Date: April 2007 Series: "I Want to be Left Behind" (XXX) Title: Revelation 20 is the Church Age

(continued) The NAS identifies subjunctives by including the words "should/might" - thus, when the passage says "that he should not deceive the nations any longer" (ma planasa), it is portraying the subjunctive mood that John used, which means that Satan’s ability to deceive mankind has been effectively dealt with, but its reality is conditioned on some variable.  The Greek text does not say, "that he cannot deceive," (the NIV is murky here) but rather that he "might not/should not."  In Greek, John said that the binding of Satan is a 50/50 proposition as to the reality of the action – something has been done that is fully capable of limiting Satan’s ability to deceive the nations (Gentiles?), but deception is a continuing possibility.  The "binding" makes it no longer necessary for Satan to deceive and this we should see in Jesus' assertion of His authority over Satan in connection with the first coming (see also John 12:31-33; 14:30; 1John 3:8).  I believe the variable that determines whether or not Satan is bound or not is the Gospel and whether or not it is encountered/believed.  This is discussed in Hebrews 2:14-15, also in the subjunctive mood, where it is stated that the death (and resurrection?) of Jesus are sufficient (if embraced) to destroy Satan's "fear of death" power over people.  With Christ's first coming, Satan's power to deceive was severely curtailed with the gospel and Satan's current ability to deceive depends on a person's faith in or rejection/ignorance of Christ.

       A final point to note in this passage is that interpreters sometimes have to make decisions as to how they will render some terms for which two English words could be used.  The "nations" sounds like the whole world, but the term ethnos is also often rendered "Gentiles" in the New Testament.  How would it affect the meaning of the verse if we read that Satan was bound in such a way that it was no longer necessary for the Gentiles to be deceived?  With Christ's first coming and the Gospel, it is no longer only the Jews who have access to revelation about God’s will and are "instructed" by the Law (Romans 2:17-20), but now the message is to go into all the world (Mark 16:15-16) and the Gentiles become accountable (Acts 17:30-31).

       20:4-6/ John saw "thrones" because Christians reign with Him (Ephesians 1:20-22; 2:6,19; Philippians 3:20; Colossians 2:9-20).  As for those who judge, see: Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:28-30; 1Corinthians 6:2-3.

       Do not think of this as a resurrection of bodies, because John tells us he saw the souls of the faithful that “came to life.”  Only those who are faithful to Christ participate in this first "coming to life," whereas the rest of the dead (the unbelievers) do not "come to life" until the time of final judgment.

       To understand the "two resurrections," be sure you compare this with the first time that this teaching was presented - John 5:21-29.  Hearing Christ's word (the Gospel) and obediently believing Him transfers one into eternal life (John 3:36) and exempts them from condemnatory judgment (Romans 8:1) - this is the first of these "coming to life" events and the one that was a possibility/reality from Jesus' first coming onward and involved the "dead who hear" (John 5:24-25; 11:25-26).  Later on, there would also be a universal "resurrection" for all "in the tombs" to one of two eternal fates (vv. 28-29).  Accordingly, in Revelation 20 we find that the first "coming to life" involves the souls of believers (through the Gospel?).  Since Jesus is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25-26), those who are “in Him” (Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27) are participating in “the first resurrection” now!  The essence of the Gospel, bringing the spiritually “dead” to “life” is a common NT teaching - John and Peter taught this in terms of “new birth/born again,”^[1] while Paul taught this in terms of “dead in sin/buried-raised with Christ in baptism/made alive/new creature” through Christ/the Gospel.^[2]

       Those who participate in the Gospel "coming to life" are called "blessed and holy," as Paul referred to the believers in Colossae (Colossians 1:22).  As victors through Christ over the "second death," Christians share in Christ’s reign and are priests NOW!^[3]  As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, these things must be perceived spiritually by “enlightened eyes of the heart” (Ephesians 1:18).

       20:7-9/ At the end of the age there will be a final effort by Satan to gather the world (by means of his demonic helpers - Revelation 16:13-16) against the Lord and His people.  Notice that this final war is described as involving the worldly nations gathered against the Lord and His people, not against each other (as the Dispensational “Armageddon” portrays)!!!  In response to the premillennial view (and this always bothered me), how could this “world-wide revolt" occur if Jesus is "ruling the world with a rod of iron" from Jerusalem during the “millennium” - is Jesus cowering inside Jerusalem, along with His people, as this develops?  Ridiculous!

       On the other hand, if Jesus is not "ruling on an earthly throne" during this era, but from heaven’s throne (Revelation 1:5-6; 3:21) then a final earthly rebellion is more believable.  I do not believe that this final war will necessarily involve the military aspect (“Battle of Armageddon”) claimed by most Premillennialists – notice that the demonically-gathered international enemies (Revelation 16:13-16; 20:7-9) do not gather to fight each other, but are united against God and His people.  Paul warned early Christians that a spiritual war was already raging (temptation, wealth and love of comfort, false teachers and doctrines, contrary philosophies and worldview speculations – 2Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-18; 1Timothy 4:1-3; 2Timothy 4:2-4) and it may be that this is how the world is demonically gathered against God and His people at the end of this age.  While it may be something else, the gathering forces of European Enlightenment materialism/naturalism, North American secularism and de-Bibleized “Christian” Liberalism, communistic socialism, and radical Islamic extremism provide a worthy candidate for a final worldwide coalition aimed at wiping out the Judeo-Christian worldview and Christianity.  The destruction of God’s enemies by "fire from heaven" is probably the return of Christ, as Paul described (2Thessalonians 2:1-10).

(to be continued)