Revelation 20 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

THE THOUSAND YEAR VICTORY OVER EVIL
Revelation 20:1-15, Greek Text with English Translation
20:1 Kai. ei=don a;ggelon katabai,nonta evk tou/ ouvranou/ e;conta th.n klei/n th/j
avbu,ssou kai. a[lusin mega,lhn evpi. th.n cei/ra auvtou/Å 20:2 kai. evkra,thsen to.n dra,konta( o`
o;fij o` avrcai/oj( o[j evstin Dia,boloj kai. o` Satana/j( kai. e;dhsen auvto.n ci,lia e;th 20:3 kai.
e;balen auvto.n eivj th.n a;busson kai. e;kleisen kai. evsfra,gisen evpa,nw auvtou/( i[na mh. planh,sh|
e;ti ta. e;qnh a;cri telesqh/| ta. ci,lia e;thÅ meta. tau/ta dei/ luqh/nai auvto.n mikro.n cro,nonÅ
20.1 And I saw a messenger / angel coming down out of the heaven, holding the key of
the abyss and a great chain upon his hand. 20.2 And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent,
the ancient one, which is accuser / devil and the adversary / satan, and he bound him a thousand
years. 20.3 And he threw him into the abyss, and locked and sealed (it) over him, so that he
should not lead astray any longer the nations, until the thousand years should be completed.
After these things it is necessary for him to be released a little time.
20.4 Kai. ei=don qro,nouj kai. evka,qisan evpV auvtou.j kai. kri,ma evdo,qh auvtoi/j( kai. ta.j
yuca.j tw/n pepelekisme,nwn dia. th.n marturi,an VIhsou/ kai. dia. to.n lo,gon tou/ qeou/ kai.
oi[tinej ouv proseku,nhsan to. qhri,on ouvde. th.n eivko,na auvtou/ kai. ouvk e;labon to. ca,ragma
evpi. to. me,twpon kai. evpi. th.n cei/ra auvtw/nÅ kai. e;zhsan kai. evbasi,leusan meta. tou/ Cristou/
ci,lia e;thÅ 20.5 oi` loipoi. tw/n nekrw/n ouvk e;zhsan a;cri telesqh/ | ta. ci,lia e;thÅ Au[th h`
avna,stasij h` prw,thÅ 20.6 maka,rioj kai. a[gioj o` e;cwn me,roj evn th/| avnasta,sei th/| prw,th|\
evpi. tou,twn o` deu,teroj qa,natoj ouvk e;cei evxousi,an( avllV e;sontai i`erei/j tou/ qeou/ kai. tou/
Cristou/ kai. basileu,sousin metV auvtou/ Îta.Ð ci,lia e;thÅ
20.4 And I saw thrones; and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them; and
the innermost beings of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony to Jesus, and
because of the word of God; and those who did not worship the beast, nor his image, and they did
not receive the mark upon the forehead and upon their hand. And they lived, and they reigned
with the Christ a thousand years. 20.5 The rest of the dead people did not live until the thousand
years should be completed. This is resurrection–the first one. 20.6 How blessed and set-apart
the one who has part in the resurrection, the first one! Over these, the second death does not
have authority, but rather, they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and they will reign with
Him [the] thousand years!
20.7 Kai. o[tan telesqh/| ta. ci,lia e;th( luqh,setai o` satana/j evk th/j fulakh/j auvtou/
20.8 kai. evxeleu,setai planh/sai ta. e;qnh ta. evn tai/j te,ssarsin gwni,aij th/j gh/j( to.n Gw.g
kai. Magw,g( sunagagei/n auvtou.j eivj to.n po,lemon( w-n o` avriqmo.j auvtw/n w`j h` a;mmoj th/j
qala,sshjÅ 20.9 kai. avne,bhsan evpi. to. pla,toj th/j gh/j kai. evku,kleusan th.n parembolh.n tw/n
a`gi,wn kai. th.n po,lin th.n hvgaphme,nhn( kai. kate,bh pu/r evk tou/ ouvranou/ kai. kate,fagen
auvtou,jÅ 20.10 kai. o` dia,boloj o` planw/n auvtou.j evblh,qh eivj th.n li,mnhn tou/ puro.j kai.
qei,ou o[pou kai. to. qhri,on kai. o` yeudoprofh,thj( kai. basanisqh,sontai h`me,raj kai. nukto.j
eivj tou.j aivw/naj tw/n aivw,nwnÅ
20.7 And when the thousand years should be completed, the adversary / satan will be
released from his prison, 20.8 and he will go out to lead astray the nations, those in the four
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corners of the earth--the "Gog and Magog"--to gather them together for the war–of whom their
number is like the sand of the sea. 20.9 And they went up upon the width of the earth, and they
encircled the camp of the set-apart people, and the city–the beloved one. And fire came down
out of the heaven, and devoured them. 20.10 And the accuser / devil, the one leading them
astray, was cast into the lake of fire and sulphur, where also the beast and the false spokesperson
(are), and they will be tormented day and night into the ages of the ages!
20.11 Kai. ei=don qro,non me,gan leuko.n kai. to.n kaqh,menon evpV auvto,n( ou- avpo. tou/
prosw,pou e;fugen h` gh/ kai. o` ouvrano.j kai. to,poj ouvc eu`re,qh auvtoi/jÅ 20.12 kai. ei=don tou.j
nekrou,j( tou.j mega,louj kai. tou.j mikrou,j( e`stw/taj evnw,pion tou/ qro,nouÅ kai. bibli,a
hvnoi,cqhsan( kai. a;llo bibli,on hvnoi,cqh( o[ evstin th/j zwh/j( kai. evkri,qhsan oi` nekroi. evk
tw/n gegramme,nwn evn toi/j bibli,oij kata. ta. e;rga auvtw/nÅ 20.13 kai. e;dwken h` qa,lassa
tou.j nekrou.j tou.j evn auvth/| kai. o` qa,natoj kai. o` a[|dhj e;dwkan tou.j nekrou.j tou.j evn auvtoi/j(
kai. evkri,qhsan e[kastoj kata. ta. e;rga auvtw/nÅ 20.14 kai. o` qa,natoj kai. o` a[ |dhj evblh,qhsan
eivj th.n li,mnhn tou/ puro,jÅ ou-toj o` qa,natoj o` deu,tero,j evstin( h` li,mnh tou/ puro,jÅ 20.15
kai. ei; tij ouvc eu`re,qh evn th/| bi,blw| th/j zwh/j gegramme,noj( evblh,qh eivj th.n li,mnhn tou/
puro,jÅ
20.11 And I saw a throne, a great white one, and the One sitting upon it, from the face of
Whom the earth and the heaven fled, and a place was not found for them. 20.12 And I saw the
dead people, the great ones and the little ones, having stood before the throne. And scrolls were
opened, and another scroll was opened, which is of the life; and the dead people were judged
out of the things having been written in the scrolls, according to their works. 20.13 And the sea
gave (up) the dead people, those in it; and the death and the underworld gave (up) the dead
people, the ones in them; and they were judged, each one according to their works. 20.14 And
the death and the underworld were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake
of fire. 20.15 And if anyone was not found having been written in the scroll of the life, that person
was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:1-15, Translation with Footnotes:
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20.1 And I saw a messenger / angel coming down out of the heaven, holding the
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Aune outlines chapter 20 as follows: 20:1-10, the final defeat of satan; 20:11-15,
vision of the final judgment. (Pp. 1076-77).
He notes that 20:1-10, with its vision of the defeat of satan has a parallel earlier, in
12:7-9. (P. 1078)
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The adjective av,llon, allon, “another, different,” is interpolated into the text by a
corrector of Sinaiticus, Minuscule 2050, a few other Greek manuscripts (with a different word
order), a few manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate, the Philoxenian Syriac, a few manuscripts of
th
the Sahidic Coptic and Beatus of Liebana (8 century A.D.). The interpolation does not
change the meaning of Revelation.
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key of the abyss and a great chain upon his hand. 20.2 And he took hold of the
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(...continued)
Thirty two times in Revelation John uses the words "And I saw..."! See 5:1, 2, 6, 11;
6:1, 2, 5, 8, 12; 7:2; 8:2, 13; 9:1; 10:1; 13:1, 11; 14:1, 6, 14; 15:1, 2; 16:13; 17:3, 6; 19:11,
17, 19; 20:1 (here), 4, 11, 12, and 21:1.
A review of these passages shows that sometimes the phrase opens a new section of
Revelation; but at other times, it is used in a continuing description of a vision already seen.
Thus, the phrase offers us no help in determining whether to see chapter 20 as the continuation
of chapter 19 (as is very important for the "premillenialist view"--which interprets 19:11-
21 as the "second coming" of Jesus, which is then chronologically followed immediately by the
"thousand year reign" of 20:1-10--see Walvoord, pp. 289-90), or to see it as a completely new
vision (as, for example, Hendricksen holds, seeing chapter 20 as returning to the very beginning
of Christianity as happened in Revelation 12).
Swete observes that "The formula ['and I saw'] does not, like ['after these things I saw'],
determine the order of time in which the vision was seen relatively to the visions which precede
it, but merely connect it with a series of visions...It must not, therefore, be assumed that
the events now to be described chronologically follow the destruction of the beast and the
false prophet and their army." (P. 259)
The fact is, we think, that John’s use of the phrase is ambiguous, and can be taken in
different senses–which is frustrating to the person seeking to get an exact chronology from the
material–but which is only to be expected in biblical prophecy with its enigmatic lack of clarity–as
taught in Numbers 12:7-8 and 1 Corinthians 13:9-12. The author is obviously not
seeking to set forth an exact “time-table of end events,” and those who use such materials for
this purpose are building upon a very shaky foundation. We will be seeing this same kind of
indefiniteness and ambiguity in a number of places in this passage–which should warn us
against seeking clarity, and exact definitions on the basis of this passage!
But whether used to begin a new section, or simply in continuation of a preceding section,
the phrase serves to emphasize the visual nature of John's "unveiling." See on Revelation
1:2-3, for a brief discussion of the combination of visual and auditory elements in the
dramatic presentation of Revelation. What we are dealing with here is neither a "chronological
time-table" nor a "doctrinal statement" concerning the last things; but rather, another of
John's highly symbolic and enigmatic visions, intended to impart hope and confidence (and
warning) to the suffering churches of Asia Minor at the close of the first century.
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The phrase ê ôï ïñáíï, ek tou ouranou, “out of the heaven,” is omitted by the
first writer of Sinaiticus. The omission does not change the meaning of Revelation, but we
think, is simply a mistake on the part of the copyist of Sinaiticus–unless it is an example of this
copyist’s desire to shorten the original text as much as possible.
In Revelation 7:2, John has reported seeing a messenger / angel "coming up" from the
sun-rising; in 10:1, a strong messenger / angel "coming down out of the heaven..." (compare
18:1 and here, 20:1 for the same phrase).
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Compare John's language at Revelation 9:1, "...The key of the pit of the abyss was
given [to a star having fallen out of heaven into the earth]." See the footnotes on that passage,
and compare 1:18 and 3:7. There should be no question concerning the symbolical
nature of this language. Are we to think that stars can hold keys, or that spiritual beings can
be bound with literal chains, or that there is a literal pit somewhere on earth in which the evil
dragon is locked up? Should we think in terms of a hidden entrance in the depths of Carlsbad
Caverns, or at the bottom of Lake Ness? Such literalistic understanding of obviously symbolical
material is, we think, both mistaken and misleading.
Oftentimes the question is raised, “But how can we tell the difference between symbolical
and literal? The answer is, by using our heads. We do it all the time in everyday speech.
When someone complains that they have gotten a million phone-calls, we don’t think twice in
refusing to take the statement literally, but understand it to mean that the person has had a
very busy day. When the Bible says that God is our “Rock,” or that we can take shelter “under
His wings,” we don’t start asking whether or not God is made out of granite or cement, or is a
“Big Bird.” So it is in reading Revelation. We know that it is filled with “signs” and “symbols,”
and that it is biblical “prophecy,” that is enigmatic in nature, filled with “riddles.” So, we don’t
expect to take everything literally and at face-value. We don’t think of a literal dragon or snake
(“rattle-snake”!) when thinking of satan. And we are careful not to try and get clarity where it is
lacking, or attempt to construct time-tables on the basis of such statements, as do the interpreters
who attempt to decide whether or not the so-called “second coming” is “pre-millennial” or
“post-millennial.”
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On the "abyss," see Revelation 9:1 with its footnotes, and the preceding footnote.
This word occurs at 9:1, 2; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1 and 3. Elsewhere in the New Testament it
occurs only at Luke 8:31 and Romans 10:7.
In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, this noun occurs at: Genesis 1:2 ("darkness
was upon the abyss"); 7:11; 8:2; Deuteronomy 8:7 (where it means "deep springs of
water"); 33:13 (similar to 8:7); Job 28:14; 36:16 (where it means something like "jaws of
death"); 38:16 (where it is parallel with "gates of death"); 41: 22, 23, 23; Psalm 33:7; 36:6;
42:7 ("deep calls to deep"); 71:20 ("from the abysses of the earth you will bring me up"); 77:
16; 78:15; 104:6; 106:9; 107:26; 135:6; 148:7; Proverbs 3:20; 8:24; Wisdom of Solomon
10:19; Sirach 1:3; 16:18; 24:5, 29; 42:18; 43:23; Amos 7:4; Jonah 2:6; Habakkuk 3:10;
Isaiah 44:27; 51:10; 63:13; Ezekiel 26:19; 31:4, and 15. It is used predominantly as a
translation of the Hebrew word ~Ah+t., thehom ("deep," of the ocean depths), and for "deep
springs" of water in the land of Israel. It is rarely used in terms of the hidden depths of the
deep sea, as being a synonym for the place where people go when they die--but there is little
of the Greek mythological connotations so easily attached to such a word, when we use it to
mean "the bottomless pit." That John sees an abyss that has a "key" immediately confirms
the symbolic nature of John's vision.
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This is the only place in Revelation where the word a[lusij, halusis, “chain" occurs.
Again, the symbolical nature of this descriptive language is obvious. Even Walvoord, who ordinarily
insists on a literal interpretation, has to ask how a spiritual being like "the Devil" can be
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dragon, the serpent, the ancient one, which is accuser / devil and the adversary
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thought of as being bound with a literal chain. This is obviously symbolical language, and is
rooted in Greek mythological views of the place of punishment of the wicked!
Aune comments that “The use of chains to bind satan and his host is an apocalyptic
motif (1 Enoch 54:3-5; 2 Apocalypse Baruch 56:13; Sibylline Oracles 2.289; Jude 6; 2
Peter 2:4) derived from earlier Greek traditions...of the chaining of the...‘hundred-handed
ones’...and the titans in tartarus...[as well as] the chaining of Prometheus...” (P. 1081)
Jude 6, “And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned
their own home--these He has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on
the great Day.”
2 Peter 2:4, “...God did not spare angels when they sinned, but [seirai/j zo,fou tartarw,saj]
with cords of darkness placing (them) in Tartarus [thought of by the Greeks as a subterranean
place lower than hades, where divine punishment is meted out, and so regarded in
Israelite apocalyptic literature as well], to be held for judgment.”
There can be little doubt that in these two New Testament passages, Greek mythological
views are being taken up, and used to warn Christians of the dangers of apostasy–views
such as those expressed in the following two passages:
1 Enoch 54:1-5, “I looked...and saw...a valley, deep and burning with fire. And they
were bringing kings and potentates and were throwing them into this deep valley. And my
eyes saw there their chains while they were making them into iron fetters of immense weight...
being prepared for the armies of Azaz’el [one of the fallen angels / messengers], in order that
they may take them and cast them into the abyss of complete condemnation...”
Sibylline Oracles 2.285-92, “...An undying river flows in a circle. All these (sorcerers
and sorceresses)...the angels / messengers of the immortal, everlasting God will punish terribly
from above with whips of flame, having bound them around with fiery chains and unbreakable
bonds. Then, in the dead of the night, they will be thrown under many terrible infernal
beasts in gehenna [the biblical background of the Valley of Hinnom’s sons, on the south
side of Jerusalem, has been abandoned, and the name has been applied to the Greek mythological
view of the place of eternal punishment], where there is immeasurable darkness.”
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Somewhat strangely, the Greek text states that the chain was "upon" the hand of the
messenger / angel, rather than being "in" his hand. However, in Greek the word "hand" sometimes
refers to the wrist or lower arm, and it may be that John means the chain was draped
over the messenger’s / angel's arm. Perhaps because of the strangeness of the phrase, Sinaiticus,
Minuscule 1611 and a few other Greek manuscripts change the reading to ev vn th| / ceiri,
en te cheiri, “in the hand.” But the variant reading does not change the meaning of Revelation.
Aune translates by “in his hand” (P. 1071).
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Aune translates by “apprehended” (p. 1071).
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Earlier John has mentioned the "dragon"--see Revelation 12:3 (with its footnote), 4,
7, 7, 9, 13, 16, 17; 13:2, 4, 11; 16:13 and here, 20:2. The noun äñÜêïí, drakon is used in
the Greek translation of the Jewish Bible as a translation of rypiK., kephiyr ("young lion"),
!t"åy"w>li, liwyathan ("serpent," "sea-monster," "crocodile," "whale," perhaps a mythological
creature, used figuratively for Egypt); vx'n", nachash ("serpent," “viper”); dWT[;, (attudh ("hegoat,"
sometimes used symbolically of princes and chieftains); !t,Pñ,, pethen (“venemous serpent,”
perhaps "cobra"); !yNIT;, tanniyn ("jackals") and tanniyniym ("serpents," "seamonsters,"
“dragons”).
All of these Hebrew nouns are normally used for actual creatures, even though mysterious,
dangerous, little-known creatures that evoke both wonder and fear. It is a temptation to
the translator and student to try and read much more into these words, finding in them connotations
of "a fabulous monster represented as a gigantic reptile having a lion's claws, the tail of
a serpent, wings, and scaly skin," such as we commonly encounter in mythological materials.
Such language is obviously highly symbolical in nature, and can only be interpreted literally in
a very misleading way.
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The phrase öéò ñ÷áïò, ho ophis ho archaios, the serpent, the old one,” an
obvious allusion to Genesis 3:1-14, is changed from a nominative phrase to an accusative
phrase to.n ov,fin to.n avrcai/on, ton ophin ton archaion, with the same meaning. The nominative
phrase is read by Alexandrinus and a few other Greek manuscripts. The accusative
phrase, which is a grammatical correction of the original text, is read by Sinaiticus, Uncial
Manuscript 051 and the Majority Text. As this variant reading makes obvious, John's grammar
is once again faulty at this point–and makes obvious the human fallibility of the author.
For the occurrences of ov ,fij, ophis, "serpent," in Revelation, see 9:19 (horses with
snake-like tails); 12:9 (closely similar to 20:2, the great dragon, hurled down from heaven, the
ancient serpent, called the devil or satan), 14, 15 (the woman is flown away into the wilderness,
away from the serpent’s reach; but the serpent spews out water like a river to drown her,
unsuccessfully) and here, 20:2 (closely similar to 12:9 for the names). The symbolical nature
of the language is emphasized: the "dragon" / the "serpent" / the "accuser," / the "adversary."
It stands for the vicious enemies of human beings. John warns readers that there are “poisonous
snakes” in their environment that can bite and destroy them, obviously not referring to literal,
physical snakes, but to enemies of the Christian faith that are intent on their destruction.
Elsewhere in the Greek Bible, see Genesis 3:1, 1, 2, 4, 13, 14 (the serpent that the
Lord God made, one of His “good” creatures, but who lied to the humans, who listened to his
voice, bringing a divine curse on the serpent and on themselves); 49:17 (the dying Jacob
predicts that his son Dan will be “a serpent along the pathway”); Exodus 4:3, 17 (only in the
Greek translation); 7:15 (all concerning Aaron’s staff that is miraculously turned into a serpent
as a sign to Pharoah; Pharaoh’s magicians can do the same); Numbers 21:6, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9
(the Lord sends poisonous snakes to bite the complaining Israelites; Moses makes a bronze
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serpent, places it on a pole, and those looking on it are healed of the snake-bite); Deuteronomy
8:15 (the Lord led Israel through the wilderness with its poisonous snakes); 2 Kings 18:4
(the bronze snake that Moses made is cut into pieces by Hezekiah, since it had become an
object of worship);
Job 20:16 (the wicked rich man’s wealth will become a snake’s poison in his stomach,
says Zophar); Psalms 57:5 (58:5 in Hebrew, 58:4 in English; the wicked person’s words are
like a snake’s poison) 139:4 (140:4 in Hebrew; 140:3 in English; same as 58:4); Proverbs 23:
32 (in the end, wine bites like a poisonous snake); 30:19 (the wise teacher does not understand
the way of a snake’s movement on a rock); Ecclesiastes 10:8 (one who breaks through
a wall [to steal] will be bitten by a snake), 11 (if the charmer’s snake bites before it is charmed,
what profit for the charmer?);
Isaiah 14:29, 29 (Philistia is warned that though the rod that struck them is broken,
from the “root of the snake” [its offspring] will come a poisonous snake to bite them); 27:1, 1
(“in that day,” the Lord will use His great sword to kill Leviathan, a x:rIêB' vx'än"‘, “fleeing
snake”); 65:25 (in the good times coming, when all the former enemy-animals are at peace,
the snake’s food will only be dust; compare Isaiah 11:8); Jeremiah 8:17 (Jeremiah warns
Judah that the Lord will send poisonous snakes that cannot be charmed to bite them); 26:22
(46:22 in Hebrew and English; Egypt will hiss like a fleeing snake when her enemies come
against her); Amos 5:19 (a man rests his hand on the interior wall of his house, only to have a
snake bite him, on the “day of the Lord”); Micah 7:17 (when the nations see Israel’s resurrection,
they will lick dust like snakes);
4 Maccabees 18:8 (the mother of the seven brothers / martyrs tells her sons that the
“seducing and defiling serpent” did not defile her, causing her to lose her virginity; obviously a
reference to Genesis 2-3); Sirach 21:2 (“Flee from sin as from a snake; if you approach sin, it
will bite you; its teeth are lion’s teeth, and destroy the innermost being of people”); 25:15 (no
venom worse than a snake’s venom); Psalms of Solomon 4:9 (a snake destroys the wisdom
of others by deceitful words; allusion to Genesis 3); Wisdom 16:5 (reference to Numbers
21);
Matthew 7:10 (Jesus asks, Which of you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a
snake?); 10:16 (Jesus instructs His followers to be “as shrewd as snakes, but harmless as
doves”); 23:33 (Jesus accuses the Jewish leaders of being “snakes”!); Mark 16:18 (long
ending; Jesus followers will be able to pick up snakes in their hands); Luke 10:19 (Jesus has
given His representatives authority to tread upon snakes); 11:11 (same as Matthew 7:10);
John 3:14 (reference to Moses’ lifting up the bronze snake in the wilderness in Numbers 21;
compared to the Son of the Person’s being lifted up on the wooden post); 1 Corinthians 10:9
(warning based on Numbers 21); 2 Corinthians 11:3 (like Eve’s being deceived by the snake
in Genesis 3, Paul is afraid that the Corinthians will be deceived.
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What we see in these passages is that while sometimes literal snakes are intended,
oftentimes the meaning is not intended literally, but symbolically–as is undeniably true in
Genesis 49:17; Job 20:16; Psalm 58:4; Proverbs 23:32; Isaiah 14:29; Sirach 21:2 and
Matthew 23:33.
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The nominative singular masculine relative pronoun ò, hos, “which,” is changed to
the neuter pronominal adjective form o`, ho, also meaning “which,” by Sinaiticus, Minuscule
2050 and a few other Greek manuscripts. The variant does not change the meaning of Revelation.
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Following the verb evsti,n, estin, “it is,” the definite article o`, ho, “the,” is interpolated
into the text by Sinaiticus, Minuscules 1611, 2050, 2053, 2062, 2329 and a few other Greek
manuscripts. The interpolation does not change the meaning of Revelation, but demonstrates
the freedom felt by these copyists to slightly change the original text in this manner.
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The noun déÜâïëïò, diabolos means "slanderer" or "accuser." The verb diaba,llw,
diaballo means literally "to throw across or over," and then figuratively, "to accuse falsely," "to
slander." Used as an adjective, diabolos means "falsely accusing," or "slanderous." In Revelation,
see 2:10; 12:9, 12; 20:2 (here), and 10. See especially Revelation 12:7-12, with its
footnote. There is a close parallel between 12:7-12 and 20:1-10:
“And there was war in the heaven--Michael and his messengers / angels fighting with
the dragon. And the dragon fought, also his messengers / angels; and he did not prevail,
neither was place found for them any longer in the heaven. And he was thrown down--the
great dragon, the ancient serpent, the one who is called ‘accuser’ and ‘the adversary,’ the one
who leads astray the whole inhabited world--he was thrown down into the earth; and his
messengers / angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a great voice in the heaven
saying, ‘Now has come the deliverance and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the
authority of His Christ! Because the prosecutor of our brothers is thrown down--the one who
prosecutes them before our God, by day and by night! And they conquered him through the
blood of the Little Lamb, and through the word of their testimony; and they did not love their
(own) life, even unto death! For this reason, be glad, you heavens, and those who live in
them! Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the accuser has descended to you, having
great anger, knowing that he has (only) a little while!’” (Revelation 12:7-2)
The following parallels between chapters 11-14 and chapter 20 are obvious: In 12:5-
12, there is the picture of the adversary's being thrown down from heaven, something very
close in meaning to the adversary's being bound in chapter 20. In 11:2-6 and 12:14-16 there
is the description of a long period of powerful witness-bearing by the church, while the adversary's
influence is curbed; in chapter 20 there is a thousand-year period of the adversary's
being bound. In 11:7-9 and 13:7 there is the description of a brief period of the adversary's
renewed persecution of the church; in chapter 20 too there is a brief period of renewed persecution.
In 11:17-18, and 14:14-16, there is the description of judgment, just as in 20:11-15
there is a judgment scene.
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/ satan and he bound him a thousand years. 20.3 And he threw him into the abyss,
2268
(...continued)
Hendricksen comments that “Once this ‘order of events’ or ‘programme of history’ is
seen, Revelation 20 is not difficult to understand. All one needs to do is to remember the
sequence: Christ's first coming is followed by a long period during which Satan is bound; this,
in turn is followed by Satan's little season; and that is followed by [the]...judgment...It is clear
that the theory of the premillennialists is at variance with the facts here.” (P. 185)
We can agree with Hendricksen's criticism of the "premillennial" view; but we must also
criticize Hendricksen's view that a precise "order of events" or "programme of history" can be
validly drawn from this material, which is, we think, highly symbolical, unsystematic in nature.
We can clearly see John's belief that the Little Lamb is the "Lord of history," who both
has won, and will ultimately win, eternal victory over all the evil forces in history--but the material
is not systematic enough in nature to allow exact chronological conclusions--whether "premillennial"
or "postmillennial." That John is depicting the fall of evil forces, and their “binding”
for a long time is clear. It is likewise clear that the Lord Jesus and His followers have gained
and are gaining eternal victory; but the attempt to draw further chronological and doctrinal
conclusions from this highly symbolical material is based upon a very weak foundation!
In addition, it is to be noted that where futurist interpreters like Walvoord read “the
second coming of Christ” into the text, Hendriksen is reading “Christ’s first coming” into the
text. Attempts to discover a precise “order of events” or “programme of history” are
unsuccessful.
2269
The definite article , ho, “the,” is omitted by Uncial Manuscript 051, Minuscules
1854, 2050 (see), and the Majority Text (A). The omission does not change the meaning of
Revelation, and may reflect the influence of the Hebrew Bible, in which the noun !j'F'h;,
hassatan occurs both with and without the definite article. Or, the omission may reflect the
differing views of Greek writers across the centuries as to whether or not the article should be
used with nouns and names.
For occurrences of “adversary” in Revelation, see 2:9, 13, 13, 24; 3:9; 12:9; 20:2, 7.
Aune comments that the phrase “the serpent, the ancient one, who is accuser and the
adversary,” “appears to be a gloss added to ensure the reader’s proper identification of the
dragon...The dragon was first introduced in Revelation 12, where he is mentioned no less
than eight times (12:3, 4, 7, 7, 9, 13, 16, 17) in a narrative that continues into Revelation 13,
where he is mentioned twice (13:2, 4). The aliases of the dragon, the ancient serpent, the
devil, and satan are listed in 12:9 as they are here.” (P. 1082)
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Following the name “satan,” “adversary,” the phrase ðëáíí ôí ïêïõìÝíçí ëçí,
ho planon ten oikoumenen holen, literally, “the one leading astray the inhabited earth
whole,” taken from Revelation 12:9, is interpolated into the text by Uncial Manuscript 051,
Minuscules 2030, 2377, the Majority Text (K), and the Harclean Syriac (see). The interpola-
(continued...)
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(...continued)
tion does not change the meaning of Revelation, but again demonstrates the freedom felt by
copyists and translators to make such additions to the text, taken from elsewhere in the document,
especially here from the parallel text in chapter 12, or from elsewhere in the New Testament.
See Revelation 2:9, 13, 13, 24; 3:9; 12:9; 20:2 (here), and 7.
2271
The verb äçóåí, edesen, “he bound,” is in the aorist, or "past" tense. If John
intended for his readers to think of something to happen in the far distant future, he could have
easily used the future tense. If, however, he intended for his readers to think of what had
already happened in the past, the tense that he has used is very appropriate.
This verb de,w, deo, “bind,” is found in Mark 3:22-27 (and the parallel passages in
Matthew 12:22-32 and Luke 11:14-22), in the story concerning Jesus and "Beelzeboul," a
story which has deep implications for our understanding of Revelation 20.
And the religious authorities who had come down from Jerusalem were saying
that He has Beelzeboul! And, that He is casting out the demons by (the power of) the
ruler of the demons!’ And (Jesus), having called them to Him, was speaking to them in
parables (or comparisons): How is the adversary to cast out the adversary? And, If a
kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom is not able to stand! And, If a family is
divided against itself, that family will not be able to stand! And, If the adversary has
risen up against himself, and is divided, he is not able to stand, but has reached (his)
end! But no one is able, having entered into the home of a strong person, to plunder
his belongings, unless first he binds the strong person; and then he will plunder his
home! (Mark 3:22-27)
Here is a parable / comparison of Jesus, spoken to the religious experts of His day. He
does not come out forthrightly to say that His mission in the world is to do battle with and
overcome all the forces of evil; but He hints at it in this tiny parable. Instead of thinking of Him
as a member of, or agent of the ruler of the "demonic family," who is acting (contrary to all
reason) in opposition to YHWH, the God of Israel, they should recognize in Him the One Who
has come into the household of evil to "bind" the "strong owner of the house," and then to
"thoroughly plunder" his entire household! Instead of being a member of the household of
evil, He should be looked upon as God's "Champion," the One Who is doing everything in His
power to "bind the strong man," and thereby to overthrow all the powers of evil, in order to free
God's people from their slavery!
Compare Isaiah 49:24-25, "Can the prey be taken from a strong man? Or the captive
be rescued from the [tyrant]? For thus says Yahweh: Even captives shall be wrested from the
strong man, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued. And I Myself contend with those who contend
with you, and I Myself help your children!" (Based on Claus Westermann's translation,
Deutero-Isaiah, p. 218)
This is what is happening in Jesus: YHWH God Himself is rescuing His people from
the strong grasp of the tyrant!
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(...continued)
Isaiah 24:21-23 states, “It will come about in that day: YHWH will call to account the
army of the height in the height, and the kings of the earth on the earth. They will be gathered
all together as prisoners in a cistern, they will be imprisoned in a prison, and after many days
they will be called to account. Then the pale one [the moon] will be confounded, and the hot
one [the sun] ashamed; for YHWH of Armies will have become King on Mount Zion and in
Jerusalem, and [shine] with splendor before His officials.” (Adapted from Otto Kaiser's translation
in Isaiah 13-29, p. 192)
It is obvious from this passage that John's symbolic vision in Revelation 20 can be understood
as the fulfillment of this passage, with its prediction of the "day of YHWH," which
John now sees as the "day of the Little Lamb," that "eternal day" during which the powers of
evil are broken and imprisoned.
It is a mistake to take Jesus’ “comparative” or "parabolic language" and turn it into a
detailed, exact, chronological description of the nature of the adversary and the kingdom of
evil, as many have attempted to do. But while the language should not be taken literally and
exactly, it should be taken seriously. Jesus obviously envisioned His mission in the world as
that of engaging in a struggle to the finish with all that is opposed to God and His kingdom. He
has come into this world to "bind the strong man," and to "free the captives," to enable those
who have been taken captive by evil forces, and by all the "non-Gods" that hold humanity's
allegiance, to be freed from all evil dominion, and to enter into the kingdom of God!
Nothing less than this is His mission! It is a thrilling thought to all those who have been
enslaved to unclean passions and whose lives have missed the divine "mark," that through
Jesus genuine freedom has been made possible! There is no demonic power that has not
been "bound" by Him, or that can escape from His victorious might! This is exactly the meaning
of the story in Mark 5:1-20, in which Jesus is pictured as casting out a "legion" of demonic
beings into a herd of pigs that then rushes down the cliff into the sea and is drowned.
Hendricksen interprets Revelation 20 from this standpoint: “Jesus is born. He begins
His ministry. The Pharisees accuse Him of casting out demons by the power of satan himself.
He answers, ‘How can one enter into the house of the strong one (namely satan) and plunder
his goods, unless he first binds the strong one? Then he shall plunder his goods’...The same
word ‘binding’ is used here in Matthew as in Revelation 20. This work of binding the devil
was begun when our Lord triumphed over him in the temptations in the wilderness (Matthew
4:1-11). As a result, Christ begins to ‘cast out’ demons. The power and influence of satan
over the deluded masses was beginning to be curtailed.
“Again, when the seventy missionaries returned, they said: ‘Lord, even the demons are
subject to us in Your name.’ Observe what follows: ‘And He said to them, I beheld satan falling
as lightning from heaven’ (Luke 10:17, 18). Here the devil's ‘falling from heaven’ is associated
with the missionary activity of the seventy. This is a very significant passage which does
much to explain Revelation 20.
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(...continued)
“At another time certain Greeks wished to see Jesus. Jesus remarks: ‘Now is the
judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up
from the earth, will draw all men to myself.’ Be sure to observe that a word is used which has
the same root, in the original, as the term which we translate ‘casting’ or ‘hurling’ into the abyss
(Revelation 20). Even more important is the fact that here, in John 12:20-32, the casting
out of satan is associated with the fact that not only the Jews, as was the rule in the past, but
‘all men’--Greeks as well as Jews--shall be drawn to Christ. All this shall happen as a result of
Christ's suffering on the cross and the sending of the Holy Spirit. Colossians 2:15 very definitely
associates the ‘despoiling’ of satan and his armies with Christ's triumph on the cross.
Revelation 12:5ff. clearly shows that ‘the casting out’ of satan was a result of Christ's coronation.”
(Pp. 187-90)
Colossians 2:15 states that, avpekdusa,menoj ta.j avrca.j kai. ta.j evxousi,aj evdeigma,tisen
evn parrhsi,a|( qriambeu,saj auvtou.j evn auvtw/|, “stripping off / disarming the rulers and the
authorities, He [Christ] exposed them boldly by Himself, leading them in triumphal procession
by Himself.” This is not something that is depicted as a future event, but rather, is an explanation
of what Christ has already accomplished “by the execution-post / cross” (see verse 14).
Hendriksen continues:
“Realize, therefore, that in all these passages the binding and casting out or falling of
satan is in some way associated with the first coming of our Lord Jesus Christ...The binding of
satan, according to all these passages, begins with that...coming. Again, in some of the texts
which we have quoted, this binding, etc., is definitely associated with the work of missions and
with the extension of the witnessing church among the nations. In close harmony with all
these scriptural passages...we conclude that here also in Revelation 20:1-3 the binding of
satan and the fact that he is hurled into the abyss to remain there for a thousand years indicates
that throughout this present gospel age the devil's influence on the earth is curtailed. He
is unable to prevent the extension of the church among the nations by means of an active missionary
program. During this entire period he is prevented from causing the nations--the world
in general--to destroy the church as a mighty missionary institution. By means of the preaching
of the word as applied by the Holy Spirit, the elect, from all parts of the world, are brought
from darkness to light. In that sense, the church conquers the nations, and the nations do not
conquer the church...
“The particularism of the old dispensation has made place for the universalism of the
new. The Bible has been translated into more than 1,000 [today, 2,000+!] languages. The
influence of the gospel upon the thought and life of mankind can scarcely be overestimated.
In some countries the blessed truths of Christianity affect human life in all its phases: political,
economic, social, and intellectual. Only the individual who lacks the historic sense and is,
therefore, unable to see the present in the light of conditions which prevailed throughout the
world before Christ's ascension, can fail to appreciate the glories of the millennial age in which
we are now living. The prophecy found in Psalm 72 is being fulfilled before our eyes...The
church, indeed, exerts a tremendous influence for good upon almost the entire complex of
human life.
(continued...)
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(...continued)
“In that sense--not in every sense--the devil is bound...A dog securely bound with a long
and heavy chain can do great damage within the circle of his imprisonment. Outside that
circle, however, the animal can do no damage and can hurt no one. Thus also Revelation 20:
1-3 teaches us that Satan's power is curbed and his influence curtailed with respect to one
definite sphere of activity: ‘that he should deceive the nations no more.’" (Ibid.)
Over against Hendricksen's view, we observe that the symbolism of being thrown down
into the abyss that is then locked and sealed over is a much stronger symbol than that of a
dog being chained to a post! It symbolizes the absence and elimination of evil forces in human
history during that time of being “bound,” not just their limitation!
Walvoord states that "There are few theories of scripture that are less warranted than
the idea that satan was bound at the first coming of Christ." (P. 292) Walvoord quotes numerous
passages from the New Testament that show satanic activity both throughout the ministry
of Jesus and subsequent to His death and resurrection--Luke 22:3, Acts 5:3; 2 Corinthians
4:3-4; 11:14; Ephesians 2:2; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; 2 Timothy 2:26, and especially
1 Peter 5:8, where the warning is given, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour. This passage, instead of
saying that satan is bound and unable to deceive the nations, pictures him as a lion which has
been loosed, walking about, roaring, seeking someone to devour...
“That satan is hindered by the protective power of God is evident throughout the scriptures
as in the case of Job. There is no evidence whatever that satan is bound today, but rather
the mounting evil in the world and in the church would seem to demonstrate that he is
more active than ever. The nations of the world are being deceived today and saints are
being opposed by the ceaseless activity and deceptive power of satan.” (P. 293)
However, we ask Walvoord, "Is there then no difference between the situation of Job,
and the situation of the followers of Jesus, as a consequence of Jesus' death and resurrection?"
What about the passage in Jacob (“James”) 4:7, “Resist the accuser (dia,boloj), and
he will flee from you!”? Does that not imply that the accuser is on a “short leash”?
It should be pointed out, in the light of these two sharply conflicting interpretations of
Hendricksen and Walvoord, that both views have valid bases in biblical literature upon which
to build their cases. When such a situation occurs, just as in church conflicts, a third or fourth
(or more) alternative should be sought. Can we not affirm (in the light of the passages affirming
the "binding" of the adversary) that whenever the nations, or individuals, in this present
time "bind" themselves to Jesus as High Priest and King, the demonic power of evil is at least
to some significant degree broken and "bound" as far as they remain loyal to their commitment?
Have they not, by this decision, left the "abyss," and entered into a new, heavenly
environment (i.e., taken their stand on "Mount Zion")?
But must we not at the same time affirm with Valvoord that even in spite of all that the
Little Lamb has done to win the victory for His people, if they do not follow where He leads,
(continued...)
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(...continued)
they can easily return to the "abyss," placing themselves within reach of the adversary, and
quickly succumb to its demonic attack? It is noteworthy that even in John's highly optimistic
vision of the binding of the adversary for a thousand years, still, at the end of that long period,
the adversary is released from his prison, and comes against the beloved city that is like a
besieged camp--indicating that the power of evil, while broken and conquered, is not totally
vanquished–it has been “curtailed” for a certain length of time, but it has not been destroyed.
In symbolic language, that is a way of holding that the major victory over all the evil
forces in human history has been won, but there is still human freedom, still decisions to be
made, dangers to be faced, and battles to be fought with evil!
Beasley-Murray points out that "...The image of the binding and imprisonment of the
devil has a long and diffuse history in the religions and folk lore of the nations. The Zend
religion of Persia has a clear relation to it, but from the point of view of the Revelation it is
curiously topsy-turvy. In the Bundehesh it is related that the wicked serpent Azi-Dahaka is
overcome by Thraetaeona and chained in a mountain for 9,000 years. He is released by the
evil spirit Ahriman to reign for 1,000 years, but is finally slain, and the new world arrives...
“Other parallels have been noted in the Egyptian myth of Osiris, the Mandaean traditions,
and the Scandinavian and Germanic myths. Nearer at hand than these are the precedents
in the Old Testament and in Jewish apocalyptic literature. [See Prayer of Manasseh
3, where the Lord God is described as ‘He Who bound the sea...Who closed the bottomless
pit and sealed it by his powerful and glorious name’]...
“The important thing to observe is that the symbolism common to these myths is made
a medium by John for a message which was conveyed to him alike through the Old Testament
prophets and by the apostolic traditions of the teaching of Jesus, namely, that the powers
of evil are doomed by the word of God. The subjugation of the devil and his removal from
the sphere of man's existence is characteristic of the biblical monotheistic religion of redemption,
which cannot endure the notion that evil will be prevalent for ever. The removal of satan,
therefore, is integral to the good news of Jesus Christ. It is a complement of that teaching
which lies at the heart of the Christian gospel, that the kingdom of God comes through the
Christ and will triumph in history through Him. The defeat of satan and the triumph of the kingdom
are essential elements in the acts of judgment and redemption which God accomplishes
through the Christ." (Pp. 286-87)
Aune states that “The notion of ‘binding’ (dei/n), particularly when used of supernatural
beings, is drawn from the world of magic...The metaphor of ‘binding,’ i.e., imprisoning satan or
demons, particularly until the day of judgment, occurs frequently in Judaism.’” (P. 1082)
For mentions of the "binding" of the adversary in Jewish non-biblical literature, see the
following passages:
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(...continued)
Tobit 8:2-3, Then Tobias remembered the words of Raphael, and he took the fish’s
liver and heart out of the bag where he had them and put them on the embers of the incense.
The odor of the fish so repelled the demon that he fled to the remotest parts of Egypt. But
Raphael followed him, and at once bound him [kai. ev,dhsen auvto, kai edesen auto, language
almost identical to Revelation 20:2] there hand and foot.”
1 Enoch 10:4-5 (before the coming of the universal flood in Noah’s day, the Lord says
to Raphael), “Bind Azaz’el hand and foot and throw him into the darkness!”, following which
Azaz’el is cast into a hole in the desert, over which is thrown rugged and sharp rocks, “in order
that he may be sent into the fire on the great day of judgment”; compare verses 11-12 (the prison
house of the angels / messengers, where they are detained forever); 13:1; 14:5; 18:16;
21:1-6; 88:1-3 (an abyss, narrow and deep, empty and dark, where the mighty stars are
bound hand and foot, and thrown into the pits of the earth).
Testament of Levi 18:12 (in its description of the glorious final priest, it is predicted
that all evil deeds and persons will cease, the gates of paradise will be opened, the people of
God will have access to the tree of life), “and Beliar shall be bound by Him. And He shall grant
to His children the authority to trample on wicked spirits.” Compare Luke 10:19, and also see
Jubilees 5:6; 10:7-11; 2 Enoch 7:2; 2 Apocalypse of Baruch 56:13.
2272
This phrase, "[for] a thousand years" occurs six times in Revelation 20, and then
nowhere else in the entire book. The passages are as follows:
20:2, "...And he bound him a thousand years."
20:3, "...And he threw him into the abyss, and locked and sealed [it] over him, so that he
should not any longer lead astray the nations until the thousand years should be
completed."
20:4, "...And they lived, and reigned with the Anointed [King] a thousand years."
20:5, "...The rest of the dead people did not live until the thousand years should be
completed."
20:6, "...They will be priests of God and of the Anointed [King], and they will reign with him a
thousand years!"
20:7, "...And when the thousand years shall be completed, the adversary will be released from
his prison..."
Aune notes that “The first occurrence of ci,lia ev,th [‘a thousand years’] in verse 2 is
anarthrous [without the definite article] as one might expect in the case of a new apocalyptic
concept that the author assumes is unknown to the readers. The expression ‘a thousand
years’ occurs six times...though in verse 4 the phrase is unexpectedly anarthrous, and in
verse 6 the presence of [the definite article] ta, ta, is problematic.” (P. 1072)
What this shows, we think, is that Aune’s rule concerning the use of the definite article,
though oftentimes accurate, doesn’t always work.
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(...continued)
There can be no doubt that for John's vision in chapter 20, the phrase "a thousand
years" is of utmost importance, since John repeats the phrase six times. But the question that
puzzles interpreters is, "What does John mean by this phrase, "a thousand years"?
Does he mean a literal 1,000 years made up of 365 1/4 days each--that long, and no
longer? Or is he using a large, round number, to emphasize the length of blessedness that
awaits the suffering people of God? Can he actually mean 'forever' by such a large number?"
See Revelation 2:10, where the following words are spoken to the church in Smyrna by
the risen Lord: “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the accuser will put
some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution ten days. Be faithful, even to
the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” The risen Lord makes it known that
some of the believers in Smyrna are going to be put in prison by their accusers, and that experience
will be a testing of their faith. They must expect to suffer for a time--"ten days"--a
period that doesn't last forever, but that makes a mighty long period of testing, for the individual
having to go through it! Of course, the risen Lord may mean an exact period of one week
plus three days; but it is much more possible that He uses this period symbolically, not in
terms of ten 24-hour days, but meaning an "indefinite but comparatively short period of time."
(Newport, p.147)
We agree with Swete, who comments that "The number ten is probably chosen because,
while it is sufficient to suggest continued suffering, it points to an approaching end.
Ten days of suffering and suspense might seem an eternity while they lasted, yet in the retrospect
they would be but a moment. The trial might be prolonged, but it had a limit known to
God." (Swete, p.32)
If the "ten days" are understood in such a symbolical way, it is easy to understand "a
thousand years" in a similar, symbolical way. The comparison is revealing: suffering here and
now, for a period of 10 days; blessings to follow that last 365,000 days! That means, "There is
simply no comparison!" Compare Romans 8:18 and 2 Corinthians 4:17.
There should be no question concerning the biblical usage of the round number "one
thousand" to mean "all" or "forever." Consider the following passages:
Deuteronomy 7:9, which states that YHWH's faithfulness extends to those who love
Him and keep His commandments "to a thousand generations." Should we understand that
great promise to mean that YHWH's steadfast love extends to exactly one thousand generations,
and to no more? Of course not! His lovingkindness extends to all generations of those
who love Him and keep His commandments!
Psalm 50:10 states, "For every animal of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand
hills." An insistence on a literal understanding of the number one thousand would have to
hold that the cattle on a thousand hills belong to YHWH, but no more--and this is obviously not
at all what the Psalmist means! YHWH owns all the cattle!
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(...continued)
1 Chronicles 16:15 states that YHWH commanded His word "for a thousand generations."
We quickly sense that this is not meant as a literal number, "1,000, but not 1,001," but
means symbolically "to all generations."
In like manner, it is fully in line with such symbolical usage of the number one thousand
to understand that the beastly power of Rome would soon be destroyed completely, and that
the victorious people of God would reign for "a thousand years"--that is, compared to the time
of their suffering, "forever"!
For other examples of the use of the number 1,000 in the Bible where it does not mean
"exactly 1,000, no more, no less," but is symbolical for a large number, see the following additional
passages: Deuteronomy 1:11; 32:30; Joshua 23:10; 2 Samuel 18:3 (ten thousand);
Psalm 84:10; 90:4; 91:7; 105:8; Ecclesiastes 6:6; Isaiah 30:17; 60:22; 1 Corinthians 14:
19 (ten thousand); and 2 Peter 3:8.
Of course, there are other passages in the Bible in which the number 1,000 is used in a
literal sense, almost always in places where people are being counted. The interpreter has to
decide in which way the number is being used--whether in a literal sense, or in a symbolical
way--but the matter is usually not as difficult as it has been found to be here.
Here, in Revelation 20, many chronological conclusions have been drawn from the
literal understanding of the number. However in a book like Revelation, which abounds in
signs and symbolism perhaps more than any other book in the entire Bible, it is only to be
expected, we think, that the number 1,000 would be used symbolically.
Edward H. Horne emphatically denies this, stating that in Revelation 20, "The symbolic
language in which the previous chapters have been written is here dropped, and certain
predictions are made in plain words..." (Pp. 283-84)
We think this is mistaken. We have pointed out already, and must insist again, that
chapter 20 abounds with obviously symbolic language, for example, the binding of a spiritual
being (satan) with a chain, or the throwing of death and the underworld into a lake of fire--and
it is this insistence on a wooden, literalistic understanding, that is the source of so much confusion
concerning this chapter.
Over against Horne, we agree with Harry Buis, who has written as follows: “No other
passage of scripture mentions such a thousand-year period. Obscure passages are to be
interpreted in the light of less obscure passages, and not vice versa...The entire book is one
filled with symbolism; therefore any doctrine based on insisting upon a literal thousand-year
period is building on a weak foundation.” (The Book of Revelation, pp. 107-08.)
Gregg gives a summary of the meaning of the “1,000 Years,” along with different views
as to when the events involved occur:
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(...continued)
Premillennial Approach:
* The binding of Satan is yet future. It will take place when Christ returns.
*The 1,000 years is a literal period during which Christ will reign on earth from
Jerusalem, with His people.
*The loosing of Satan will bring the millennium to its climax, followed by the resurrection
and judgment of the wicked at the Great White Throne.
*The new heavens and new earth will be created after the Millennium, i.e., 1,000 years
after Christ’s Second Coming.
Amillennial Approach:
*The binding of satan represents the victory of Christ over the powers of darkness
accomplished at the cross.
*The 1,000 years is symbolic of a long, indeterminate period, corresponding to the age
of the church now.
*Satan will be loosed briefly to wreak havoc and to persecute the church in the end of
the present age.
*The fire coming from heaven and consuming the wicked is symbolic of Christ’s second
coming.
*A general resurrection and judgment of the evil and the good will occur at Christ’s
coming, followed by the creation of new heavens and a new earth.
Postmillennial Approach:
*Some interpret the chapter essentially as do the amillenialists, but with an added note
of optimism about the success of the gospel in the present age.
*Others see the binding of satan to represent a future point in time when the successful
preaching of the gospel will have effectively reduced satan’s influence to nothing.
*The 1,000 years may or may not be a literal duration, but speaks of the future glorious
age, prior to the second coming, in which the influence of the gospel will have a
universal sway.
*A final attempt on the part of a loosed satan at the end of the age will get nowhere.
*A general resurrection and judgment will occur at the coming of Christ.
2273
Compare verse 1 with its footnote, where the word "abyss" first occurs in this chapter.
In 9:1-3 we have read how John "...Saw a star having fallen out of heaven into the earth;
and the key of the pit of the abyss was given to it. And it opened the pit of the abyss, and
smoke went up from the pit, like smoke of a great oven, and the sun was darkened and the air
by the smoke from the pit. And out of the smoke came out grasshoppers into the earth..."
In the thought of the ancient world, the "abyss" was closely associated with the grave or
underworld; and they were all thought of as having "gates" that barred exit from their realm.
(continued...)
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2274 2275 2276 2277 2278
and locked and sealed (it) over him, so that he should not lead astray any longer
2273
(...continued)
That a fallen star is given such a key means that it holds the same power as that of the risen
Lord Jesus (1:18). But in chapter 9, that power is used to punish the earth with the terrible
denizens of the underworld that are let loose from the abyss. It is obvious that such language
must be understood symbolically, and should not be taken literally--since any "star" that fell to
earth would utterly destroy the earth instantaneously, and no meteorite (called a "star") could
grasp a key and unlock a barred entrance!
We must not conclude from such descriptions that deep down beneath the surface of
the earth there are grasshopper-hatcheries, and that there is somewhere on earth a locked
door that leads down into that abyss--a door, which, having been opened, would allow grasshopper
hordes to come up with their smoke to devastate the earth. Such language is obviously
meant symbolically, and only makes nonsense when taken literally.
And if this is true in chapter 9, it is also true in chapter 20. John's language is of the
nature of surrealism, of fantastic imagery--which is meant seriously, but which is not meant
literally! See the passages quoted in footnote 2261, including 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6, where
Tartarus is mentioned, and which was a mythological location thought of by the Greeks as a
subterranean place lower than hades, where divine punishment was administered. It is mentioned
in Jewish apocalyptic literature in passages such as 1 Enoch 21-22; Sibylline Oracles
2:252-312; 4:171-193 and in Josephus, Against Apion 2:240.
It is obvious from 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 that biblical authors sometimes shared in the
current mythological views of their times. The overall message contained in both these passages
is the same--the people of God cannot presume that God will forgive them, and overlook
their failures to do His will. They will suffer the same kind of punishment that has been
inflicted on the disobedient (heavenly) messengers / angels–who, according to both these
passages are being held captive, “kept,” at the time of their writing.
Such statements are greatly abused when they are made the basis for drawing roadmaps
of the after-world, such as has been done so graphically by Dante and Milton, as well as
by Christian dogmatists, who use such symbolical language as the basis for drawing all manner
of doctrinal teachings! But these passages do teach that the disobedient heavenly messengers
/ angels (such as “the satan”!) are “bound in prison,” already, by God.
2274
The verb used here, êëåéóåí, ekleisen, ‘he shut,” or “he locked,” is changed to the
earlier verb in this context, ev ,dhsen, edesen, “he bound,” by the “Majority Text” (A). This variant
reading does change the meaning of Revelation, but not in a significant way. There is
very little difference between being “bound” and being “locked in” or “shut in.”
In Revelation 3:7, the risen Lord is described as the One Who "...holds the key of
David, the One Who opens and no one locks; and locks, and no one opens." Jesus is the
One with absolute authority; when He "locks" or “shuts,” it is impossible to open; when He
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2279 2280 2281 2282
the nations until the thousand years should be completed. After these things it is
2274
(...continued)
opens, it is impossible to "lock" or “shut.” With this kind of imagery in mind, it is quite possible
that John means that the messenger / angel descending from the heaven to bind the adversary
and throw him into the abyss, and "lock" it over him, is the agent of the risen Lord, the
Little Lamb--or, can this heavenly messenger / angel represent the risen Lord Jesus himself?
We think it does, but the text does not make it explicit.
2275
The verb sfragi,zein, sphragizein, "to seal," has been used previously by John at
7:3, 4, 4, 5, 8 and 10:4. Here he uses it again, óöñÜãéóåí, esphragisen, “he sealed,” and
then once again at 22:10. These passages show that the people of God have been "sealed"
in order to assure their protection in the midst of the divine judgments in history. The divine
"sealing" protects God's people; that same kind of "sealing" of the abyss assures them that the
power of the accuser is broken.
Beasley-Murray comments that "...The incarceration of the devil is circumscribed [in a
threefold manner]. He is bound up, locked in, and sealed over. The writer could hardly have
expressed more emphatically the inability of satan..." (P. 285)
2276
Aune comments that “The two terms meaning ‘bind’ (verse 2b) and ‘cast’ (verse 31)
are often associated in combat myths...[In Greek mythology], Ouranos [‘Heaven’], who had
children by Gaia [‘Earth’], had them bound (dh,saj) and cast (ev ,rriye) into Tartarus (Apollodorus
1.1.2). Early Judaism knew of an analogous tradition involving the binding and imprisoning
of evil angels or demons until the day of judgment.” (P. 1082) See footnote 2271.
Aune goes on to say that “There are also many parallels from the world of Jewish magic,
in which evil spirits of various types are ‘bound’...and ‘sealed’...so that they cannot harm
people...[In one magical text] many names for evil beings are recited, in a way not dissimilar to
the mention in verse 2 of ‘the dragon (the ancient serpent who is the devil and satan’)...
“The world of the dead, of course, is frequently considered a prison (Psalms 18:6
[verse 5 in English; ‘the cords of Sheol / Hades coiled around me’]; 116:3 [same]; Isaiah 24:
22 [on YHWH’s day, the kings of the earth ‘will be herded together like prisoners bound in a
dungeon; they will be shut up in prison...’]; 1 Peter 3:18-20 [Christ, put to death physically, but
made alive by the Spirit, went and preached to the spirits in prison who were disobedient in the
days of Noah]).” (P. 1083)
2277
The aorist subjunctive verb ðëáíÞó, planese, “he should (not) lead astray,” is
changed to the present indicative plana|/, plana, “he (does not) lead astray,” by Minuscules
2030, 2050 (see), 2377 and the “Majority Text” (K). This change to the present tense probably
indicates the conviction that the binding of satan is something already done.
2278
The adverb ôé, eti, “longer,” or “still,” is omitted by Uncial Manuscript 051, the “Majority
Text” (A), and the Bohairic Coptic. The omission makes little difference for the meaning
of Revelation. We think the original text had this word, and that it points to the “leading astray”
in which the adversary has been active throughout the past, up until the time of his
“binding.”
1002

2279
The verb plana,w, planao, "to lead astray," "to deceive," is used a number of times
in Revelation:
2:20, Jezebel "...teaches and leads astray (plana/|, present indicative active) My
servants..."
12:9, The great dragon, the ancient serpent, the one who is called accuser and the
adversary, is "...the one who leads astray (o` planw/n, present active participle)
the whole inhabited earth" (something going on in the present, i.e., before any
“binding,” but which the people of God overcome by the blood of the Little Lamb
and by their brave testimony).
13:14, The beast out of the land performs great signs, and "leads astray (plana/|/|,
present indicative active) those who dwell upon the earth through the signs which
were given to him to accomplish" (again, something going on in the present).
18:23, Babylon, by her magical arts, "...led astray (evplanh,qhsan, aorist) all the nations."
19:20, By her signs, the false spokesperson "led astray (evpla,nhsen, aorist) those
receiving the mark of the beast, and those worshiping its image."
20:3, For a thousand years the dragon / ancient serpent / accuser / adversary should
not deceive (mh. planh,sh|) the nations any longer.
20:8, After being released from the abyss, the adversary will come out to "lead astray
(planh/sai) the nations."
20:10, The accuser, the one who leads astray (o` planw/n) Gog and Magog, is thrown
into the lake of fire.
It is obvious from these passages that the work of evil powers in leading astray the
nations, including members of the seven churches of Asia, and that “leading astray” is still
viewed as actively going on at the time that John writes. If, by the throwing of the accuser /
adversary into the abyss, John means to symbolize what Jesus has already accomplished
through His life, death, and resurrection, then it would seem that in order to be consistent,
John should have pictured that activity as having ceased in just these periods of time that he
describes that deception as going on.
It seems clear from this that John's vision must embody a future, coming time in human
history, when the power of evil to lead the nations astray has been “bound.”
One thing is clear from this material. It is that while biblical faith will not deny the reality
of terrifying evil in human history, it simply cannot conceive of the possibility that evil can be
ultimately successful. There are evil forces in history, powerful destructive forces; but our faith
in God, and in the Little Lamb, simply will not permit us to think that those evil forces are the
final word in human history. All evil is going down to destruction, and the forces of God--of
truth and goodness--are going to win the ultimate victory! Therefore, biblical writers picture the
forces of evil as having met their Master in YHWH, or in Jesus, the Little Lamb--both in the
past (as in YHWH’s slaying of the fleeing dragon; and in Jesus’ death and resurrection), and in
the future (through the universal proclamation of the good news, and through future divine
(continued...)
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2283 2284 2285
necessary for him to be released a little time.
2279
(...continued)
actions in history). The biblical vision enables and encourages hope for victory over evil, but
does not enable the drawing up of a time-table, or “road-map” of the divine actions in history.
What do you think?
2280
The plural definite article ta, ta, “the,” is omitted by Uncial Manuscript 051, Minuscule
1854 and the “Majority Text” (A). The omission makes the original text a little less
definite, but does not change the meaning of Revelation.
2281
John foresees a lengthy time in which the evil misleading of the nations will be stopped--but
gives no details of what he foresees as happening during that absence of "leading
astray" of the nations. Does he mean that the nations will come to God, and do the divine will
throughout that period?
Massive amounts of speculation have filled up those thousand years of John's symbolic
vision--but John gives us little indication as to what he means. While such language is an
expression of deep faith in the divine victory in human history, it does not furnish a chronology
of future events, or allow the filling in of details! It gives us a challenging optimism concerning
the future; but it does not allow us to draw a road-map detailing every turn in the way to the
promised hope!
2282
Just before the preposition meta, meta, “after,” the conjunction kai, kai, “and,” is
interpolated into the text by Uncial Manuscript 051, Minuscule 2050, the “Majority Text” (A),
the Clementine Latin Vulgate and the Bohairic Coptic. The interpolation does not change the
meaning of Revelation, but again demonstrates the freedom of copyists and translators to
make such additions to the text being copied / translated.
2283
For this Greek infinitive, äå, dei, “it is necessary,” see Revelation 1:1; 4:1; 10:11;
11:5; 17:10; here, 20:3 and 22:6. There is a deep conviction expressed in such language that
things do not "just happen" in human history, without rhyme or reason. No, history is subject
to the divine will, and there are things that "have" to happen because of that will, things that
"are necessary," including many things that we consider “tragic,” or “evil”!
We quickly ask, "If the evil forces are bound, and unable to lead the nations astray for a
thousand years, why is it 'necessary' for those forces to be released at the close of the thousand
years?" Such a question is unavoidable for the devout believer in a God of limitless
power and goodness. And so, for Biblical Theology there is no escaping this problem--for
some hidden, mysterious reason, evil forces have an important role to play in human history,
one that is "necessary" to, but that never goes beyond, the fulfillment of the divine will.
Why is that so? Is it because of God’s insistence on the freedom of the human will? Is
it because of the necessity for testing of God’s people? It is certainly the case that life is a
test, and that human beings are constantly faced with decisions. What do you think?
2284
The phrase ëõèíáé áôí, luthenai auton, literally “to be loosed, him,” meaning “for
(continued...)
1004

2284
(...continued)
him to be loosed,” is changed to read áôí ëõèíáé, “him to be loosed,” by Sinaiticus, Uncial
Manuscript 051, the “Majority Text” (A) and the entire Latin tradition. The change in wordorder
does not change the meaning of Revelation, but once again demonstrates the freedom
felt by copyists and translators to slightly change the original being copied / translated, in order
to “enhance” or improve its reading.
2285
For this phrase, "a little time," compare the words found in Revelation 6:11, where
the innermost beings of the martyrs are given a white robe, and told "...that they should rest
yet a little while, until their number should be made complete..." According to John’s vision,
there is going to be a "long, long time" of being bound, and of being unable to lead the nations
astray for the forces of evil in human history, and only a "little while" for them to do their work
of destruction. For the people of God, on the other hand, there is still a "little while" for them to
wait, and suffer, but there is a "long, long time" coming in which they will share in the joys of
the divine kingdom.
Compare the statement in Revelation 12:12, "...Woe to the earth and to the sea, because
the accuser has descended to you, having great anger, knowing that he has [only] a
little while!"
Hough comments that "There are glad hours of victory when it seems that blatant wickedness
has been put to flight. But after a while the evil thing reappears, sometimes with another
name and wearing other garments. And so the whole battle has to be fought once more.
It is very important that men should not think that a relative triumph is a final triumph. Once
and again after some great victory the forces of goodness fold their arms and settle to the enjoyment
of what they think is a complete achievement...[But] there is always a power ready to
break loose and threaten the reign of the saints even when they seem most secure." (P. 607)
We need to take Hough’s statement seriously! Think of the elation of victory that accompanied
the fall of the Nazi Axis at the close of World War II, or that came with the demise
of the Soviet Union. But they were little more than interludes, to be followed by the rising up of
still other evil forces.
Charles comments that "As these words point to the future, they imply that there would
still be heathen nations after the Messianic judgment executed in 19:19-21...The astonishing
part in our Seer's forecast is that the preaching of the gospel during the millennium will only in
part be successful, though the active impersonations of evil have been wholly removed from
the earth for this period. The implication is that each man carries in his own bosom the possibilities
of his own heaven and his own hell." (II, p. 143)
We agree with this observation, and once again insist that it is impossible to coordinate
consistently all the elements of these great visions, as if they were attempting to depict a
chronological “program” or chronology of future events!
Aune comments that “Victorinus [of Petovium, who died about 304 A.D., and who wrote
the first commentary on Revelation] understood this breve tempus, ‘short period,’ to be three
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2286 2287 2288
20.4 And I saw thrones; and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to
2285
(...continued)
years and six months (Commentary on Apocalypse 20:3) since it was widely believed (based
on Daniel 7:25; 8:14; 9:27; 11:7, 11-12) that the period of the Antichrist’s dominion would last
three and one half years (Justin Diologue 32; Irenaeus Against Heresies 5.25.3; 5.30.4...).”
(Pp. 1084-85)
2286
Aune holds that this verse, 20:4, is a “doublet” of 6:9 (pp. 1087-88):
Revelation 6:9 Revelation 20:4
ei=don, I saw
kai. ei=don...And I saw
u`poka,tw tou/ qusiasthri,ou,
underneath the altar
ta.j yuca,j, the souls
tw/n evsfagme,nwn, of those
having been slain
ta.j yuca,j, the souls
tw/n pepelekisme,nwn, of those
having been beheaded
dia. to.n lo,gon tou/ qeou/
because of the word of the God
kai. dia. th.n marturi,an
and because of the witness
dia. th.n marturi,an vIhsou/
because of the witness to (or ‘of’) Jesus
kai. dia. to.n lo,gon tou/ qeou/
and because of the word of the God
h`.n ei=con
which they bore (or ‘had’)
“The couplet ‘because of the word of God and [because of] the testimony [of Jesus],’
occurs three times (1:9; 6:9; 20;4; compare 12:11)...while another, ‘those who keep the commands
of God and maintain the witness to (or ‘faithfulness to’) Jesus’ occurs twice (12:17; 14:
12.” (P. 1088)
2287
Aune comments that the phrase “And I saw...” introduces a “new vision report,” but
“it is not evident whether this scene takes place in heaven or on earth (for neither is mentioned
in verses 4-6), though it is usually assumed that the millennial reign of Christ occurs on the
earth. That those who were beheaded for their testimony are resurrected and reign with Christ
(verse 4b-d) suggests that the scene occurs on earth.” (P. 1086)
2288 rd
Aune comments that “The 3 person plural aorist verb evka,qisan, ‘they sat,’ is used
here without a subject, so exactly who sat upon the thrones remains unspecified...At first sight,
(continued...)
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2289 2290 2291 2292
them; and the innermost beings of those who had been beheaded because of the
2288
(...continued)
it is not at all clear how those seated on the thrones should be identified. Some have thought
that these mysterious figures should be identified with the twenty-four elders of Revelation 4-
5, while most commentators understand them to represent the entire Christian church (compare
Matthew 19:28; 1 Corinthians 6:2)...The identity of those seated on the thrones is surely
connected with the resurrected martyrs who are twice said to reign with Christ...According to
3:21, the one who conquers will sit with the exalted Christ on His throne.” (P. 1084)
Aune adds that “The enigmatic reference to thrones is probably an allusion to Daniel 7:
9-10, ‘As I looked, thrones were placed...and One that was ancient of days took His seat...
The court sat in judgment and the books were opened’...Daniel 7:9 was probably construed
as a reference to those associated with God in judgment, and it is this conception that is presupposed
in Revelation 20:4...There are traditions in both early Judaism and early Christianity
that the righteous will function as judges of the nations: 1QpHab 5:4, “by means of His chosen
ones, God will judge all nations”...Wisdom 3:8, krinou/sin e;qnh, “they will judge nations...”
(P. 1085)
2289
Aune translates by “they were given the authority to judge” (p. 1071).
For the use of the plural "thrones," see the following passages in the New Testament:
Matthew 19:28; Luke 1:52; 22:30; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:4, 4; 11:16, and here,
20:4. While the word "throne" occurs 15 times in the other books of the New Testament, it
occurs some 48 times in Revelation--a fact that emphasizes the great importance of the
theme of "rulership" for this book. John sees a heavenly, divine throne; he also sees a throne
that belongs to the beast; he sees 24 thrones in heaven, upon which the officials [representing
the people of God] sit; he also sees thrones upon which the martyrs sit, sharing in the reign of
God. Compare with this the words of Jesus in two of the passages referred to above:
“Truly I say to you people that you, the ones who followed Me in the rebirth, when the
Son of the Person shall sit upon His throne of glorious radiance, you shall sit, you also, upon
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel!” (Matthew 19:28; compare 1 Corinthians
6:2-3, "Do you not know that the set-apart people will judge the world?...(and ) will judge messengers
/ angels?"; and Revelation 2:26-28, "And the one who is victorious, and who keeps
My works until (the) end, I will give him authority over the nations, and he will shepherd them
with a rod of iron, like the ceramic vessels are broken--just as I also received from My Father
..."; 3:21, "To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I
was victorious and sat down with My Father on His throne.")
“You people however are the ones who have remained with Me in My trials. And I, I
make a covenant with you, just as My Father covenanted with Me a kingdom--so that you may
eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you shall sit upon thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:28-30)
1007
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2289
(...continued)
We are puzzled by the promise of Jesus in Matthew 19:28 and Luke 22:28-30, not
knowing exactly what Jesus had in mind. We are not certain what he meant by the "rebirth"
[ðáëéããåíåóß, paliggenesia]--does He mean the "rebirth [or ‘regeneration’] of Israel," as He
calls together the "new Israel" and sets His ambassadors in positions of authority in that new
people of God? Or, does He mean "the rebirth or regeneration of the new heavens and new
earth," the "renewed universe" of the future Christian [as well as Hebrew--see Isaiah 66],
Pythagorean and Stoic] hope? Philo of Alexandria wrote concerning the "rebirth" of the world
following Noah's flood. Paul speaks of Christian immersion as being a sort of "rebirth" or
"regeneration" in Titus 3:5.
There have been, and there is room for, wide disagreements as to the exact meaning of
this puzzling promise of Jesus. And once again we are reminded of the “puzzling,” “enigmatic”
nature of biblical prophecy that “sees through a mirror darkly” as taught in Numbers 12:7-8
and 1 Corinthians 13:9-12.
But there can be no doubt that at the very least Jesus means that His followers were
destined for a glorious future, one which would include them, sharing in His divine rule! That
promise, made by the "Son of the Person," is reminiscent of the teaching of Daniel 7, the only
passage in the Jewish Bible where a "throne" (singular) is pictured along-side "thrones"
(plural) in a manner similar to that of Revelation 20, and where the set-apart people of God
are given the eternal Kingdom. A reading of Daniel 7 gives convincing proof that it has played
a seminal role in the thinking of John throughout Revelation (as will be indicated in the following
quotation of this chapter):
“In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon [about 553 B.C.], Daniel had a dream,
and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance
of his dream. Daniel said: In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the
four winds of heaven churning up the great sea [Daniel most probably means the inhabited
earth, the world of nations and peoples by the ‘sea’; the ‘sea’ is mentioned 26 times in Revelation].
Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea. [Throughout
history, great kingdoms and empires have used the symbols of beasts or powerful birds of
prey as their symbols, or insignia; in Revelation, we meet the great red dragon, along with the
beast out of the sea and the beast out of the land, and we have interpreted the beast out of
the sea as representing the Roman Empire.]
"The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. [There can be little doubt
that this winged lion, or ‘cherub’ is a symbol for Neo-Babylon (626-539 B.C.), ruled over by
Nebuchadnezzar, whose experience of humbling through becoming like a beast, and then
having a human heart restored to him, is detailed in Daniel 4.] I watched until its wings were
torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart
of a human was given to it.
“And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. [This bear-like
beast is a symbol for Media, or for the combined empires of Media and Persia, which conquer-
(continued...)
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2289
(...continued)
ed Neo-Babylon, and ruled from 539 B.C. until 330 B.C. If this bear-like beast is taken as
representing both Media and Persia, it will change our interpretation of the third and fourth
beasts accordingly.] It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth
between its teeth. [These three ribs may be symbolic of Media's, or Medo-Persia's conquering
of Lydia in 546 B.C., Babylon in 539 B.C., and then Egypt in 525 B.C.] It was told, 'Get up and
eat your fill of flesh!'
"After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a
leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. [The winged leopard is most
likely a symbol for Greece, under the rule of Alexander the Great, 334-323 B.C., who in such a
short time conquered the known world; but if the second beast is limited to Media alone, this
third, leopard-like beast must be seen as representing Persia. This beast had four heads
[following the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C., his great empire was divided into four
major divisions: Macedonia and Greece under Antipater and Cassander; Thrace and Asia
Minor under Lysimachus; Syria under Seleucus I; and Palestine and Egypt under Ptolemy I],
and it was given authority to rule.
“After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast--terrifying
and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its
victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts,
and it had ten horns. [Students of Daniel differ concerning the identity of this fourth beast.
Some hold that it represents the Roman Empire, with its irresistible power that far surpassed
all its predecessors; others hold that it represents the Seleucids that followed Alexander the
Great in exercising control over Palestine; there can be little doubt that John, in Revelation
13, uses this background as an apt symbol for Rome and its Emperors.]
"While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one,
which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. [We are
reminded of John's language in Revelation 13 and 17.] This horn had eyes like the eyes of a
man and a mouth that spoke boastfully. [The identity of this ‘little horn’ is disputed by students
of Daniel. Many identify it as meaning Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who was overthrown by the
Maccabees in 167 B.C.; others identify it as an anti-Christ figure far out in the future; others
identify it as one of the Roman emperors, who led in a terrifying persecution of Christians--
such as Nero, or Domitian.] As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days
took His seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of His head was white like wool.
[We are reminded of John's description of the risen Jesus in Revelation 1:14.] His throne
was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. [Here we see the divine throne, surrounded
by other thrones. For the description of the divine throne, compare Ezekiel 1:15-21,
26-27.] A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before Him. Thousands upon thousands
attended Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. [Compare Revelation
5:11.] The court was seated, and the books were opened.' [Compare Revelation 20:11-14.]
“Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept
looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. [Com-
(continued...)
1009

2289
(...continued)
pare Revelation 20:10. The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed
to live for a period of time.]
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of a man, coming
with the clouds of heaven [compare Revelation 1:7, 13; the risen Jesus is described by
John as a ‘Son of the Person,’ and as One Who ‘comes with the clouds.’] He approached the
Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. [Compare Revelation 5]. He was given
authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped
Him. [Compare Revelation 5:9, etc.] His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will
not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. [Compare Revelation's
constant emphasis on the long-lasting nature of the divine kingdom of this ‘King of the ages’
(15:3).]
"I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed
me [Why should this be? Because, this is the nature of biblical prophecy–it is enigmatic, puzzling,
not clear!] I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of
all this. [John too, in Revelation, is astonished and has an ‘interpreting messenger’ (see 17:6-
7).] So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things:
“'The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth. But the set-apart
people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever--yes, for ever and
ever!' [Compare Revelation 22:5, where it is said that the servants of God will reign forever
and ever.]
"Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from
all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws--the beast that crushed
and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. I also wanted to know
about the ten horns on its head [compare Revelation 17:12], and about the other horn that
came up, before which three of them fell--the horn that looked more imposing than the others
and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. As I watched, this horn was waging war
against the set-apart people and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced
judgment in favor of the set-apart people of the Most High, and the time came when they
possessed the kingdom.
"He gave me this explanation: The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on
earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling
it down and crushing it. [Remember what was said above, concerning the different interpretations
of this fourth kingdom; some identify it with the Seleucids, while others identify it with the
Roman Empire.] The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom [Again, compare
Revelation 17:12].
“After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three
kings. He will speak against the Most High [compare Revelation 13:6.] and oppress His setapart
people and try to change the set times and the laws. The set-apart people will be hand-
(continued...)
1010

2289
(...continued)
ed over to him for a time, times and half a time. [Daniel means Antiochus IV Epiphanes by
this description, who terrified Israel and Jerusalem by his violence and sacrilege, putting Jews
to death for receiving circumcision, and even placing an ‘unclean’ pig on the altar in the Jewish
temple! See 1 Maccabees 1:41ff. The time involved is 167-164 B.C.]
"But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.
Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
will be handed over to the set-apart people, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be
an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey Him. This is the end of the matter.
I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the
matter to myself."
There can be little disagreement that Jesus understood Himself in terms of being the
"Son of the Person"; there can also be no doubt that John has interpreted Jesus in just such
terms, holding that this Son of the Person is Lord of lords and King of kings, Who has received
an eternal kingdom, and Who has subsequently given that Kingdom to His people, making of
them both kings and priests who reign upon the earth in this present world as his representative
priests, and who will share in that divine reign throughout eternity--see Revelation 1:6;
5:10 and 22:5, besides the present passage, 20:4 and 6.
Hough comments that "The faithful are to come upon great felicity and unmeasured
happiness. But they are also to receive high and noble responsibility. The judge ministers in
political justice. The priest ministers in spiritual things. Both types of responsibility are to be
borne by the triumphant saints. There is to be a full exercise of every lofty power as well as
the attainment of glorious happiness." (P. 607)
2290
Aune translates by “that is” (p. 1071). The aorist verb ei=don, eidon, “(And) I saw,” is
interpolated into the text by Minuscules 1006, 1841, 2050 (see), a few other Greek manuscripts,
the Old Latin Manuscript a and Beatus of Liebana 8 century A.D.). The interpolation
th
does not change the meaning of Revelation, but slightly expands its text in an effort to enhance
its reading.
2291
Hendricksen (among others) comments that "John sees souls, not bodies. He is
thinking of souls without bodies...In this entire passage there is not a single word about a
resurrection of bodies." (P. 191) But John immediately says in verse 5 that “This is the first
resurrection–the first one”--most probably referring to the reign of the martyrs as “resurrection.”
Hendricksen’s comments introduce technical questions about the relationship of body /
innermost being, and immortality / resurrection, which John is not dealing with. John describes
the martyrs as having been beheaded, and then says “they lived (ev ,zhsan).” Later commentators
and theologians would trouble themselves over such distinctions, but John gives
little thought to such a matter.
2292
The genitive masculine plural perfect passive participle pepelekisme,nwn, pepelek-
(continued...)
1011

2293
testimony to Jesus, and because of the word of God; and those who did not worship the beast,
2292
(...continued)
ismenon, means “those having been beheaded with an ax,” or “decapitated.”
Aune comments that “The Roman legal system knew two forms of the death penalty:
the summum supplicium as a more vindictive form involving burning alive, crucifixion, and
exposure to wild animals, while the capite puniri involved a simple death by decapitation...
Further, two types of decollatio, ‘decapitation,’ or capitis amputatio, ‘beheading,’ were distinguished:
that by the sword and that by the axe...
“In the Acts of the Christian Martyrs, there are several instances of death by decapitation...Yet
the record indicates that most martyrs were executed through burning or exposure to
wild animals...Since the only Christian martyr that John explicitly mentions is Antipas (2:13),
had this Christian suffered decapitation? While no confident answers to these questions can
be given, it appears probable that several Christians, including Antipas, had already been executed
by decapitation and that more were expected to follow (see Revelation 2:10).” (Pp.
1086-87)
2293
In Revelation 6:9, John has stated that he "...saw beneath the altar the innermost
beings of the ones who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and because of the
testimony which they were having." The language which John uses here is almost identical--
the main difference being that in 6:9 he describes them as "having been slaughtered," while
here in 20:4 he describes them as "having been beheaded."
It is a vision of hope for those who have died for their faith. Powerful, demonic enemies
may have succeeded in taking their lives by beheading them; but their physical death is not
the ultimate end; indeed, they are even now, in John’s vision, again alive! John sees their
innermost beings alive, in the presence of the divine throne, living in hope, sharing in the reign
of God's kingdom!
It is clear from this statement that Revelation 20 continues in the same context as the
rest of Revelation. Hendricksen notes that "In order to arrive at a proper conception of these
verses, we must again go back in our thoughts to the first century A.D. Roman persecutions
are raging. Martyrs are calmly laying their heads under the executioner's sword...Rather than
say, 'The emperor is Lord,' or drop incense on the altar of a pagan priest in token of worshiping
the emperor, believers confess their Christ even in the midst of the flames and while they
are thrown before the wild beasts in the Roman amphitheaters." (P. 191)
Beasley-Murray, in like manner states, "John's mode of representing the messianic
kingdom by depicting the place which Christ's confessors have in it is determined by his pastoral
purpose, namely, to encourage his fellow believers to remain firm in faith and testimony,
whatever the cost demanded of them...For Christians of John's day this assurance was of
importance. It held out the prospect that even if they were called to yield up their lives for
Christ in the last great conflict, their sacrifice would issue in God's vindication of them in the
kingdom of His Son." (Pp. 292, 293)
1012

2294 2295 2296 2297
nor his image, and they did not receive the mark upon the forehead and upon their
2294
The negative conjunction ouvde, oude, “nor,” is changed to read the negative correlative
adverb ouvte, oute, “neither” (the two words are synonyms), by Uncial Manuscript 051
and the “Majority Text” (A). The variant reading does not change the meaning of Revelation
at all, and may be a result of the copyists’ working “by ear,” since in Greek the two words
sound almost identical.
2295
There is an ambiguity in the text at this point. Does John mean to further describe
the martyrs by this phrase, or does he mean an additional group of followers of Jesus--those
who refused to worship the beast, or his image, but who did not share with the earlier group in
having been beheaded for their faithful testimony? The language can be taken in both senses.
Aune says “It is more natural to construe the text as referring to a single group of martyrs,
who had been executed for both positive reasons (verse 4b: their obedience to the commands
of God and their witness to Jesus) and negative reasons (verse 4c: their refusal to worship the
beast or its image and to receive its brand on their foreheads and right hands.” (P. 1068)
On this matter of worshiping the beast and his image, see Revelation 13:4 (the dragon),
4 (the beast), 8 (the beast), 12 (the beast), 15 (the image of the beast). Aune calls this a
“‘back reference,” which the author “used to link this section with the same motifs found earlier
in the narrative in Revelation 13...” (P. 1088)
2296
Aune translated by “his brand” (p. 1071).
2297
Following the noun ìÝôùðïí, metopon, “forehead,” the genitive plural personal
pronoun auvtw/n, auton, “their,” is interpolated into the text by Uncial Manuscript 051, Minuscule
1854, the “Majority Text” (A), some manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate, the Philoxenian Syriac
and Beatus of Liebana (8 century A. D.). The interpolation does not change the meaning
th
of Revelation at all, but only makes explicit what is already implicit in the original text.
1013

2298 2299 2300 2301 2302 2303
hand. And they lived, and they reigned with the Christ a thousand years.
2298
Compare Revelation 13:16, 17; 14:9, 11; 16:2, and 19:20, all of which mention the
“mark” which is the name of the beast or the number of his name, either on the hand or forehead;
the martyrs who reign during the thousand years are those who have not received the
mark of the beast on either their foreheads or their hands.
2299
Aune translates by “they came to life” (p. 1071). In spite of the fact that they have
been put to death by beheading, that is not their final end; they come back to life, e;zhsan "they
lived (again)"! Evil powers may do their utmost against the faithful set-apart people of God;
but even when they die, God gives them new life! For this verb za,w, zao ("to live") in
Revelation, see
1:18, zw/n eivmi, literally, “living I am,” “I became dead, and look--I am living into the ages of
the ages!"
2:8, o]j evge,neto nekro.j kai. e;zhsen, “the One Who became dead and lived."
3:1, "You have a name that zh/|j, ‘you live,’ but you are dead!"
4:9, 10, God is the One Who zw/nti “is living into the ages of the ages."
7:2, qeo,j zw/ntoj, “(the) living God."
10:6, "he swore by the One Who is living into the ages of the ages,” same as 4:9, 10.
13:14, "who has the sword-injury, and e;zhsen, he lived."
15:7, same as in 4:9, 10.
19:20, zw/ntej, “living, the two were cast into the lake of fire."
20:4, here, æçóáí, "they lived and reigned with the Christ for a thousand years."
20:5, "the rest of the dead people ouvk e;zhsan, did not live until the thousand years should be
completed."
This description of the dead coming to life is not something new for the Jewish Bible.
See, for example, such passages as the following: Deuteronomy 32:39 (God puts to death,
but also brings to life); 1 Samuel 2:6 (YHWH kills, and restores to life--ku,rioj qanatoi/ kai.
zwogonei/ kata,gei eivj a[|dou kai. avna,gei, “Lord kills and makes alive; He leads down into
hades, and leads up”); 1 Kings 17:22 (a dead boy is restored to life); 2 Kings 5:7 (Israel’s
king denies any ability to restore life to the dead); 8:1, 5, 5, 5 (all referring to the story in 2
Kings 4, saying that the dead boy had been brought back to life); 13:21 (a dead man, thrown
into Elisha’s tomb, comes back to life); Hosea 6:2 (YHWH has punished severely, but He will
restore to life); Isaiah 26:14, 19 (death comes, but the promise to Israel is that “your dead will
live, their bodies will rise”); 38:16 (YHWH restored Hezekiah’s health, and let him live); Ezekiel
37:3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 14 (Israel’s dry bones will live again; promise of national restoration from
Babylonian captivity);
Psalm 71:20 (“You will restore my life again, from the depths of the earth You will again
bring me up”); 85:7; 119:25, 37, 40, 50, 88, 93, 107, 149, 154, 156 (YHWH’s word imparts
life); 143:11, and Ecclesiastes 7:12 (wisdom imparts life).
1014
(continued...)

2299
(...continued)
There is a confident hope expressed in some of these passages that God "gives life,"
even to the dead, to those who have gone down to the grave, to the world of the dead. John
sees that long-term hope of Israel fulfilled in Jesus and His followers, who, in spite of dying for
their faith, "live" and "reign" with the Christ!
Here again, students of Revelation who take its enigmatic symbolism literally, seek to
base their views on statements such as this, æçóáí, “they lived,” or possibly “they came to
life.” As Gregg explains, “The meaning of the expression ‘they lived’ (verse 4) is hotly debated.
Premillennialsts prefer to translate the expression ‘they came to life,’ meaning ‘they
lived (again),’ and identify it with the ‘first resurrection’ of verses 5 and 6. This is the resurection
of the saints to reign on earth...during the millennium...The amillennialist and the postmillennialist
do not consider this ‘first resurrection’ to be physical.” (P. 466)
The fact is, the verb is ambiguous, and can be translated in both senses. Post-millennialists
think that the phrase means the future victory of Christianity after its earlier history of
persecution, which is nothing less than a re-birth of the cause for which the martyrs died, or a
revival of the martyr spirit (Gregg, pp. 465, 67).
We insist that such ambiguous phrases should not be made the basis for doctrine, and
that the conflicts over these matters form a sad page in the history of Christian doctrine.
When the Bible states clearly in both Tanakh and New Testament that the prophetic vision is
enigmatic, filled with riddles, like someone “seeing through a mirror darkly,” it is foolish to
make prophetic visions the basis for specific doctrines such as is being done here!
2300
For occurrences of the verb basileu,ein, basileuein, “to reign” in Revelation, see:
5:10, "You made them [the people the Little Lamb purchased with His blood] for our God a
kingdom, and priests, and they will reign (âáóéëåýóïõóéí, basileusousin) over the
earth!";
11:15, "The kingdom of the universe has become [the kingdom] of our Lord, and of his Christ;
and He will reign (âáóéëåýóåé, basileusei) into the ages of the ages!";
11:17, "...You took Your great strength, and You reigned (âáóßëåõóáò, ebasileusas)!";
19:6, "...[The] Lord reigned (âáóßëåõóåí, ebasileusen), [our] God, the Almighty!";
20:4, "And they lived, and they reigned (âáóßëåõóáí, ebasileusan) with the Christ a
thousand years!";
20:6, "They will be priests of God and of the Christ, and they will reign âáóéëåýóïõóéí,
basileusousin) with Him a thousand years!"; and
22:5, "...And they will reign (âáóéëåýóïõóéí, basileusousin) into the ages of the ages!"
Already the set-apart people of God have been formed into a "kingdom"; and their "rule"
is without end. Over against the short, limited time of their suffering, is the long, seemingly
endless time of their present and future reign! Such is the basic content of John’s vision,
though the specifics are cloudy and leave many questions for the interpreter.
1015

2301
The genitive singular definite article ôï, tou, “(with) the...” is omitted by Uncial
Manuscript 051, Minuscule 2062 and the “Majority Text” (A). This may only reflect the differing
convictions among Greek writers across the centuries as to whether or not the article should
be used with nouns and names. The omission does not change the meaning of Revelation.
2302
Following the noun ×ñéóôï, Christou, “(with) Christ,” the neuter plural definite article
ta, ta, “the,” is interpolated into the text by Minuscules 1006, 1841, 2030, 2377, the
“Majority Text” (K), and the Harclean Syriac.
At the very opening of Revelation, John mentions "Jesus Christ" three times--1:1, 2,
and 5. Then, John never again uses the phrase--but either speaks simply of "the Christ," (11:
5; 12:10; 20:4, 6) or of "Jesus" (1:9, 9; 12:17; 14:12; 17:6; 19:10, 10; 20:4; 22:16, 20), until
he comes to the very close of his book, where he returns once more to the phrase "Jesus
Christ" (22:21; and here the best manuscripts leave off "Christ").
2303
Aune comments that “This passage is chiefly famous in Christian tradition for mentioning
the thousand year reign of Christ. The period of a thousand years is used in Psalm
90:4 (quoted in 2 Peter 3:8, ‘with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand
years as one day’), encouraging the figurative interpretation of a thousand years. The term
‘millennium,’ referring to this thousand-year reign, is based on the Latin words mille, ‘thousand,’
and annus, ‘year,’ derived from the reference in this verse to ci,lia ev,th, ‘thousand
years’...There are a number of theological positions that are keyed to this passage:
Amillennialism [which] holds that the thousand year reign of Christ is a symbol for the
period of the Christian church (Augustine; Roman Catholic; Reformed; Presbyterian);
Postmillenialism [which] holds that the kingdom of Christ is a reality in the hearts of
Christians and that the conversion of all nations will occur before the return of Christ, though
the term ‘thousand years’ refers to the quality of life and not to a literal length of time (Lutheran);
Premillennialism [which] holds that the return of Christ will occur before the beginning of
the millennium, which is understood as a literal period of a thousand years (Dispensationalism)...
“There have been two major ways of interpreting the thousand year reign of Christ, the
literal or realistic way and the spiritual way. The literal interpretation of the thousand-year millennium
characterized many of the early fathers of the church (e.g., Justin, Irenaeus, Melito,
Tertullian, Hippolytus, Methodius)...
“The second line of interpretation may be called the spiritual view, maintained by both
Clement of Alexandria and Origen. Augustine popularized the view, now called amillennialism,
that the reign of the saints with Christ was not a future expectation but rather the present situation
of Christians who had been ‘raised with Christ’ and ‘enthroned in heavenly places with
Christ’ (Colossians 3:1; Ephesians 2:6).” (Pp. 1089-90)
(continued...)
1016

2304 2305
20.5 The rest of the dead people did not live until the thousand years should be
2306 2307
completed. This is the resurrection–the first one! 20.6 How blessed and set-apart the one
2303
(...continued)
Newport comments that "Christ is now reigning as Lord and King, but His reign is veiled,
unseen, and unrecognized by the world...So as far as the world is concerned, Christ's
reign is only potential and unrealized [or, we might add, a fantastic illusion]...The millennial
kingdom will be the age of the manifestation of Christ's glory. It will be the time when the
sovereignty--which He now possesses but does not openly manifest and which He will turn
over to the Father in the age to come--will be displayed to the world." (Pp. 296-97)
But such a view does violence to the ardent conviction of the author of Revelation that
here and now, in this world, the Little Lamb is "King of kings and Lord of lords," the One Who
is riding on His white horse, trampling out the vintage of the grapes of wrath! It also does violence
to the view of Revelation that the Little Lamb is none other than the "Lord of history"
Who "comes with the clouds," in deliverance and judgment upon peoples and nations throughout
history. This is a reign which is seen and recognized by the believing Christian world.
That there is a glorious future reign promised by Revelation is not to be denied; but
neither is its depiction of the present Kingdom and the present reigning of His “priests and
kings”! What do you think? How will you interpret this material?
2304
Before the definite article ï, hoi, “the,” the conjunction kai, kai, “and,” is interpolated
into the text by Uncial Manuscripts 046, 051, Minuscules 1006, 1841, 1854, 2050, the
“Majority Text” (A), the Old Latin Manuscript a, some manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate, the
Syriac tradition, and the Bohairic Coptic tradition. The definite article a`,, ha, which is either
nominative or accusative plural neuter, is interpolated into the text by Minuscule 2329. The
witnesses without any interpolated word are: Alexandrinus, Minuscule 1611, a few other
Greek manuscripts, the Latin Vulgate, and some of the Old Latin witnesses. We think the
reading a`,, ha is simply a mistake on the part of this copyist, as it make no sense in the sentence.
Whether the conjunction is read or not makes no difference for the meaning of Revelation.
2305
Again Aune translates by “did not come to life” (p. 1071).
2306
This sentence, ï ëïéðï ôí íåêñí ïê æçóáí ÷ñé ôåëåóè ô ÷ßëéá ôç, hoi
loipoi ton nekron ouk ezesan achri telesthe ta chilia ete, “the remainder of the dead
people did not live until it should be finished, the thousand years,” is omitted by Sinaiticus,
Minuscules 2030, 2053, 2062, 2377, the “Majority Text” (K), the Philoxenian Syriac, and
th
Beatus of Liebana (8 century A.D.). This omission does change the meaning of Revelation,
leaving out the statement concerning the dead believers not coming to life until after the
thousand years. We think this omission is another case of the copyist’s eye skipping from the
word ôç, ete, “years,” at the close of verse four to the same word at the end of this sentence,
and leaving out the intervening words as a result–simply a mistake of sight.
1017
(continued...)

2306
(...continued)
Aune holds that this sentence is a “parenthetical remark,” and that it “refers to the brief
narrative in Revelation 20:12-13, where the dead (apparently the wicked dead) have come
back to life and stand before the great white throne.” (P. 1090)
John's vision depicts physical death as not being the final end for the faithful people of
God, such as the martyrs, who live again, and reign with Christ. But likewise, “the rest of the
dead” have not reached their final end. They live again–evidently meaning, they are resurrected,
to life, in order to face their judgment. Already, in human history, the faithful people of
God have begun to participate in a priestly life and rule, that their deaths cannot annul or destroy--but
only facilitate! The "others" die, just as do the followers of Christ; but they do not
share in this blessed life and rule.
Walvoord, with his literal and futuristic view of Revelation, insists that "the most important
truth" of this passage is "...the evident fact that a thousand years separate the resurrection
of the martyred dead from the resurrection of the wicked dead." (Pp. 297-98)
Such a comment shows how Revelation, instead of being appreciated as a book of
signs, filled with enigmatic riddles, has been turned into a text-book of doctrinal and chronological
matters, a “road-map to the future”--instead of the visionary book of exhortation and
hope that it is. Instead of being appreciated as a vibrant vision that imparts hope to the readers,
but is not clear in its details, it becomes, under such interpretation, a technical description
of future events, which have little or nothing to do with the original readers, but which apply
only to a group some 2,000 years later known as "tribulation saints."
Hough states, "We must not treat the symbolic pictures of this book as if they represent
an ordered and chronological record of the events which are destined to unfold...Literal-minded
scholars have been perplexed by the picture of the saints sitting on thrones of judgment
after the destruction of the armies of evil, and of another gathering of evil forces after the King
of kings and Lord of lords has ridden forth upon his white horse to glorious victory...
“There is really no need for perplexity. The writer moves forward and backward in the
easiest fashion. We see the end, and then for the sake of emphasis we are taken back to an
earlier period. There is a final climactic moment, but there is many a backward flash." (P.
607)
We agree with Hough. The material is prophetic vision, with its enigmatic, puzzling lack
of clarity–“seen through a mirror darkly.” To take such material as containing exact chronology,
and clarity of detail, such as can be made the basis for a “time-table of future events” is
extremely misleading. However, to acknowledge the puzzling, enigmatic nature of the visions,
allows the interpreter to take in the various pictures, with all their inconsistencies and lack of
clarity, and be able to appreciate the dynamic hope that such visions impart to the suffering
people of God. What do you think?
2307
Aune notes that “The term ‘resurrection’ occurs just twice in Revelation, here and in
verse 6a; in both contiguous contexts it is designated h` avna,stasij h` prw,th, ‘the first resur-
(continued...)
1018

2307
(...continued)
rection...Antithetically, though a second death is mentioned four times (2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8),
no mention is made of a first death.” (P. 1090)
It is also noteworthy that John mentions the "first resurrection" in verses 5 and 6 of this
chapter, which apparently implies a “second resurrection,” but the phrase “the second resurrection"
does not occur.
John may mean that the spiritual life and rule of the martyrs is the “first resurrection”--
which seems the most probable understanding. But it is also possible that John means the
“new birth life” which the faithful people of God enjoy even now. There are many passages in
the Gospel of John (see footnote 2310) which emphasize the present possession of "longlasting
life" on the part of every person who places faith in Jesus, God's Son.
Aune comments that “However problematic the conceptions of two resurrections might
be, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that precisely such an innovation has been formulated
by the author.” (P. 1090)
John 5:28-29 has Jesus saying “... the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs
will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and
those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment,” certainly a depiction of two resurrections.
Can this be what John is referring to?
Aune recalls that Albert Schweitzer in his book on Paul “argued that Jesus and the
Book of Daniel placed the resurrection at the beginning of the messianic kingdom [but we
ask, where in Daniel, or in the sayings of Jesus, is this said?], while apocalypses such as 4
Ezra and 2 Apocalypse of Baruch placed it at the end...Paul, he claimed, joined these two
conceptions by supposing that there would be two resurrections (Paul, 93-97), and it is precisely
this harmonizing conception that was later incorporated into Revelation 20:4-6.” (P.
1091) Here again, the assumption of Schweitzer is that these apocalyptic visions give an
exact time table of the future–not recognizing the enigmatic, unclear, puzzling nature of such
visions–and turning them into sources of exact doctrinal statements, rather than the fuzzy,
inexact nature of their visions.
Commentators such as Hendricksen hold that "The first resurrection is the translation of
the soul from this sinful earth to God's holy heaven. It is followed at Christ's second coming by
the second resurrection when the body, too, will be glorified." (P. 192) But John says not one
word concerning the "translation of the soul from this sinful earth to God's holy heaven," nor
does he mention "Christ's second coming," or its being followed by the "second resurrection."
It is always a temptation to read into biblical language our own doctrinal concerns and viewpoints!
But when this is done with apocalyptic, prophetic visions, there is no end to the
confusion that such treatment produces!
Walvoord holds that "At the end of the church age the rapture of the church will take
place, and the dead in Christ will be raised. At the end of the great tribulation, the tribulation
saints will also be raised from the dead. It would seem clear from these facts [!] that the term
(continued...)
1019

2308 2309
who has part in the resurrection, the first one! Over these, the second death does not have
2307
(...continued)
'the first resurrection' is not an event but an order of resurrection including all the righteous
who are raised from the dead before the millennial kingdom begins." (298-99) But surely this
is reading a great deal of dogmatic material into the text that is not genuinely present there!
2308
This is the fifth of Revelation's seven "beatitudes," or pronouncements of "blessedness."
See Revelation 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6 (here); 22:7 and 14. Aune notes that
this is “the only beatitude in Judeo-Christian Greek literature with a double predicate (i.e.,
‘blessed and holy’).” (P. 1091)
What a failure it must be to live out one's life, and fail to know God, and the spiritual life
that the knowledge of God imparts! What a tragic loss to pile up earthly goods and pleasures,
and miss the eternal values that endure forever!
2309
The phrase äåýôåñïò èÜíáôïò, deuteros thanatos, “second death,” is changed to
read thanatos ho deuteros, “death, the second one,” by Uncial Manuscript 051 and the “Majority
Text” (A). The variant reading does not change the meaning of Revelation.
Aune notes that “The concept [of a ‘second death’] does not occur in the rest of the
New Testament, in second-century Christian literature or in pre-Christian Greek literature.”
(P. 1091) We think Aune is mistaken in this, since the idea of living people being “dead”
spiritually, and facing soon-coming physical, even eternal death, is found throughout the New
Testament. See, for example, Luke 9:60, “Let the dead people bury the dead,” and 15:32,
“this brother of yours was dead, and is alive again.”
See BAGD with its statement that beside the meaning of “physical death” for the noun
qa,natoj, there is also the meaning of death as a spiritual condition, in contrast to a living relationship
with God. It is a “spiritual death,” to which human beings are subject unless they live
“out of the power of God’s grace.” See John 5:24; 8:51; Romans 7:10; 8:6; 1 John 3:14.
Such spiritual death “stands in the closest relation to sin,” as is shown in Romans 7:13;
Jacob (“James”) 1:15; 5:20: Paul thinks of the earthly body as a “body of death” (Romans
7:24). This meaning of qa,natoj cannot always be clearly distinguished from the related concept
of “eternal death, since it merges into it. See Romans 1:32; 6:16, 21, 23; 7:5; 2 Corinthians
7:10; 2 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 2:14. And so, whether described in John’s phrase,
“the second death,” the concept of a spiritual death that precedes physical death and leads to
“eternal death” is certainly found in the New Testament.
Here again, as elsewhere throughout Revelation, John takes up a concept found in his
sources, but adapts it in his own unique way.
Aune goes on to state that the phrase “second death” first occurs “in Plutarch [who lived
approximately from 46-120 A.D.; possibly a younger contemporary of John, possibly a little
later; John’s phrase may well have come first!]...who is very familiar with Egyptian myth and
ritual...The phrase o` deu,teroj qa,natoj occurs in a positive sense for the death of the yuch,
(continued...)
1020

2309
(...continued)
‘soul,’ on the moon (preceded by the death of the sw/ma, ‘body,’ on earth), which frees the
nou/j, ‘mind,’ to ascend to a blissful existence on the sun...
“Second, the conception of two deaths was promulgated by various philosophical
traditions....[such as Macrobius, who writes:] ‘The followers of Pythagoras [who died 497 B.C.]
and later those of Plato [427-347 B.C.] declared that there are two deaths, one of the soul, the
other of the creature, affirming that the creature dies when the soul leaves the body, but that
the soul itself dies when it leaves the single and individual source of its origin and is allotted to
a mortal body’...
”In Epictetus 1.5.4 [1st-2nd century A.D. Stoic philosopher] it is said that while most
people fear the deadening of the body, few care about ‘the deadening of the soul...In actuality
the ‘deadening of the soul’ is a metaphor for the person who avoids acknowledging the truth.
th
In Odyssey 12.22 [9 century B.C.] the term disqanh,j, ‘twice dead,’ is used to refer to Odys-
seus’ trip to Hades...along with his future physical death...
“The source of this notion in the Hellenistic world, even though the means of transmission
is not known, is the Egyptian conception of the second death...The phrase ‘to die the
second death’...occurs frequently in the Coffin Texts and the Book of the Dead [1240 B.C.]...
referring to the total destruction of the...’soul,’ after bodily death...The ultimate Egyptian origin
of this concept in Greek, Christian, and Jewish literature is supported by the pairing of the
notions of the second death and the lake of fire in Revelation 20:14 and 21:8, which also
occurs in Egyptian texts...
“There are two possible meanings for ‘second death’ in Judaism: (1) exclusion from the
resurrection, i.e., remaining in the grave, or (2) assignment to eternal damnation...The Egyptian
significance of second death and the lake of fire, i.e., complete and total destruction, cannot
be meant in Revelation, as Revelation 14:9-11 and 20:10 make clear.” (Pp. 1091-93)
Again, we disagree with Aune. He is right in holding that in these two passages, John
envisions unending, conscious suffering. But John is not consistent in this, since he also twice
envisions Babylon / Rome being “burned up,” totally consumed by fire–see Revelation 17:16
and 18:8. Aune assumes that the Bible teaches a unified doctrine of “eternal torment,” but
this is simply not the case. Sometimes it speaks of “eternal torment,” but at other times it
speaks of “annihilation.” This is the nature of biblical “prophecy” of the future. It is not clear,
but is enigmatic–as taught in Numbers 12:7-8 and 1 Corinthians 13:9-12. The biblical prophet
“sees through a mirror darkly,” in dreams and visions containing “riddles,” rather than in
exact, “face to face” photographic reproductions, characterized by clarity and exact precision!
We conclude that John means that humanity has it in common that all must die physically–physical
death is certain to come, especially in the environment of Roman Asia, with the
threat of martyrdom for confessing Christians. But that death is not to be feared, since the
Little Lamb has suffered just such a death, and still lives. The death that believers should fear
is of another sort than physical death–it is eternal death, separation from God and His eternal
(continued...)
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2310 2311
authority, but rather, they will be priests of God and of the Anointed King, and they will reign
2309
(...continued)
kingdom forever. John's language implies, we think, that there is the possibility of following
the Little Lamb faithfully, and sharing in His life that is unending (the "first resurrection"). For
those who choose this possibility, when physical death comes (the "first death"), that life goes
on uninterrupted, and death can never again threaten them. But for those who do not choose
to share in that immortal life, who reject the divine invitation to come and drink of the water of
eternal life, physical death (the "first death") is followed by eternal death, the "second death."
So, at least, John's language seems to imply, and can be understood.
But these are concerns of the commentators on John's writing, while John himself
simply mentions these matters, without going into any detail concerning them.
2310
Many of the promises of Jesus, given throughout His earthly ministry, have to do with
the conquering of death and its power over their lives. Especially do we see this in the Gospel
of John, in such passages as the following:
3:15-18, “In this way God loved the world [of humanity]--that He gave the unique Son,
so that every one who has confidence in Him might not perish, but rather might have longlasting
life. For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge the world, but rather
in order that the world might be made whole through him. The one who has confidence in Him
is not being judged...”
3:36, “The one who has confidence in the Son has long-lasting life; but the one who
disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him.”
4:14, “Whoever shall drink from the water which I, I will give to him, it will become in him
a spring of water, bubbling up into long-lasting life!”
5:24, “Truly, truly I say to you people, that the one who hears my Word, and places
confidence in the One sending Me, has long-lasting life, and does not come into judgment, but
has passed over from death into life!” We ask, is that not a “resurrection”?
6:40; “For this is the will of My Father, that every one who sees the Son and places
confidence in Him, might have long-lasting life, and I will raise him up, I Myself in the last day!
(see verses 47, 48 and 54) We ask, in the light of 5:24, is this not a “second resurrection”?
10:28, “And I, I give to them long-lasting life, and they will not perish for the long-lasting
age... “
11:25-26, “I, I am the resurrection and the life. The one who places confidence in Me,
even if he dies, shall live; and every one who lives and places confidence in Me will not die
into the long-lasting age!”
17:3, “This is the long-lasting life--that they should know You, the only true God, and
the One Whom You sent, Jesus Christ.”
20:31, “But these things have been written, so that you may have confidence that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of God; and that having confidence, you may have life in His name.“
We must ask in the light of these texts whether John should be understood in Revelation
as affirming that only a select group of followers of the Little Lamb share in this longlasting
life that overcomes death. The obvious reply must be that for Johannine thought,
1022
(continued...)

2312 2313 2314
with him [the] thousand years!
2310
(...continued)
long-lasting life imparted by Jesus is something in which every person of faith shares--not just
some small, select group!
2311
See the following passages in Revelation that describe the followers of Christ as
"priests":
1:6, "He made us [into] a kingdom, priests for God..." It is to be emphasized that this
becoming "priests for God" is something that has already happened in the life of the people of
God; they play the role assigned to Israel of old as described in Exodus 19:4-6. It is not just
something that belongs to a distant future group of martyrs in a “millennial kingdom,” but
rather, it is the role of every follower of Jesus Christ!
5:10, "...You were slaughtered, and You purchased for God with Your blood, [people]
out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation! And You made them for our God a
kingdom, and priests, and they shall reign over the earth!" Again, it must be emphasized that
in John's view, this is something that has been accomplished through the death of Jesus, the
Little Lamb of God. God's people have been purchased for God; they have been made into a
kingdom of priests--who reign together with their King, and who act as His priestly people in
human history. Their "reign" and "priesthood" are "over the earth,” and that reigning will
continue into the future.
Walvoord acknowledges that "There is a sense, of course, in which saints participate in
the present spiritual kingdom of God. This explanation is quite inadequate to support the
teaching that we are now reigning with Christ in any real sense [!]. The order is rather that we
suffer now and reign in the future (2 Timothy 2:12 [‘If we endure, we will also reign with
Him.’])." (P. 297)
We believe that Walvoord is both right and wrong. The followers of Christ are clearly
depicted in the New Testament as being already, today, here and now, "kings and priests" in
the kingdom of God; we reign and we act as God's priestly people here and now, in human
history, in “a real sense.”
But Christian believers are also depicted in the New Testament as being like their great
King, a suffering people, whose reign is characterized by martyrdom and sacrifice, and who
will not know the great fulness of "reign" in store for them until the coming of the blessed future
which God has planned and promised. Here again, as we have done on many occasions
before, we must emphasize that God is God of the past, the present, and the future--and none
of these "tenses of the kingdom" should be overlooked–either God’s kingdom, or our’s!
2312
The phrase ìåô áôï, met’ autou, “with Him,” is changed to read meta. tau/ta,
meta tauta, “after these things,” by Minuscule 2329 (see) and the “Majority Text” (K). This
variant reading slightly changes the meaning of Revelation, changing its statement concerning
their “reigning with Him,” i.e., with the risen Lord Jesus, to a statement concerning the time
1023
(continued...)

2315 2316
20.7 And when the thousand years should be completed, the adversary will be
2312
(...continued)
of their reign, i.e., “after these things,” after the first resurrection. However, even with this
change, there is little difference for the overall meaning of Revelation.
Aune comments that “The idea that believers will reign (basileu,ien), however, is quite
different from the notion that they will constitute a basilei,a, ‘kingdom.’” (P. 1093) This comment
is, we think, mistaken–the fact is, if you reign, then you are a king, and you have a kingdom!
John clearly teaches that believers constitute a kingdom, and that they both reign in the
present, and will reign in the future!
2313
The neuter plural definite article ta, ta, is omitted by Alexandrinus, Uncial Manuscript
051 and the “Majority Text”. It is read by Sinaiticus, Uncial Manuscript 046, Minuscules 1611,
2053, 2062, 2329, a few other Greek manuscripts and the Harclean Syriac. The omission
does not change the meaning of Revelation, but does make it slightly less definite.
2314
The "thousand years" is a period of time in which the people of God reign and serve
as God's "priestly people." What is the job of "priests"? Many times in biblical theology we are
faced with the obvious answer--they represent humanity to God, bringing the gifts and worship
of humanity to God; at the same time, they represent God to humanity, bringing the divine
teaching from God to humanity, serving as humanity's teachers.
As a matter of biblical fact, this is the role of the church in all times and places, throughout
human history, including the divine intention for the nation of Israel according to the words
of Exodus 19:6. Jesus has called and commissioned His people to go out into all the world of
humanity, to act on His behalf, extending His "reign” or “kingdom" over the entire earth, acting
as the "priestly people" who bring humanity to God, and who teach God's will to the entire
human race. This is not something promised for the future–it is the present task of the people
of God in every time and place! See footnote 2303 for discussion of the “thousand years.”
2315
Aune comments on verses 7-10 that “The assembly of the heathen and their concerted
attack on the people of God constitute an episode or type scene that occurs frequently
in early Jewish eschatological tradition. The presence of the names Gog and Magog suggests
that this textual unit is patterned in part after the Gog and Magog oracle in Ezekiel 38-39 (as is
the textual unit in Revelation 19:17-21).” (P. 1079) See also 16:12-16, and compare from
the Pseudepigrapha:
1 Enoch 56:5-8, In those days, the messengers / angels will assemble and thrust
themselves to the east at the Parthians and Medes. They will shake up the kings (so that) a
spirit of unrest shall come upon them, and stir them up from their thrones; and they will break
forth from their beds like lions and like hungry hyenas among their own flocks. And they will
go up and trample upon the land of My elect ones, and the land of My elect ones will be before
them like a threshing floor or a highway. But the city of my rightly-related ones will become an
obstacle to their horses. And they shall begin to fight among themselves; and (by) their own
right hands they shall prevail against themselves. A man shall not recognize his brother, nor a
son his mother, until there shall be a (significant( number of corpses from among them. Their
(continued...)
1024

2317 2318 2319
released from his prison, 20.8 and he will go out to lead astray the nations, those in the
2315
(...continued)
punishment is (indeed) not in vain. In those days, Sheol [the grave] shall open her mouth, and
they shall be swallowed up into it and perish. (Thus) Sheol shall swallow up the sinners in the
presence of the elect ones. (Charlesworth, ibid., p. 39)
4 Ezra 13:5-11, 33-30, ...Behold, an innumerable multitude of men were gathered
together from the four winds of heaven to make war against the man who came up out of the
sea [that is, the Messiah]. And I looked, and behold, he carved out for himself a great
mountain, and flew up upon it...And behold, all who had gathered together against him, to
wage war with him, were much afraid, yet dared to fight. And behold, when he saw the onrush
of the approaching multitude, he neither lifted his hand nor held a spear or any weapon of war;
but I saw only how he sent forth from his mouth as it were a stream of fire...and (it) fell on the
onrushing multitude which was prepared to fight, and burned them all up, so that suddenly
nothing was seen of the innumerable multitude but only the dust of ashes and the smell of
smoke...
And when all the nations hear his voice [God’s Son, the Messiah], every man shall
leave his own land and the warfare that they have against one another; and an innumerable
multitude shall be gathered together...desiring to come and conquer Him. But He will stand on
the top of Mount Zion. And Zion will come and be made manifest to all people, prepared and
built, as you saw the mountain carved out without hands. And He, My Son, will reprove the
assembled nations for their ungodliness...and He will destroy them without effort by the law.
(Charlesworth, ibid., pp. 551-52)
It is the common theme that God is going to win the eternal victory over all His opponents,
and that the Messiah will be confronted with multitudes of opponents, over which He will
win the final battle, and the kingdom of God will reign forever.
2316
The phrase ôáí ôåëåóè, hotan telesthe, “when it should be finished,” is changed
to the one word meta, meta, “after,” i.e., after the thousand years, by Minuscule 2030 and the
“Majority Text” (K). This change does not change the meaning of Revelation, but does make
the text a little less definite.
2317
Compare verses 2 and 3, with their footnotes. In those verses, John has described
the place where the dragon is bound and kept as an "abyss," a great deep hole or “pit” in the
earth, with a shaft-like opening, which has been locked shut and sealed over. Now, John calls
that abyss a "prison," a "place of guarding." Compare 1 Peter 3:18b-20, where Peter states
that Jesus, "having been put to death in flesh, was still made alive in spirit--in which, even to
the spirits in prison, having gone, he proclaimed..." Compare footnote 2273 for similar statements
from 2 Peter and Jude.
The question must be raised concerning what John conceives as the divine reason for
allowing the accuser and adversary to be released following the thousand-year period of the
reign of Christ and those sharing in His thousand-year reign.
1025
(continued...)

2317
(...continued)
Aune comments that “The future passive verb luqh,setai, ‘will be released,’ can be
construed as a passive of divine activity and therefore can be understood to mean ‘God will
release satan from his prison.’ According to a widespread ancient tradition, demons released
from the place of their confinement are much more dangerous than they were before (Luke
11:24-26...” (P. 1093) But why would God cause, or allow this to happen?
Those who reject the view that the binding of the adversary has to do with the victory of
Christ through His death and resurrection, make fun of the idea that the adversary is bound
during long centuries of Christian history. But if the adversary is completely bound during this
thousand year period, and Christ and His people reign for a thousand years, how can there be
anyone left on earth to follow the accuser and adversary at the end of that period? Is the
kingdom of God that powerless? What do you think?
2318
Immediately before the phrase ô èíç, ta ethne, “the nations,” the pronominal accusative
masculine plural adjective pa,nta, panta, “all,” is interpolated into the text by Sinaiticus,
Minuscule 2053 (a commentary on the text), 2062 (also a commentary on the text), a few
other Greek manuscripts and the Philoxenian Syriac. The interpolation does not change the
meaning of Revelation, but makes the original statement even more universal in extent.
Aune notes that “The previous destruction of the hostile nations in Revelation 19:11-21
has apparently been forgotten.” (P. 1093) We can certainly say that according to John’s
visions, evil has a great resiliency! What do you think? Why does John depict evil being
brought to overwhelming destruction, and then raising its ugly head again?
Walvoord comments that "On being relieved from his confinement, Satan loses no time
in resuming his nefarious activities and plunges into his campaign to deceive the nations of the
entire earth...The children of those entering the millennium far outnumber the parents, and undoubtedly
the earth is teeming with inhabitants at the conclusion of the thousand-year reign of
Christ [nothing is said concerning this in the text, even though Walvoord says it is ‘undoubtedly’
the case]. Outwardly they have been required to conform to the rule of the King and make
a profession of obedience to Christ. In many cases, however, this was mere outward conformity
without inward reality, and in their inexperience of real temptation they are easy victims of
Satan's wiles...Even in the ideal situation of the millennial reign of Christ, innumerable hosts
immediately respond to the first temptation to rebel." (Pp. 302, 304)
Newport, in like manner, comments that "The millennium will reveal that man's rebellion
against God lies deep in man's own heart and not just in the devil's deception. Even when
satan is bound and righteousness prevails in the world, some people will still rebel against
God." (P. 297)
It must be said that if this is the best that Christ can do, in the absence of any adversarial
temptation, it is certainly not the kind of glorious reign that Walvoord himself has
pictured the "thousand year reign of Christ" as being! This type of symbolic vision is much
more in line with the Christian experience of a present "reign" of God's people together with
their King, but a reign, nonetheless, in which evil still has a role to play, and in which there is
(continued...)
1026

2320 2321 2322 2323 2324 2325
four corners of the earth --the "Gog and Magog" --to gather them together for the
2318
(...continued)
still a battle to be won over evil. We agree with Newport when he asks, "But why would God
allow this insurrection? [Indeed, why has God allowed insurrection from the very beginning?
And we add, why would God release satan, to enable his evil work to continue? Why does
YHWH allow the satan to afflict Job as depicted in the Book of Job? Even more, why has
God created satan in the first place?] If man alone were prophetically writing the history of the
world, he would not bring the arch deceiver back after the glorious reign of Christ...The repeated
rebellions of satan reveal the irrepressible character of the forces of evil and chaos. The
implication is that creation and order, peace and justice, are quite fragile and partial states and
that they are in constant tension with their opposites." (P. 301)
Again, Newport states that biblical theology is radically monotheistic, and that therefore
the devil cannot be conceived of as divine, but as a creature. "The devil is not God, nor is he
in any real sense a rival to God. He cannot go beyond the permission of God for his action
and at the appointed time it will cease. The mystery of the devil, like the mystery of evil itself,
lies hidden in the depths of the mystery of God's purpose for His creation. In the last analysis,
the devil has to contribute to that purpose." (P. 302) What do you think? What does humanity’s
freedom of will, and necessity for decision have to do with this problem?
2319
The accusative neuter plural definite article ta, ta, which we have translated “those,”
is omitted by Sinaiticus, Minuscules 1854, 2053, 2062, 2329 and some other Greek manuscripts,
perhaps reflecting a desire to eliminate unnecessary words in the original text. The
omission does not change the meaning of Revelation.
2320
Compare Ezekiel 7:2, "The end has come upon the four corners of the land!" It
would be a mistaken literalism to affirm that "The Bible teaches that the planet earth [or the
land of Israel] is square, having four corners--and since the Bible says it, and I believe it, that
settles it!" But of course, we know for a certainty today that the land of Israel is not foursquare,
and planet earth is a sphere, with no “corners.”
What John means is not intended as a dogmatic lesson in geography, or cartography,
but a spiritual matter--that the whole earth is involved in this demonic deception!
2321
The phrase ôò ãò, to,n, tes ges, ton, “of the earth, the,” is omitted by the first
writer of Sinaiticus, perhaps again in an attempt to eliminate unnecessary words. The omission
does not change the meaning of Revelation.
2322
The definite article to,n, ton, “the,” is interpolated into the text by a corrector of Sinaiticus,
Minuscules 1006, 1841, 1854, 2030, 2053, 2062, 2329 and the “Majority Text” (K). The
interpolation does not change the meaning of Revelation.
2323
This is the only place in the entire New Testament where these two names, Ãã êá
Ìáãþã, Gog kai Magog, “Gog and Magog," occur. John has taken the two names from Ezekiel
38-39, and has used them as two personal names--whereas in Ezekiel Gog is a personal
name, and Magog is a place-name. See Numbers 24:7; Ezekiel 38:2, 3, 14, 17, 18; 39:1, 6,
(continued...)
1027

2323
(...continued)
11, 11, 11, 15, and Amos 7:1 (where it is the name of a king). Twice Gog is named as “ruler
of Ros, Mosoch, and Thobel.” In three of the instances in Ezekiel, the name is used with the
definite article; elsewhere there is no article.
Once again we see John's usage of the Jewish traditional materials, but with his own
peculiar slant placed upon that material, treating “Magog” as a personal name rather than as
the name of a country. Compare Revelation 19:18, for the background in Ezekiel.
Walvoord, who almost always rejects any symbolical interpretation, holds that "From
the context it would seem that this is not the same event as that described in Ezekiel 38 and
39 where Gog and Magog are prominent; and the battle which follows is entirely different and
separated by at least a thousand years from that of Ezekiel's prophecy...The expression is
used much as we use the term 'Waterloo' to express a disastrous battle, but one not related to
the historic origination of the term." (P. 303)
The reason for this is that Walvoord sees the invasion described in Ezekiel as occurring
at the beginning of the Messiah's reign, while he interprets this invasion described in
Revelation 20 as occurring at the end of His reign. But once again, this comment shows how
Walvoord has introduced his own peculiar "time-table" into Revelation, forcing its enigmatic,
puzzling visions to conform to his pre-conceived chronology, and it is obvious that John’s
visions contain no such time-table or chronology.
In contrast to Walvoord, Beasley-Murray states that "The imagery of the closing chapters
of Ezekiel is continually employed by John in his delineation of the kingdom, and in them
John will have found the basic elements of his interpretation. Ezekiel 36-37 describes the
'resurrection' of Israel and the restoration of the nation to its land under the rule of the new
David. After an unspecified period the rebellion of Gog and Magog occurs (chapters 38-39),
followed by the promise of a new Jerusalem with a new temple in the bliss of an untroubled
kingdom (chapters 40-48)...The pattern of this prophecy appears to have determined the
presentation of John's vision of the kingdom in chapters 20-22, above all in chapter 20." (P.
289)
Beasley-Murray asks, "If the millennial reign represents the revelation of the glory of
Christ in this world, why does John depict its end in disaster, and why in particular is the devil
released so as to precipitate such an end? A sufficient reason could be that John found it so
represented in Ezekiel, for Scripture was authoritative for him." (P. 291)
G. B. Caird likewise holds that "The myth of Gog enshrines a deep insight into the
resilience of evil...However far human society progresses, it can never, while this world lasts,
reach the point where it is invulnerable to such attacks. Progress there must be, otherwise
God is neither Lord of history nor Lord of creation. But even when progress issues in the
millennium, men must remember that they still have no security except in God." (P. 257)
1028
(continued...)

2326 2327 2328
war –of whom their number is like the sand of the sea. 20.9 And they went up upon the
2323
(...continued)
What do you think? Do you agree with Beasley-Murray and Caird? Is the only reason
that John includes this vision where he does because such a battle is described in Ezekiel?
Do you agree that human society is always vulnerable to the attack of evil? Some theologians
th
would have disagreed with this in the opening decade of the 20 century, but after the experi-
ence of World Wars I and II, and the “Cold War,” there are hardly any theologians who would
deny the truth of Caird’s view.
2324
The conjunction kai, kai, “and,” is interpolated immediately before the infinitive óõíáãáãåí,
“to gather together,” by Sinaiticus, Uncial Manuscript 051, the “Majority Text” (A), and
the Syriac tradition. The interpolation does not change the meaning of Revelation.
2325
The accusative masculine singular definite article to,n, ton, “the,” is omitted by Uncial
Manuscript 051, Minuscule 1854 and the “Majority Text” (A). The omission makes no difference
for the meaning of Revelation, unless it be insisted that one definite war is intended.
Aune leaves out the article in his translation by translating “for battle” (p. 1071). King James,
New International and New Living Translation all leave out the article, while New American
Standard translates “for the war.”
2326
Why does John call this "the war"? Is he speaking of one definite war, or is the
definite article used here without any specific meaning, as we see so often in the Greek text?
We are reminded of the previous passages in Revelation where coming world-wide war is
predicted by John:
6:2, 4, “And I saw, and look--a white horse; and the One sitting upon it holding a bow.
And a [victor's] crown was given to Him; and He went out conquering, and so as to conquer...
And another, a red horse went out. And to the one sitting upon it, it was given to take the
peace from the earth, and that they might slaughter one another. And a great knife was given
to him.”
9:7-11, “And the likenesses of the grass-hoppers [were] similar to horses prepared for
war; and upon their heads [something] like (victors') crowns, like gold; and their faces like
human faces. And they had hair like women's hair; and their teeth were like [those] of lions.
And they had breastplates like iron breastplates, and the sound of their wings (was) like (the)
sound of chariots (with) many horses, running into war. And they have tails like scorpions, and
stings; and in their tails is their authority, to injure human beings (for) five months. They have
over them a king, the messenger / angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew (is) Abaddon,
and in the Greek he has a name, Destroyer.”
9:15-16, “And the four messengers / angels were released [who had been bound at the
great river Euphrates], the ones who had been made ready for the hour and day and month
and year, in order that they might kill the third part of humanity. And the number of the mounted
troops (was) twenty thousand (times) ten thousand--I heard their number.”
1029
(continued...)

2326
(...continued)
11:17, “...The beast that is coming up out of the abyss will make war with them [the two
witnesses], and he will conquer them, and he will kill them...”
12:7-17 (portions), “And there was war in heaven--Michael and his angels fighting with
the dragon. And the dragon fought, also his angels; and he did not prevail, neither was place
found for them any longer in heaven. And he was thrown down...the one who leads astray the
whole inhabited world--he was thrown down into the earth...And when the dragon saw that he
was thrown down into the earth, he pursued the woman which bore the male (child)...And the
serpent vomited water from his mouth, like a river...And the dragon was filled with anger
against the woman, and he went away to make war with the remainder of her children, those
who are keeping the commandments of God and who have the testimony of Jesus.”
13:7, “[The beast out of the sea was given authority] to make war with the set-apart
people, and to conquer them; and authority was given to it, over every tribe and people and
tongue and nation.”
16:13-14, “And I saw out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast,
and out of the mouth of the false-spokesperson for God, three unclean spirits like frogs. For
they are spirits of demons, doing signs, which go out upon the kings of the whole inhabited
earth, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God the Almighty.”
19:19, “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, having been
gathered together to make the war with the one sitting upon the horse and with his army.”
(Here Ezekiel 38 and 39 have played an important background role.)
Aune comments that “The motif of hostile nations at the four corners of the earth, i.e.,
the nations of the world, is found in Old Testament prophecy. The attack of the Gentiles on
Israel and Jerusalem was also a stock motif in the Old Testament (Isaiah 5:26; Jeremiah
25:32; 50:41; Zechariah 14:2-5...[See footnote 2315 for extra-canonical material.]
“The identification of ‘the nations, Gog and Magog’ in the view of the author-editor of
Revelation is problematic. It is difficult to reconcile the destruction inflicted on the nations
described in 19:17-21 with the subsequent existence of nations at the four corners of the earth
mentioned in 20:7-10, following the millennial reign of Christ referred to in 20:4-6. Interpreters
have understood 20:7-10 in several different ways:
1 Gog and Magog are a demonic army...
2 Gog and Magog represent the rest of the dead who are resurrected and judged...
3 The destruction narrated in 19:17-21 does not include all the inhabitants of the earth,
so the forces led by Gog and Magog are the rest...
4 The use of mythical metaphoric language in 20:7-10 means that one need not
necessarily follow the logic of the narrative...” (P. 1095)
1030
(continued...)

2329 2330 2331 2332
width of the earth, and they encircled the camp of the set-apart people, and the city--
2326
(...continued)
There should be no question concerning the symbolical nature of this kind of language.
It is obvious that the attempt to understand these passages (with their surrounding contexts) in
a straight-forward, literal manner, with exact dates, is hopeless, and we are led once again to
recognize the enigmatic, puzzling nature of these visions “seen through a mirror darkly.”
But what does the symbolism of world-wide war mean? And does the phrase “the war”
refer to one particular great war? We have taken it to mean that John very realistically acknowledges
that the Christian witness in history will be faced with all sorts of opposition from
evil forces intent upon the destruction of the church and its proclamation. War and bloodshed
await the followers of the Little Lamb as they make their pilgrimage into the future. And even
though they are assured of astounding victory over the forces of evil, they need not think that
once victory has come, there will be no more battles--for such will simply not be the case! His
visions are not consistent, not capable of being dated and charted chronologically–but they
are unanimous in warning the people of God and the Little Lamb that conflict is inevitable,
even under the best of conditions! What do you think?
2327
The genitive plural pronoun áôí, auton, “of them,” or “their,” is omitted by Uncial
Manuscript 051, Minuscule 1854 and the “Majority Text” (A). The omission is apparently an
attempt by these copyists to eliminate unnecessary words from the original–which is “wordy” at
this point. The omission does not change the meaning of Revelation.
2328
This is a common biblical comparison, which is intended not literally, but symbolically,
as hyperbole--emphasizing the greatness in number of the enemy forces. See Genesis
22:17; 32;12; 41:49; Joshua 11:4; Judges 7:12; 1 Samuel 13:5; 2 Samuel 17:11; 1 Kings
4:20, 29; Job 6:3; 29:18; Psalm 78:27; 139:18; Isaiah 10:22; 48:19; Jeremiah 15:8; 33:22,
and Hosea 1:9-10 (where the meaning of the hyperbole is stated) and 1 Maccabees 11:1. In
the New Testament, see Romans 9:27; Hebrews 11:12 and Revelation 20:8.
2329
Aune translates by “They marched up across the breadth of the earth” (p. 1071).
2330
The verb êýêëåõóáí, ekukleusan, “they encircled,” is changed to read evku,klwsan,
ekuklosan, by Sinaiticus, Uncial Manuscript 051, Minuscules 1854, 2050, 2053, 2062 and the
“Majority Text” (A). The verbs are synonyms, and reflect the two different forms of this verb
meaning “encircle.” The variant reading does not change the meaning of Revelation, but
demonstrates the freedom felt by these copyists to substitute a synonym for the word found in
the original text.
Aune comments that this verb, “to surround,” reflects “the central strategy of ancient
warfare, to surround a city and besiege it until it surrendered (2 Kings 6:14; Isaiah 29:3; 36:1-
3; Judith 7:19-20; 1 Maccabees 15:14; Luke 19:43; 21:20).” (P. 1097)
2331
The noun parembolh,n, parembolen ("camp") has connotations of "a fortified camp,"
or the "barracks or headquarters" of the troops, or of "an army" in battle array, the "battle line."
Here once again we meet the "holy war motif," and with the kind of imagery that has been dev-
(continued...)
1031

2333 2334 2335
the beloved one. And fire came down out of the heaven, and devoured them. 20.10
2331
(...continued)
eloped in the Divine Warrior motif in biblical literature. The Rider on the white horse in chapter
19 has those on horseback who follow as He goes forth to the wine-press to destroy His
enemies (see 19:14). Here the people of God are gathered together in a "fortified camp," prepared
for battle with the countless multitudes of enemy soldiers who have gathered against
them for battle. Aune notes several possibilities for the meaning the phrase, “the army (or
‘encampment’) of the holy ones”:
1. The heavenly city...
2. The encampment of the people of God, which is identical to “the beloved city”...
3. The encampment of the people of God stationed outside the city in expectation of
the impending attack...
4. The martyrs with Christ in Jerusalem (Revelation 14:1-5)...
5. An army of angels (perhaps the force mentioned in 19:14) now bivouacked in the
vicinity of Jerusalem for the protection of the city. (P. 1097)
It is obvious that John does not have the idea of a world filled with peace for a thousand
years, when the people of Christ are triumphant, and there is no opposition--rather, he still pictures
the people of God as gathered together to do battle (in a "fortified camp") at the close of
that thousand year period.
Hendricksen holds that “The entire wicked world is going to persecute the church. The
opposition will be world-wide. There is not the least ground, therefore, for regarding our passage
as referring to a final attack by certain "peripheral" nations--for example, China, Japan,
and India--upon the nations of western Europe and America...
“The New Testament simply does not contain any predictions which apply to certain
specific present-day nations or states...The meaning, then, is this: the era during which the
church as a mighty missionary organization shall be able to spread the gospel everywhere is
not going to last for ever...” (P. 194)
We think that biblical theology as a whole makes it very clear that in spite of great victories
the people of God will experience, their existence as the people of God is always one of
militancy, of constantly having to be prepared for battle, and of having to fight to the finish with
the constantly reappearing hosts of evil. John’s puzzling visions reiterate this insistence.
What do you think?
2332
Before the conjunction kai, kai, “and,” the phrase kai. th.n po,lin tw/n a` ,giwn, kai
ten polin ton hagion, “even the city of the set-apart people,” is interpolated into the text by
Uncial Manuscript 046, a few other Greek manuscripts and the Philoxenian Syriac (see). This
interpolation does not change the meaning of Revelation, but reads like an early commentary
on the original text.
2333
Or, should we translate, "...even the beloved city," thereby identifying the "camp" and
the "beloved city" as synonyms? Aune states that it is a problem “whether the phrase...’the
(continued...)
1032

2333
(...continued)
beloved city,’ refers to the earthly [see Sirach 24:11; Psalms 78:68; 87:2; Jeremiah 11:15;
12:7] or the heavenly Jerusalem...Since the heavenly Jerusalem does not make its appearance
until 21:10 (aside from 3:12), it would appear that ‘the beloved city’ cannot be the new
Jerusalem but must be the earthly Jerusalem.” (Pp. 1098-99) Perhaps–but John may well
mean the city of the new Jerusalem, introducing the theme of chapters 21 and 22 by this
statement--as he has done on other occasions before.
Beasley-Murray comments that "John sees the beloved city as descended from God
out of heaven in the messianic age and so views it as the center of the kingdom of Christ. The
brevity of the description of that kingdom in verses 4-6 is at least partly due to John's intention
to describe its nature in the vision of 21:9ff." (P. 298)
Here again, as we have often commented, John’s vision is ambiguous, and capable of
varied interpretations. His vision is enigmatic; he “sees through a mirror darkly.”
2334
The phrase ê ôï ïñáíï, ek tou ouranou, “out of the heaven,” is read by Alexandrinus,
Minuscule 2053 (in a commentary on the text), a few other Greek manuscripts, a few
manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate, some manuscripts of the Bohairic Coptic and Augustine
(who died 430 A.D.) The first writer of Sinaiticus has skipped the phrase through homoioteleuton
(similar endings). It is changed to read avpo. tou/ qeou/, apo tou theou, “from the God,”
by Minuscule 1854 and a few manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate. It is changed to read avpo., apo
(Uncial Manuscript 051 and the “Majority Text” A read evk, ek, “out of,”) tou/, tou, “the” (the
pronoun is omitted by Uncial Manuscript 051 and a few other Greek manuscripts) qeou/ evk,
theou ek, “God out of” (avpo., apo is read by Uncial Manuscript 051 and the “Majority Text” A)
tou/ ouvranou/, tou ouranou, “God out of (or ‘from’) the heaven,” by a corrector of Sinaiticus, P,
Uncial Manuscript 051, the “Majority Text”, the Latin Vulgate, some of the Old Latin witnesses,
and the Philoxenian Syriac. It is also read by Minuscules 2030, 2329, and the “Majority Text”
(K), but in a different word-order.
This is quite a complicated textual situation–but even so, the variant readings do not
change the meaning of Revelation. We suspect that there was some problem with the primitive
form of the text, leading to these differing readings.
2335
For similar occurrences in biblical literature, see the following passages:
“Elijah answered the captain, If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven
and consume you and your fifty men! Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain
and his fifty men.” 2 Kings 1:10; compare verses 12 and 14.
“I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares my Lord YHWH.
Every man's sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment upon him with plague
and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on
his troops and on the many nations with him. Ezekiel 38:21-22
1033
(continued...)

2336 2337
And the accuser / devil, the one leading them astray, was cast into the lake of fire and
2338 2339
sulphur, where also the beast and the false spokesperson (are), and they will be tormented
2335
(...continued)
“I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in safety in the coastlands, and they
will know that I am YHWH!” Ezekiel 39:6
See also Genesis 19:24; Job 1:16; Zephaniah 1:18; 3:8; Sirach 48:3; Luke 9:54;
12:49. In the Sibylline Oracles, see
2:196-214, “...Then a great river of blazing fire will flow from heaven, and will consume
every place...All the souls of men will gnash their teeth, burning in a river, and brimstone and a
rush of fire...at once all will melt into one and separate into clear air”; 3:53-54, 84-87, 543;
4:175-78, “He will burn the whole earth, and will destroy the whole race of men and all
cities and rivers at once, and the sea. He will destroy everything by fire, and it will be smoking
dust” (this is about as close as this material gets to a “lake of fire,” as the rivers and the sea
are all set aflame); 5:274, 377-78;
7:119-25, “You will all be devoured by fire...For there will be as much fire raging on the
earth as water, and it will flow and destroy the whole earth. It will burn up mountains, burn
rivers and empty springs. The world will be chaos when men perish. Then wretched men,
burning badly, will look on heaven, void of stars but overcome by fire. They will not be destroyed
quickly but, being burned in spirit by their perishing flesh for the years of ages forever,
they will know, by dire tortures, that it is not possible to deceive the law of God”;
8:225-26, ...The fire will torture the lawless forever.”
2336
Compare verses 2 and 3, where the same descriptive language is used.
2337
The conjunction kai, kai, “and,” is changed to the phrase kai. tou/, kai tou, “and of
the,” by Sinaiticus, Minuscules 1006, 1611, 1841, 2329 and some other Greek manuscripts. It
is changed to simply the genitive article tou/, tou, “of the,” by Minuscules 2053 and 2062.
These variant readings do not change the meaning of Revelation.
2338
The conjunction kai, kai, “and,” here translated “also,” is omitted by Sinaiticus,
Uncial Manuscript 051, Minuscules 2050, 2053, 2062, the “Majority Text” (A), the Old Latin
Manuscript a, some manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate, the Philoxenian Syriac, the Coptic tradition
and Apringius Pacensis (531-548 A.D.). The omission does not change the meaning of
Revelation, but appears to reflect a desire to eliminate unnecessary words from the original
text.
2339
For this mention of “sulphur,” see
Genesis 19:24, "Then YHWH rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah--
from YHWH out of the heavens."
(continued...)
1034

day and night into the ages of the ages! 2340
2339
(...continued)
Isaiah 30:33, "Topheth [an especially prepared grave-yard, supplied with implements
for cremation] has long been prepared; it has been made ready for the king. Its fire pit has
been made deep and wide, with an abundance of fire and wood; the breath of YHWH, like a
stream of burning sulphur, sets it ablaze."
Ezekiel 38:22, “I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour
down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulphur on him and on his troops and on the
many nations with him.”
Revelation 19:20, "Alive, the two [the beast and the false spokesperson] were thrown
into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur."
Revelation 21:8, "But for the cowardly and faithless and detestable and murderers and
prostitutes and magicians and worshipers of idols, and for those liars, their part [is] in the lake
that is burning with fire and sulphur, which is the second death."
2340
The phrase åò ôïò áíáò ôí áþíùí, eis tous aionas ton aionon, “into the ages
of the ages,” is omitted by Minuscule 1 and a few other Greek manuscripts. We see no reason
for the omission, unless it is a doctrinal reason–to soften the harshness of this statement
concerning “eternal torment.”
There should be no mistaking the meaning of this language--it means conscious suffering
in unending torment forever and ever! Walvoord, who constantly seeks to derive chronological
and doctrinal truths from John's symbolical visions, comments, "Thus the word of God
plainly declares that death is not annihilation and that the wicked exist forever, though in torment.
There would be no way possible in the Greek language to state more emphatically the
everlasting punishment of the lost than that used here in mentioning day and night and the
expression 'for ever and ever.'" (Pp. 304-05)
But those who seek to use John's visions as a source of doctrine should take note that
there are other passages which, in describing the consequences of divine judgment, use language
implying total destruction and cessation of existence--for example, John has earlier used
the Greek verb katakai,ein, katakaiein which means "consume with fire," or "burn up." See
Revelation 17:16 (the great prostitute will be burned up) and 18:8 (she will be burned up with
fire). This is only to be expected in prophetic visions of the future, in which, we “see through a
mirror darkly,” in visions filled with enigma--not the kind of material from which to build doctrines
of the precise nature of the distant future.
Hough comments that "The truth which comes out of all this varied and graphic symbolism
in respect of supernatural wickedness is that there is no dark power in the world or beyond
it which is not at last completely subject to the will and the power of God. When evil comes
upon men, so dark and so terrible that it seems to indicate that the very ultimate powers of the
universe have made an alliance with wickedness, it remains true that God is on the throne.
The triumph of the powers of darkness is temporary. God's word will be the last word. And it
(continued...)
1035

2341 2342 2343 2344
20.11 And I saw a throne, a great white one, and the One sitting upon it, from
2340
(...continued)
will compass the complete defeat of everything which is contrary to His Own purpose of good."
(Pp. 606-07)
2341
For other passages in biblical literature that deal with a divine throne of judgment,
see Daniel 7:9-12 (see the quotation of this chapter in footnote 2289); also, Matthew 25:31-
46, "When the Son of the Person comes in His glorious radiance, and all the messengers /
angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered
before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on His left. Then the
King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you
gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger
and you invited Me in. I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after
Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me..."
John 5:28-29, "...For a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His
voice and come out--those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil
will rise to be condemned."
2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of the Christ,
that each one may receive what is due him for the things done in the body, whether good or
bad."
See also 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; Romans 2:5, 16, and in extra-biblical materials, see 1
Enoch 90:20-38; Testament of Abraham A, 12.
2342
Aune notes that the phrase “and I saw” introduces a new vision report (p. 1100).
2343
Aune comments that “This judgment scene begins by focusing on a throne that differs
from other references to thrones in Revelation in that this throne is both ‘great’ and ‘white’
...Though there are no exact parallels to the white throne mentioned here, white is, of course,
the color appropriate for heaven and is associated with purity.” (P. 1106) No, there are no
stains, no defiling wickedness or unfairness there!
Hough comments that "There is the throne in blazing whiteness. There sits the mighty
Ruler, truly imperial [‘having sovereign rights’] when Rome has ceased to be." (P. 607)
2344
The phrase ð áôüí, ep’ auton, “upon it,” is read by Uncial Manuscript 051 and
the “Majority Text.” It is changed to read ep’ (evpa,nw, epano, “above” is read by Sinaiticus)
auvtou/, ep’ autou, “upon it,” i.e., a genitive phrase is substituted for the accusative phrase, by
Sinaiticus, Alexandrinus, Minuscules 1006, 1611, 1841, 2053, 2062, 2329 and a few other
Greek manuscripts. It is changed to read ðauvtw|/, ep’ auto, “upon it,” i.e., the genitive or
accusative phrase is changed to the dative phrase, with the same meaning, by Minuscule
1854 and a few other Greek manuscripts. The variant readings do not change the meaning of
(continued...)
1036

2345 2346 2347
the face of Whom the earth and the heaven fled, and a place was not found for them.
2344
(...continued)
Revelation, but demonstrate the freedom of the later copyists to make grammatical changes
(corrections) to the original text.
2345
The genitive definite article tou/, tou, “of the,” is omitted by Uncial Manuscript 051
and the “Majority Text.” The omission makes no difference for the meaning of Revelation,
and may again reflect a desire to eliminate unnecessary words from the original text.
Aune notes that “The author does not specify who is seated on this throne, though the
reader is by now well aware that the participial phrase ‘the One Who sits on the throne’ (4:1, 3,
9; 5:1, 7, 13; 6:16; 7:10, 15; 19:4; 21:5) is a frequent designation of God in Revelation. The
phrase ‘the One seated on it (i.e., the throne)’ is a circumlocution that avoids direct mention of
the divine name. However, the absence of any mention of the Lamb in this judgment scene is
striking.” (Pp. 1100-01)
2346
Aune notes that “The idiom feu,gein avpo. prosw,pou tino,j, ‘to flee from the face /
presence of someone,’ occurs frequently in the Septuagint (e.g., Exodus 14:25; Joshua
10:11; Judges 9:40; 2 Samuel 10:13-14; 2 Kings 3:24; 1 Chronicles 10:1; 1 Maccabees
5:34; Judith 14:3)...” (P. 1075)
He later adds that “Here heaven and earth are personified fleeing in fear of the judgment
of God...This verse is metaphorical...and does not describe the destruction of the cosmos.”
(P. 1101)
But of course–compare Revelation 6:12-14, “I watched as he opened the sixth seal.
There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the
whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig
tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain
and island was removed from its place.” If this vision is taken literally, there could not be
any earth left for the ensuing judgments to fall upon! Such language is meant symbolically, or
“metaphorically”--not literally! See Beasley-Murray’s comment in footnote 2356, and also see
Judges 5:4-5; Psalms 18:7-15; 68:7-8; Amos 1:2; Micah 1:3-4; Habakkuk 3:4-15; Sirach
16:18-19; 43:16-17 and Judith 16:15.
2347
Psalm 139 asks the question of where anyone can flee away from the divine presence--and
its answer is that there is simply no such place to which anyone can flee--because
wherever a person may go, YHWH is already there!
Compare Psalm 114:3-4 and 7, "The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back; the
mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs ...Tremble, O earth, at the presence of YH-
WH, at the presence of the God of Jacob..." The language is typical of a "theophany," a divine
appearance which causes all creation to be filled with dread and awe and as a result to “flee.”
Such language is highly symbolical in nature, and should not be taken literally, such as Aune
does in stating that “The meaning of the phrase...seems clear; the author anticipates the
destruction of the physical universe, a view that is repeated in Revelation 21:1.” (P. 1101)
(continued...)
1037

2347
(...continued)
Gregg entitles Revelation 20:11-15 “The End of the World” (pp. 478-79), even though
this phrase is not found in the biblical text, or in the entirety of Revelation. He refers to the
premillennial view that “The glory of Christ (or God) is so intense as to dissolve the universe
(compare 2 Peter 3:10, 12), so that John declares that the earth and the heaven fled away
(verse 11) [obviously, we think, a personification, in which both earth and heaven are depicted
as ‘running away’!]. These will be permanently removed, so that ‘there was found no place for
them.’ In the opening verse of the next chapter, the old heavens and earth are said to be
‘passed away.’ This makes place for the creation of a new heaven and earth.” (P. 478)
Hendricksen, quite differently, comments that "Not the destruction or annihilation but
the renovation of the universe is indicated here. It will be a dissolution of the elements with
great heat (2 Peter 3:10); a regeneration (Matthew 19:28); a restoration of all things (Acts
3:21); and a deliverance from the bondage of corruption (Romans 8:21). No longer will this
universe be subject to "vanity." (P. 196)
Walvoord comments that "The majesty of the person sitting on the throne results in the
earth and the heaven fleeing away, that is, the throne is in space rather than in heaven as in 2
Corinthians 5:10 or on earth as in Matthew 25:31. The time is clearly at the end of the
millennium in contrast to the other judgments which precede the millennium." (P. 305)
But these passages are not describing the "place" or the "time" of the divine judgment
in the way assumed by Walvoord. As Aune notes, “The location of the throne is necessarily
vague, since heaven and earth have been destroyed (compare 20:11; 21:1).” (P. 1100) We
say it is necessarily vague, because this is the very nature of biblical prophecy–it is enigmatic,
it is “through a mirror darkly,” and we are not to expect exact chronological or geographical
information from such material!
Walvoord’s view reads a great deal of theological precision into this highly symbolical
ancient document, which shows no real knowledge of or concern with such particularities. His
distinction between three different judgments in three different locations is rooted in his insistence
on a literal, non-symbolical understanding of this language. But it is far better to acknowledge
the enigmatic, puzzling nature of biblical prophecy, in which inconsistencies are bound
to arise–as Romans 8:21 envisions the whole creation liberated from bondage to decay, and
2 Peter 3:10 envisions the heavens disappearing and earth being consumed by fire.
And we ask, can such a vision really mean that heaven and earth have been destroyed,
when immediately following this description the sea is depicted as giving up its dead, and in
the succeeding visions the nations of the earth are depicted as coming and bringing their gifts
into the new Jerusalem (21:24) and the leaves of the trees serve for the healing of the nations
(22:2)? If the universe has been destroyed, would these nations not also have been destroyed?
This is no problem for those who recognize the enigmatic, non-exact, visionary, symbolical
nature of John’s (and of all prophetic) visions. It is only a problem for those who interpret
(continued...)
1038

2348 2349
20.12 And I saw the dead people, the great ones and the little ones, having stood before
2350 2351
the throne. And scrolls were opened, and another scroll was opened, which is of the
2347
(...continued)
them as precise, photographically exact depictions of future events, and seek to build doctrine
upon them. But John’s visions lack the clarity and exactness to enable such conclusions.
Newport comments that "Heaven and earth flee from the God who sits on the majestic
white throne. The language of poetic imagery captures the fading character of everything that
is of the world." (P. 303) Newport aptly refers to 1 John 2:17, which states that "The world
and its desires pass away, but the person who does the will of God lives forever."
Beasley-Murray comments that "The throne of God was the first object which had
caught John's attention in his opening vision of heaven (4:2). Now it is portrayed as not alone
the dominating feature of heaven, but as the sole, awful [‘awe-inspiring’] reality in the universe,
from which all else flees away in terror." (Pp. 299-300)
2348
Aune comments that “The living are not mentioned, probably because of the destruction
of virtually all the enemies of God narrated in 19:17-21. The author seems to presuppose
the resurrection of the dead who appear before the great white throne of God, but he
does not explicitly mention it.” (P. 1101) Again, we insist, such lack of precision, or inconsistency,
is only to be expected in biblical prophecies of the future, which are by their very nature
enigmatic and puzzling–see Numbers 12:7-8; 1 Corinthians 13:9-12.
2349
The phrase ôïò ìåãÜëïõò êá ôïò ìéêñïýò, tous megalous kai tous mikrous,
“the great ones and the little ones,” which Aune translates by “”both important and unimportant”
(pp. 1071-72), is omitted by Minuscule 2030 and the “Majority Text” (K). We suspect that
this omission may have been caused by the eye of the copyist skipping from the ending of the
word nekrou,j, nekrous, “dead ones,” to the ending of mikrou,j, mikrous, “little ones,” and as
a result leaving out the intervening phrase.
John includes all humanity within these two groups, the great ones and the little ones.
Newport rightly comments that "No one is so important as to be immune from judgment, and
no one is so unimportant as to make judgment inappropriate." (P. 303) For other mentions of
these two groups, see Revelation 11:18; 13:16; 19:5, 18.
2350
While in this life upon earth, people may curse, deny, and belittle the divine reality;
all human beings are ultimately responsible to God, and, following their death, will give
account to the great Judge of all peoples and nations!
Hendricksen insists that "Here is the one, general resurrection of all the dead. The
entire Bible teaches but one, general resurrection (read John 5:28-29)...Nowhere in the entire
Bible do we read of a resurrection of the bodies of believers, followed, after a thousand years,
by a resurrection of the bodies of the unbelievers. All arise at the same time. Death, the
separation of soul and body, and hades, the state of separation, now cease." (P. 196)
1039
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2352 2353
life; and the dead people were judged out of the things having been written in the scrolls,
2350
(...continued)
But again, it is obvious that John has no such doctrinal precision in mind--he says
nothing concerning a "resurrection" at this point, nor does he say anything concerning separation
of soul and body, followed by bodily resurrection. John simply states that the dead
people are seen standing before the throne. It is only much later, when theologians seek to
state exact, precise doctrines, that such teachings are read into these ancient texts. We think
that this is a misuse of these texts, which are intended to impart warning and hope, but which
are not intended to be, and are not, precise, doctrinal statements, enabling a clear vision of
future events.
2351 rd
The 3 person plural aorist passive verb íïß÷èçóáí, enoichthesan, “were opened,”
is changed to the active form of the same verb, hv ,noixan, enoiksan, “they opened,” by Minuscules
1854, 2030, 2329, the “Majority Text” (K) and Ambrose (who died 397 A.D.). Read in
this way, the verb has no subject, but perhaps implies the heavenly servants of God. The
variant reading does not change the meaning of Revelation. Another variant reading, hvnew,|cqh,
eneochthe, “it was opened,” the singular instead of the plural, is read by Sinaiticus, but
this is obviously a mistake since the subject of the verb is plural, not singular.
Aune comments that “This is an allusion to a particular aspect of the judgment scene in
Daniel 7:10, kai. bi,bloi hvnew,|cqhsan, ‘and books were opened.’ The plural in both Daniel 7:
10 and here probably reflects the early Jewish tradition of two heavenly books, one for recording
the deeds of the righteous and the other for recording the deeds of the wicked (Psalm 56:
8; Isaiah 65:6; Jeremiah 22:30; Malachi 3:16; Daniel 7:10.” (P. 1102) See 2 Esdras 6:20.
But do these biblical passages actually say “two heavenly books”? They mention a
book where one’s tears are recorded, and the fact that it is written that YHWH will repay His
enemies’ sins, and that a man is to be recorded as childless, and a book of remembrance of
those who tremble in awe before YHWH, and the opening of books, but no specification of
how many. We think that Aune, somewhat like Walvoord, is attempting to read precise details
into these less than clear, less than exact biblical prophecies.
2352
Beasley-Murray comments that "The joint testimony of the books of men's deeds
and the Lamb's book of life...gives a final expression to that duality of religious conviction and
experience which sees God as sovereign in His guidance of history and man as responsibly
free in his action. In the judgment God's justice and grace are neither divorced from one another,
nor set in conflict with each other, but are harmonious, uniting in a single voice in their
declaration of the destiny of every child of man." (P. 302)
2353
The phrase ôïò âéâëßïéò, tois bibliois, “in the scrolls,” is changed to read tai/j bi,bloij,
tais biblois, “in the scrolls” (biblos is feminine), by Sinaiticus. The variant does not
change the meaning of Revelation, but simply substitutes another way of saying the same
thing. See the following related passages:
1040
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2354 2355 2356
according to their works. 20.13 And the sea gave (up) the dead people, those in it; and
2353
(...continued)
Exodus 32:32-33, "But now, please forgive their missing of the mark--but if not, then
blot me out of the scroll (ôò âßâëïõ, tes biblou) you have written." YHWH replied to Moses,
"Whoever has missed the mark against Me I will blot out of My scroll."
Psalm 69:28, "May they be blotted out of the scroll of life and not be listed with the
rightly-related!"
Daniel 12:1, "...At that time Your people--everyone whose name is found written in the
scroll (ô âéâëß) --will be delivered."
Philippians 4:3, "Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have
contended at my side in the cause of the good news, along with Clement and the rest of my
fellow workers, whose names are in the scroll of life (âßâë æùò, biblo zoes)."
Revelation 3:5, "The one who conquers in this way will be dressed in white robes, and
I will not erase his name out of the scroll of the life (ôò âßâëïõ ôò æùò, tes biblou tes
zoes); and I will confess his name before My Father and before His messengers / angels."
Revelation 13:8, "And they will worship it [the beast], all those who live upon the earth,
the one whose name has not been written in the scroll of the life (ô âéâëß ôò æùò, to biblio
tes zoes) of the Little Lamb..."
Revelation 17:8, "...Those who live upon the earth will be caused to marvel, those
whose name has not been written in the scroll of the life (ô âéâëßïí ôò æùò, to biblion tes
zoes) from the world's foundation, as they see the beast..."
Revelation 20:15, "And if anyone was not found having been written in the scroll of the
life (ô âßâë ôò æùò, te biblo tes zoes), that person was thrown into the lake of fire."
Revelation 21:27, "And everyone who is common (that is, ‘unclean’) and the one who
makes a detestable thing and a lie, shall not enter into it--only those who have been written in
the scroll of life (ô âéâëß ôò æùò, to biblio tes zoes) of the Little Lamb."
Newport comments that "It means that...judgment is not arbitrary but based upon the
evidence written by the life of every person. Literature often treats the motif of character becoming
destiny. In Dante's Divine Comedy men are seen permanently fastened to the central
meaning which they have given to their lives." (P. 303)
Beasley-Murray holds that "The symbol of books in heaven, wherein men's deeds are
recorded, reflects the practice of certain oriental monarchs (notably the Persians) to keep such
records of the activities of their subjects. It embodies the idea that no element in a man's life,
whether good or evil, is forgotten by God, and in pronouncing according to such a record it is
revealed not alone that God is just, but also that a man prepares his own destiny." (Pp. 301-
02)
1041

2354
For this phrase, "according to their works," see the following passages:
Psalm 28:4, "Repay them for their deeds and for their evil work; repay them for what
their hands have done, and bring back upon them what they deserve."
Psalm 62:12, "...Surely You will reward each person according to what he has done."
Proverbs 24:12, "...Will He not repay each person according to what he has done?"
Isaiah 59:18, "...According to what they have done, so will He repay wrath to His
enemies and retribution to His foes; He will repay the islands their due..."
Jeremiah 17:10, "I YHWH search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a person
according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve."
Romans 2:6, "God 'will give to each person according to what he has done.'"
1 Corinthians 3:8, "The person who plants and the person who waters have one
purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor."
2 Corinthians 11:15, "...Their end will be what their actions deserve."
2 Timothy 4:14, "Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will
repay him for what he has done."
1 Peter 1:17, "...You call on a Father who judges each person's work impartially..."
Revelation 2:23, "...I am He Who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of
you according to your deeds."
Revelation 18:6, "Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she
has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup."
Revelation 22:12, "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to
everyone according to what he has done."
Aune comments at this point that “The modern reader will...wonder how it is possible to
narrate the final judgment of the dead in verse 12 though their ‘resurrection’ is not mentioned
until verse 13.” (P. 1102)
But such a question is only raised by those who do not recognize the nature of biblical
prophecy–with its inherent enigmatic, puzzling character–which should not be taken literally,
and exactly, but should be expected to contain such inconsistencies!
1042
(continued...)

2354
(...continued)
Newport well states that "Works are unmistakable evidence of the loyalty of the heart.
They express either belief or unbelief, faithfulness or unfaithfulness. The judgment will reveal
through the records whether the loyalties were with God and the Lamb or with God's enemies.
John's theology of faith and its inseparable relation to works is the same as Jesus' and Paul's
(John 5:29; Romans 2:6ff.). This judgment is not a 'balancing of the books,' a weighing of
good works and bad works. Those who have their names in the Lamb's book of life will also
have records of righteous deeds. The opposite will be true as well. The imagery reflects the
delicate balance between grace and obedience." (Pp. 303-04)
Hough comments, "All sorts of things have been destroyed. But men cannot escape
their own past...Human life is not a series of unrelated events. It does not consist of separate
fragments having no connection with each other. It is all of a piece. The present is woven
from the past and the future is woven from the past and the present. Men's deeds are adhesive.
They cannot be torn away from the men who perform them. To use the figure of the
author, they are recorded in indestructible books. When earth and sky have faded away, the
books remain...
“This principle of the moral continuity of life is embedded in the very depths of the
Revelation of the man of Patmos...For at last revelation makes clear not only what God is. It
also makes clear what man is. And the final revelation of what a man is becomes itself a
conclusive act of judgment." (Pp. 607-08)
2355
Beasley-Murray notes that to die at sea without burial was a terrible fate in the mind
of the ancients--since that meant the dead person would not be able to "be united with his
people...Those who died at sea, therefore, were regarded as in a terrible situation, having
been forever denied the privilege of burial and separated from their kin in the world of the
dead. So John makes explicit mention of them. They are not overlooked by God...but they
will join all the rest of the departed in the resurrection to judgment." (P. 302)
2356
The phrase íåêñïò ôïò í áô, nekrous tous en aute, “dead ones, the ones in
it,” is changed to read í áô íåêñïò, “in it, dead ones,” by Uncial Manuscript 051, Minuscule
1854 and the “Majority Text” (A). The variant reading does not change the meaning of
Revelation, but is simply a slightly abbreviated way of saying the same thing.
Beasley-Murray points out that the very existence of the sea at this point in John's
vision is problematical, if we understand the fleeing away of the earth and the heavens
previously mentioned in a literal manner. But, he comments,
"His subject at this point was not geophysical and astronomical changes in the universe,
but the majesty of God in the judgment. An instructive parallel is afforded by 6:12-17,
where the terrors of the closing messianic judgments are enhanced by the description of
cosmic signs--the sun turns black as sackcloth, the stars fall to earth, the sky vanishes like a
scroll that is rolled up, mountains and islands are hurled from their places, and the wicked call
on the mountains to hide them from the face of Him Who sits on the throne and from the
Lamb, 'for the great day of their wrath has come.' Commentators frequently interpret that
(continued...)
1043

2357 2358 2359 2360
the death and the underworld gave (up) the dead people, the ones in them, and they
2361 2362
were judged, each one according to their works. 20.14 And the death and the
2356
(...continued)
passage as implying the destruction of the physical universe, but that is far from John's intention,
for the events of the sixth seal give place to the inauguration of the kingdom of Christ in
power and glory on the earth." (Pp. 300-301)
2357
Literally, "the death."
2358
Aune notes that “Death and hades are often equated...and the pair are personified
four times in Revelation (1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14)...They are always in this order, suggesting that
‘death’ is considered the ruler over the realm of ‘hades.’ The final elimination of death is mentioned
in Revelation 21:4 and 1 Corinthians 15:26. The phrase ‘death and hades gave up
the dead in them’ is problematic, for it is unlikely that the author conceives of death and hades
as two separate entities.” (P. 1102)
We see no indication that death is here being considered the ruler over the underworld.
And we see no problem in John’s statement, since we not expect exact, precise consistency,
but rather, recognize the enigmatic, puzzling nature of John’s visions, not expecting complete
consistency or clarity. What do you think?
2359
The third person plural aorist verb äùêáí, edokan, “they gave (up),” is changed to
the third person singular, ev ,dwken, edoken, “it gave (up),” by Alexandrinus and a few other
Greek manuscripts. This variant is grammatically incorrect, since the verb has a two-fold subject.
Perhaps the copyist took the two nouns to be referring to a singular subject; however, the
variant reading does not change the meaning of Revelation.
2360
The phrase íåêñïò ôïò í áôïò, nekrous tous en autois, “dead people, the
ones in them,” is changed to read í áôïò íåêñïò, “in them, dead people,” by Uncial Manuscript
051, Minuscules 1854, 2030 and the “Majority Text” (A). The variant does not change
the meaning of Revelation.
2361
The aorist passive verb êñßèçóáí, ekrithesan, “they were judged,” is changed to
the prefixed verb katekri,qhsan, katekrithesan, perhaps implying “they were condemned,” by
Sinaiticus. The variant reading does not change the meaning of Revelation, but once again
demonstrates the freedom felt by copyists to slightly “editorialize” the text being copied.
2362
The genitive plural personal pronoun áôí, auton, “their,” is changed to the genitive
singular form of the pronoun auvtou/, autou, “his,” by the “Majority Text” (K) and some
manuscripts of the Sahidic Coptic. We think this variant reading is in the form of a grammatical
correction of the original text, in which the antecedent of the pronoun is the singular
e`,kastoj, hekastos, “each one.”
1044

2363 2364 2365 2366
underworld were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of
2367 2368
fire. 20.15 And if anyone was not found having been written in the scroll of the life, that
2363
Compare Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 15:26, "The last enemy to be destroyed
is death." In verses 54-55 he states, "...Then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death
has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your
sting?'" Paul is quoting Isaiah 25:8 and Hosea 13:14.
Aune comments that “The suggestion that death and hades...could share the fate of the
enemies of God (19:20; 20:10) seems problematic [again, we see no problem, since we expect
such puzzling, enigmatic elements in biblical prophecy]. There are at least two ways of
understanding ths significance of this statement: (1) It could simply be a way of referring to
the [final] elimination of death (compare Revelation 21:4; 1 Corinthians 15:26). (2) More
probably, however, ‘death and hades’ here stand for all the unrighteous dead in accord with
verse 15, where it is stated that all whose names were not found in the book of life were cast
into the lake of fire.” (P. 1103)
2364
Immediately before the demonstrative pronoun ïôïò, houtos, “this,” the conjunction
kai, kai, “and,” is interpolated into the text by Sinaiticus. We have seen this copyist shortening
the text on many occasions; here he lengthens the text. The interpolation does not change
the meaning of Revelation.
2365
Aune comments that “Explanatory remarks made within the context of visions regularly
make use of the present tense.” (P. 1076)
2366
The phrase èÜíáôïò äåýôåñüò, thanatos ho deuteros, literally “death, the second
one,” is changed to read äåýôåñüò èÜíáôïò, “second death,” by Sinaiticus, Minuscule 1611
(see), and a few other Greek manuscripts. This is simply another way of saying the same
thing, but again, slightly reduces the number of words found in the text. It does not change the
meaning of Revelation.
2367
The entire sentence, ïôïò èÜíáôïò äåýôåñüò óôéí, ëßìíç ôï ðõñüò, houtos
ho thanatos ho deuteros estin, he limne tou puros, literally “This, the death, the second
one, is–the lake of the fire,” is omitted by Uncial Manuscript 051, Minuscule 2053 (the text),
2062 (the text), the “Majority Text” (A), the Old Latin Manuscripts a, sin, the Bohairic Coptic,
and Augustine (who died 430 A.D.). We think this is another example of the eye of the copyist
skipping from the first occurrence of ðõñüò, puros to its second occurrence, and as a
result, leaving out the intervening words.
Aune comments that “This sentence is...problematic, for how can death and hades
experience the second death when they have not experienced the first (i.e., physical) death?”
(P. 1103; compare footnote 2363). Once again, we think that such a question can only be
asked by those expecting clear, logically consistent statements in prophetic visions. There is
(continued...)
1045

person was thrown into the lake of fire. 2369
2367
(...continued)
no problem for those who accept the biblical insistence that all prophetic vision is puzzling and
enigmatic, “seen through a mirror dimly”!
2368
Here we have the phrase ô âßâë, te biblo, “in the scroll,” instead of John’s much
more common use of bibli,on, biblion, “(little) scroll.” The phrase is changed to tw|/ bibli,w,
to biblio by Minuscules 1006, 1841, 2030, 2377 and the “Majority Text” (K). The variant does
not change the meaning of Revelation, but makes its language concerning “scroll” more uniform
than it was in the original text.
Aune comments that “As it stands, this statement means that the only criterion of salvation
is to have one’s name written in the book of life, and it appears to make superfluous the
rendering of judgment on the basis of deeds recorded in the books.” (P. 1103) But as we
have repeatedly stated, this type of criticism can only be made by someone expecting logical
consistency in the prophetic visions. A recognition of the enigmatic, puzzling character of
biblical prophecy makes such criticism unnecessary. The two visions should be held together,
in tension. What do you think?
2369
Again John lets his readers know, with the most powerful symbolic language he can
muster, that evil has no future--other than destruction, and endless torment! Even though we
have oftentimes disagreed with Walvoord in his constant literalistic, doctrinally-oriented, and
non-symbolic interpretation, we must agree with him at this point, when he states, “Many attempts
have been made to escape the obvious meaning of this passage by spiritualizing the
lake of fire as a mere symbol that is not as bad as it seems, or, on the other hand, to represent
it as the annihilation of the wicked rather than the beginning of their eternal punishment...It is
an awful destiny in either case.” (P. 309)
Indeed, John pictures an awful destiny for the wicked, for those who fail to take advantage
of the Little Lamb, and of His offer of life. Revelation is a book that is filled with hope for
the people of God--vibrant hope for an eternal future, filled with life and joy and loving community.
To reject God and the Little Lamb, however, and to worship the false gods of nationalism,
materialism and sensual pleasure, is to turn away from the only real hope that there is in
human history. The only future that can be held out for those who make such a commitment
is tragic and hopeless. It must be described (according to John's visions and language) in
terms of either annihilation ("burning up") or of unending torment ("the lake of fire"). John uses
both, without attempting to harmonize the terrifying visions.
In many ways, Revelation in this way corresponds to the closing chapters of Deuteronomy,
which pictures the "blessings and the curses" which await the people of God--all depending
upon the decision which they make in this life concerning God and His will. In the most
vivid of symbolism, John urges his readers to "choose life," just as Moses had done, so many
centuries earlier:
Deuteronomy 28:1-14, “If you people fully obey YHWH your God, and carefully follow
all His commands I give you today, YHWH your God will set you high above all the nations on
(continued...)
1046

2369
(...continued)
earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey YHWH your
God...”
Deuteronomy 28:15-68, “However, if you do not obey YHWH your God, and do not
carefully follow all His commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will
come upon you and overtake you...”
Deuteronomy 30:15, “See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and
destruction...” (See the entire chapter.)
We agree with Newport in his comment that "When taken seriously, this final note evaporates
all theories of universalism. God's mercy is vast beyond comprehension, but His mercy
is not limitless. He will never reject any who come to Him for mercy, nor will He force Himself
on any who choose to live without Him.” (P. 304)
That is, the author of Revelation in this present passage offers no hope to those who
choose to live as if God is dead.
But this is not all that the Bible says concerning such people, and we are reminded of
what British theologians have called “the greater hope,” based on such biblical passages as
Ezekiel 16:53-63, which offers hope to Sodom and her daughters who have perished in fiery
destruction, and to the terribly apostate prostitute Israel as well; and 1 Peter 3:18-20, which
offers hope to those spirits in prison who were destroyed in Noah’s flood. What do you think?
Can these biblical teachings be “held together in tension,” or must one be held to the exclusion
of the other?
Hough states, "The man of Patmos is firmly convinced that those who have suffered
most must receive conspicuous reward. He is also convinced that there must be a triumph of
Christ in this very world which has seen so many moral tragedies. So he pictures the thousand
years of splendor when these faithful dead are recalled to sit on thrones with the regnant
Christ. The very world which had spurned the saints is to be ruled by them. This sense of
what may be called a victory of good in history has haunted the imagination of earnest men
century after century...
"It is the essential characteristic of the thousand years of the triumph of goodness and
of the good in Revelation that every moral value is firmly maintained. Those who have been
treated with miserable and bitter injustice on the field of history are brought back for triumph
where they had experienced only defeat..." (P. 606)
Is this the Bible’s final answer to Job’s agonizing questions concerning God’s justice?
Is there finally no solution to Job’s dilemma apart from seeing history as a whole, as the
visions of Revelation do, and that view brief human life-spans in the light of eternity, where
God’s justice and His eternal purpose are victorious? What do you think?
1047