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.

The Kingdom Without End

A brother asked various questions about amillenialism which I think are worthwhile to share here because I find the answers edifying: How can the millennial kingdom of Revelation 20 be the kingdom that is promised forever and where this kingdom is now? How can we reign with Christ, when we are not yet perfectly holy, and the world is full of suffering and bloodshed? And why should Revelation 20 be interpreted figuratively, but Christ's coming must be a literal bodily event?

Some pertinent Scriptures to these questions are as follows:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:4-6).

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:1-3).

When Christ came preaching that the kingdom of heaven was at hand, and then suffered and died, and was raised up, even to be seated upon the throne in heaven, and given the name above all (i.e. Lord), this is the kingdom to which He referred (Luke 1:32-33). And this is the kingdom which His parables explain. And this is the kingdom which shall have no end, and which kingdom was prophesied in the Old Testament. This is the kingdom in which all Christians are citizens already, and even, by our union with Christ, already seated with Christ in this heavenly kingdom, as sharing in His anointing by the Spirit, so that we are all prophets, priests and kings. Now, a little, and weakly, hampered by sin, and only seen by faith, but after we have also suffered a little while, our reign will be more full, free, and glorious. Even now, having been born again into a new life, we fight as kings against our sinful flesh, bringing our bodies into subjection ("But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway," I Cor. 9:27), and triumph, making progress and taking ground, by the power of Christ.

When John saw the vision of the binding of Satan, ushering in the millennial kingdom, undoubtedly the same kingdom which Daniel saw, smashing the kingdoms of this world) which begins in the age for a "thousand" years and extends into eternity after the final judgement in the new heavens and new earth, he says, "Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed." (Rev. 20:4; cf. I Cor. 6:2-3). He describes these as the glorified saints, who were persecuted and martyred for their witness, which is given to all Christians to greater or lesser measure ("For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake," Phil. 1:29):

Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Rev. 20:4)

This is a kingdom which the world cannot understand and cannot touch (Luke 17:21). Its power is from heaven and nothing can stand against it. The victory of this kingdom, and for all its citizens is assured. And though we walk now in the midst of earthly kingdoms and groan inwardly amidst our own sins and failures, we even now enjoy and partake in the spiritual blessings of this kingdom, which has not even yet reached its final consummation, as it will at the end of the age. And we are assured of its victory, even if the whole world appears to go after the antichristian beastly kingdom, because Christ (and we in Him) is already seated upon the throne in heaven, bringing all of history to the end which He has appointed, gathering His church, and hardening others so that this present evil age becomes fully ripe for the judgement at His coming.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us (Rom. 8:35-37).

Lastly, Revelation 20 is a vision, and therefore intended to be interpreted as figurative language. Revelation 1 explains this, as in fact, all other visions in Scripture. But the literal bodily coming of Christ, in the same way as He ascended, is taught in historical narrative and direct didactic teaching, which is absolutely not intended to be interpreted as a pictorial vision or allegory.

Which [angels] also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)