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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

Compare 4 Ezra 4:41 and Revelation 20:13

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · New Testament

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Summary

Revelation describes the sea, Death, and Hades giving up the dead. 4 Ezra presents the same scene, with the earth and hidden stores returning bodies. Both reflect a shared tradition where creation releases everything, so no one is hidden from judgment.

Passages

4 Ezra 4:41

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · 2 Esdras
40 So he answered me, “Go your way to a woman with child, and ask of her when she has fulfilled her nine months, if her womb may keep the baby any longer within her.” 41 Then I said, “No, Lord, it cannot.” He said to me, “In Hades, the chambers of souls are like the womb. 42 For just like a woman in labor hurries to escape the anguish of the labor pains, even so these places hurry to deliver those things that are committed to them from the beginning. 43 Then you will be shown those things which you desire to see.”
70–132 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 4 Ezra

Revelation 20:13

New Testament
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.
92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

"... The first maternal metaphor concerning the earth in 4 Ezra, 4:40–42 is associated with the resurrection of the dead. The language in those verses of “giving back” the dead is also found in the description of the resurrection in 4 Ezra 7:32: “And the earth shall give back those who are asleep in it, and the dust those who rest in it, and the treasuries shall give up the souls which have been committed to them.” As Richard Bauckham has shown, the language of the earth or underworld “giving back” or “returning” (Syriac of 4 Ezra and 2 Baruch) the dead is quite widespread in Jewish apocalyptic literature, as well as in later Christian and Jewish texts. He suggests that the tradition originated from an interpretation of the end of Isaiah 26:19, וארץ רפאים תפיל, understood to mean “the earth will give birth to the shades” (compare the usage in Isaiah 26:18) ..."
Karina M. Hogan, “The Apocalyptic Eschatology of Romans,” in The Jewish Apocalyptic Tradition and the Shaping of New Testament Thought, ed. Loren T. Stuckenbruck (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2017), 155–174.

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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4 Ezra 4:41 and Revelation 20:13

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