John Gill Commentary Revelation 20:9

"And they went up over the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them." — Revelation 20:9 (ASV)

And they went up on the breadth of the earth
Either the whole earth, in the several parts of which they will be raised; or the land of Israel, where Christ and his people will be; and so the wicked being raised, will come up from the several parts of the world, and spread themselves over the holy land; just as Gog and Magog are said to cover the land of Israel, as a cloud, (Ezekiel 38:16) and it may be observed, that the very phrase of (Kura bxr) , "the breadth of your land", is used of Immanuel's land, or the land of Israel, in (Isaiah 8:8)

and compassed the camp of the saints about ;
these are the blessed and Holy Ones, who have part in the first resurrection, even all the saints; not only the martyrs under the Heathen persecutions, and the confessors of Christ under the Papacy, but all the saints from the beginning of the world; these will be all encamped together, with the tabernacle of God in the midst of them, (Revelation 21:3) and Christ their King at the head of them, (Micah 2:13) the allusion is to the encampment of the children of Israel in the wilderness, about the tabernacle, which was in the midst of them, (Numbers 2:2) &c. afterwards the city of Jerusalem itself was called a camp, and answered in all respects to the camp in the wilderness ^F6 , to which the reference is in (Hebrews 13:11–13) and which serves to illustrate the passage here, since it follows:

and the beloved city :
not Constantinople, as some have thought, but the holy city, the new Jerusalem, (Revelation 21:2) the general assembly and church of the firstborn, beloved by God and Christ, and by the holy angels, and by one another; and these very probably will be with Christ upon the same spot of ground where the Old Jerusalem stood, a city so highly favoured, and so much distinguished by God; so that where Christ suffered so much reproach and shame, and such an accursed death, he will now be glorified, and live in triumph with his saints:

and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them ;
not material fire; with this the earth, and the bodies of the wicked then upon it, will be burnt at the beginning of the thousand years; but now their bodies will be raised immortal, and not capable of being consumed with such fire; but the fiery indignation of God, or his wrath, which will be poured out like fire, is here meant, which will destroy both body and soul; this is no other than the lake of fire, or second death, into which they will be cast; and which will not be until the judgment is over, though it is here related to show what will be the event and issue of their attack upon the saints: the allusion is to the fire sent upon Gog and Magog, and to the burning of their weapons, in (Ezekiel 38:22) (Ezekiel 39:6Ezekiel 39:9Ezekiel 39:10) and so the Jews ^F7

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FOOTNOTES:

• F6: T. Bab Zebachim, fol. 116. 2. Maimon. Hilch. Beth Habbechirah, c. 7. sect. 11.
• F7: Targum Jon. in Numb. xi. 26. say of their Gog and Magog, that ``they shall be killed with the burning of the soul, with a flame of fire, which shall come from under the throne of glory.''