It is Christ who have the key to the bottomless pit.

(Rev 1:18) “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 

(Rev 9:1) Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.

However, it was given to various angels for performing various tasks as per God’s plan. Similarly, it was given to an angel to lock Satan in the bottomless pit for a thousand years in this chapter.

Christ’s 1000 Year Reign

(Rev 20:4-6) And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then [I saw] the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

There are several questions we need to meditate deeply into to get answers. Who are “they” who sat on the thrones? Christ is not judging now but the judgment was committed to the saints who were beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. These reigned with Christ for 1000 years. The important question is, who are they reigning if they will be the only ones? The answer is straight forward when Christ merged the kingdoms of this world to His kingdom and He will rule them with a rod of iron.

(Rev 19:15) Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

Hence, in the 1000 year reign, Christ Himself and those who are blessed for the first resurrection will reign over all nations. Hence, the nations are not destroyed during Christ’s second coming but only the beast, false prophets, kings and armies who came against Christ and His holy city, and He and His saints will rule all nations.

Gog Magog War

(Rev 20:7-10) Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

When the Satan is released after a thousand years, he goes to the nations and deceives them. All the nations, the Gog and the Magog will gather together to fight against the camp of the saints and the beloved city and first came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. Just a small observation that Christ doesn’t seem to be with the saints anymore in this world after the 1000 years had expired when Satan is released – because fire came down from God out of Heaven.

Satan is then cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophets are. It is to note that the lake of fire and brimstone existed even after a thousand years after the beast and the false prophets where thrown into. Here, Satan will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

(Matt 25:41) “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

 The everlasting fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. Let us pull every cursed one from the left within the church so that they all don’t go into the same place as the devil.

White Throne Judgment

(Rev 20:11-15) Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

White throne judgment is the final judgement of this world. There are books and one special book, the book of Life. The book of Malachi speaks about a book of remembrance.

(Mal 3:16) Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name.

(Exod 32:32-33) “Yet now, if You will forgive their sin–but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” And the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.

Moses also speaks about a book, which is the book of Life. Anyone who’s name is not written in the book of Life, will be cast into the lake of fire.

(Rev 3:5) “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Jesus also spoke to the church of Sardis that He will not blotting them from the book of Life if they overcome.

Let us therefore overcome the world and make sure our names are not blotted out.