Revelation 20 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

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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.
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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...)
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