Revelation 20:4-6

"And I saw thrones." This is a new vision, indicated by the words, 'and I saw,' which expression indicates the transition from one scene to another. "Thrones," where were they? In every other place in this book of Revelation where John mentions a throne or thrones, they are in heaven and this is apparently no exception to the rule. "And they sat on them," who is meant by 'they'? Evidently the martyrs and saints who are mentioned below. "And judgment was given unto them." In what sense was judgment given to these martyrs and saints? Some have thought that they were made associate judges with Christ to rule and pass judgment on the world and men.

This view cannot be accepted. Judgment transcends the functions of finite creatures; even glorified saints. Judgment is the prerogative of Deity only. "God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained." If Christ were not God, even he could not judge.

But the meaning of this "judgment" requires us to go back to chapter 6:9-11. There we heard the prayers of these martyrs and saints: "How long, Lord dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"

This verse tells that their prayers were answered. Their persecutors were judged and were hurled from their seats of power into oblivion, even Satan was cast into the bottomless pit, their blood was avenged; the cause for which they gave their lives was vindicated. That is how judgment was given them, their foes were judged, and they were avenged and exalted.

Here we see that we must know the book as a whole in order to interpret a single passage. Sound principles of interpretation regard the unity and consistency of the whole story. "And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, etc; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." And at the end of the fifth verse it is added: "This is the first resurrection."

Did we ever meet with these souls before? I think they are quite familiar to the student of Revelation. Go back to Revelation 6:9-11 and you will recognize them as quite familiar characters. There John saw the souls of saints and martyrs under the altar in heaven. There they are called 'souls.' Here they are called 'souls.' There they were "slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held." Here they are "beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God." There they cry "How long till we are judged and avenged?" Here we have seen that they are "judged and avenged." There they were told "that they should rest yet for a little season, till their fellow-servants and brethren who were about to be killed, even as they, should be completed." Here we see the tale of persecution completed and the persecutors consigned to their judgment.

It is quite clear then that we are here dealing with that same company of martyrs and saints that John saw in the vision of the sixth chapter augmented by those "fellow-servants" which were to fall, and which have now fallen victims of Satan's rage and the persecutor's power.

Where were those martyrs and saints whom John saw? Under the altar, in heaven, where white robes were given them. And this chapter too evidently regards them as in heaven.

The fifth verse of this chapter says: "This is the first resurrection." What is the antecedent of "this"? Evidently this exaltation of saints and martyrs, sitting on thrones in heaven, rejoicing and reigning with Christ.

In chapter 6:9 John said: "I saw souls" under the altar, no bodies. Here again he says: "I saw souls," no bodies. The term 'resurrection' is applied to the souls of these saints and martyrs and not to their bodies. It therefore designates a spiritual exaltation and not a bodily resurrection. That is, the word 'resurrection' is here used in a figurative sense to denote their spiritual exaltation. Is such usage justifiable? Is resurrection ever used in any sense, but that of a bodily resurrection? The figurative usage of 'resurrection' is a very familiar one in the Scriptures. In Ezekiel 37:12, God says: "I will open your graves and cause you to come out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel." What is meant? Resurrection of bodies? No, restoration of the captive nation to their land, under the figure of resurrection. Hosea says the same thing in almost the same language, used resurrection as a figure of restoration.

John in his gospel, chapter five, speaks of regeneration as the dead hearing the voice of the Son of God, and coming to life. Then in a few verses after he speaks of a bodily resurrection, thus putting the two ideas in close conjunction, spiritual resurrection and bodily resurrection.

If John in his gospel speaks of a spiritual resurrection first and a bodily resurrection second, is it strange if here in Revelation he should have a first resurrection which is spiritual and in the end of this chapter a second resurrection which is bodily?

Paul also falls in line with John in putting regeneration or spiritual life in the light of a resurrection. Ephesians 2:5-6 "Even when we were dead in sins hath given us life together with Christ, and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 5:14 "Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light."

Colossians 3:1 "If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above."

All these passages show that the Scriptures put spiritual life and blessings under the figure of a resurrection, and it may well be so here.

We are further told: Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on these the second death hath no power. What is it that delivers from the second death, or the lake of fire? Is it bodily resurrection or is it regeneration? And every sensible man must answer: It is regeneration. Therefore, blessed and holy is he that hath part in the resurrection of regeneration, for on such the second death hath no power; regeneration and exaltation being inseparable parts of one whole. We therefore conclude that resurrection is here used in a figurative sense, to indicate a spiritual resurrection, a common usage of the Scriptures. Nothing is said of bodies much less of bodies coming out of their graves. John saw 'souls,' and evidently the same souls that he saw under the altar in heaven in the visions of the sixth chapter. John saw the blessedness of those saints and martyrs in heaven and that is what he calls the first resurrection.

In verse five we find the expression, "But the rest of the dead lived not (again) until the thousand years were finished." This expression is not found in some manuscripts notably the Vatican and Syriac. But assuming that it is a genuine part of our text it will come up for some reference as we proceed. These six verses have been the subject of much debate in the controversies over this book. We will notice a few variant views.

1st. The premillennial view assumes that the nineteenth chapter describes the second coming of Christ and that these six verses teach that all the righteous dead will be resurrected and live on the earth during the thousand years, and the wicked dead will not be resurrected till the thousand years are ended. Then at the end of the postmillennial period they will be resurrected and brought to judgment as described in the end of this chapter which is a judgment of the wicked only according to the premillennialist. The difficulties in this view are these:

(a) It contradicts everything taught elsewhere in the Bible about the resurrection and the judgment. It contradicts Christ's repeated declarations that the resurrection is at the last day, and the judgment of the righteous at the last day. It contradicts Christ's teaching in John 5:28 that the just and unjust are raised at the same time, one resurrection for all that are in their graves.

It contradicts the teaching of Christ in Matthew 25:31 that when Christ comes then will ensue the general judgment and the assignment of destiny to the righteous and wicked.

It contradicts the closing part of this twentieth chapter where we see all the dead, small and great, coming from their graves and from the bottom of the sea and standing before God in one general judgment.

(b) It makes this obscure passage a key to interpret the plain portions elsewhere, whereas the true rule is that the obscure must be interpreted by the obvious.

(c) This view is supposed to be strengthened by the statement: "The rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished." But even the premillennialist would not be ready to admit that the wicked dead were actually resurrected at the end of the thousand years, and actually "lived" during the post-millennial period, which his literal interpretation would seem to require.

(d) Besides, the premillennial view makes the resurrection precede the "Tribulation," and therefore should show us the resurrection at the beginning of the fourth chapter (and not a line of it is there) instead of at the beginning of the twentieth chapter.

If this is a living of resurrected saints on earth, what becomes of them at the end of the thousand years? Do they die again? or ascend again? To this, premillennialism has no answer.

Besides if the end of the chapter describes only the resurrection and judgment of the wicked, what provision is made for the resurrection of all the righteous who were born and lived in the millennial and post-millennial periods? And for this also premillennialism has no answer.

These difficulties seem fatal to the premillennial view.

2nd. Another view held by Saint Augustine, by Dr. David Brown, a great authority on the subject, and by Dr. A. H. Strong, the great theologian of the Baptist church, is to the effect that the reigning saints are the triumphant church on earth in the millennial period.

The Christian cause or body that was smitten with the sword and burned in the persecutor's fire, will rise to triumph and domination in the millennial days. That is the resurrection, it is the resurrection of the cause, or party or church of Christ. It will rise to power and rule the world while the Satan party or serpent party will be overcome. But when the thousand years are finished that Satan-party will rise again to live and fight and persecute the church in the post-millennial period as this chapter depicts.

This view brings out the antithesis expressed in these verses. The saint-party rose and lived, the serpent-party also rose and lived. No bodily resurrection in either case; that occurs at the end when the dead small and great stand before God.

3rd. The view honored by the names of Prof. C. A. Briggs and Prof. B. B, Warfield is that this vision shows the saints and martyrs in heaven. It was meant to show that the redeemed are in heaven safe from all the persecutions that raged below, and that John wrote this to encourage the church facing the persecution of that and subsequent times. It would nerve them to faithfulness to see the glory of the martyr when the persecutor's sword had done its worst. It was not meant to show the raising of bodies, but the raising of souls to their heavenly home. This is the first resurrection, the entrance upon heavenly joys, and the second resurrection is the bodily resurrection of all the dead at the end of the world.

It should not pass without notice that the heavenly scene reflects the earthly. The reason why the saints rejoiced in heaven was because the church on earth was triumphant. They were judged and avenged by the destruction of the persecutors and the binding of Satan, but that meant that the church on earth was regnant. If the millennium means anything it means the triumph of Christ's cause on earth. Thus Christ's cause and people were dominant during the thousand years, and Satan's allies were subdued till the thousand years were ended, and after that they rose to power again. This may express the antithesis between the saints that lived and reigned and the rest that lived not till the thousand years were finished, and then they did live and rose to their old time power and persecution.