Revelation 20:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

NIV: Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

NASB: And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

CSB: And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

NLT: And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

KJV: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

NKJV: And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

It is clear from this verse that only the presence of a person's name in the Lamb's book of life keeps them from being cast into the lake of fire. God keeps accurate records. All who have trusted in Jesus as Savior have their names written in the book of life (John 6:37; Philippians 4:3). Hebrews 12:23 refers to "the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven." John 1:12 promises that whoever believes in the name of Jesus receives the right to become a child of God.

John 3:36 distinguishes between those who believe in the Son of God and those who do not obey Him. The former have eternal life; the latter languish under the wrath of God. In his first letter John assured his readers that "whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12). The difference between spending eternity in heaven or spending it in the lake of fire comes down to the question: "Is the Son of God in my life or not?"

As this chapter closes, the victory over sin and evil is complete. Every single wrongdoing, crime, or hurt will have been punished. For those who accepted Christ's sacrifice on their behalf, His blood brings them forgiveness (John 3:16–18). For those who reject Him, their own sins result in eternal damnation (Romans 6:23).

Revelation 20:11–15 occurs just after the end of the kingdom reign of Christ on earth, when Satan was released for a brief time. He gathered rebel forces together to battle God and His saints, but lost and was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7–10). The next event described by John is the judgment at the great white throne. This is the point where unbelievers are judged according to their actions—a death sentence for everyone not saved through Christ (Romans 6:23). Chapter 21 describes the descent of the New Jerusalem from heaven and the beginning of the eternal age.

Revelation chapter 20 represents the final lesson, final judgment, and final victory of the end times. Satan is bound, but not destroyed, and released after a thousand years of peace and righteousness. Proving that no evidence or reason to believe in and follow Jesus is enough for those determined to rebel, some follow Satan and are destroyed in a rebellion. Those who died without faith in Christ, through all of history, are resurrected to face the great white throne judgment. There, they are sentenced for sin and consigned eternally to the lake of fire.

This chapter comes between the account of our Lord's decisive victory at Armageddon and the descent of the New Jerusalem from heaven to earth. It focuses on the beginning of Jesus' reign on the earth and the great white throne judgment when unbelievers from all periods of history are judged and sentenced to eternal suffering in the lake of fire. Daniel 7:18, Isaiah 11, Joel 3:16–21, Obadiah 1:21, and Micah 4:2 are just a few of the Old Testament references to the reign of Jesus on the earth. After this point in the end times, evil has been entirely and completely defeated.

The word ''revelation'' means ''an unveiling or disclosure.'' This writing unveils future events such as the rapture, three series of judgments that will fall on the earth during the tribulation, the emergence of the Antichrist, the persecution of Israel and her amazing revival, as well as Jesus' second coming with His saints to the earth, the judgment of Satan and his followers, and finally, the eternal state. This content, combined with the original Greek term apokalypsis, is why we now refer to an end-of-the-world scenario as ''an apocalypse.''