and symbolic millennia and the risks of coercive apocalyptic programs.
Exact location: Svenungsson, 'Millenarianism,' sections 1–7 on scriptural origins, early Christianity, Augustine, medieval and Reformation reception, modern premillennial/postmillennial developments, liberation, and political cautions; applied to 20:1-6
Open the St Andrews millenarianism article ↗peer reviewed open access article
Images of War and Creation, Violence and Non-Violence in the Revelation of John
Paul Decock
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies 64.4, 2008
Supports: Violent imagery, worship, witness, repentance, Lamb-shaped conquest, creation, and the unresolved divine-violence problem.
Exact location: Decock, 'Images of War and Creation, Violence and Non-Violence in the Revelation of John,' complete article, sections 1–5; applied to 20:1-6
Open Decock's violence article ↗modern open scholarly book chapter
The Book of Revelation: Following the Lamb
D. Jill Kirby
Religious Studies Center, in New Testament History, Culture, and Society, 2019
Supports: Gendered rhetoric, Roman power, faithful witness, worship, nonviolent application, and new creation.
Exact location: Kirby, 'The Book of Revelation: Following the Lamb,' printed pp. 466–484, especially Gender and Violence, imperial setting, literary features, and Following the Lamb; applied to 20:1-6
Open Kirby's Revelation chapter ↗