Revelation 20 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

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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 (continued...) 1005
Page 1 and 2: THE THOUSAND YEAR VICTORY OVER EVIL
Page 3 and 4: 2259 2260 2261 2262 2263 key of the
Page 5 and 6: 2264 2265 2266 2267 2268 2269 drago
Page 7 and 8: 2265 (...continued) serpent, places
Page 9 and 10: 2270 2271 2272 2273 / satan and he
Page 11 and 12: 2271 (...continued) Isaiah 24:21-23
Page 13 and 14: 2271 (...continued) “In that sens
Page 15 and 16: 2271 (...continued) Tobit 8:2-3, Th
Page 17 and 18: 2272 (...continued) 1 Chronicles 16
Page 19 and 20: 2274 2275 2276 2277 2278 and locked
Page 21: 2279 The verb plana,w, planao, "to
Page 25 and 26: 2289 2290 2291 2292 them; and the i
Page 27 and 28: 2289 (...continued) ed Neo-Babylon,
Page 29 and 30: 2289 (...continued) ed over to him
Page 31 and 32: 2294 2295 2296 2297 nor his image,
Page 33 and 34: 2299 (...continued) There is a conf
Page 35 and 36: 2304 2305 20.5 The rest of the dead
Page 37 and 38: 2307 (...continued) rection...Antit
Page 39 and 40: 2309 (...continued) ‘soul,’ on
Page 41 and 42: 2312 2313 2314 with him [the] thous
Page 43 and 44: 2317 2318 2319 released from his pr
Page 45 and 46: 2320 2321 2322 2323 2324 2325 four
Page 47 and 48: 2326 2327 2328 war -of whom their n
Page 49 and 50: 2329 2330 2331 2332 width of the ea
Page 51 and 52: 2333 (...continued) beloved city,
Page 53 and 54: day and night into the ages of the
Page 55 and 56: 2345 2346 2347 the face of Whom the
Page 57 and 58: 2348 2349 20.12 And I saw the dead
Page 59 and 60: 2354 2355 2356 according to their w
Page 61 and 62: 2354 (...continued) Newport well st
Page 63 and 64: 2363 2364 2365 2366 underworld were
Page 65: 2369 (...continued) earth. All thes

Revelation 20 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

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