The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

that feature of the Divine Plan that relates to this Millennial reign and the resurrection of
the dead. It is not only interesting but profitable to read, as confirming the truthfulness of
progressive interpretation, some of the comments on this vision. Mr. Guinness, referring to
this period, says:
"Now we have never known and consequently cannot conceive a world free from Satanic
deceptions; but who does not feel at once that it would be a marvelously different world? .
. . When Satan is exiled from the earth for a time, it is evident that man will have a
probation of a character different from any that he has as yet experienced; it will be a
probation of man free from the Tempter, and though Scripture does not lead us to expect
that sin will be altogether absent from among the Gentile nations of the earth during the
course of this probation, it does undoubtedly intimate that its existence will be reduced to
a minimum. The Lord Jesus Christ began to overthrow the power of the Devil when He
resisted his temptation in the wilderness; He obtained a further and magnificent victory
when He broke open the prison house of death, and leading captivity captive, ascended
up on high. This binding of Satan is a further stage of His triumph over the great foe, and
the final one comes at the close of the Millennium when the Devil is cast into the lake of
fire."
Mr. Lord, while regarding Satan as a real person, believed that his restraint and his release
again were intended to portray very much wider effects than would be represented in his
personal influence and operations. On these points he says that Satan, in the vision of his
binding, includes the whole body of the fallen angels; and his emergence from prison
denotes their release universally, and their return to the seduction of men on the earth.
Another has said:
"It seems a great pity after the world has rested for a thousand years that this arch-enemy
of its peace should again be let loose upon it. But there seems to be some sort of necessity
for it. The statement to John was that 'he must be loosed a little while.' (Ver. 3.) Some
interest of righteousness and moral government renders it proper that he should be
allowed this last limited freedom."
Referring to the particular matter of deception practiced by Satan, the same writer goes on
to say:
"Satan succeeds in rendering them [the ones deceived] dissatisfied with the holy rule of
God's glorified saints and induces them to believe that they can successfully throw it off
and crush it out. . . . How he does this we are not told; but under him they come forth in
swarming myriads, enter the same holy land [as others (Ezek. 38, 39) did a thousand years
before], and compass about the citadel of the saints and the beloved city in the vain hope
of wresting the dominion from its immortal possessors. . . . The insane war, however, is
quickly terminated. One brief sentence tells the fearful story: 'There came down fire out of
heaven and devoured them.' When Israel was encamped in the wilderness, a guard of
Levites was set about the tabernacle and the command to them was, 'The stranger that
cometh nigh shall be put to death.' (Num. 1:51.) So a guard of immortal king-priests keeps