Revelation 20-22

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Thousand Years

20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. ² He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years^{(A) 3} and threw him into the pit and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while.^(B)

⁴ Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus^[a] and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its brand on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.^{(C) 5} (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years.^(D)

Satan’s Doom

⁷ When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle; they are as numerous as the sands of the sea.^{(E) 9} They marched up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from heaven^[b] and consumed them.^{(F) 10} And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The Dead Are Judged

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his^[c] presence, and no place was found for them.^{(G) 12} And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books.^{(H) 13} And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done.^{(I) 14} Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire,^{(J) 15} and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

The New Heaven and the New Earth

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.^{(K) 2} And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.^{(L) 3} And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

⁵ And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”^{(O) 6} Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.^{(P) 7} Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. ⁸ But as for the cowardly, the faithless,^[i] the polluted, the murderers, the sexually immoral,^[j] the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”^(Q)

Vision of the New Jerusalem

⁹ Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”^{(R) 10} And in the spirit^[k] he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.^{(S) 11} It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal.^{(T) 12} It has a great, high wall with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates are inscribed the names that are the names^[l] of the twelve tribes of the Israelites:^{(U) 13} on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. ¹⁴ And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.^(V)

¹⁵ The angel^[m] who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls.^{(W) 16} The city has four equal sides, its length the same as its width, and he measured the city with his rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length and width and height are equal. ¹⁷ He also measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits by human measurement, which the angel was using. ¹⁸ The wall is built of jasper, while the city is pure gold, clear as glass. ¹⁹ The foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, ²⁰ the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. ²¹ And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each of the gates is a single pearl, and the street of the city is pure gold, transparent as glass.

²² I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. ²³ And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb.^{(X) 24} The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.^{(Y) 25} Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.^{(Z) 26} People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. ²⁷ But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.^(AA)

The River of Life

22 Then the angel^[n] showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb^{(AB) 2} through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life^[o] with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.^{(AC) 3} Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him;^{(AD) 4} they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.^{(AE) 5} And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.^(AF)

⁶ And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”^(AG)

⁷ “See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”^(AH)

Epilogue and Benediction

⁸ I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, ⁹ but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers and sisters the prophets and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”

¹⁰ And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. ¹¹ Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”^(AI)

¹² “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work.^{(AJ) 13} I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

¹⁴ Blessed are those who wash their robes,^[p] so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. ¹⁵ Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral^[q] and murderers and idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.^(AK)

¹⁶ “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”^(AL)

¹⁸ I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book;^{(AN) 19} if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

²⁰ The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!^(AO)

²¹ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.^[r]