“The salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the ruling authority 12 of his Christ, 13 have now come,
because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, 14
the one who accuses them day and night 15 before our God,
has been thrown down.
20:4 Then 20 I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. 21 I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These 22 had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They 23 came to life 24 and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the summons by the fourth creature.
2 tc The reading “and I looked” (καὶ εἶδον, kai eidon) or some slight variation (e.g., ἶδον, idon) has excellent ms support ({א A C P 1611}) and its omission seems to have come through the
3 tn The phrase “and here came” expresses the sense of καὶ ἰδού (kai idou).
4 tn A sickly pallor, when referring to persons, or the green color of plants. BDAG 1085 s.v. χλωρός 2 states, “pale, greenish gray…as the color of a pers. in sickness contrasted with appearance in health…so the horse ridden by Death…ἵππος χλωρός Rv 6:8.” Because the color of the horse is symbolic, “pale green” is used in the translation. Cf. NIV, NCV “pale”; NASB “ashen.”
5 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
6 tn Grk “the one sitting on it.”
7 tn Grk “And Hades was following with him.” The Greek expression μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ (met’ autou, “with him”) is Semitic and indicates close proximity. The translation “followed right behind” reflects this.
8 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
9 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
10 tn Grk “with death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).
11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
12 tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.
13 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
14 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The translation “fellow believer” would normally apply (L&N 11.23), but since the speaker(s) are not specified in this context, it is not clear if such a translation would be appropriate here. The more generic “brothers and sisters” was chosen to emphasize the fact of a relationship without specifying its type.
15 tn Or “who accuses them continually.”
16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the parenthetical nature of the following description of the beast.
17 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
18 tn Grk “gave it”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 tn For the translation “authority to rule” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
20 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
21 tn Grk “I saw thrones, and those seated on them, and judgment was given to them.” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 3 says, “judging, judgment, the κρίμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς authority to judge was given to them Rv 20:4.”
22 tn Grk “God, and who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation by supplying the pronoun “these” as subject.
23 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
24 tn On the use of the aorist ἔζησαν (ezhsan) BDAG 425 s.v. ζάω 1.a.β says, “of dead persons who return to life become alive again: of humans in general (3 Km 17:23) Mt 9:18; Ac 9:41; 20:12; Rv 20:4, 5.”