"And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be loosed out of his prison, and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them to battle: the number of whom is like the sand of the sea. And they ascended on the breadth of the earth, and encompassed the camp of the saints, and the beloved city: and fire descended from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where both the wild beast and the false prophet are, and will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it; from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and a place was not for them. And I saw the dead, the small and the great, standing before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged from the things written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead in it; and death and the pit gave up the dead in them: and they were judged every one according to their works. And death and the pit were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And whoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire." Rev.20:7-15.

Verses 11-15 contain the record of the symbolization John saw, of what was to transpire at the end of the thousand years; while verses 7-10 appear to be explanatory of events which would then be fulfilled. This explanation, previous to the exhibition of the symbolization, is appropriate in the connection, and makes more forcible the fact that "the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished."

As the rest of the dead live not till the end of the thousand years, they come forth at "the resurrection of damnation," at the end of a thousand years of the reign of the saints on the earth, and at the epoch when Satan was to be loosed from his prison. As all who had part in the first resurrection were to be exempted from the power of the second death, the nations who are then deceived by Satan, must be the nations composing the rest of the dead, who live again at that epoch.

Their number "as the sand of the sea," and their coming from "the four quarters of the earth," show that they are no obscure people, living unknown to the saints; and their existence can only be accounted for by the event of a resurrection of the wicked.

Their names, "Gog and Magog," -- those applied to the ancient enemies of Israel, (Ezek.38:38), -- are appropriate titles to designate the subjects of the second resurrection.

They encompass the camp of the saints, and the beloved city -- showing that the city descends at the commencement of the thousand years -- but there is no battle: before they are permitted to harm the saints, fire from heaven devours them; and the devil that thought to lead them against the holy city, is cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and false prophet were cast at the commencement of the millennium.

In connection with the resurrection of the wicked, is their judgment -- not following necessarily in the precise order of the record. The "small and great" who stand before God, are not small and large persons, but those from all stations and ranks in society. The king and the beggar equally receive according to their deserts: They are the bond and the free, the high and the low, the rich and the poor, including those who fought against the Lamb, and were overcome by Him, 19:18.

The open books symbolize the record of their evil deeds, for which they are to be judged. And the "book of Life" is opened to symbolize that the names of those who are judged are not there recorded, and that consequently they are justly condemned. To "him that overcometh," the Saviour promised "I will not blot his name out of this book of life," 3:3.

The sea, death, and hell giving up their dead, indicates that all of the "rest of the dead" are here resurrected, and that none are left out from among whom these are raised, as these were, from whom came forth the subjects of the first resurrection.

The casting of death and hell into the lake of fire, symbolizes the casting in of those who were within their domains; and "the lake of fire," symbolizes the place into which -- the impenitent are consigned -- which is the "second death."