Chapter 20 Book of Revelation

Bible Verses

[1] And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

Commentary

V.1 How historically amazing that this is related to the Fifth Angel, the Buddhist Religion (Japan) that was given the key to the "bottomless pit" (nuclear warfare) to open it (where it began) in Rev.9:1, and Rev 11:7, and also mentioned again in Rev.9:11, with the reference to destruction, bringing now the chain so that the great pit is to be closed.

The actual details of how this will transpire is still in the future so is presently hidden to us.

The Great Being, wishing to reveal the prerequisites of the peace and tranquillity of the world and the advancement of its peoples, hath written: The time must come when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world's Great Peace amongst men. Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any king take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him. If this be done, the nations of the world will no longer require any armaments, except for the purpose of preserving the security of their realms and of maintaining internal order within their territories. This will ensure the peace and composure of every people, government and nation.

Baha'u'llah, Tablets of Baha'u'llah, p. 165

[2] And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

V.2 What binds the dragon is that after nuclear WW3 (The Last Great Battle of Armageddon) the leaders of the world finally form a world government as they previously tried with WW1 (The League of Nations) and WW2 (The United Nations) but that this time actually controls the sovereignty of nations so that nuclear weapons are controlled.

"... the kings of the earth -- may God aid them through His strengthening grace -- to establish the Lesser Peace. This, indeed, is the greatest means for insuring the tranquillity of the nations. It is incumbent upon the Sovereigns of the world -- may God assist them -- unitedly to hold fast unto this Peace, which is the chief instrument for the protection of all mankind. It is Our hope that they will arise to achieve what will be conducive to the well-being of man. It is their duty to convene an all-inclusive assembly, which either they themselves or their ministers will attend, and to enforce whatever measures are required to establish unity and concord amongst men. They must put away the weapons of war, and turn to the instruments of universal reconstruction. Should one king rise up against another, all the other kings must arise to deter him. Arms and armaments will, then, be no more needed beyond that which is necessary to insure the internal security of their respective countries. If they attain unto this all-surpassing blessing, the people of each nation will pursue, with tranquillity and contentment, their own occupations, and the groanings and lamentations of most men would be silenced."

Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 30

For while the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah will last for at least one thousand years, His cycle will extend still farther to at least 500,000.

From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, November 14, 1935: Baha'i News. No. 102. August 1936, pp. 2-3 Lights of Guidance, p. 475

[3] And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

V.3 The dragon, the anarchic international governments, will be controlled so that the nations will no longer be deceived. The "bottomless pit", (nuclear warfare) will be chained up and a seal placed upon it. However towards the end of another thousand years, there will again appear similar animosities and intolerances, which will bring another though lesser nuclear war, such that humanity will finally turn unto that which Baha'u'llah has established.

'Abdu'l-Baha explains:

This Cause is great, its powers are growing and its signs are dazzling. It shall continue in elevation, exaltation, growth, promulgation and promotion until it shall reach the apex of its glory in one thousand years.

Baha'i Scriptures p.472

In a world writhing with pain and declining into chaos this community -- the vanguard of the liberating forces of Baha'u'llah -- succeeded in the years following 'Abdu'l-Baha's passing in raising high above the institutions established by its sister communities in East and West what may well constitute the chief pillar of that future House -- a House which posterity will regard as the last refuge of a tottering civilization.

Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p.489

[4] And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

V.4 There are many souls who have been martyred because of their allegiance to God. Certainly Jews throughout history and many in other religions. The Babis alone had over twenty thousand martyrs.

In the Christian religion, many followers went against the teachings of the Pope and were admonished for it, as history shows. Some lives were lost and many suffered in other ways. To this day beheadings and killings are taking place of Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists.

We now look forward to a time when people of all religions will live in peace. This peace is supposed to last for a thousand years but eventually the old attractions of the Beast will subvert many.

Not one single Manifestation of Holiness hath appeared but He was afflicted by the denials, the repudiation, and the vehement opposition of the people around Him. Thus it hath been revealed:

[Qur'an 36:30] "O the misery of men! No Messenger cometh unto them but they laugh Him to scorn."

Again He saith:

[Qur'an 40:5] "Each nation hath plotted darkly against their Messenger to lay violent hold on Him, and disputed with vain words to invalidate the truth."

Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-qan, p. 4

As has been carefully explained throughout, the Mark of the Beast is not something stamped on people's foreheads, but rather it is their thoughts and intentions, and as regarding their hands - their actions. Those who are devoted to the Lord, the Lord will assist them in overcoming all such difficulties.

[5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

V.5 The rest of the 'spiritually dead' are those that will make the choice not to worship God, or to recognize His Manifestation, during this next period of a thousand years.

The rest of the dead does not refer to people who have lived in the past, or even just those living in the present. It refers to the people who will be born and die during the next thousand years that will fail to recognize the Manifestation of God for this Day and Age.

Look they to return, once they are gone? Nay, by Him Who is the Lord of Lords! save on the Day of Judgement, the Day whereon the people shall arise from their graves and be asked of their legacy.

(Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 135

Many people think that the resurrection refers to the physical body. However it refers to the spirit. Each physical body must die and each body disintegrates or decomposes. The spirit referred to here is the human spirit which remains in the 'spirit of deadness' if it doesn't progress and is unaware of the spiritual growth that is necessary. Some will still refuse to follow the teachings of the Manifestation of God, not only for this Day, but also for all the Prophets of the past and possibly for those of the future.

And the Resurrection hath dawned, and the Hour hath struck, and the Path hath been drawn straight, and the Balance hath been set up, and all upon the earth have been gathered together -- but still the people see no sign of the way.

Qur'an (Koran) 34:39

Be thou assured in thyself that verily, he who turns away from this Beauty hath also turned away from the Messengers of the past and showeth pride towards God from all eternity to all eternity.

Tablet of Ahmad, Baha'i Prayers, p. 211

[6] Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

V.6 There are no 'priests' as such in the Baha'i Faith but the ones who have taken part in the teaching work hold the station of those called 'priests of God and of Christ'. Since independent investigation of the writings is one of the principles of the Faith, priesthood has been abolished along with rituals such as baptism, communion and confession of sins. Each Manifestation has the right to make these changes.

The essence of the meaning is that those servants who are born of and quickened by the spirit and breath of the appearances of holiness in every Manifestation, to them can be attributed life, resurrection, and entrance into the Paradise of divine love; while to others is ascribed death, heedlessness, and entrance into the fire of unbelief and divine wrath.

Baha'u'llah, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 31

Concerning the resurrection of Christ, he wishes to call your attention to the fact that in this as well as in practically all the so-called miraculous events recorded in the Gospel we should, as Baha'is, seek to find a spiritual meaning and to entirely discard the physical interpretation attached to them by many of the Christian sects. The resurrection of Christ was, indeed, not physical but essentially spiritual, and is symbolic of the truth that the reality of man is to be found not in his physical constitution, but in his soul.

From a letter written to an individual believer on behalf of the Guardian, August 14, 1934, Lights of Guidance, p. 492

[7] And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

V.7 While the Cycle of Fulfillment begun by the Bab and Baha'u'llah will last for over 500,000 years the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah will end sometime after a thousand years and another Manifestation will appear to bring new laws and new teachings to fit the changing times and conditions of mankind.

All things in the world eventually decay and have to be renewed or replaced and this applies also to institutions and religion. It will also apply to the Baha'i Faith. When religion loses its spiritual vitality that is when the old Satan (materialism, immorality, religious intolerance, war) reappears.

Each Prophet of God foretells of the One to come after Him and each has given signs of His coming, however we usually do not recognize these signs unless we search, keep an open mind and ask for guidance.

'Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from God, ere the expiration of a full thousand years, such a man is assuredly a lying impostor.'

The meaning of this is that any individual who, before the expiry of a full thousand years -- years known and clearly established by common usage and requiring no interpretation -- should lay claim to a Revelation direct from God, even though he should reveal certain signs, that man is assuredly false and an impostor.

Baha'u'llah, quoted and explained by 'Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha, p.67

[8] And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

V.8 In a thousand years the satanic attitudes will again deceive the nations. At that time the number of people in the world will be a multitude 'as the sand of the sea'.

John compares the time of the future Manifestation to the time of Gog, the king of Magog, which is told about in Ezekiel Chpt 38 and 39 (which also describes the time of the lesser Great Destruction that is to occur after a thousand years and at the end of the Baha'i Dispensation).

For the Baha'i Dispensation:

The Universal House of Justice, which the Guardian said would be regarded by posterity as "the last refuge of a tottering civilization," is now,...the sole infallibly guided institution in the world to which all must turn, and on it rests the responsibility for ensuring the unity and progress of the Cause of God in accordance with the revealed Word.

The Universal House of Justice, Wellspring of Guidance, Messages 1963-1968, p. 90

[9] And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

V.9 There are many physical things that we might speculate about that time as regards the fire from heaven, since already today we have such things as satellites, and there are even intimations in the Writings that there may be space travel by that time, but the important thing is to look for the spiritual meanings.

Religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench. The Hand of Divine power can, alone, deliver mankind from this desolating affliction

Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 14

[10] And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

V.10 This time refers to the beginning of the Golden Age, a thousand years after Armageddon. It may be the time of another Manifestation, but what concerns us here is the interim between Armageddon and the Golden Age during which the beast, the Red Dragon, and the False Prophet (science separated from religion) - and also religion separated from science (fanaticism) shall have again been released to hold sway.

[11] And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

V.11

Concerning thy vision of the angels surrounding the great white throne: This "throne" is the body of the Greatest Name.

'Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 681

[12] And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

V.12 Now the writings of Baha'u'llah are open for everyone, and those that understand are in another book - 'The book of Life'. The dead (dead in spirit) are those who are unwilling to accept the message of Baha'u'llah and they are judged by their works.

If love, friendship, association and unity be established among the believers, the door of all significances will be opened and each believer of God will be able to explain and interpret all of the holy Books.

O believers! The tests of God are very severe; you should beseech and cry unto Him that you may be firm and steadfast during all temptations.

'Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 647

Now Baha'is all over the East read the Bible and understand its spiritual teaching. Baha'u'llah spread the Cause of Christ and opened the book of the Christians and Jews. He removed the barriers of names. He proved that all the divine Prophets taught the same reality and that to deny One is to deny the Others, for all are in perfect oneness with God.

'Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 212

The Book of God is wide open, and His Word is summoning mankind unto Him. No more than a mere handful, however, hath been found willing to cleave to His Cause, or to become the instruments for its promotion. These few have been endued with the Divine Elixir that can, alone, transmute into purest gold the dross of the world, and have been empowered to administer the infallible remedy for all the ills that afflict the children of men. No man can obtain everlasting life, unless he embraceth the truth of this inestimable, this wondrous, and sublime Revelation.

Baha'u'llah, XCII Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah

[13] And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

V.13

When a dead body is thrown into the ocean, the waves will throw it back upon the shore. So it is with the Ocean of Truth - it will not accept a dead body, and if a believer has not these bounties of God, the sea will roll until he is finally cast out.

'Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i Scriptures, p.501

The souls of the infidels, however, shall -- and to this I bear witness -- when breathing their last be made aware of the good things that have escaped them, and shall bemoan their plight, and shall humble themselves before God. They shall continue doing so after the separation of their souls from their bodies. It is clear and evident that all men shall, after their physical death, estimate the worth of their deeds, and realize all that their hands have wrought.

I swear by the Day Star that shineth above the horizon of Divine power! They that are the followers of the one true God shall, the moment they depart out of this life, experience such joy and gladness as would be impossible to describe, while they that live in error shall be seized with such fear and trembling, and shall be filled with such consternation, as nothing can exceed. Well is it with him that hath quaffed the choice and incorruptible wine of faith through the gracious favor and the manifold bounties of Him Who is the Lord of all Faiths

Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p.170

[14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

V.14 To be resurrected means to find new spiritual life and to come forth from the grave of materialism and irreligion. This spiritual life is deliverance from death and hell.

Say: The shout hath been raised, and the people have come forth from their graves, and arising are gazing around them. Some have made haste to attain the court of the God of Mercy, others have fallen down on their faces in the fire of Hell, while still others are lost in bewilderment. The verses of God have been revealed, and yet they have turned away from them. His proof hath been manifested and yet they are unaware of it.

Baha'u'llah, The Proclamation of Baha'u'llah, p. 100

[15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

V.15

As for them who have disbelieved in Him, they shall be in the shadow of a black smoke. "The Hour" hath come upon them, while they are disporting themselves. They have been seized by their forelock, and yet know it not.

Baha'u'llah, XVIII Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah