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, 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.
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 and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 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.
Apparently the thousand years referred to in this part of Revelation has varying interpretations; it is called "the millennium", and different people have conflicting views about it, not only regarding what happens during this time but also when this time begins and ends, and whether the thousand years is literal or not. As the verses say, during this time some of those who died in Christ are resurrected; these are people who did not take the mark of the beast and who were beheaded for their faith.
The writer at this blog called "What is the Millennium" gives a rundown on post-millinnealism, pre-millennialism, and a-millennialism. As I stated above, there is some disagreement on whether the thousand years referred to in this chapter is to be taken literally or whether it just signifies a long period of time, as well as disagreement about when the millennium begins and ends. I have found this to be a common theme in reading commentary on Revelation; some writers believe the numbers and time periods are to be interpreted literally, and others believe they are more symbolic of what they describe. I don't know how people come to one conclusion or the other but both parties do seem to agree that sometimes what is referred to as a 'day' in the Bible could mean a year or a hundred years in God's time.
I've been doing longer passages lately because in the last few chapters my fear of eschatology has left me. It only took most of Revelation to get here, but I finally realized after blogging each chapter that the best thing to do is be aware of the general outline of what is being imparted while at the same time focusing on each day and doing my part with the Great Commission to share the message of Salvation in Christ. I hope that everyone who is reading will come to accept Christ as Savior and confess their belief in Him to others like the Gospels tell us to do; if we do this we will be saved from all of the terrifying, traumatic things that happen in so much of the book of Revelation.
A Prayer for Salvation from Christ:
Lord
Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into
my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and
help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer.
A more detailed step by step process:
https://www.wikihow.com/Accept-Jesus-Into-Your-Life
