1I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2He seized the dragon, the old serpent, who is the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years, 3and cast him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years were finished. After this, he must be freed for a short time.
4I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and such as didn’t worship the beast nor his image, and didn’t receive the mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead didn’t live until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him one thousand years.
7And after the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison 8and he will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9They went up over the width of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven from God and devoured them. 10The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are also. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
11I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them. 12I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13The sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them. They were judged, each one according to his works. 14Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
The bottomless pit was opened by an angel, described by John as a star which fell from heaven. The identity of this angel has been suggested by some to be Satan. They note that this angel “had fallen” to the earth. The perfect tense verb would be describing an event that happened previously, Satan’s fall (Ezek 28), and continues to the present. Later, in 12:9, Satan’s fall is described. The better view is to see this as an angel who serves God. Satan’s fall in 12:9 is yet future in relation to this event. “Had fallen” need not refer back to Ezekiel 28. This angel is “given” a key to what is identified as a prison house of God’s, under His dominion. This is the same prison house the legion of demons feared when Jesus cast them out of the Gadarene demoniac (Luke 8:31). This is the same prison where Satan will be bound for 1000 years in Revelation 20. Also, the key represents authority, and this angel controls access into and out of the bottomless pit. It is unlikely that God would give Satan or a demon access to His prison for demons. This indicates that these creatures are a judgment from God, not an attack by Satan on the inhabitants of the earth.
Is the description of the smoke literal or symbolic? Most interpreters do not believe that people on the Earth at that time will see either the smoke or the locust-like creatures that arise from the pit. John is just seeing this as it portrays some form of God’s judgment. Many interpreters see these creatures as symbolic of demons who are released from the abyss and sent out to torment humanity.