John Mark Hicks

The Revelation of Jesus the Messiah confirms the sovereignty of God (God will win!), confronts believers with the sin of their assimilation to culture (like in Laodicea), and comforts believers with a peek into the reality of the faithful dead (those who have died in the Lord).

In the previous blog on the millennial reign in Revelation 20, I concluded that the millennium is contemporary with the present age. We are presently living in the millennial reign of the Messiah. Revelation 19 depicts the final battle between God and the dragon (Satan), which is known as Armageddon in Revelation 16 and is the same battle as Revelation 20:7-10.

Revelation 20:1-6 does not describe the situation after the second coming of Christ. Rather, it describes the status of the saints and the limitations of Satan prior to the final battle. This is recapitulation. For example, just at Revelation 7 depicts the status of the saints prior to and during the time of the unsealing of the seven seals in Revelation 6, and Revelation 12 depicts events prior to the seven trumpets in Revelation 8-11, so Revelation 20:1-6 portrays the status of the saints prior to and up to the time of the final battle in Revelation 16, 19, and 20:7-10.

This is the flow of Revelation 20:1-10.

• Satan is chained and imprisoned to prevent a gathering for a final battle (20:1-3).
• The souls of dead saints reign on thrones in heaven for a thousand years (20:4-6).
• Afterwards Satan is released to gather the nations for the final battle (20:7-10).

Recognizing recapitulation as a literary and structural device, I believe (1) the binding of Satan is something that happens before the final battle, (2) the reign of the saints is contemporary with the present, and (3) the release of Satan is something yet future when he will gather the nations for the final battle. It may be depicted like this:

                        Future: The final battle in Revelation 19 (also 16).

            Present: The binding of Satan in 20:1-3.

            Present: The reign of the saints in 20:4-6.

                        Future: The final battle in Revelation 20:7-10.

This approach to Revelation 20:1-10 raises some significant and difficult but not insurmountable questions. Perhaps the primary question is the one I will address first.

1. What is the binding of Satan?

It strikes many readers as rather odd to say that Satan is presently bound (chained) and imprisoned in the Abyss. Indeed, we know Satan is active in the world from other texts of Scripture (for example, Ephesians 6:11-12). This seems rather unquestionable and indubitable.

So, what could it possibly mean to say that Satan is presently chained and imprisoned while still actively assaulting and devouring the children of God?

Considering the use of recapitulation in Revelation, the parallel between Revelation 12 and 20 provides a helpful understanding of the binding of Satan. The chart below notes some of the linguistic and conceptual parallels between the two texts. First, however, let us consider what is happening in Revelation 12.

Revelation 12:1-6 opens with a woman who gives birth to a male child. A red dragon attempts to kill the child who was destined “to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.” That child is the Messiah. God delivered the child and brought him into the heavenly throne room. The woman fled into the wilderness.

In Revelation 12:7-12 the dragon pursues the child but is cast out of heaven and “thrown down to the earth.” With this act, “a loud voice in heaven” proclaimed, “Now have come salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuse them day and night before our God.” In this way, the saints overcome “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” since they did not “cling to life in the face of death.” The martyrs defeated the dragon through the Lamb and their testimony. However, “woe to the earth and to the sea, for the devil has come down to you with great wrath.”

In Revelation12:13-17 the dragon, now confined to the earth, pursued the woman but could not overcome her. Consequently, angry at the woman, the dragon made war on her children, that is, “those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Jesus.”

In effect, Israel (Mary) gives birth to the Messiah (Jesus), and Satan attempts to destroy the Messiah (like Herod and Pilate did, for example) but is unsuccessful since ultimately the Messiah ascends into heaven and is enthroned at the right hand of God. Consequently, Satan is thrown out of heaven where he can no longer accuse the saints before God. However, he is still active on the earth to pursue the children of the woman (the people of God) who are the followers of the Lamb living on the earth.

In this picture, Satan is limited. He can no longer accuse the saints. He can no longer make war in heaven. He is no longer present in the heavenly council. He is limited to the earth, and he cannot kill the woman (the people of God) though he may kill her children (followers of Jesus). But when the followers of Jesus are martyred, they overcome Satan and live in the throne room of God where Satan is no longer present or active (cf. Revelation 7).

Moreover, something decisive has also happened. “Now,” Revelation 12:10 says, “have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah.” The Messiah has been enthroned at the right hand of God to rule the nations, and the kingdom of God has come. The enthronement of the Messiah inaugurates the kingdom of God.

This authority binds and limits Satan. The evil one can no longer accuse God’s saints, cannot defeat the kingdom of God (it’s a done deal!), and cannot gather the nations for “the battle” yet, even though he can make war generally against the people of God. He can kill saints, but he cannot destroy the church/renewed Israel (the people of God).

This chart parallels Revelation 20:1-3 with Revelation 12:7-17.

Revelation 20:1-6	Revelation 12:7-17
I saw an angel coming down, holding in his hand a key to the bottomless pit and a great chain (20:1).	Michael and his angels fought against the dragon (12:7).
dragon, ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan (20:2).	The great dragon . . . that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan (12:9).
Satan deceives the nations (20:3).	Satan is one who “deceives the whole world” (12:9).
The angel seized the dragon, bound him, and threw him into the pit (20:2-3).	The great dragon was thrown down to the earth (12:9).
Satan is bound so that he might not deceive the nations (20:3), that is, he could not destroy the people of God and could not gather the nations for “the battle.”	When the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child whom he could not defeat (12:13). The dragon then made war on those who kept the children of the woman but could not defeat the woman herself (12:17)

The kingdom of God has been launched, and Satan has lost power in heaven, though he is still active upon the earth. In Luke 10:18, when the disciples exercised power over the demons, Jesus said, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.” Satan will not be able to stop or destroy the kingdom of God on the earth because he has lost all power and authority in heaven. You might say he has lost his place in the divine council. The accuser (the satan) was once a member of the “sons of God” that gathered in the throne room in Job 1.

Jesus tells us that his ministry is designed to bind Satan. In Matthew 12:29 Jesus uses the example of binding a strong man before plundering his house. The word “bind” in Matthew 12:29 is the same word that appears in Revelation 20:2. Jesus came to bind Satan! This begins during his ministry, and it is accomplished through his death, resurrection, and enthronement. In this way, Satan is fundamentally restricted or imprisoned. He is bound over to the earth and has no authority over the people of God, though he still seeks to deconvert or kill as many as he can.

Why not simply destroy Satan at this point? Why is Satan, though bound, permitted to roam the earth and kill the followers of the Lamb? That is a problematic theodic question, to be sure. Perhaps we might say, as the book of Revelation indicates, that God is providing space for repentance on the part of the inhabitants of the earth (see Revelation 9:20, 21; 16:9, 11). This delay provides opportunity for the proclamation of the gospel and the hope for repentance by those who dwell on the earth (as in Revelation 14:6).

• How long is the millennium?

Obviously, the text refers to a “thousand years” (20:2, 3). This immediately raises the question of whether the number is symbolic or literal, which raises the question of how numbers are used in Revelation (as well as in apocalyptic literature itself). The question, then, is how do we understand the use of numbers in apocalyptic literature?

Shane Wood’s language is helpful (Thinning the Veil), “In Revelation, as in all apocalyptic literature, numbers should be weighed, not measured” (Kindle, p. 127). In other words, the numbers are not so much about quantity (the exact number of years or people as in the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and 14) but quality or significance. A thousand years represents a long period of time which saints enjoy in the presence of God.  A thousand is 10 x 10 x 10, which is an intensification of a perfect or complete number.  Its function is to encourage the saints that God’s reign is real, long, and momentous.

Thousand, in many places, is a symbolic number in biblical literature. For example,

• “keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children’s children to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:7)
• “May the Lord, the God of your ancestors, increase you a thousand times more and bless you, as he has promised you!” (Deuteronomy 1:11)
• “The faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” (Deuteronomy 7:9)
• “How could one have routed a thousand, and two put a myriad to flight, unless their Rock had sold them.” (Deuteronomy 32:30)
• “Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations.” (1 Chronicles 16:15; see also Psalm 105:8)
• “With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands, the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.” (Psalm 68:17)
• “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.” (Psalm 84:10).
• “For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:4)
• “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” (Psalm 91:7)
• “Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy no good—do not all go to one place?” (Ecclesiastes 6:6)
• “A thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.” (Daniel 7:10)
• “with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.” (2 Peter 3:8).

The number should not be counted but weighed as a piece of apocalyptic symbolism. This fits the symbolism of a symbolic key to a symbolic abyss, the binding of Satan with a symbolic chain, and the symbolism of Satan’s names (dragon, serpent, devil), and the symbolism of a literal locking of the pit. A “thousand years” indicates a quality, that is, a long period of time. It does not mean a literal period of an exact one thousand revolutions of the earth around the sun.

• Where is the millennium?

John saw “thrones,” and the saints reigned with Christ upon these thrones, and these reigning saints were given authority to judge.

Where are the “thrones” in Revelation, and where are the martyred (beheaded) saints in Revelation? The martyrs are under the altar in the throne room of God (Revelation 6:9-11), and the thrones are in heaven, unless Revelation is describing the thrones of Satan and his allies.

Thrones in heaven appear in Revelation 1:4; 3:21 (2x); 4:2-6 (11x); 4:9-10 (3x); 5:1, 6, 7, 11, 13; 6:16; 7:9, 10, 11 (2x), 15 (2 x), 17; 8:3; 11:18; 12:5; 14:3; 19:4, 5; [20:4?]; 20:11-12; 21:3, 5; 22:1, 3. All these thrones belong to God, Jesus, or the saints, and they are all in heaven.

Thrones on the earth appear in Revelation 2:13 (“throne of Satan”), 13:2 (the dragon’s throne); 16:10 (“throne of the beast”). These thrones in the hands of evil powers, and they are on the earth.

To what do the thrones in Revelation 20:4 refer? It is the reign of the saints with Christ. All such references in Revelation are in heaven. All the thrones upon the earth are under the power and authority of Satan and his allies.

The beheaded or martyrs reign with Christ on heavenly thrones. This parallels John’s description of where those who die in the Lord are. They are in the throne room of God in Revelation 7, 14, and 15.  The same is true in Revelation 20:4-6.

Moreover, it is possible that these “thrones” are an allusion to Daniel 7:9-10 where the divine council, sitting on thrones in the presence of the “Ancient One on his throne,” is gathered to receive the ascension of the Messiah (Son of Man) who receives authority and power.  Such a reading comports well with seeing Revelation 20:1-3 as the binding of Satan at the enthronement of the Messiah. If this is the case, Revelation 20:4-6 takes place in heaven. In this scenario, it may be that the “thrones” are specifically the divine council (much like the 4 living beasts and 24 elders of Revelation 4), and the martyred saints take their place among them in the throne room of God.

• Who reigns with Jesus in the millennium?

Revelation 20:4 identifies the reigning saints as:

• Those who have been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God.
• Those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands.

The question is whether this description only includes the martyrs, or does it include all those who did not receive the mark of the beast? Do the above bullet points represent one group or two? Grammatically, it could go either way.

I think it is best decided by a major interest that Revelation has had from the beginning. That interest is this, where are the saints who died? They are described in Revelation 7, 14, and 15. “Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord,” Revelation 14:13.

Revelation is not solely focused on the martyrs, though they are a primary concern. Rather, Revelation describes all who have “overcome” and lived faithfully as followers of the Lamb. This is the group gathered in Revelation 14:1-5. When one of the 144,000 dies (a number that represents the people of God on the earth), they are blessed, whether martyred or not.

• What is the first resurrection and the second death?

Concerning those who were beheaded and did not worship the beast, Revelation 20:4-6 says, “They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death had no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years.”

This is a much-disputed text. I will not address all the possible interpretations and objections. The view I present here is ably defended by many interpreters, including Kline’s article on the first resurrection and Storms in Kingdom Come. Given the controversy and the options available, I don’t think one can be certain of their interpretation. I am not.

At the same time, if the millennium is the present age, and the binding of Satan is the limiting of Satan’s power by the enthronement of the Messiah, and the reign of the martyred saints with Messiah is in heaven, then it seems to me that the best explanation is that the “first resurrection” refers the same thing that Revelation 7:9-14 describes. “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal [that is, they died, JMH]; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” In Revelation 20:4-6, these are those who have been beheaded and have been seated on thrones to reign with the Messiah in heaven for a thousand years (the extent of the present age). Through their physical death, they came to life in the throne room of God.

I think the language adequately fits this point. While a first resurrection and second death are named in the text, there is no explicit mention of a first death or a second resurrection, though they seem implied.

First Resurrection: came to life in the presence of God in 20:4-6 to reign with the Messiah for a thousand years.	(Second Resurrection)—the rest of the dead [the non-saints] came to life in 20:11-15 after the thousand years were over
(First Death): those who were beheaded and did not worship the beast.	Second death—the eternal destiny of those who don’t share in the first resurrection

Those who experience the first resurrection are those who, in death, wake up alive in the presence of God and are enthroned with the Messiah. In death, they come alive! They will not experience a second death, but they will experience a second resurrection (the resurrection of their bodies) when the Messiah comes again. At that same time, the “rest of the dead” will be raised to face judgment (the second death) while the resurrected saints will inherit the new heaven and new earth (eternal life).

The dead in Christ are alive and reigning with Christ! Comfort one another, brothers and sisters, with these words!

• Why is Satan released? And What does it Mean?

We might rephrase that question, like Shane Woods does, “Why must (δεῖ) Satan be released?” (Revelation 20:3).

If one follows the path I have laid out (the millennium is the present age as the dead saints reign with the Messiah in heaven), there are a couple of ways of thinking about the release of Satan.

Satan is released to gather the nations to do battle with the people of God (just as in 16:14; 19:19), and this battle will end badly as the wrath of God is poured out on the enemies of God (6:17; 11:18; 16:19; 19:15). The purpose of Satan’s release, then, is no mystery; it is explicitly stated. He is released to gather his army for the final battle.

So, why is Satan released at all? Why does not God simply end the thousand year reign without a final battle? Why fight a final battle when God and the saints have been fighting this battle all along and “overcoming” Satan and his allies.

Some, who follow the path I have laid out here, believe this final battle is when the “man of sin/lawlessness” will arise (2 Thessalonians 2:3-6) whom the Messiah will destroy at his second coming. Whatever or whomever the “man of sin” is, I don’t think we must understand Revelation 20:7-10 in this way as if we are waiting for a final cataclysmic moment that announces the second coming of Christ. Whether there is one or not, I am not disputing here, but I think there is a better way to understand Revelation 20:7-10. In other words, perhaps there is no battle at all! This raises an alternative understanding.

Why must Satan be released? Why is this necessary? Where does this necessity lie?

Shane J. Wood argues that while Satan is released from his prison, he is not unchained. Satan is released not to exercise power in order to engage in battle, but he is released so that his power might be mocked and finally defeated in God’s triumphal procession that leads to his execution.

Rome celebrated over 400 triumphal processions in its history. This was a public parade that honored a military victory and its leader (whether general or emperor). The spoils of war and captured enemy soldiers would be paraded through the streets. Typically, the soldiers would be forced to reenact the battle, which led to their deaths. The enemy leader would come last in the procession as he walked just before the chariot of the military victor. When they reached the end point of the parade, the enemy leader was executed.

Wood argues that Revelation 20:7-10 is God’s triumphal procession where a mock battle is convened and the leader of the enemy is executed. I will not take the time to fully explore this view, but I find it quite credible. You can read or listen to his explanation in several places. He defends this view in his Thinning the Veil as well in this academic article. You can also listen to his explanation in several places: here, here, and here.

Conclusion

A deeply pastoral point arises from this reading of Revelation 20. I think it is one of the purposes of the book of Revelation itself.

The Revelation of Jesus the Messiah confirms the sovereignty of God (God will win!), confronts believers with the sin of their assimilation to culture (like in Laodicea), and comforts believers with a peek into the reality of the faithful dead (those who have died in the Lord).

Where are the martyrs? Where are those who have died in the Lord? What are they doing?

Revelation 20:1-6 answers those questions (along with Revelation 7, 14, 15). The martyred saints (and all those who have overcome the beast) reign with the Messiah in heaven! They are alive in the throne room of God.

Thanks be to God!

Though Israel walks through troubles threatened by gods, kings of the earth, and enemies, Yahweh is loving and faithful. Consequently, Israel confesses the name of Yahweh before the gods, gives thanks for Yahweh’s grace and deliverance, and walks confidently in the way of the Lord despite its troubles. One day all the kings of the earth will confess the name of Yahweh, and today we assemble to sing praises to Yahweh as we bow down to the holy presence among us.

[PDF available here.]

The millennium is a hot but difficult topic. I don’t think anyone can claim absolute certainty for their interpretation of Revelation 20. I do not. Nevertheless, it consumes the interest and fascination of many who are looking to the future for hope and the destruction of evil.

Hope is available and the certainty of God’s new heaven and new earth are available to believers no matter what they believe about the millennium, and one’s view of the millennium is not a matter of the gospel and one’s personal salvation. Neither should it be a criterion for fellowship between people and congregations.

One reason this is so difficult is because it involves systems of thought that understand different biblical texts in different ways. These systems are typically: (1) historic premillennialism (Jesus will come again to establish his millennial reign on the earth), (2) dispensational premillennialism (Jesus will come again before the millennium but after the saints are raptured and do not experience a world-wide tribulation), (3) postmillennialism (Jesus will come again after the millennium), and (4) amillennialism (though does not deny the millennium but affirms the present age as the millennial reign of saints in heaven).

Another reason this is so difficult is the nature of the book of Revelation itself, which is the only place that specifies a millennial reign or thousand-year reign. Revelation raises all kinds of hermeneutical questions and issues ranging from its structure to its symbolism. What complicates this is that Revelation is a series of visions with multiple scenes.

One difficult question regarding these visions and scenes is how they relate to each other. Are they in chronological sequence (as most dispensational premillennialists would affirm) or do the visions and scenes often recapitulate each other (that is, they say essentially the same thing but from a difficult angle or vantage point, and sometimes with greater intensity)? How one understands the structure of Revelation, then, significantly impacts how one understands when the millennium occurs.

In my series of articles, I have argued for recapitulation, and I want to reaffirm that here as a way of introducing the question of when does the millennium occur.

The Structure of Revelation

John is said to be “in the Spirit” four times (1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10). This is a structural key for reading the unfolding story in Revelation. These sections are flanked by an introduction (1:1-8) and epilogue (22:7-21) to the book as a whole.

	Vision 1	Vision 2	Vision 3	Vision 4
“in the Spirit”	Rev 1:10	Rev 4:2	Rev 17:3	Rev 21:10
The Visions	Rev 1:9-3:22	Rev 4:1-16:21	Rev 17:1-21:8	Rev 21:9-22:6
John’s Locale	Isle of Patmos	Heaven	Earth	New Creation
Perspective	Lord’s Day	Throne room	Wilderness	High Mountain
Theme	The Kingdom Begun: Jesus Has Overcome	The Kingdom Comes: The Heavenly Angle	The Kingdom Comes: The Earthly Angle	The Kingdom Fully Realized in the New Creation
Point	Addresses specific concerns connected to the 7 churches of Asia Minor and calls for their commitment to the kingdom of God	God acts in justice against the kingdoms of the earth as the seven seals are opened, the trumpets are sounded, and the bowls are poured out.	The sins and destruction of the kingdoms of the earth are described, and the kingdom of God rejoices and reigns despite the attacks of the harlot and beast.	The new heaven and new earth are opened for those who have overcome and defeated the powers through the testimony of their lives.

Recapitulation in Vision 2 (Revelation 4-16)

After the opening scene that pictures the heavenly throne room where the one who sits on the throne and the Lamb are worshipped (Revelation 4-5), the judgment of the kingdoms of this world and the inhabitants of the earth (or, earth-dwellers, that is, those who do not follow the Lamb) begins. They worshipped the beast empowered by the dragon. Judgment unfolds through a series of sevens:

• seven seals (Revelation 6:1-8:5),
• seven trumpets (Revelation 8:6-11:19), [seven thunders are not unsealed, 10:1-4],
• seven bowls of wrath (Revelation 15:1-16:21).

What is missing in the above scenario is Revelation 12-14. These chapters identify the seven participants in the drama of Revelation. It functions like a pause in the action to identify the contestants in the struggle between God and Satan. They are (1) the woman (Israel, Mary, the Church), (2) the male child (the Lamb), (3) the dragon (Satan, serpent), (4) the angel Michael, (5) the beast from the sea, (6) the beast from the earth, and (7) the 144,000 followers of the Lamb on the earth (the children of the woman). The pause in chapters 12-14 provides the backstory for the struggle between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God and the Messiah.

Seals (6:1-8:5)	Trumpets (8:6-11:19)	Pause (12:1-14:20)	Bowls (15:1-16:21
Judgment	Judgment	The Backstory	Judgment

The pause in the drama found in Revelation 12-14 recapitulates the pause in the structure of each of the seven seals, trumpets, and bowls. The pattern of each of the sevens is this:

7 Seals (Rev 6:1-8:5)	7 Trumpets (Rev 8:6-11:19)	7 Bowls (Rev 15:1-16:21)
Four Seals (6:1-8)	Four Trumpets (8:7-13)	Pause (15:1-8)
Two Seals (6:9-12)	Two Trumpets (9:1-21)	Four Bowls (16:1-16:9)
Pause (7:1-17)	Pause (10:1-11:14)	Two Bowls (16:10-16)
Last Seal (8:1-5)	Last Trumpet (11:15-19)	Last Bowl (16:17-21)

The pause of Revelation 12-14 is like the pauses in each of the unfolding of the seals, trumpets, and bowls. These dramatic pauses identify the players and emphasize the protection and destiny of the followers of the Lamb, that is, those who do not worship the dragon through his beasts. The pauses provide pictures of God’s care for the faithful witnesses to the Lamb.

The last seal, the last trumpet, and the last bowl each describe the same reality. The movement from the seals to the trumpets to the bowls intensifies and provides different angles on the drama as it recapitulates the dramatic moment that climaxes each seven. The trumpets recapitulate the seals though intensifying its action, and the bowls recapitulate the trumpets though intensifying its action. The final act in each sequence is the final day of God’s wrath against those who oppose the kingdom of God and worship the beast.

7 Seals (Rev 6:1-8:5)	7 Trumpets (Rev 8:6-11:19)	7 Bowls (Rev 15:1-16:21)
Affect 1/3 of the earth (6:8)	Affect 1/4 of the earth (8:12)	Affect all the earth (16:14)
144,000 are sealed with God’s mark (7:4)	24 elders worship God (11:16-18)	Saints are before God with harps in their hands (15:2)
“day of wrath has come” (6:17)	“your wrath has come” (11:18)	“the fury of his wrath” (16:19; cf. 15:1)

The day of wrath, identified as Harmagedon (or Armagedon) in 16:16, is the final defeat of the dragon and its allies (the beasts and the “inhabitants of the earth”). The seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls each end with a description of this defeat. These are not three different days of wrath but varied descriptions of the final day of wrath.

Consequently, the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls do not describe a series of linear and chronologically sequenced events within history. Rather, they dramatically tell the story of the conflict between the kingdoms of the earth and the kingdom of God. This is not linear history but a cyclical description.

That conflict for the seven churches of Asia who are addressed in chapters 2-3 is experienced in the conflict between Rome and the Church. The symbolism identifies Rome as a protagonist, but Rome does not exhaust the symbolism. Rather, the struggle between the dragon and the kingdom of God continues in other and subsequent contexts throughout history. The seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls are talking about the same thing: the perpetual conflict between God and the Dragon between the first and second comings of Christ that ultimately ends in the defeat of the enemies of God.

Satan gathers the nations for battle (πόλεμον) against the people (12:17; 13:7). The battle is identified in three places. It is the same battle because it is recapitulated in chapters 16, 19, & 20.

The Sixth Bowl (16:14)	The Word of God (19:19)	After the Millennium (20:8)
συναγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον	συνηγμένα ποιῆσαι τὸν πόλεμον	συναγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον
To gather them for the battle	gathered to do the battle	To gather them for the battle

Recognizing this recapitulation helps identify when the millennium (the 1000-year reign) happens. If the battle of the sixth bowl in chapter 16, the coming of the Word in chapter 19, and the action of Satan in 20:8 are the same, then the millennial reign occurs before the final battle at the second coming of Jesus. In other words, the future is not premillennial but rather the millennium is now—the time between the first and second coming of Jesus.

However, before embracing that conclusion, we must look closely at the third vision.

Vision 3 (Revelation 17:1-21:8)

Scene 1 (17:1-18): An unholy woman, Babylon, rides the beast, the servant of the dragon.

• “I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast” (17:3).
• “I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints” (17:6).

Scene 2 (18:1-19:10): Merchants lament the fall of the woman, Babylon and heaven rejoices.

• “After this I saw another angel coming down, having great authority” (18:1).

Scene 3 (19:11-21): The Word of God defeats the woman, Babylon, and the beast.

• “And I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse!” (19:11).
  • The rider is the Word of God whose robe is dipped in blood (19:13). The armies of heaven accompany the rider (19:14). The sword of his mouth will “strike down the nations” (19:15).
  • The rider is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (19:16).
• “And I saw an angel standing in the sun” (19:17).
  • Invitation to gather for the “great supper of God” (19:17-18).
• “And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth gathered to make war” (19:19).
  • The beast and the kings of the earth gather for the battle (19:19). The beast and false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire (19:20).
  • The remainder of the inhabitants of the earth are killed (19:21).

Scene 4 (20:1-10): Binding, Imprisonment, and Release of Satan.

• “And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key” (20:1).
  • Satan is bound and thrown into a pit (20:2). Satan is bound so he can no longer deceive the nations (20:2).
  • After the millennium, Satan “must be released for a little while” (20:3).
• “And I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge” (20:4).
  • The seated souls are those who have not worshiped the beast (20:4). “They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (20:5).“ Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection” (20:6). After the millennium, Satan is released and goes out to deceive the nations (20:7). Satan gathers the nations to make war on the holy city (20:8-9). Fire consumes Satan’s army, Gog and Magog (20:9).
  • Satan is thrown into the lake of fire with the beast and false prophet (20:10).

Scene 5 (20:11-21:8)

• “And I saw a great white throne” (20:11)
  • The dead from the sea and Hades are judged (20:12-13)
  • Those not found in the book of life are thrown into the lake of fire (20:15).
• “And I saw a new heaven and new earth” (21:1).
  • There is no more sea, death, pain—the old has passed away (21:1, 4)
  • The dwelling of God is with humanity (21:3).
  • God says, “I am making all things new” (21:5).
  • Those who overcome will inherit all these things (21:7).
  • But the rest will experience the second death (21:8).
  •  

The Key Question for Interpretation: When is the Millennium?

[In addition to the link above, see Gregory Beale’s works on Revelation, especially Revelation: A Shorter Commentary, Shane J. Wood, Thinning the Veil, Sam Storms, Kingdom Come, R. Flower White (here and here), or Meredith Kline on Armagedon for more detailed discussion.]

Is Scene 4 a recapitulation of Scenes 1-3, or does Scene 4 chronologically follow Scene 3? Is the millennium after the second coming of Jesus (premillennial), or is it simultaneous with the time between the two comings of Christ (the millennium is now)? Another view suggests Scene 4 comes after Scene 3 and thinks Scene 3 is an event that defeats evil and inaugurates a golden age of Christian rule over the world (postmillennial). I think recapitulation is the best option.

1. “And I saw” is not itself a matter of chronology but may only describe what John saw next as in the next vision he had without any intention to identify the chronological sequence of the visions. “Then I saw” is an interpretive translation as the word is simply the Greek word for “and” (καὶ) instead of the Greek word for “then” (τότε).
2. Why are there “nations” to be deceived in Scene 4 (20:3) if they (“the rest of them were killed,” 19:21) have been destroyed in Scene 3? The nations are involved in the final battle in chapter 19:15 – “a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.” This indicates that the millennium is contemporaneous with Scenes 1-3 where the nations are destroyed at the end of Scene 3 (as well as destroyed at the end of the seventh bowl in 16:17 where it is declared: “it is done!”). If the nations are killed, destroyed, or defeated, how can there still be nations in 20:3?
3. The picture of the beheaded souls on the thrones is like the pauses in Revelation 7 (seals), 11 (trumpets), and 15 (bowls) that describe the true reality of faithful saints. They are protected and reigning with Christ in heaven.
4. Recapitulation is how the story has unfolded in the book. For example, the pause in Revelation 12-14 begins with the birth of Jesus rather than as a matter of chronological sequence from chapter 11 to chapter 12, and Vision 2 is filled with recapitulation (seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls). Recapitulation is a common literary device (e.g., Genesis 2 recapitulates Genesis 1, or Daniel 7 recapitulates Daniel 2).
5. Revelation 20:1-3 parallels Revelation 12:7-10.

Revelation 20	Revelation 12
I saw an angel coming down, holding in his hand a key to the bottomless pit and a great chain (20:1).	Michael and his angels fought against the dragon (12:7).
dragon, ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan (20:2).	The great dragon . . . that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan (12:9).
Satan deceives the nations (20:3).	Satan is one who “deceives the whole world” (12:9).
The angel seized the dragon, bound him, and threw him into the pit (20:2-3).	The great dragon was thrown down to the earth (12:9).
Satan is bound so that he might not deceive the nations (20:3), that is, he could not destroy the people of God.	So, when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child whom he could not defeat (12:13). The dragon then made war on those who kept the children of the woman but could not defeat the woman herself (12:17)

6. What is the binding of Satan? The parallel with Revelation 12 suggests it is the Christ Event (incarnation, ministry, death, resurrection, and enthronement) that binds Satan. He is no longer present in heaven but is limited to the earth (the realm of earth-dwellers). But even on the earth, his power is limited, that is, he cannot destroy the woman (the people of God), though he can martyr and persecute her children. He cannot win the battle even though he gathers the nations for it. At the same time, this is a real sticking point for thinking that this millennial reign is the present time since Satan is certainly active. In the next post, I’ll say more about this.

7. The millennium will end, and it is only after the millennium ends that Satan is released. Satan is not released at the end of the millennium but when the millennium is over. In other words, the millennium does not end with a great battle but Satan is released only after the millennium is finished.

8. The battles in Revelation 16, 19, and 20 are all the same battle, and this is confirmed by the use of Gog and Magog imagery from Ezekiel 38-39 in all three episodes (actually named in chapter 20). See Kline’s article for a detailed exploration of this point.

Therefore, the millennium occurs during the period of time between the first and second coming of Jesus.

Psalm 137 begins with a powerful lament but ends with what some have called the worst verse in the Bible. Its last three verses are excluded from most Western modern liturgies, and it is a source of embarrassment to many believers, especially disciples of Jesus.

Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss both its lament and its ending imprecation (or cursing) of the enemies of Israel. It is the ancient voice of victims who cry out for justice, though their imprecation is disturbing and horrifying to modern ears.

In the video, we recommended the book by Erich Zengar, A God of Vengeance? Understanding the Psalms of Divine Wrath.

For more on this Psalm, see these resources from Bobby and John Mark.

How to Preach a Curse

Psalm 137: Rivers of Babylon, Smashing Babies & Cultural Distance: History and Understanding the Bible

Eye for an Eye, Moses vs. Jesus and Lex Talionis: Word of Vengeance or Word of Grace?

The Hebrew Bible’s word for the theological idea of “grace” in the New Testament is hesed (steadfast love). Psalm 136 celebrates God’s initiative and commitment, God’s grace, by reciting the line “because his steadfast love endures forever” 26 times. Israel, gathered in assembly in Psalm 135 and Psalm 136 to bless, praise, and give thanks to Yahweh, rehearses the grace of God in creation and the Exodus but also for “all flesh.” The Great Hallel (Psalms 135-136) respond to the “Egyptian Hallel” (Psalms 113-118) as pilgrims have gathered in the temple courts to honor God and experience Yahweh’s love for them.

Psalm 135, along with Psalm 136, is the Great Hallel, the praise and blessing the pilgrim offers in the temple courts (where God dwells). Those who have ascended the holy mountain and now stand at the top of the steps in the court with the priests and Levites declare God’s goodness, beauty, and election of Israel. God has liberated Israel from their enslavement and given them an inheritance as God’s treasured possession, as God’s people. Israel praises God for his justice and compassion, and the Psalmist invites all who fear God (as opposed to those who trust in idols) to praise the name of Yahweh.

Psalm 134 concludes the Songs of Ascents (begun in Psalm 120) with a call to bless Yahweh standing in the courts with lifted hands. Standing in holy space, worshippers encounter God, and prayers are lifted that call upon God to bless each worshipper (“you” is singular in 134:3). The final Psalm of Ascents ends with a prayer for Yahweh’s blessing upon those who have come to Zion to praise the name of God.

When family sit at the table together in unity, it is like Aaron receiving the blessing of ordination for the sake of the people of God and Zion receiving the blessing of moisture from Mt. Hermon. God has commanded that Zion is the place of blessing, and it brings everlasting life to those who receive it. Bobby Valentine and John Mark Hicks discuss the themes of unity, blessing, and table in the light of the processional movement of Psalm 133.

The language of peace, grace, and faith connects the benediction of Ephesians with its salutation. These are dominant topics in Ephesians: the peace the cross as effected through overcoming hostility in the world, the grace God gave to humanity in Jesus the Messiah, and the faith the people of God have in God’s work through the Messiah. God is the resource of peace and grace, which is enjoyed through faith. The benediction adds an emphasis on love. Paul sends peace and love to his readers, and blesses them with eternal grace from the Father for those who love the Messiah.

The salutation and benediction bookend the letter with the themes in which the letter has been immersed. God is the source of all grace and peace through the Messiah, and people respond to this blessing through faith and love.

A key problem in translation comes with the last word of the letter: immortality or incorruptibility (ἀφθαρσίᾳ). Is it the love that is incorruptible or undying (ESV, RSV, NIV, NASB20) or sincere (KJV, NKJV), or is it Jesus who is immortal, or are we who are graced with immortality (NLT). I tend to think the latter, that is, God graces us with an eternal life in Christ Jesus (cf. Arnold’s commentary).

The closing of the letter also identifies the carrier of the letter, perhaps even Paul’s secretary or amanuensis. Two elements are particularly significant: his character and his function.

In terms of character, he is described in the same way that Paul describes his intended audience in Ephesians 1:2 — “faithful in” (πιστὸς
ἐν) in the Lord or Jesus the Messiah. Paul holds him in high esteem: beloved brother (ἀγαπητὸς ἀδελφὸς), just as Paul blesses his readers with love (ἀγάπη), and faithful (πιστὸς) minister or servant (διάκονος).

His function is two-fold: information and encouragement. The readers may have been concerned about Paul’s imprisonment and how his mission was progressing (or not). Tychicus will provide that information. But also he will be able to explain everything so that the readers are encouraged. The bearers of letters in the ancient world were often also the original readers of the letter to the addressees, interpreted the letter, and answered questions about the letter and its author. Paul sends a beloved brother to serve in this capacity, though he would probably not be available to interpret and answer questions for every reading if the letter is intended as a circular one. We might imagine that he would present the letter to every house church in Ephesus, or perhaps copied for every house church. But we are speculating.

We do know that Paul send the letter to Colossae through Tychicu in addition to this one (Colossians 4:7-8).

The letter to the Ephesians has grounded their identity in the Jewish Messiah because God has rescued/blessed Israel through the Messiah by the power of the Spirit. The gentiles are also included in this blessing, and they are now members of the same body with Israel, the new human Jesus the Messiah. Because of this new humanity grounded in God’s saving act, readers are invited to walk worthy of their calling, status, and relationship. Consequently, they live in peace, patience, kindness, and forgiveness with each other through mutual submission. Living as such a community, they are equipped with God’s gifts and armor to partner with God in the battle against the cosmic forces of evil!

This is one of the most beautiful images of rest, calm, and peace. Our souls are like a nursing child resting in her mother’s arms after a feeding. This is the hope of Israel, and invites us to humble ourselves before the Lord, whose greatness we can never exhaust or fully comprehend. O Israel, hope in the Lord, now and forevermore!