Featured Revelation 19 & 20

In response to a post questioning the validity of dispensationalism agedman asked me to present my interpretion of Revelation 19:1-20:10. The request was unusual and impractical on a forum such as this but! I have responded to agedman in three separate posts on that particular thread [Prophecy fulfilled today! Jesus is coming soon.] but in fairness to evangelist6589 I think it best to start another thread.

I apologize to one and all for the length of these posts but agedman was so insistent I felt I must oblige.

Some years ago I had the privilege of teaching through the Book of Revelation to a SS Class that I suspect contained many dispensationalists. I must say they were much more gracious than dispensationalists on this Forum but it appears that separation breeds contempt or at best disrespect. If anyone should wish to torture himself and read my response they will note that I use the term “picture of end of age” or similar phrasing. In case anyone wonders I present my understanding of the an essential aspect in the understanding of the Book of Revelation.


Parallelism in The Book of Revelation

In the Book of Revelation the number seven is prominent. There are the letters to the seven churches, the seven blessings, the opening of the seven seals, the sounding of the seven trumpets, and the pouring out of the seven vials. An examination of the events that occur during each of these latter three events shows a description of phenomena that are clearly associated with the return of Jesus Christ and the final judgment, specifically the opening of the sixth seal [Revelation 6:12-17], the sounding of the seventh trumpet [Revelation 11:15-19], and the pouring out of the seventh bowl [Revelation 16:17-21]. It is reasonable, therefore, to assume that the events disclosed with the seals, trumpets, and vials are concurrent in history. This is the premise that some expositors make to aid in the interpretation of the Revelation. Furthermore, each successive series of events is broader in scope and may take on an increased intensity. A term ‘progressive parallelism’ has been used to describe this observation. The question then becomes, to what extent is this parallelism present in the book and does this concept indeed aid our understanding of the book?

The New Geneva Study Bible, page 2005 {now the Reformation Bible] defines the parallel sections based on seven cycles of judgment in Chapters 4 through 20. I have added a tile/description for each cycle:

A Chapters 1-3 Christ and the seven churches.
B Chapters 4-20
1. Chapters 4-7 The book with seven seals.
2. Chapters 8-11 The seven trumpets of judgment.
3. Chapters 12-14 The Church in tribulation and triumph.
4. Chapters 15-16 The seven vials of wrath.
5. Chapters 17-19:10 The harlot and the Bride.
6. Chapter 19:11-19:21 The King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
7. Chapter 20 The Victory of the Lamb.
C. Chapters 21-22: The new heaven and earth and the glory of the New Jerusalem, the Bride of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Each of these seven parallel sections, the approach taken in this study, lead to a description of the Second Coming as shown in the following paragraphs:

The first such picture in Revelation occurs at the opening of the sixth seal [Revelation 6:12-17]. The terror of those under judgment, the complete despair of those who have rejected the grace of God, as manifested in the sacrificial death of His Son Jesus Christ, will be held in common by all classes of man and is best described by the words: hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? As terrible as is the picture presented the reality of God’s final judgment will be far worse than language can convey.

The second such picture of the end of the age occurs at the sound of the seventh trumpet [Revelation 11:15-19] when it is announced: The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ. Voices ring out, the praise of all the host of heaven, the great multitude, the four beasts, and the twenty four elders. The coming of the Kingdom brings the resurrection to life, the Blessed Hope, of those who are redeemed to God by the blood of the Lamb. However, those who have rejected the grace of God, who have trampled underfoot the Blood of the Covenant, who have loved darkness rather than light will learn that death is no escape. Theirs is the resurrection to judgment, the ultimate woe, the second death, the lake of fire.

The third such picture of the end of the age is shown by the dual harvest [Revelation 14:14-20]. The first harvest, by the Son of Man, is that of ones who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and sealed with the Holy Spirit, who have persevered, who have not bowed the knee to Baal. These will sing the new song, the song of redemption. These will enter into the joy of the Lord. Their redemption is complete. The second harvest is in stark contrast to the first. A command is given and the vine with its fully ripe grapes is reaped and cast into the great winepress of the wrath of God. With the thrust of the sharp sickle the wrath of God is visited on all unrighteousness.

The fourth such picture of the end of the age occurs when the seventh vial, the final cup of the wrath of God is poured out [Revelation 16:17-21. The voice of God comes from the throne within the temple saying It is done. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found signifying the final shaking of the heavens and the earth [Hebrews 12:26, 27]. The great harlot, Babylon, is judged.

The fifth picture of the end of the age [Revelation 19:1-10] contrasts the marriage of the Lamb and His Bride, the glory Church, the New Jerusalem, with the judgment of that great harlot, Babylon, the counterfeit church and the bride of the antichrist

The sixth picture of the end of the age [Revelation 19:11-21] shows the return of the One who is Faithful and True, the Word of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords to execute judgment upon the beast, the false prophet, and those who bear the mark of the beast in the battle of that great day of God Almighty [Revelation 16:14] at a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon [Revelation 16:16].

The seventh picture [Revelation 20: 7-10] of the end of the age presents a second account of the ‘battle’ of Armageddon. Satan is released to gather the ‘nations’ to battle against the camp of the saints, the beloved city. The nations, referred to as Gog and Magog , encompass the camp of the Saints, the beloved city. Here, as in Ezekiel 38 & 39, Gog and Magog represent the opposition of the world to the people of God. It is very likely, as some expositors believe, that the account in Ezekiel is prophetic of the battle of Armageddon. The camp of the saints and the the beloved city are the people of God, the Church, who are alive on earth. The battle is not a physical battle between the Church and the forces of Satan. Neither is it a physical battle between the returning Saviour with His army and Satan with his army. Rather this is a spiritual battle in which the outcome is certain: fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. We see pictured here the final defeat and judgment of Satan, he is cast into the lake of fire.

Other expositors define parallelism primarily in the context of the seals, the trumpets, and the vials. Here the parallelism is much more obvious, and each sequence clearly ends with a reference to the return of Jesus Christ as indicated above. These expositors generally see the intervening chapters as interludes between the events related to the seven seals, trumpets, and vials.

The concept of progressive parallelism is not inconsistent with the New Testament teaching on the expectancy of the soon return of Jesus Christ. It is true that certain signs will precede His coming, but that coming is not limited by our inability to properly interpret those signs. As indicated in Section 3, when the last of the elect is brought into the household of faith, the Church, then Jesus Christ will return in all the Glory of the Triune Godhesd.

 

The Marriage of the Lamb [Chapter 19: 1-10]

I am happy to oblige agedman though I realize disputing the dispensational mythology regarding end times is as useless as shoveling sand against the tide, nevertheless the first installment follows!

The Marriage of the Lamb [Chapter 19: 1-10]

In this passage we are presented the fifth of seven pictures in the Book of Revelation of the return of Jesus Christ and the end of the age. Note the similarities between this passage and the passage following the sound of the seventh trumpet [Revelation 11:15-19], which is the second picture in the Book of Revelation of the end of the age.

Rather than another view of the history of this dispensation the picture is one of rejoicing in heaven, the great harlot, the bride of the antichrist has been judged. The time has come for the marriage of the Lamb. The bride, the Church, is presented as a chaste virgin, holy and without blemish [2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:27] to the bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. When that marriage is culminated time is no more.

John now hears a great voice in heaven praising God for His judgment of the great whore. The voice may be that of the heavenly host, the voice of the myriad of angels that are said to surround the throne of God [Revelation 5: 11], it may be the multitude of the redeemed, or both This rejoicing is in sharp contrast to those who mourn the fall of the great harlot and city called Babylon. The praise of God is fourfold: Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power. He is praised because of His true and righteous judgment of the harlot and His vindication of His servants, those who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

The judgment of the harlot is eternal: And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. The harlot represents the counterfeit church, those people who, while outwardly claiming to be Christians, are nevertheless, unredeemed. These are among those whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. These are among those who are without the holy city, the New Jerusalem [Revelation 21:27; 22:15]. Of these the Righteous Judge will declare: I never knew you: depart from me. Their end is the lake of fire [Revelation 20:15].

We now see the twenty four elders and four beasts fall down before the throne in worship saying Amen; Alleluia . [The word Alleluia is of Hebrew origin and means praise the Lord. It is found only in this passage in the New Testament and the Psalms of the Old Testament. The word is translated Hallelujah in some of the more recent versions.] The scene is similar to that of John’s initial vision of the throne room of God [Chapters 4 & 5]. The twenty four elders represent the total number of the redeemed throughout time and the four beasts likely represent a restored creation.

A command now comes from the throne to all the host of heaven, including that great multitude of the redeemed [Revelation 7:9] who await the redemption of the body. The one who utters the command is not identified but the wording of the command indicates that it is from someone other than God. The voice is apparently from the one who identifies himself in Verse 10 as thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus. The command: Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. The thunderous response: Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

The time is come for the culmination of redemption, the marriage of the Lamb. The imagery of the marriage demonstrates the fervent love of God for His people. In the Old Testament God is pictured as the husband and Israel as the wife [Isaiah 54:5,6; Jeremiah 31:32]. In the New Testament the Church is pictured as the bride of Jesus Christ [2 Corinthians 11:2], the Church for which He suffered and died [Acts 20:28; Ephesians 5:25; 1 John 4:10]. The Church, the bride, is ready. The full number of the elect have been brought into the household of faith. The bride is arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, in vivid contrast to the scarlet and purple worn by the mother of harlots, the counterfeit church. The white linen garments represents the righteousness of saints. That righteousness is not of themselves but is the righteousness which is imputed to each true believer because of his faith in Jesus Christ [Romans 3:21-28; Philippians 3:8, 9]. It is important to note that there is no limitation placed on the identity of the Saints. They are obviously not just the Saints of the so called ‘Church age’ as the dispensationalist argues but include all people of all time who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, slain from the foundation of the world. The glory of this union is further described in Chapters 21 & 22.

The angel next tells John to write: Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. This is the fourth of seven blessings promised in the book of Revelation to those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Who are these who are called or invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb? They are none other than the bride, the Church. There is no one else. When the marriage supper takes place time is no more. There is a new heaven and earth for the first heaven and earth have passed away , the holy city, the New Jerusalem, the Church comes down from God out of heaven, the tabernacle of God is with men and He will dwell with them [Revelation 21:1-3]. All others are without the holy city the dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. [Revelation 22:15, KJV]. Indeed those who are called to the marriage supper are truly blessed.

Look once again at the words: Blessed [are] they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. The speaker then states: These are the true sayings of God. Why? We who are redeemed know that the sayings of God are true. The writer of Hebrews provides the answer.

Hebrews 6:13, 17-20, KJV
13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath:
18 That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
19 Which [hope] we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that by two immutable truths, 1] that it is impossible for God to lie and 2] that He confirmed the promise of redemption by an oath, provide strong consolation to those who have fled to Him for refuge. Similarly, John is told that what he has seen and heard are the true sayings of God. It may be that the speaker is referring to all that has been revealed to John, however, there is no doubt that he is referring to those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Therefore, these have the double assurance of the blessings in store for them 1] it is impossible for God to lie and 2] the promise is a true saying of God.

The Apostle is so enthralled by what he has seen and heard that he falls to his knees in an attitude of worship. He is strongly rebuked by the speaker. Only God is worthy of worship.

As we are confronted with this picture of the consummation of redemption, the marriage of the Lamb, the final union of Jesus Christ and His Bride, the Church we can perhaps comprehend:

The words of the Apostle Paul For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.[Philippians 1:21]

The plea of the Apostle John, Even so, come, Lord Jesus.[Revelation 22:20]

The last words of a dying brother, “I am satisfied.”

 

The King of Kings and Lord of Lords [Chapter 19:11-21]

Second Installment for agedman. You may have to wait until tomorrow to get some understanding of Revelation 20 agedman but I will try.[/b]
****************************************************************************
In this passage we have the sixth parallel section in the book. This being the case the events in this passage do not follow chronologically the judgment of Babylon and the marriage of the Lamb, rather they are parallel events. Instead of a view of the struggle between good and evil during this dispensation the picture is of the glorious return of Jesus Christ, the righteous judge, with ten thousands of his saints [Jude 14, KJV].

Revelation 19:11-16, KJV
11 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.
12 His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Heaven is opened to the eyes of the Apostle to reveal a white horse and rider. Note that in John’s initial vision of heaven only a door was opened [Revelation 4:1]. Now we see that heaven itself is opened to reveal the blessed Saviour coming in power and glory, Jesus Christ King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

The identity of this rider is made apparent in the narration that follows.

The rider is called Faithful and True. In Revelation 3:14 Jesus Christ is identified as the Amen, the faithful and true witness.
The rider judges and makes war in righteousness. In John 5:25 we read that the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:. In Acts 17:31 we read he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained.
The rider has eyes as flames of fire. The glorified Saviour of John’s initial vision [Revelation 1:14] has eyes as a flame of fire. In Revelation 2:18 the Son of God is described as having eyes like unto a flame of fire.
The rider is crowned with many crowns. These crowns represent the complete sovereignty of Jesus Christ over sin and death [1 Corinthians 15:50-58].
The rider has a name written that no man knows. The Apostle Paul writes [Philippians 2:9] that God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.
The rider is clothed with a vesture dipped in blood. This is the blood of the New Covenant, the blood that was shed for many for the remission of sins [Matthew 26:28].
The rider’s name is called The Word of God. The Apostle John identifies the incarnate Son as the Word [John 1:1][3].
The rider has a sharp sword protruding from His mouth. In the initial vision of the Apostle he had seen the glorified Saviour described as follows: And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.[Revelation 1:16, KJV]
The rider is said to rule with a rod of iron. Jesus Christ is to rule all nations [Psalm 2:9, Zechariah 9:10, 1 Corinthians 15:24-25].
The rider is identified as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Apostle Paul identifies God as the Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords [1 Timothy 6:15]. Jesus Christ is identified as such in Revelation 17:14.

This is the same horse and rider that John saw when the first seal is opened [Revelation 6:1, 2] but the mission is completely different. At the first appearance the white horse and its rider went forth conquering and to conquer. They are symbolic of the victorious spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His kingdom, the redemption of those chosen in Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world [Ephesians 1:1-6]. In this second appearance the white horse and He who is called Faithful and True come forth, not with the message of the Gospel for the last of the elect has been redeemed, but in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

The picture is one of great contrast: God the Son in all the glory of the Triune Godhead, the righteous judge with eyes as flames of fire and crowned with many crowns, yet clothed with a vesture dipped in blood. As indicated above the blood into which the vesture is dipped is the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world [Revelation 13:8]. A similar contrast is pictured in the Apostle’s vision of the throne room of God, a picture in which John sees the glorified Saviour, who stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth [Revelation 5:6, KJV].

What is the identity of the armies clothed in fine white linen that follow the One who is Faithful and True? Both the angels [Revelation 15:6] and the Saints in heaven [Revelation 6:11, 7:9, 7:13, 7:14] are described as being clothed in white.

The New Testament speaks of the presence of angels associated with the return of Jesus Christ [Matthew 13:41; 16:27; Mark 8:38; and Luke 9:26]. Jesus Christ in the Olivet discourse declares:

Matthew 24:30-31, KJV
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Matthew 25:31, KJV
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

The New Testament also tells us that the souls of deceased Saints will return with the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul writes that when Jesus Christ returns He will bring with Him the souls of the deceased Saints.

1 Thessalonians 4:14, KJV
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Jude writes [Jude 14,15] that the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment. It is, therefore, reasonable to conclude that when Jesus Christ appears in His glory He will be accompanied by both the angels and the souls of the Saints who have died.

Almost seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ the prophet Isaiah writes in a Messianic prophecy:

Isaiah 11:4, KJV
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

In the New Testament also we read that God the Father has committed all judgment to Jesus Christ:

John 5:22, KJV
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

The Apostle Paul preaching to the Athenians on Mars hill taught that God had appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ [Acts 17:31]. That day is the day of the return of Jesus Christ in power and glory [2 Timothy 4:1, Matthew 25:32]. The Apostle John in this vision now sees the fulfillment of the prophecy not only of Isaiah but those of Paul: And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations. The instrument of judgment, the sword in the mouth of the Son, is not a literal sword but the Word of God [Hebrews 4:12].

The Apostle Paul writes to the Hebrew Christians: [It is] a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God [Hebrews 10:31]. Those who have ignored the revelation of God [Romans 1:21], those who have loved darkness rather than light [John 3:19], those who have rejected the grace of God [Luke 13:24] are now under the wrath of God. The time for repentance is past, time is no more. In exercising judgment Jesus Christ treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

 

The Final Battle

Second and one/half Installment for agedman. The Second was too long. But be patient agedman! Hope springs eternal in the human breast! You may have to wait until tomorrow to get some understanding of Revelation 20 agedman but I will try.
************************************************** **************************

The Final Battle

The Apostle next sees a picture of the final battle between good and evil, between Jesus Christ and His army and Satan and his army. This battle has previously been referred to as the battle of Armageddon [Revelation 16:12-16].

Revelation 19:17-21, KJV
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all [men, both] free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

Earlier [verses 1-10] we saw John’s vision of the marriage supper of the Lamb. There is to be another supper, a stark contrast to the marriage supper of the Lamb. At this supper the fowl of the air invited to devour the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, horsemen, and all men both bond and free, small and great. We note three things about these men:

They constitute the army of the beast gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, [Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords] and against his army.
The defeat of this army is certain because a messenger from God has already invited the fowl of the air to feed on the defeated army.
Those in the army are the ones who, in the first picture of the return of Jesus Christ [Revelation 6:12-17], hide in caves and cry out to the rocks and mountains: Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.

As noted on several occasions there has always been spiritual conflict between good and evil. At times that conflict has been manifested in physical battle between the people of God and the worshipers of the beast. However, this final battle between good and evil, the battle of Armageddon [Section 16.2.6], must not be seen as a physical conflict, rather this is a spiritual battle described in apocalyptic language. In this final battle the conflict must be short lived. Furthermore, we need not understand this army of the beast as actually constituting a gathered army. Nothing can withstand the sovereign power of God. When He declares: It is done [Revelation 17:17] the same voice that spoke the universe into existence [Hebrews 11:3, John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16] will destroy all opposition to the reign of God.

Following the defeat of the beast and his army, the beast and the false prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire. In striking contrast those that follow the beast were slain and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. This contrast can be understood by recalling that the beast and false prophet are not individuals, rather they are ideas or philosophies. The beast and false prophet are identified as follows:

The beast represents those groups or organizations of the world’s political, social, or economic structure who are in opposition, either overtly or covertly, to God and His rule.

The false prophet represents those groups that are primarily religious in nature who are in opposition to God and His rule through Jesus Christ.

The statement that the beast and false prophet are cast alive into the lake of fire simply means that the ideas and the philosophy that they represent are cast into the lake of fire and confined there for eternity. The persecution of the Church as a consequence of those ideas and philosophy is forever ended.

Those who worship the beast, his ‘army’ are killed with the sword which proceeds from the mouth of the glorified Saviour. As already indicated this is not a literal sword. the instrument of death is simply the glory of God, for mortal man cannot look upon that glory and live. The Apostle Paul puts it simply: .... the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming [2 Thessalonians 2:8, NKJV].

 

The Victory of the Lamb [Chapter 20]

Made it agedman. I am going to be able to give you a little education on Revelation 20. As I said earlier: "Hope springs eternal in the human breast!" And patience is a virtue..
************************************************** **************************
The Victory of the Lamb [Chapter 20]

In this vision of the Apostle we have the seventh and final picture of this dispensation concluding with the return of Jesus Christ and the judgement before the Great White Throne. The initial vision presented in this chapter does not follow chronologically the marriage supper of the Lamb, the return of Jesus Christ in power and glory, the battle of Armageddon, and the destruction of the beast and his followers, which was revealed in the previous chapter. Rather this vision recapitulates certain events associated with this present dispensation, which is that period from the incarnation until the return of Jesus Christ and His judgment of the quick and the dead [2 Timothy 4:1].

The interpretation of Revelation 20 provides the basis for the divergent millennial views regarding the return of Jesus Christ and the end of the age. This chapter can be properly interpreted only if we understand what is meant by 1] the binding of Satan and 2] the first resurrection. Before proceeding it is beneficial to review Section 2 [Bases for the Correct Interpretation of Scripture] in particular the use the Synthesis Principle in the interpretation of Scripture. The Synthesis Principle as stated by John F. MacArthur is in part as follows:

The Reformers used the expression scriptura scripturam interpretatur, or ‘Scripture interprets Scripture.’ By this they meant that obscure passages in Scripture must be understood in light of clearer ones. If the Bible is God's Word, it must be consistent with itself. No part of the Bible can contradict any other part. One divine Author, the Holy Spirit, inspired the whole Bible, so it has one marvelous, supernatural unity. The synthesis principle puts Scripture together with Scripture to arrive at a clear, consistent meaning. If we hold to an interpretation of one passage that does not square with something in another passage, one of the passages is being interpreted incorrectly, or possibly both of them. The Holy Spirit does not disagree with himself. And the passages with obvious meanings should interpret the more arcane [obscure] ones. One should never build a doctrine on a single obscure or unclear text.​

​

Sadly MacArthur does not always follow his own advice!


Satan Bound

Revelation 20:1-3, KJV
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

This angel that the Apostle sees is the same angel that opens the bottomless pit, at the sound of the fifth trumpet, to release a horde of locusts[6] [Revelation 9:1-3]. The mission of the angel on this occasion is to bind the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan[ and seal him in the bottomless pit for one thousand years. Thus Satan is unable to deceive the nations any more until the thousand years are finished. How are we to interpret this vision?

We must understand that the vision is symbolic. First, it is not an angel that binds Satan but Jesus Christ[7]. Second, the chain and key are not a literal chain and key because these would be unable to restrain a spirit being like Satan. They are symbolic of the sovereignty of God over Satan. Third, the thousand years is not literally one thousand years, rather they are symbolic of a complete period of time. The number ten or multiples of ten is used throughout Revelation, and other places in Scripture, to indicate such completeness. For example, the period of time the church at Smyrna must experience tribulation is ten days [Revelation 2:10], the servants of God who were sealed numbered one hundred forty four thousand people [Revelation 7:4] as did the number on Mount Zion [Revelation 14:1]. There are also the ten commandments, the ten plagues of Egypt, and the ten virgins, in each case the number is indicative of completeness. The one thousand years is the period of time from the binding of Satan until he is loosed a little season.[ This is the same period of time during which the souls of those who have part in the first resurrection will reign with Jesus Christ.

What is meant by the binding of Satan and his inability to continue to deceive the nations? This binding does not mean that every evil act of Satan is precluded. Throughout this study it has been asserted that the only power Satan has ever been able to exercise is under limitations imposed by God. This is particularly true when the people of God are involved [Job 1:6-12]. The binding of Satan, so that he can no longer deceive the nations, is simply a further restriction of the ability of Satan to deceive people and prevent the spread of the Gospel throughout the world.

It seems incongruous as we consider the world around us that Jesus Christ overcame Satan, that Satan is in any sense bound and can deceive the nations no longer. Christians often despair at the moral state of the world today. In this century we have experienced the most destructive wars in history. However, unless we are students of ancient history we are unable to compare the moral state of the world after the resurrection of Jesus Christ with the moral state of the world prior to that resurrection. In John 12:31 Jesus Christ refers to Satan as the ‘prince of this world’ but declares: Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.[ Through His life, His death, and His resurrection, Jesus Christ triumphed over Satan who has been cast out as prince of this world. The impact of Jesus Christ and His Church on the world cannot be overstated.

The binding of Satan during this dispensation can be understood only in the context of the condition of mankind in general before the birth and atoning death of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Ephesus writes:

Ephesians 2:11-12, KJV
11 Wherefore remember, that ye [being] in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:[

We see that in the old dispensation the Gentiles were, with few exceptions, without God and without hope, alienated from God’s chosen people, and strangers to the covenants of promise both in Eden and to Abraham. How did this situation arise?

To be continued on the morrow.

 

From Scripture, freeatlast! From Scripture!

 

I would appreciate you posting the verses in Revelation 19 that contain the word thousand.

 

Well those on earth are the only ones who worry about time! So quit worrying freeatlast; only then can the Truth make you free!

 

I will deal with that in good time. The request I had for Mlinar13b was that he present the verses from Revelation 19 where the word "thousand" was used 6 times. Perhaps you can help me, and him, out.

 

I will make you a deal freeatlast. When you defend from Scripture the dispensational heresy that the Church is a parenthesis, an intercalation, an interruption in God's program for Israel then I will respond to your request.

 

Do you take the 1000 years in the above passages as literal? If not why not?

Is John factual, your poor choice of words not mine, in John 6: 50-56? Or is factual in the eye of the beholder!

50. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
52. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
55. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

Have you eaten the flesh and drunk the blood of Jesus Christ yet, agedman?

Much of the Book of Revelation is written in apocalyptic language. The Gospel of John is not!!

Just for you agedman!

A proper interpretation of the Book of Revelation requires an understanding of the literary form called apocalyptic literature? The word apocalyptic comes from apocalypse and is used to describe one literary form used in the book of Revelation. Ray Frank Robbins, a former professor at the New Orleans Baptist Seminary, describes apocalyptic literature, as follows[33] :

We need to keep in mind the difference between the prophetic and the apocalyptic view of history. This will help us to interpret, I think, what the writer is saying. The prophetic view of history was that God and people work together. God and people work together to bring history to an end, to a goal. This was the prophetic view that we find in the former prophets. The Hebrews called the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, the former prophets. In these books God and His people are represented as working together to bring history to its desired end. After the return from exile, and especially during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes [175-163 BC] it looked like the more godly, the more righteous the people were, the less they succeeded and the more they suffered. And so, there grew up a different view of history. This was known as the apocalyptic view. This view held that the world would become so evil and corrupt that God would intervene in history from without. He would break into history from without and would accomplish His purpose dramatically without the help of man. Now these two views of history were different in emphasis. The writer of Revelation combines the apocalyptic and the prophetic views.

Indeed the Book of Revelation is both apocalyptic and prophetic. There are similar books [or parts of books] in the Old Testament, notably Daniel and Ezekiel. Matthew 24-25, Luke 21, and Mark 13 are similar writings in the New Testament. ​

​