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 third angel announces the eternal judgment awaiting those who worship the beast (Antichrist). The angel includes receiving his mark along with worship. This applies to all who are loyal to the Antichrist.
The idea of drinking the full-strength wine of God’s wrath indicates the severity and unpleasantness of it. Later, its dregs will be mentioned. The picture comes from the practice of concentrating the grape juice by boiling it down to about a third of the original volume, then fermenting it. When it was served, water was added. They are also careful not to stir up the dregs at the bottom of the wine skin. When all the good material was used, the remaining wine was bitter from the pieces of grape skin and other particles that had settled to the bottom. God’s wrath is compared to being forced to drink the dregs without diluting them. This would be very bitter. This is the point of this proclamation. God’s wrath would be forced down the throats of those loyal to the beast out of the sea, the Antichrist.
The wrath of God is described as their being tormented eternally (smoke goes up forever) without interruption or respite (“day and night”) in a place of burning sulfurous rock (“fire and brimstone”). This is clarified in chapter 20 to be the lake of fire. This is the destiny of all who worship the beast and bear his image.
This proclamation is proleptic, looking forward to the Great White Throne judgment of all the wicked of all time. It is also a warning to those considering following the beast.
A key truth to take from these verses is that all humans will exist forever. The doctrine of annihilationism is refuted here and again in chapter 20. Some teach that God will not torment people for eternity but that they will be burned up and cease to exist. The language of this warning gives no place for such a doctrine. All humans will exist eternally. Eternal life is the existence of the saints who will live in the presence of God, who is life. Eternal death is the existence of the unregenerate in the lake of fire for all of eternity, consciously separated from the presence of God, while physically experiencing His wrath.