Saving the Nations by Casting Out the Prince of This World

The first printed map to show the world as a sphere from 1515 was a collaboration between Albrecht Dürer and Johann Stabius

In a previous blog post, I answered some queries from a brother about amillennialism. I was disappointed in that the brother claimed that it was arbitrary and/or inconsistent for me to interpret the vision of Revelation 20 figuratively. Here I answer this claim and support my interpretation by comparison with Scripture itself.

I had already answered his question about the correct way to interpret Scripture. We ought to interpret Scripture in the way it intends for us to interpret it. History must be interpreted as history. Didactic teaching in letters must be interpreted as such. Parables must be interpreted as parables. Prophetic visions must be interpreted as prophetic visions. Prophetic dreams must be interpreted as prophetic dreams.

Scripture itself does this and teaches us the appropriate context. As an example, Daniel records history, and in that history Nebuchadnezzar is given a dream containing a vision of earthly kingdoms and the kingdom of Christ. Even Nebuchadnezzar understood that this had to be interpreted, that the parts of the statue were intended to represent something figuratively. And Daniel, by the Spirit gives the authoritative interpretation.

Revelation contains a series of prophetic visions given to John, some of which concerned the present (e.g. the seven churches), some pertaining to the recent past (e.g. the ascension and session of Christ), some pertaining to entire New Testament age up to and especially including the end of the world. John is also given visions of the eternal state. The exact phrase "I saw" occurs 35 times in Revelation, which phrase in this context indicates a prophetic vision, and John even refers to that which he saw as being a "vision" (Rev. 9:17). The book opens by specifically telling us that the things contained in it which John "saw" were things that were sent and "signified" (Rev. 1:1). The interpretation of these visions is not by a wild allegorical method according to the imagination of the reader or the speculations of Origen, but by a sober and objective interpretation of Scripture with Scripture. The visions deliberately draw upon ideas explained and taught elsewhere in Scripture.

It is nothing less than disobedience and rebellion against the Scriptures to therefore presume that these visions are intended to represent literal things. Besides which, it would be extreme absurdity. The absurdities and even heresies would be too many to enumerate. Until a man submits himself to the way Scripture chooses to interpret itself, he will make very little progress and profit very little from instruction or discussion with others.

The "thousand years" in the context of the text, in my opinion, fits best with the idea of the church throughout all her generations (cf. Deut. 7:9). The general idea of "thousand" is simply "very many" or even "all" (cf. Ps. 50:10). But whatever reasoning or explanation is given here, there is no doubt that the beginning of this period is the cross of Christ, and the end is the resurrection at the final judgement. It is also clear that this heavenly reign then continues into eternity.

The binding of Satan is specific here, that he can no longer deceive the nations, and more specifically, so he cannot yet bring them all together against the church, that is, as the beastly antichristian kingdom just described in previous visions, building upon what was revealed to Daniel. Furthermore, when Christ came, that is exactly what He did. He "cast" out (or "bound") devils, to show that the kingdom of God was at hand.

When Christ went up to Jerusalem, some Greeks sought after Him, which was a token that His time had come. His response upon hearing this was: "The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified" (John 12:23). He explained that this would be by His death on the cross, and that this casting out of Satan, would mean the salvation of the nations:

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 unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die (John 12:31-33).

In the Old Testament, the nations were left to themselves (Acts 14:16; 17:30), but the death and resurrection of Christ has brought salvation to the whole world. more than anything else, that is what has characterized the New Testament era, the redemption and gathering of people from every tongue, tribe, and nation under heaven.

A dispensational may call this subjective interpretation and presuppositional bias, but in fact, it arises from Scripture itself. We come to Revelation, written last of all, when John was already old, already with the groundwork of the whole rest of Scripture laid, and we interpret it in that light, and then it makes sense, and it fits within what we have already learned, and then it fills out and informs us more, and edifies and instructs us.

In my previous post, I never suggested a literal throne of David. Christ's throne (or reign) is from heaven and all authority in heaven and earth falls under His rule. David's literal throne was literally a chair in Jerusalem, and figuratively represented his literal reign over a literal small nation in Palestine. Those were types and shadows of better things, as Hebrews (and the rest of Scripture) explains to us. The angel, quoted in Luke's gospel, tells us that Jesus is the promised Son of David, the one who inherits a kingdom far greater than what David ruled over, yet it is called David's throne, because that was a picture and a shadow of what was to come.

Everywhere Scripture teaches us that Christ and His kingdom and His priesthood and His sacrifice and His church is the fulfillment of the types and shadows and promises of the Old Testament. This is not "Replacement theology." This is Fulfillment Theology, also known as New Testament theology, or Biblical theology.