Previous Verse       Revelation Chapter 20 Verse 4 (NASB)       Next Verse

Home       New International Version       New King James Version     God's WordTM       Español       Deutsch

4. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
    AND I SAW (1) THRONES, and
    • they sat upon them, and
    • judgment was given to them.
John is just doing what he was told to do (Revelation 1:11). At the end of chapter 19 and the first three verses of chapter 20, we see how evil (or demonic activity) will be inhibited from functioning on this earth. The devil is thrown into the abyss with no way to escape until after the thousand years are over. The beast and false prophet are already consigned to their eternal prison, the lake of fire.

One could think that there then is an absence of governance, assuming that governance during the tribulation is totally evil. However, as this verse starts out, there will be governance (THRONES) and the rule of law (judgment was given to them). Many expositors try to explain who the "they" are who are sitting on the THRONES. The most acceptable answer would be the joint heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:12-17 and Galatians 4:1-7) and/or the 'bride of Christ' (Revelation 19:8). The vanquished evil is replaced with the "good" and is typified by the white robes, the righteous acts of the saints. It is not for us to determine who they are; Christ has  already done that (Revelation 19:9).
    And I saw the (2) SOULS of those
    • who had been BEHEADED (a) because of the testimony of JESUS and (b) because of THE WORD OF GOD, and those
    • who had not worshiped the BEAST or his IMAGE, and had not received the MARK upon their forehead and upon their hand;
These people have a special place in the heavenly kingdom (Revelation 6:9-11). They were/are 100% totally committed to Jesus Christ even to death. Oh, that we may learn from their example!
    and they came to LIFE and REIGNED WITH CHRIST for a THOUSAND YEARS.
The promise to the "overcomers" at Smyrna (Revelation 2:10) is finally fulfilled.

When one considers that the SOUL most likely is a thought process, i.e. a decision consciously made in our minds, then the SOULS, that were severed from the body (BEHEADED) are reunited with the BODY, where LIFE is. You may have a different view of where the SOUL of a person is, but that explanation needs to fit within the context of this verse. Most interesting to this author is that John SAW the SOULS. That means SOULS have form and are visible. We truly have a lot to learn about the spiritual/soul side of man.
 "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 Used by permission."

References to the Revelation of Jesus Christ are in bold italics. All other references are in bold only