We Don't
Have to Wait For Over a Thousand Years for Satan to be 'Loosed' -
HE IS LOOSED RIGHT NOW!
HE IS LOOSED RIGHT NOW!
How a
Flawed Understanding of Revelation 20 Could Be Deceiving Thousands...
By H.C.
Heffren, D.D.
INTRODUCTION:
First of all we need to establish something: If you believe in a literal 'millennium' of 1,000 years that is perfectly fine, many thousands of American Christians - in particular - do, although far fewer outside of north America. Such a belief is not heretical in itself (although, without question, numerous cult and sect leaders have held this view), but I would simply like to introduce the thought to those of you from this background that such a teaching is not necessary on the basis of about two verses in Revelation. Perhaps there is a better way to view those few verses. Please read the following article which follows my introduction. Robin. April 2012.
First of all we need to establish something: If you believe in a literal 'millennium' of 1,000 years that is perfectly fine, many thousands of American Christians - in particular - do, although far fewer outside of north America. Such a belief is not heretical in itself (although, without question, numerous cult and sect leaders have held this view), but I would simply like to introduce the thought to those of you from this background that such a teaching is not necessary on the basis of about two verses in Revelation. Perhaps there is a better way to view those few verses. Please read the following article which follows my introduction. Robin. April 2012.
How long is a thousand years?
This question is not as foolish as it may initially appear.
Historically a thousand years would take us back approximately to the time that
William the Conqueror invaded Britain. The discovery of America was about five
hundred years ago.
Millennialists (that is,
those who believe in a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ, based on no more
than a few verses in Revelation), tell us that Christ is coming back to
establish His throne in Jerusalem and reign over this world, but just for one
thousand years. The basis for this belief rests chiefly upon the interpretation
of about six verses in the 20th chapter of Revelation. Now if the Bible does
teach this, it will surely happen - let none of us doubt that. But is this
really a clear biblical teaching? Unfortunately, not everyone interprets this portion of Scripture
in the same manner. But let us read what the Bible says:
To suggest that this
passage of Scripture can have a figurative, or symbolic, meaning is to risk
being accused of not believing the Bible, and this despite the fact that much of
Revelation can only be symbolic, no literal interpretation even being possible
(a literal 'beast' with seven heads and ten horns??). Yet when a literal
interpretation is attempted, we quickly discover many different and conflicting
views on the details. Many give up and just accept what the most convincing
minister says. One theory is that Christ will reign in Jerusalem and the Jews
will be pre-eminent under His rule. All seem to agree that a holocaust
(Armageddon) will take place at the end. But millennial literalists are by no
means agreed. Some are post-tribulation rapturists while others are
pre-tribulation rapturists. Others reject any rapture (classical pre-millennialism).
Some believe that there will be up to four resurrections and seven judgment scenes!
... Most of them tell us that Christ offered two kingdoms, one Jewish (or, Israelites),
and the other universal regeneration. These are but a few of the confusing
teachings we are called upon to sort out - there are still several others! - to
say nothing of having to thread our way through a maze of so-called authorities
on biblical exposition. Being literal, therefore, is by no means a perfect or
more straightforward solution! This should teach all of us to be careful about
reaching any arbitrary or dogmatic conclusion, and cause us to seek the aid of
the Holy Spirit to guide us correctly.
How
May We Discern Whether a Teaching is Symbolic/Figurative or Literal?
The safest way to
discover whether a teaching is symbolic/figurative or not is to compare its use
in other parts of the Bible.
There are many examples
where "one thousand" is used in the Bible. In Psalm 50:10 we read,
"For every beast of
the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."
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Does God Plan a World-wide
Super-Zoo?
Or, the Restoration Of All
Things?
There is nothing within Revelation's text to
suggest that it should be put together with certain portions of the Old
Testament poetic prophecy of Isaiah, most commonly chapters 2, 11 and 35, yet
millennialism does just this, applying certain portions of poetic prophecy in
Isaiah to just two or three verses in Revelation 20. But nothing in the
preferred Isaiah sections talks about anything like a 'millennium,' a
'thousand years,' or a world super-government to be administered from
Jerusalem. Most Bible scholars have considered that such texts are a poetic
picture of the affect of the world-wide spreading of the Gospel, leading to
peace and harmony as and when people respond to that message. Also a reminder
that it was the Fall of Man which led to animals often becoming predatory
creatures.
Robin A. Brace. |
To literally confine
God's ownership of the cattle to a mathematical thousand hills would destroy
its intent. Which 'thousand hills' would that be? What about the arrows
mentioned in Psalm 91:7?
"A thousand shall
fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand..."
Does this imply that
that arrow number 1,001 might find its target? Or does it simply signify God's
perfect protection in times of stress? Daniel 7:10 says,
"Thousand thousands
ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before
him..."
Figures like this are
meant to convey the idea of a countless multitude, not a precise number. The
indefinite span signified by a thousand years is further shown in Psalm 90:4,
"For a thousand
years in thy sight are but as yesterday..."
And in 2 Peter 3:8, of
course, we read,
"That one day is
with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
This is to convey the
timelessness of God's perspective. Such quotes should suffice to show that a
thousand years in the Bible does not necessarily limit it to our calendar which
incidentally, did not exist when this prophecy was written.
The master key to
correctly understand Revelation 20 is found in verses 5 and 6. Let us carefully
examine these verses again, "But the rest of the dead lived
not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection;
on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." Okay, if we can
determine with certainty what the "first resurrection" is, then we
will know who will reign with Christ a thousand years. Is there a resurrection
in the Bible that makes people "blessed and
holy" because we are told that
these people are "blessed and holy." Is there a biblical event which
will clearly rob 'the second death' of its power, and that also creates a body
of reigning priests? That is what is required to meet the conditions. Actually
there is! - Let us see.
Spiritual
Death...and Regeneration
"Verily, verily I
say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath
everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from
death to life."(John 5:24).
So we learn that just as
Adam died spiritually through his sin, so Christ, the last Adam,' resurrects us
from spiritual death to eternal life, thus taking away the power of the second
death. This becomes very clear as we proceed.
The state of spiritual
death is recognized everywhere in the New Testament:
"She that liveth in
pleasure is dead while she liveth" (1 Timothy 5:6).
"And you being dead
in your sins..." (Collossians 2:13).
"Even when we were
dead in sins..." (Ephesians 2:5).
Paul elaborates
extensively on the significance of this spiritual death. But he strives to
point to an alternative also:
"And you hath He
quickened (made alive) who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians
2:1).
"And hath raised us
up together (in a sense, 'resurrected' us, even now), and made us sit together
in heavenly places." (Ephesians 2:6).
It is clear then that
the first death is spiritual death caused by sin and separation from God (all
will experience this, save for a very few believers who will be living when
Christ returns in power), while the 'first resurrection' (resurrection in a
real sense but not, of course, the great resurrection from the dead yet to
come) has to be when our sins are forgiven and we start to experience eternal
life in Christ....
"For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Those who 'put on Christ,' therefore, share in this 'first resurrection' which is described by Paul in Ephesians, chapter two, verses 5-6:
Those who 'put on Christ,' therefore, share in this 'first resurrection' which is described by Paul in Ephesians, chapter two, verses 5-6:
So we see that the New
Testament teaches a real sense in which we may be 'reborn from above,' or 'born
again' right now (John 3:3). This is regeneration. So we see that this 'first
resurrection' makes us "blessed and holy." These are the only persons
on whom "the second death hath no power." If our deductions are
correct so far, then the remainder of this portion of Scripture (Revelation 20)
must be in complete harmony with the conclusions set forth. They should verify our approach.
It should be noted that Revelation 20:1-7 makes
no mention of Jews, nor of an Israelite super-state. Nor is there any reference
to a tribulation, nor, for that matter, any indication of any earthly reign,
nor of Jerusalem. The entire perspective is spiritual and heavenly. This begins
to show us how much has been read into the text which is just not there.
In verse 4, the text tells
of the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus. "And they
lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." We have already learned
that that number is never literal in the Bible; it speaks of a long period of
time.
Kings
and Priests... A Royal Priesthood
Did you notice that in
verse 6 it says: "They shall be priests of God and of
Christ..."? This occurs during this symbolic 'thousand years.' Now, it is not
customary for priests to 'reign,' but this
qualification is in complete harmony with the New Testament standing of
believers during the present age of the church! In Revelation 1:5b and 6
we read, "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins
in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests (that is reining priests)
unto God..." Peter further confirms the current standing of true believers by
calling us a "royal" priesthood:
"Ye also, as lively
(living) stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Christ Jesus." (1 Peter 2:5).
But let us now consider
the most difficult element of our enquiry. Is the Kingdom of God ever going to
be established as a literal government upon this earth for a thousand years? -
or is this a spiritual kingdom? To this we unhesitatingly assert that it is a
spiritual kingdom and submit the following proofs thereto. Peter has already
declared that the priests (believers) offer up spiritual sacrifices. Since God
has made believers spiritual kings and priests, it follows that the reign is
spiritual also. That is why Paul said, "Let not sin reign in your mortal
bodies." "For as by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more
they which have received abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall
reign by one, Jesus Christ" (Romans 6:12 and 5:17). Note Paul's use of
'reign,' Greek, 'basileo' - to reign as a king in a kingdom. Here is the royal
element.
In contending for the
spiritual nature of the Kingdom of God in Revelation 20, we have carefully
regarded the context. Note: it is introduced by an angel, which is a spirit
being. The angel comes from heaven, which is a spiritual realm. He carries a
symbolic key similar to the keys to the Kingdom which Jesus gave to Peter in
Matthew 16. The key was to unlock and subsequently lock up the bottomless pit,
a spiritual place. Sin and evil are bottomless in the sense that that there is
no limit to the degradation to which fallen men can plummet. The devil which is
seized is an evil spirit, the chief of them all. The ones who reign with Christ
are described as the 'souls' of witnesses who gave their lives as martyrs for
the faith. So the first resurrection is the spiritual new birth, to be 'reborn
from above,' or to be 'born again' - this alone makes men 'blessed and holy'
and free from the power of the second death.
There is not a single shred of evidence of any grand earthly
domain of Christ, as proclaimed by the millennialists. Try to find it!
What is vividly
portrayed is the age long struggle between good and evil, between God and this
world, and between Christ and Satan. It ends with the ultimate triumph of good.
Throughout this struggle, those who belong to Christ are pictured as reigning
with Him. After all, this is a kingdom and kings are royal!
Judgment
Follows the Second Coming
But at this present time
the spiritual lamps of the world are going out. One nation after another is
becoming anti-God. Freedom is losing out as men reject the teachings of Christ.
The world is becoming enveloped again in pagan darkness (a new pagan darkness,
claiming scientific authority for its spiritual darkness). The world's vaunted
claims to 'progress' and 'education' are looking increasingly hollow and
blinkered. Satan is now already 'loosed' for the 'little season' and is
stepping up his deception of the nations. Missionary work is now almost
impossible by the standards of a few years ago. The enormous increase in the
use of drugs, pornography, immorality, lawlessness, crime, sensuality, and
brutality within sport are storm warnings. God's judgment is not far off! It
will come without warning.
This interpretation
accepts everything the Bible has to say. It does not add countless flawed and
pointless prophetic speculations and miscalculations (as in premillennialism).
It adds nothing by way of private interpretation, and it takes nothing away.
Let us observe what the Bible says without adding to it.
Peter gives a vivid
picture of the sequence of events at the end of the world in 2 Peter 3:7-12.
After warning and exhorting people to live godly lives now, he says, "Looking for
and hasting unto the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be
dissolved, and the elements melt with fervent heat." This certainly is not
current millennial teaching. Why did Peter neglect to mention coming back to
reign in carnal delight here if it is supposed to happen that way? Instead
Peter said he is looking for this old world to 'dissolve completely.' Moreover,
in verses 15 and 16, he quoted Paul as being in full harmony with this sequence
of 'end events' regarding the Second Coming.
Paul's views are
expressed in 1 Corinthians 15:23-26. A portion reads as follows,
"But every man in
his own order; Christ the first fruits, afterward they that are Christ's at His
coming. Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God
even the Father..."
Thus Paul emphatically
declared that the end of the world coincides with the Second Coming. Why did
both Paul and Peter say nothing about a millennium at this point, if they
believed in one? On the contrary, they left no possible time or room for one.
When Christ comes, then comes the end. The
kingdom is delivered up to God - not set up as an earthly millennial
super-government!
The teaching of Jesus
concerning the end of the world is plainly described in the form of parables in
Matthew 13:36-52. (Most of Matthew 24, with the possible exception of just a
very few verses, is not referring to the final
end, but to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70). Jesus even explains the
meaning and interprets those verses in Matthew 13 so none can err. He says
there will be evil men and good men together until the end of the gospel era.
They are compared with tares and wheat. "The harvest is the end of the
world." (vs 39). Here the Greek word 'suntelia' is used signifying the
full end of the age, the consummation of God's dealings with man. At this time
the righteous will receive their rewards, and the wicked their punishment. What
is noticeably absent is even the slightest hint of a millennium! Even the
famous 'sheep and the goats' parable of Matthew 25 allows no room for a millennium,
with the Eternal State apparently immediately following Christ's return; look
at Matthew 25:31-46, especially the fact that the sequence of events revealed
leaves no room for a 'millennium.' Christ is silent about returning to reign in
Jerusalem in the future, not only here but anywhere else in the Gospels. Should
not that start to alert us that the concept of a millennial earthly government
might be a most serious error? Why would Jesus, Peter and Paul all ignore any
such concept when talking about the end of the world and the Second Coming? So
we find a harmonious fourfold account by Jesus, Paul, Peter and John concerning
the end of the world with none of them mentioning a future super government
based at Jerusalem.
Christ's command to "Go ye into
all the world and makes disciples," is still in effect. It
will remain so in accordance with His promise, "Lo, I am
with you always, even unto the end of the age." Jesus did not qualify
this promise by adding, "Until I come and set up the millennium." This would have been an
appropriate place to say so if He intended such a thing. Peter clinches his
appeal by saying,
"The Lord is not
slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is
long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish but that all
should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9).
Peter's words raise
another question: Why would he have made that comment if he expected a 1,000
year 'millennium' to follow? His words sound as though he expected the final
consummation of all things to follow Christ's return!
So, will Christ reign a
thousand years on earth? The answer would appear to be definitely not. But
there is something far better to follow this age: Revelation 20 ends on a note
of victory and glorious triumph. Not a millennium on earth (eventually doomed
to ending in death and destruction according to millennialists), rather, the
Bible offers us the limitless, endless prospect of peace, joy and eternal life
when we fully inherit heaven and earth in the Eternal State. This is not for a
mere 1,000 years, eventually leading to destruction, Satan is loosed right now
and he is angry because he knows that our Savior will soon return. The concept
of a millennium is imposed upon a symbolic 'thousand years' which plainly
refers to the present age of the church.
John the Revelator
describes the end scene thus:
The Judgment Day has
arrived. All mankind is present. All eyes gaze at the One who occupies the
throne. He opens the books. He scans the Book of Life. The all-important thing
then is to know if your name is written there! Is my name
written there? Is yours? If you have forsaken sin and enthroned Christ as the Lord of your
life, your name will be there! In the final
consummation of all things that is all that really matters. Where is your birth
certificate for the new birth? As believers we have already come through
Revelation 20's 'first resurrection,' in short, we have already been reborn from
above, now following successful judgment, we enter into eternity; no more pain,
no more frustration, no more death.
There's a Great Day coming if you and I
have obeyed Christ's invitation to "Come unto
me all ye that labour and are heavy laden..." (Matthew 11:28). H.C. Heffren
D.D. 1981.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The above article is
chapter 26 of Heffren's 'Thine is the Kingdom,' long since out of print.
I have been faithful to the distinguished author, only in a very few places
have I swapped a phrase or maybe changed an ending to have more impact for 21st
century readers. In about two places I have also added a corroborating point.
The article falls into four loose sections, I have also given titles to these
sections. Robin A. Brace, March, 2012
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