An Overview of the Book of Revelation

An Overview of the Book of Revelation 

Steve Kissell 

  

The Book of Revelation is probably the most misunderstood section of Scripture. Because of its subject matter and style of language, it has become a focal point of widely varied specula¬tion and much error, especially the error known as premillenialism. The term premillenialism comes from a reference to the “thousand year reign” of Revelation chapter 20. Much of the premillenial error comes from a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of this book. The book is widely misunderstood even among non-premillenialists. 

  

The “Key” to Understanding the Revelation 

  

There is a “key” to understanding this letter. This key is the guidelines for interpretation given in the letter, and must be applied if this letter is going to be understood. It is my firm belief that those readers who fail to use those guidelines, which are clearly set out for us in the first verse, are doomed to forever misunderstand the Revelation: 

  

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His ser¬vants-things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,” 

  

This verse gives us two absolutely essential rules by which to correctly interpret this letter. 

  

Rule One: 

  

 First, we must accept that this is a revelation of “things which must shortly take place.”  The time ele¬ment of this prophecy is here clearly stated. If we don’t get this we will forever misunderstand this book. Many people just ignore this rule. Others notice it but argue that it can’t mean what it says (because it doesn’t fit some preconceived idea about the book). Many will acknowledge the statement but refuse to apply it consistently. Some will attempt to suggest that “shortly” means “quickly” or “suddenly,” or anything but shortly. The fact is, the word “shortly” simply means shortly. 

  

Chapter 1, verse 3. corroborates this statement: “...for the time is near.” McGuiggan (The Book of Revelation) says of these two verses: 

  

“The debate over the meaning of ‘shortly come to pass’ and ‘at hand’ is one which arises because of one’s overall view of the teaching of the book of Revela¬tion, not from the words themselves. The translations are unanimous in their testi¬mony as to the mean¬ing of the words.” 

  

Notice: 

The Basic English: “Things which will quickly take place. “ (1:1); “The time is near.” (1:3) 

  

The New English: “What must shortly happen. “ (1’ 1); “The hour of fulfillment is near.” (1:3) 

  

New American Standard: “Things which must shortly take place.” (1:1); “For the time is near. “ (1 :3) 

  

Goodspeed:  “What must very soon happen.” (1:1);  “For the time is near.” (1:3) 

  

  W. Barclay: “Things which must soon happen.” (1:1); “For the time is near.” (1:3) 

  

RSV:  “What must soon take place.” (1:1);      “The time is near.” (1:3) 

  

NIVersion: “What must soon take place.”  (1:1); “The time is near.” (1:3) 

  

“This is, of course, in perfect agreement with the testimony of independent schol¬arship. Vincent, Robertson, Swete, Expositor’s Greek, Thayer and the rest!” (McGuiggan, Revelation, p.32, 33) 

  

The time element of the Revelation is further reinforced by statements near the end of the book. “Then he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true.’ And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place” (22:6). 

  

Then we are told, “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is a hand” (22:10). It is interesting to compare this statement with that of Daniel 8: 26. Here, Daniel has also seen a prophetic vision. At the end of the vision, Dan¬iel is told, “Therefore seal up the vision, For it refers to many days in the future.” 

  

Notice the contrast. One vision is to be sealed because of a far off fulfillment. The other vision is to be left unsealed because the time for its fulfillment is near. The implication is that the time period in Daniel’s prophecy is longer than that of John’s. If one knows, at least approxi¬mately, the length of time for the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy, one could reasonably con¬clude that the pe-riod of John’s prophecy would be somewhat less. 

  

I agree with Keil and Deilitzsch ( Vol.9, p.317) and McGuiggan (Daniel, p.132) that Daniel’s prophecy in chapter eight predicts the emergence of the Seleucid conqueror, Antiochus Epiphanes. His desecration of the temple in Jerusalem occurred around 168 BC and is described in First and Second Maccabees. Daniel received this prophecy around 540 BC, making the time from prophesy to fulfillment less than 400 years. The strong implication, therefore, is that the period of which John wrote was to be less than 400 years. 

  

Consider also what these time statements of John must have meant to the first recipients of the letter. Imagine receiving a letter in which you are told in the first line the things of which you will read will “...shortly take place” (1:1). Then you are told there is a blessing for you in reading the letter, “...for the time is near” (1:3). Then, in the closing remarks, you read again that what you have read are “...the things which must shortly take place” (22:6). Once again the author reiterates, “...the time is near” (22: 10). Would you infer that the events described in the letter would be taking place two thousand or more years in the future? Would you assume the contents of the letter have no relevance to you? Of course not! Yet this is the meaning imposed on this letter by most people. If, as the Premillennialists claim, the events predicted and described in Revelation are yet to occur, these statements containing the time element were false and the mes¬sage had no relevance to the first recipients of the letter. 

  

The events prophesied in this book were fulfilled hundreds of years ago. There are eternal principles displayed in the book. There are valuable lessons for every generation here. But we should not wait for the events predicted here to take place. They already have. 

  

Rule Two: 

  

The second rule of interpretation is also contained in the first verse. “And He sent and signi¬fied it by his angel to His servant John.” This message was “signified.” The word “signified” is from the Greek word “semaino” which conveys the idea of “expressing by signs” (W. E. Vine, Vol. IV., p.30). The word is derived from “semeion” which is frequently translated “signs,” e.g., “A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Matthew 16: 4). 

  

      We need to understand that most of the Revelation was conveyed in a highly symbolic form, known as apocalyptic language, that was never intended to be understood literally. The normal rule of interpretation is that language should be interpreted literally unless there is a com¬pelling reason not to. In Revelation we must reverse this rule. We are told that the message is “signi¬fied.” Further, most of the language is obviously not plain and ordinary. The presumption must be, therefore, that we are dealing with highly figurative, apocalyptic language. 

  

  

The Language of the Apocalypse 

  

      When hearing the word “apocalypse,” most people think of a disaster of “Biblical propor¬tions,” such as the end of the world. The word simply means a revelation, an uncovering of some¬thing concealed. Apokalupis (apocalypse) is translated “revelation” and is the first word in the Greek text of the book of Revelation. The unusual, very graphic language style of the book has come to be referred to as apocalyptic language. Apocalyptic language is a type of figurative language. 

  

Characteristics of Apocalyptic Language: 

  

·     Apocalyptic language usually conveys the message derived from a vision or series of visions. It is very vivid in its colors and frequently very violent in its tone. Its descriptions are fre¬quently extreme and unreal (beasts with many heads, “out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword”, etc.). 

  

·        Apocalyptic language draws “pictures” that one should not attempt to examine too closely. Instead of analyzing every brush stroke, we need to stand back and look at the whole picture. Sometimes some of the details of the picture have no particular meaning in and of them¬selves; they are just part of the picture. Our goal should be to discover the meaning of the overall picture. We should not literalize the picture; we should discern the meaning of the picture and apply its literal meaning 

  

·        Numbers are frequently used as symbols in apocalyptic language 

·        The most common subject matter of apocalyptic language is Divine Judgment, usually against a specific nation. 

  

Apocalyptic language is language that is not intended to be taken literally. Some people insist that all of the Bible should be interpreted literally, that is, to mean exactly what it says. That isn’t possible. Jesus referred to Herod as a fox (Luke 13:32). Obviously, Jesus did not intend this to be taken literally. Christians are to be “the salt of the earth”. We are not literal salt. 

  

Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible lists 71 different types of figures of speech found in the Bible (R. Young, Prefatory remarks). There are literally thousands of examples of these figures of speech in the Scriptures. Many statements of apocalyptic language would be impossible to understand literally. Examples: 

            

“And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.” (Rev. 12: 3, 4) 

  

“Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. And to him was given the key to the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth, And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.” (Rev. 9:1-3) 

  

“And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.” (Rev. 6:13) 

  

The notion of a beast with a tail long enough to drag down a third of the stars is impossi¬ble to understand literally. The same is true of a literal bottomless pit or of stars falling to the earth. Premillenialists nevertheless insist that Revelation and other apocalyptic language must be interpreted literally. 

  

“The real issue between the amillenial and the premillenial viewpoints is whether prophecy should be interpreted literally or allegorically. As it has been demonstrated many times in this book, all prophecy about past events has been fulfilled literally, par¬ticularly the predictions regarding the first coming of Christ. The words of prophecy were demonstrated as being literal, that is, having the nor¬mal meaning understood by the peo-ple of the time in which it was written. The words were not intended to be explained away by men who cannot believe what is clearly predicted.” (The Late Great Planet Earth, Lindsey, p.165) 

  

In spite of this assertion that those of us who recognize figures of speech are unbelievers, Lindsey freely figurizes whenever it suits him. Perhaps the most obvious example is in the figure of Jesus as a “Lamb.” If Lindsey is going to be consistent, we must understand a literal lamb. There are many other examples: the sea beast of Revelation chapter 13 is said to be a man and not a sea beast. Lindsey says, “This person, the Antichrist, is call the “beast” because from God’s viewpoint that is exactly what he is. The passage is obviously talking about a person because the personal pronoun ‘he’ is used” (Lindsey p.92). Here, Lindsey doesn’t hesitate to understand this “beast” as a man. It is also noteworthy that this passage says nothing of an “Antichrist.” In fact, the word antichrist is not found in the Revelation. 

  

Lindsey further says, “The description of torrents of fire and brimstone raining down upon the Red Army, coupled with an unprecedented shaking of the land of Israel could well be describing the use of tactical nuclear weapons against them by the Romans” (Lindsey p.149). Swords and shields are said to refer to tanks and missiles, locust are seen as attack helicopters. If we must interpret everything literally, however, “locust” must mean locust, not attack helicop¬ters. “Fire and brimstone” must mean just that and not tactical nuclear weapons. No one, in spite of protests to the contrary, consistently interprets the book of Revelation literally. 

  

It is important to understand that apocalyptic language had its beginnings prior to the writing of the New Testament. There is a considerable amount of apocalyptic language in the Old Tes-tament. 

  

“Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, a man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger.” (Isaiah 13:9-13) 

  

All this heaven shaking and sun darkening refer to God’s judgment against, and subse¬quent fall of, Babylon (Isaiah 13:1). This prophecy was fulfilled, but not literally. 

  

“All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; all their host shall fall down as the leaf falls from the vine, and as fruit falling from a fig tree. For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; indeed it shall come down on Edom, and on the people of My curse for judgment.” (Isaiah 34: 4,5) 

  

This refers to God’s judgment against the nation of Edom. This is the language of judg¬ment. Notice also: 

  

“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all fresh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams your young men shall see visions; and also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant whom the Lord calls.”  (Joel 2: 28-32) 

  

This prophecy, which includes the sun darkening and the moon turning to blood, was ful¬filled on the day of Pentecost after Jesus’ death. We know it was because Peter said it was (Acts 2:16-21). It clearly was not intended to be understood literally. 

  

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Mathew 24: 29-31) 

  

This is typical apocalyptic language predicting God’s judgment against the Jews. Jesus said it would take place before that generation had passed away (Matthew 24: 34). It was fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70. 

  

There are significant portions of apocalyptic language in Ezekiel, Daniel, and several of the minor prophets. 

  

  

Numbers as Symbols 

  

Numbers are frequently used symbolically in the Bible. This is especially true in passages of apocalyptic language. The meanings of these numbers are ususally not given. It is therefore appropriate to acknowledge that a bit of guesswork is involved in understanding them. It seems clear, however, that certain numbers (or their multiples) seem to denote certain things. 

  

Examples: 

      

·     Seven:  The number seven carries the idea of totality or completeness. Perhaps this is because the creation of the universe was completed in seven days (Gen. 2: 1-3). In Gen. 4: 24, the number seven speaks of full and utter vengeance. Seventy elders are selected to represent the people of Israel (Num. 11:16).  Zechariah 4:1-10 speaks of the seven “eyes of the Lord, which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.” In Matthew 18: 21-22, 70 times 7 speaks of com¬plete and total forgiveness. 

  

Revelation is full of sevens: seven churches, seven lampstands, seven angels, seven stars, seven Spirits, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls. There is clearly a symbolic significance attached to the number seven. 

  

·     Ten: The number ten (and its multiples) also suggests the idea of completeness. The dif-fer¬ence between 7 and 10 seems to be that 7 is more closely associated with the Divine, 10 with the human. Perhaps the connection of 10 to the concept of completeness comes from the fact that a “complete” baby has 10 fingers as well as 10 toes. The number 1000 (l0xl0xl0) empha¬sizes the point (See Duet. 7:9; I Chron. 16:15; Ps. 50:10; Ps. 105:8). 

  

The number ten carries an additional connotation, that of trial or testing (See Dan. 1:12-16; 4; Gen. 31: 7; Rev. 2:10). 

  

·    Twelve:  The number twelve suggests God’s people. This probably comes from the fact that God’s chosen people (of the Old Testament) were derived from the 12 sons of Jacob and were comprised of 12 tribes. To lead God’s people at the inception of the new covenant, Jesus chose 12 apostles who became the “foundation” of the church (Eph. 2:19-22) 

  

If we wanted to emphasize this idea we could multiple 12 times 12 to get 144. If we mul¬tiply 144 times 1,000 (completeness) we get 144,000. This number symbolizes all of God’s peo¬ple. 

  

 The “Plot” of Revelation. 

  

Obviously, this is not intended to be a verse by verse study of the book. However, I want to examine a couple of passages in order to accomplish two things: 

  

      1) I want to discover the overall “plot” of the book. Identifying some of the main char¬acters will help us to know what the book is all about. 

  

  2) I also want to reiterate the need to accept the time frame we are given. Many people have difficulty reconciling “...things which must shortly come to pass,” with what they have always thought about Revelation. For example, what about the battle of Armageddon and the description of heaven with its pearly gates and streets of gold, etc.? How could all of that have come about “shortly”? 

  

Two Passages: 

  

A. The Scarlet Woman— (Rev. 17)  She: 

      “…is the great harlot that sits on many waters” (17:1), 

      “…sits on the scarlet beast having seven heads and ten horns” (17:3), 

       “...drunk with the blood of the saints” (17: 6). 

  

Who is she? 

·        “...I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her,” (Rev. 17: 7) 

·        “The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. “ (17:9) 

·        “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues.” (17:15) 

·        “And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.” (17:18) 

  

The composite picture is that of a city that sits on seven hills and rules over peoples, multi¬tudes, nations, tongues, and that reigns over the kings of the earth. Several elements of this pic¬ture clearly point to Rome. 

  

Verse nine tells us the seven heads refer to seven hills. 

  

“The old legends say that Romulus founded the city in 753 BC when the settle¬ments on the seven hills (Palatine, Capitoline, Aventine, Viminal, Quarinal, Esquiline, Caelian) were united” (Compton’s Enc.). 

      

This is a clear reference to Rome. Add to this the fact that Rome was, at the time the Revela¬tion was given, “the great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.” When we under¬stand also that Rome was the persecutor of the saints, it becomes indisputable that Rome and its Empire are symbolically portrayed by the scarlet harlot. The early readers of this letter would have immediately recognized her. 

  

The basic message of this book is that there is a war going on between Christ and Satan along with his beasts. That war will manifest itself on earth as a struggle between the Empire which belongs to Rome and the church which belongs to Christ. The saints are going to experi¬ence ter-rible persecution at the hands of Rome. The message to them is, “Hang on, don’t give up. Christ will win this war, and we will win with Him” 

  

From a human standpoint, it seemed that Rome would surely win this struggle. It looked hopeless for the church. It was for that reason this letter was written It was to show Christians living then that trouble was coming and yet as bad as things would get, God was still in control and Jesus and his church would prevail. Consequently, it seems ridiculous to suggest that this letter is about things that are still in the future. 

  

While its message is directed to a specific audience facing a specific struggle at a specific time, the general theme is applicable to any Christians facing persecution at any time. Jesus told them (and us), “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life. “ (2:10) 

  

  

B. The Holy City     (Revelation ch. 21) 

  

This passage, with its description of a city with “golden streets” and “pearly gates,” etc., is usually understood to be a description of heaven following the Judgment. I wish I had a nickel for every sermon I’ve heard and for every song in our song books that reflects that view. Guess what? This passage is not about heaven in eternity! Reasons: 

  

1) First, and perhaps foremost, is the fact that we would have to abandon the hermeneuti¬cal guidelines we have been given by the Holy Spirit for interpreting this letter. Remember that this letter deals with, “...things which must shortly take place.” Also, we must presume that this is symbolic, figurative language not intended to be taken literally. 

  

      2) Nowhere are we told it is heaven. In fact, we are told what it is and it isn’t heaven. Notice: 

  

·     “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, pre¬pared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21: 2).   Notice the city came “down out of heaven...” It isn’t heaven itself, it came down from heaven. This speaks of its origin. It is of Divine origin, rather than human origin. 

  

·     It is “New Jerusalem,” “... as a bride prepared for her husband.” Rev. 21: 9b: 

“…Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.”  This is a clear symbolic reference to the church (See 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph.5: 22-23). 

  

·     Rev. 21:10:  “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,...”  Heb. 12:22-23 helps us understand this language: 

  

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect...” 

  

This passage says that Christians “have come to Mount Zion” and it identifies “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” as “...the church of the firstborn...”  The heavenly Jerusalem ( both in Hebrews and Revelation) is the church. 

  

Notice also in Rev. 21: 25, that the city is pictured as being left open for anyone who would enter, The “gates shall not be shut at all by day...” This idea of continued access seems to fit the church much better than heaven. I don’t see that once heaven is inhabited on the judg¬ment day, access will continue. 

  

Notice also that there is within this city a “pure river of water of life” (22:1). In verse 17 this water of life is offered by the Spirit and the bride to “whomever thirsts.” Jesus used the same fig¬ure when offering this water to the Samaritan woman in John chapter four. It is water that one must drink in order to never thirst again. This thirst is not of the saved in heaven (for their thirst has been quenched) but of the lost on earth who hear the offer of the Spirit (through the Word) which is presented by the bride (the church). 

  

Rev. 22: 2 speaks of a tree of life whose leaves were for the healing of the nations. “Healing” isn’t necessary in heaven. Only those who have already been “healed” will enter heaven. There is a sense, however, in which the nations come to the church for spiritual healing. 

  

What we have in these two chapters is a highly figurative picture of the church, triumphant in its struggle with Rome. It is referred to as a “new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1). This speaks of a new environment, a new situation in which the church now enjoys peace after over¬coming its trial. This is the victory that Christ had promised the church. The church was victori¬ous in that it bore the brunt of Roman power but survived. 

  

The official end of the Roman persecution of the church came in 313 A. D. This was a little over 200 years after this prophecy. In 410, the city of Rome was sacked and plundered by the Goths and by 476 the entire Roman Empire had fallen. It is significant that Christ’s church is still alive and well almost 2,000 years later while the Roman Empire has lain in the dust for many hundreds of years. 

  

Understanding and consistently applying the hermenuetical rules given in the first verse of Revelation is crucial to understanding the letter. Failure to follow these rules leads to a legion of errors. Using them reveals a frightening, but then beautiful picture of God’s people under a terri-ble assault yet sustained by God and led to victory in Jesus. 

  

  

The Thousand Year Reign (Rev 20: 6) 

  

1) The general context: 

  

Revelation is a message conveyed in figurative language, that is, in” signs” (1:1) concern¬ing “things which must shortly take place” (1:1; 22:6). We must therefore maintain a predisposi¬tion to understand the thousand year reign of Rev. 20: 6 as a figure of speech with reference to circumstances that would occur not long after the Revelation was received. 

  

2) The immediate context: The Battle of Armageddon. 

  

We are introduced in chapters 14 and 15 to the thought that God is not going to allow the dragon and his beasts to continue to wreak havoc with the people of the Lamb. The vision shows “the bowls of the wrath of God” poured out in chapter 16. The 6th bowl involves the dragon and his agents (the beast and the false prophet) preparing for the battle of Armageddon (16:12-16). They send out messengers who appear “as frogs.” Comments on this: 

  

·     These are figures of speech. We are told, for example, that the dragon is a symbol for Satan (20:2) Even the Premillenialists, who insist on a literal interpre¬tation, do not understand these “frogs” as literal or this “beast” as a literal beast. The beast and the false prophet refer to facets of the Roman Empire (represented by the Scarlet Harlot, who sits on the beast; ch. 17). The beast is a symbol of the civil / military power of the Empire. This is the facet of the Roman Empire that wields physical, military power and applies that power against God’s people. The false prophet is the religious facet of the Empire, i.e., the cult of Caesar. This is institutional religious error designed to deceive. 

  

·     The battle of “Armageddon” is another symbol. It is inconsistent, to say the least, to pluck this one element out of a context of symbols (dragons, frogs, beast) and make it a literal, physical battle. The word “Armageddon” literally means “mount Megiddo.” Megiddo was the site of numerous O.T. period battles. To speak of Megiddo was to speak of war. Names such as Waterloo, Pearl Harbor, and Normandy conjure up similar thoughts of battle in our minds. And just as “Waterloo” can be used figuratively, Megiddo is used thus here. It symbolizes a spiritual battle between Rome and the church. 

  

Meaning of the “Battle of Armageddon”

  

In chapters 17 and 18, “Babylon, the Great, the Mother of Harlots” is pictured as doomed: “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found any¬more” (18:21). In chapter 19, the One whose name is “The Word of God” leads His army into battle (vs. 1 1ff). The beast and his armies “gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army” (vs. 19). The result of this battle: The beast and the false prophet were captured and thrown into the lake of fire (vs. 20) and “the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh” (19:21). 

  

It is important to note that this immediately precedes the passage in question (20:1-6). In other words, chapter 20 describes the aftermath of the battle of Armageddon. Remember, the beast and the false prophet (agents of the dragon) have been dealt with and their armies defeated. The question now is, what happens to the dragon and to those who died in the service of the Lamb? 

  

First, the dragon is bound (but not destroyed) for a thousand years (20:1-3). It is crucial that we not abandon the symbolic rule of interpretation given in 1:1. We are not to understand a lit¬eral dragon or a literal binding with a literal chain. Nor are we to understand a literal bottom¬less pit with a literal seal. Nor should we understand a literal “thousand years. “ It is a symbol. 

  

Like many numbers in apocalyptic language, the number 1000 conveys a meaning. It is a multiple of the number 10. Like the number 7, the number 10 (and its multiples) also suggests the idea of completeness. The num¬ber 1000 (l0xl0xl0) emphasizes the point. (See Duet. 7: 9; I Chron. 16:15; Ps. 50:10; Ps. 105:8.) 

      

The “thousand years” is not a time period at all. It symbolizes the completeness of the dragon’s defeat. To say that the dragon (Satan) is bound for a thousand years is to say that he is completely and utterly defeated with respect to his working with Rome. Rome (the beast and the false prophet) will never rise again (they are “cast into the lake of fire”). Satan will surface again (more on this later), but with respect to his working with Rome against the church, he is utterly defeated, finished. 

  

Second, we learn what happens to those who died in the service of the Lamb. They “live (both the tense, aorist, and the context indicate that “came to life” would be a better translation) and reign with Christ for a thousand years” (20:4). Again, this is not a literal time period. That they are raised to live and reign for a thousand years indicates their complete vindication and vic¬tory. Their side won! 

  

So, the dragon is bound for a thousand years and the saints also come to life and reign for a thousand years. This is two different ways to say the same thing. It tells us, with emphasis added, that Satan and his team lost and Christ and His team won. Completely and totally! 

  

Let me summarize. Try to imagine yourself watching a movie as you read this vision (I suppose for John, it was something like a movie). The army of the Lamb and the army of the beast gather on a vast battlefield called Megiddo. The battle rages; many are killed on both sides but the outcome is clear. The Lamb and His army utterly defeats the army of the beast. Bodies are strewn all over the battle field. But then, those who had died in the Lamb’s army are raised from the dead and join in reigning with the Lamb. 

  

Meanwhile.. “the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were fin¬ished” (vs. 5). These are those who died in the armies of the beast. Remember that this is a word pic¬ture. Imagine the aftermath of a horrible battle in which the dead are strewn all over the battle¬field. In this picture, those who died in the service of the Lamb are raised to reign with Him. The rest, those who died in service of the beast, continue to lay dead. But then, after a thousand years, they are raised too. For what purpose? Have they somehow been vindicated? Has their defeat been revoked? Absolutely not! They are raised in order to be thrown into the lake of fire (20:11 15). This simply reinforces and emphasizes the picture of complete and total defeat. 

  

This is the second resurrection, implied by reference to: 

  

“...the first resurrection.” This “first resurrection” is not the literal final resurrection. It is not being “born again” to “walk in newness of life.” To adopt such an interpretation would be to completely pluck this passage out of its context. This “first resurrection” is the raising and reign¬ing of the martyrs for Christ. It speaks of the vindication and victory of those who fought and died in the struggle against the beast. 

  

Premillennialists hold that this first resurrection will take place seven years after the Rap¬ture, following the seven years of tribulation. That places this resurrection at the beginning of the “millennial reign.” The problem is that their scenario calls for all the dead in Christ to be raised at the Rapture, that is, seven years before the “first resurrection.” In other words, “the first resurrec-tion” takes place seven years before the first resurrection. It’s a house of cards. 

  

“…the second death,” which has no power over those who experience the “first resurrec-tion” (vs. 6) is experienced only by those who took part in the second resurrection, that is, the “bad guys.” 

  

This second death is being thrown into the lake of fire (vs. 14). This is not literal hell; it’s just part of the picture and symbolizes total defeat. “Second death” implies an unstated first death. This first death is experienced by all who die in the battle of Armageddon, both in the service of the Lamb and in the service of the beast. 

  

Gog and Magog

  

Let’s not forget that in this picture, the dragon is released from his prison after the thou¬sand years and is allowed to “deceive the nations” again (vs. 7-10). He gathers the armies of Gog and Magog, and attacks the saints again. Who are this Gog and Magog? Literally, no one in par-ticular. The names are borrowed from Ezekiel 38 but are used differently (which tells us these are not literal persons/nations). In Ezekiel, king Gog of the land of Magog, gathers a huge army to fight against Jerusalem. Of course, there was no literal Gog or Magog. In Ezekiel and Revela¬tion, Gog and Magog are symbols for anyone who dared to raise their swords against the people of God. Rome is finished, but Satan, although bound completely in his use of Rome, will surface again. Gog and Magog is a symbol for any power, in any age, that would rise against God’s church. What is its fate? Utter defeat (20: 9-10). 

  

The Revelation is beautiful and frightening at the same time. It was intended to encourage early Christians to remain faithful, even unto death, in the face of Roman persecution. It told them that no matter how terrible things got, Christ and his church would prevail. Its message would have had no relevance to them if the events prophesied would not take place for thousands of years. But its message is relevant to us too. Although its specific predictions have long been fulfilled, it tells us to be faithful even in the face of persecution, and that no power on Earth can prevail against Christ and His church.