Revelation 20:4

John saw a new scene. The purpose of the thrones that John saw was twofold: ruling and judging (cf. Daniel 7:9-10; Daniel 7:22; Matthew 19:28). Those sitting on them are probably the faithful saints who have returned with Christ to the earth (Revelation 19:7-8; Revelation 19:14; Revelation 19:19; cf. Revelation 2:26-28; Revelation 3:12; Revelation 3:21). [Note: Seiss, pp. 457-58; Thomas, Revelation 8-22, p. 414.] Other views are that they are the 24 elders viewed as representatives of the church, [Note: Smith, A Revelation . . ., p. 270; Walvoord, The Revelation . . ., p. 296.] Tribulation saints, [Note: Charles, 2:182-83; Caird, p. 252.] or the apostles and perhaps some other saints. [Note: Swete, p. 261; Beasley-Murray, p. 293; Beale, p. 991.] They receive authority from God to take charge of the earth, the beast’s domain, under Christ’s rule.

John also saw the souls of some people not yet resurrected. These are quite clearly Tribulation martyrs who died because they held steadfastly to the testimony that Jesus bore and the word of God (cf. Revelation 6:9; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 18:24; Revelation 19:2). [Note: Ladd, p. 263; Herman Hoeksema, "The Reign of the Saints," The Researcher 20:4 (Winter 1990):20-21.] They refused to take the mark of the beast or to worship his image and had died for their faith (Revelation 13:15). John saw them come back to life; that is, they experienced bodily resurrection (cf. Revelation 20:5; Revelation 1:18; Revelation 2:8; Revelation 13:14; John 11:25; Acts 1:3; Acts 9:41). [Note: See Richard S. Yates, "The Resurrection of the Tribulation Saints," Bibliotheca Sacra 163:652 (October-December 2006):453-66.] Moreover these martyrs will reign with Christ on earth during the Millennium (cf. Revelation 5:10). The name "Christ" (Anointed One) looks back to Psalms 2:2 here, as it does wherever it occurs in Revelation (Revelation 11:15; Revelation 12:10; Revelation 20:6), tying this reign to Old Testament expectations of God’s kingdom on earth.

"They who were once judged by earth’s courts to be worthy of death are now the judges of the earth under Christ." [Note: Johnson, p. 582.]

Many amillennialists believe this reign of Christ refers to His spiritual reign over the hearts of His people or the triumph of the martyrs in a symbolic sense. There are four good reasons why Jesus Christ’s reign will be a physical, earthly reign rather than a spiritual, heavenly one. First, Christ will be on earth after He returns (Revelation 19:11-16). Second, at the end of His reign the saints, who reign with Him, will still be on the earth (Revelation 20:9). Third, God promised the saints an earthly reign (Revelation 5:10). Fourth, the Old Testament Messianic prophecies anticipated an earthly kingdom (e.g., 2 Samuel 7:10-16; Psalms 2:8; Isaiah 65:17 to Isaiah 66:24; Daniel 7:27; et al.).