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Revelation

About this book
Chapter 20

1 Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain.⁠ 2 He seized the dragon—the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan—and tied him up for a thousand years.⁠ 3 The angel then threw him into the abyss and locked and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.)⁠ 4 Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.⁠ 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who takes part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. 7 Now when the thousand years are finished, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to bring them together for the battle. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the sea. 9 They went up on the broad plain of the earth and encircled the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and devoured them completely.⁠ 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are too, and they will be tormented there day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a large white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them.⁠ 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then books were opened,⁠ and another book was opened—the book of life.⁠ So the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds.⁠ 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds.⁠ 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.⁠ 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire.

Texts in conversation

Satan and the Binding of Azazel in 1 Enoch 10 and Revelation 20

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · New Testament

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Summary

1 Enoch 10 describes the angel Raphael binding Azazel, throwing him into darkness, imprisoning him until the day of judgment when he will be thrown into fire. Revelation 20 uses similar language to describe the binding, sealing, and judgment of Satan.
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Passages

1 Enoch 10:4

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
3 And now instruct him so that he may escape and his descendants may be preserved for all future generations.' 4 And the Lord also said to Raphael: 'Bind Azâzêl hand and foot, and cast him into the darkness: make a hole in the desert in Dûdâêl, and throw him in. 5 Place upon him rough and jagged rocks, cover him with darkness, and let him remain there forever, and cover his face so he may not see light. 6 On the day of great judgment he shall be thrown into the fire. 7 And restore the earth which the angels have corrupted, and announce the restoration of the earth, so that the plague may be healed, and all the children of men may not perish due to the secrets that the Watchers have revealed and taught their children.' 8 The entire earth has been corrupted by the deeds taught by Azâzêl: attribute all sin to him.'
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Revelation 20:1

New Testament
1 Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. 2 He seized the dragon—the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan—and tied him up for a thousand years. 3 The angel then threw him into the abyss and locked and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.) 4 Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who takes part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

"... The triple binding of the dragon—he is chained, locked, and sealed—indicates the certainty of his imprisonment. During the time of his captivity he will no longer be able to thwart the purposes of God, that is, to “deceive the nations” (20:3). In order that there be no mistake about the identity of the dragon, John reiterates what he said in chapter 12: The dragon is the “ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan.” Several ancient parallels to the idea of binding or imprisoning evil forces can be found. The clearest parallel in the Hebrew Bible is Isaiah 24:21-22, which portrays God’s judgment against rebellious heavenly and earthly beings ... In 1 Enoch 10:4-6, God told the angel Raphael to bind Azazel (the leader of the evil angels) by his hands and feet, throw him into darkness, and cover him with stones. There he would stay until the great day of judgment when he would be hurled into the fire. In another version of the story, God sent Michael to tell Semyaza (another name for the leader of the evil angels) and his cohorts that they would be bound for seventy generations under the hills of the earth. At the day of judgment they would be cast into the abyss of fire, where they would be imprisoned in torment forever (1 Enoch 10:11-14). Other Jewish parallels include 1 Enoch 13:1; 14:5; 18:12-16; 21:1-10; 54:1-6; 2 Baruch 40; 56:13; Testament of Levi 18:12; Jubilees 5:6; 10:4-14. New Testament writers also were familiar with this idea (compare Jude 6; 2 Peter 2:4) ..."
Mitchell Glenn Reddish, The Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary: Revelation (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2001), 380.
"... The Book of Revelation is eclectic in its use of Jewish angelologies. On the one hand, in Revelation 1–5 the seven “spirits” before the divine throne (1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6) correspond to the seven interceding angels in Tobit, while the four living creatures (4:6–8) are drawn from Ezekiel 1–2 (and Isaiah 6), the source of the tradition about the four archangels. On the other hand, Rev 8:2–4 mentions the seven “angels” before God’s throne and, in addition, an unnamed angel who appears to be relaying the prayers of all the human holy ones. The tradition of the confrontation of Michael and Satan appears in 12:7–12. Here each is the commander of a heavenly army, and the military confrontation retains the character of judgment, for Satan is still identified as accuser. The old structure of Jubilees is still evident; the archdemon leads astray in order to accuse. In the larger context of Revelation, the mythic confrontation between Michael and Satan (Revelation 12, as in Daniel 12) is combined with the vision of Daniel 7 about the demonic beast and with the myth in 1 Enoch 10 about the temporary imprisonment and ultimate destruction of the chief demon (Revelation 12:12–17; 13; 20:1–3, 7–10) ..."
Loren T. Stuckenbruck, The Myth of Rebellious Angels: Studies in Second Temple Judaism and New Testament Texts (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014), 210.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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1 Enoch 10:4 and Revelation 20:1

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