Revelation 20 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

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(...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?
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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...)
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