Revelation 20:4; And I Saw Thrones

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Revelation 20:4 (KJV)  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. 

This begins the fifth scene in the series started at Revelation 19:11.

Revelation 19:11 (KJV)  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 

Its fulfilment follows chronologically the one just completed, the binding of Satan (Johnson) – 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 …

The thrones that met John’s eyes have a twofold function. First, the thrones are tribunal seats for the assessors of the divine Judge. This part of the picture derives from Daniel 7:9-10, 22, with the occupants of the thrones managing the judicial processes as in Daniel 7:22 (Moffatt).

Daniel 7:9-10 (KJV)  I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. 

Daniel 7:22 (KJV)  Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. 

But the thrones are also royal thrones, as the end of v4 indicates. There is scarcely a doubt that both ruling and judging are entailed here (cf. Matthew 19:28) (Lee, Beckwith).

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 409-413]