The amillennial interpretation of Revelation, dating back to the time of St. Augustine, has recently been ably expounded and defended by Gregory K. Beale in his latest commentary on Revelation. Amillennialists believe that the thousand years of Revelation 20 represent the entire Christian era, beginning with the cross/resurrection/ascension of Christ and ending with the second coming of Christ. They see Revelation 20 as a recapitulation of chapter 12. Beale diagrams the parallels as follows:
 

12:7-11  (1) heavenly scene (v. 7)  (2) angelic battle against Satan and his host (vv. 7-8)  (3) Satan cast to earth (v. 9)  (4) the angel's evil opponent called "the great dragon, the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, the one deceiving the whole inhabited earth" (v. 9)      (5) Satan's expression of "great wrath because he knows he has little time" (v. 12b)  (6) Satan's fall, resulting in the kingdom of Christ (v 10) and his saints (v 11; note the "conquering" theme) (v 12b) (7) the saints' kingship, based not only on the fall of Satan and Christ's victory but also on the saints' faithfulness even to death in hold-ing to "the word of their testimony" (v 11)		20:1-6 (1) heavenly scene (v. 1). (2) presupposed angelic battle with Satan (v.2)  (3) Satan cast into the abyss (v. 3)  (4) the angel's evil opponent called "the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan" restrained from "deceiving the nations any longer" (vv 2-3), to be loosed later to deceive the nations throughout the earth (vv 3, 7-8)  (5) Satan to be "released for a short time" after his imprisonment (v 3)    (6) Satan's fall, resulting in the kingdom of Christ and his saints (v 4)      (7) the saints' kingship, based not only on the fall of Satan but also on their faithfulness even to death in holding to "the testimony of Jesus and the word of God" (v 4)

This diagram uncovers a strong relationship between the two passages. In both chapters Satan is cast down and his power is restricted (12:7-9; 20:1-3). In both, the kingdom of Christ and His saints assumes new power (12:10-11; 20:4). (A question to be considered is whether chapter 20 is a restatement of chapter 12 or a climax to it.)

The amillennial view does not see Rev. 20 as following Rev. 19:11-21, that is, the millennium following the second coming of Christ. Rather, Rev. 20 is a recapitulation of the whole Christian era. Structurally, chapter 19 could be seen as an interlude between the sixth and seventh visions of the book, just as there frequently are interludes between the sixth and seventh visions: e.g., in the seals and trumpets visions (chaps.7 and 10-11). See Appendix B.

Revelation 20 indicates that there are two resurrections, one at the beginning of the thousand years and one at the end. The amillennial view interprets the first resurrection as the resurrection of Christ (12:5) along with a spiritual resurrection of martyred saints (20:4). The second resurrection at the end of the thousand years indicates the physical resurrection of the saints and the wicked (20:12-13). The loosing of Satan to deceive the nations at the end of the thousand years (20:7- 10) is paralleled by the efforts of the dragon, beast, and false prophet to deceive the world just prior to the Battle of Armageddon (13:11-17; 16:13-14, 16). The battles described in 16:16; 19:11-21; and 20:7-10 are all one event, the Battle of Armageddon, occurring at the end of the thousand years--the end of the Christian era at the second coming of Christ. The destruction of the enemies of God by the sword and the lake of fire in 19:20-21 is the same as the similar destruction in 20:7-10. Thus there is no future millennium. The Christian era is the millennium, and it culminates in the second coming of Christ, the judgment of the wicked, and the rewarding of the righteous.

The purpose of this article is to investigate from the language of Revelation itself whether the amillennialist position can be sustained. Some use will be made of other Scriptures where applicable.

What the amillennialist view uncovers very effectively is the cyclic nature of Revelation-- the repetitive themes such as the warfare between Christ and Satan, the kingdom of God and reign of the saints, and the judgment. What it fails to recognize is that each cycle represents an escalation in the conflict, detailing new victories in the warfare against Satan. Each repetition reaches an octave higher for God and an octave lower for Satan. This is especially true in chapters 12 and 20. As the book progresses, there is more than recapitulation--Christ is progessively victorious and Satan is progressively defeated. This can be illustrated in each of the above-

mentioned themes. In the following sections I will begin with the commonly understood order of events and then discuss whether there is recapitulation or a temporal sequence of events.
 

The Casting down of Satan

The Bible identifies four expulsions of Satan, each one more decisive than the previous one. Each expulsion results in further restriction upon him until his final destruction.

1 The primeval downfall of Satan is alluded to in Rev. 12:3, 4a: "Another portent appeared in heaven; behold a great red dragon.... His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth." This was prior to his attack on the woman to devour her child (4b). The initial expulsion of Satan is described in Isa. 14:12-14 and Eze. 28:11-19. The biblical narrative indicates that he subsequently tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3) and appeared in heaven as the satan (accuser) to accuse men of God like Job and Joshua the high priest (Job 1 & 2, Zech. 3:1-2). For this reason John in Revelation identifies him as "the accuser of the brethren" (Rev. 12:10). He appears to have the role of prosecuting attorney in the heavenly courts.

2. The second stage of Satan's demotion occurred at the cross when Satan was expelled as earth's representative. "The dragon who deceives the whole earth was cast out, and his angels with him" (Rev. 12:9). This happens at the coming of salvation through the blood of the Lamb (vv. 10-11)--at the cross. Compare John 12:31: "‘Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out’" at the time of the cross ("'and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.' This he said to show by what death he was to die" (vv.32- 33). There was a judgment at the cross/ resurrection/ascension event in which Satan, the accuser of the brethren, was replaced by Jesus, the true representative of the earth which He had just wrested from Satan. The "accuser of the brethren" is replaced by a lawyer for the defense, our "advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous" (1 John 2:1). This casting out is described by Jesus: "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18).

3. At the third stage of Satan's downfall an angel with the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain binds him tightly, throws him into the pit, locks him up, and seals the lid over his head (20:1-3) so he can deceive the nations no more. He is completely immobilized! There is no stronger language available to convey the idea. He had already lost access to heaven (12:9), now he has no access to the nations of earth (20:3). He is in solitary confinement for a thousand years (20:2).

4. At the fourth stage, after Satan is released to resume his work of deception, he is cast into the lake of fire (20:10). There he is to be tormented until hades itself is cast into the lake of fire and destroyed (20:10, 14; cf. Eze. 28:18-19). He is no more.

The question at issue is whether the casting out of Satan into the abyss in Rev. 20:1-3 is the same as the prior one in 12:9 where he is cast down to the earth.

In 20:1-3 the text clearly indicates that Satan can deceive the nations no more. Note that according to Rev. 12:9 Satan is still actively deceiving when he is cast out. "And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who continually deceives (Greek) the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him" (Rev. 12:9). The text does not indicate a cessation of his work of deceiving. Rather, the deceiver of the whole world is now confined in the world. The fox is in the chicken coup! He is still a menace to the world, indicated by the cry, "Woe to you, O earth ... for the devil has come down to you in great wrath" (v. 12). Also "the one who keeps on accusing (Greek) [the brethren] before our God day and night was cast out" (v. 10). His work of accusing the brethren still continues, though he is no longer allowed access to heaven.

That the Christian era is characterized by satanic deception is indicated throughout the New Testament. "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name saying, 'I am Christ, and shall deceive many" (Matt. 24:4-5, AV; see also vv. 11 & 24); "carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:14, AV). Satan's deceitful work is also indicated in the following verses: "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel" (2 Cor. 4:4). "Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light" (11:14); "The prince of the power of the air" is "at work in the sons of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2). Opponents are captured by the snare of the devil (2 Tim. 2:26). "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8).

Beale’s response to these texts is that God has restricted Satan so he cannot spiritually harm the true church (pp. 985-6). The text, however, indicates that he deceives the nations no more until the thousand years are finished (Rev. 20:3). That the nations in Rev. 20:3 are the enemies of God is evident from the fact that at the end they are deceived by Satan, they gather to battle to attack the camp of the saints, and they are consumed by fire (vv. 7-9). Rev. 20:3 has nothing to do with the righteous being protected from deception by Satan. It means that since the enemies of God have all been killed (19:19, 21) they cannot be tempted by Satan until they are resurrected at the end of the thousand years (20:3, 5, 7-8, 13). During the thousand years Satan cannot deceive anyone. His power is not partially curtailed--it is totally curtailed. He is locked up, shut up, and sealed up into the pit. (20:1-3).

In 2 Thess. 2:3-12 Paul describes the coming of the "man of sin" whose work is to deceive. "Let no one deceive you in any way: for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god, or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.... And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming. The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved" (italics mine).

Notice that a major characteristic of the "man of sin" is to deceive. The question at issue is when this deception takes place. Is it during the whole Christian era or only just prior to the parousia? To answer this question, it is helpful to examine the OT source of Paul’s prophecy.

The "man of lawlessness" is an allusion to the little horn with eyes like the eyes of a man in Dan. 7:8 who thinks to change...the law (v. 25). Paul’s further description as the one who "exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God" (v. 4) is an allusion to Dan. 11:36: "the king shall...exalt himself and magnify himself above every god," a further elaboration of the little horn of Dan. 7. This entity was to have power for a time, two times, and half a time (7:25). It is during this whole period that the "man of lawlessness" functions, not just at the end of that period. He already existed in Paul's day in embryonic form (2 Thess. 2:7) and was to continue until destroyed by the coming of the Lord (v. 8). It is evident that the work of deceiving continues during the Christian era.

So after the second expulsion of Satan (Rev. 12) he is still active in the work of deception, whereas at his third expulsion he deceives the nations no more (20:1-3).

Notice the progress in the four stages of Satan's downfall: (1) he is cast out as covering cherub, (2) as representative of this world, (3) as deceiver of the nations, and (4) as general of the armies of earth. He is cast into a worse place each time--out of heaven, into the earth, into the abyss, and finally into the lake of fire. His powers are progressively diminished: he can live with God no more, represent the earth no more, deceive the nations no more, and finally exist no more. Each step represents further defeat for him rather than recapitulation of a previous defeat.
 

The Warfare Theme

In the warfare between Christ and Satan, victory alternates back and forth between the two sides, but ends triumphantly for Christ. Here is what a sequential arrangement might look like.

1. At the ascension of the Man Child to heaven there is war between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels. The dragon (called the Devil and Satan) is cast out of heaven. This brings joy to those in heaven but woe to the earth (12:7-12). The "brethren" have power to overcome the dragon "by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony" as they lay down their lives in martyrdom (v. 11).

2. The dragon persecutes the woman for 1260 years (12:13), but she is nourished during this time (v.14). The beast from the sea makes war on the saints for 42 months and overcomes them (13:5-7) but he is doomed to be killed with the sword (v. 10).

3. At the time of the 5th trumpet a star fallen from heaven (Lucifer himself--Isa. 14:12) is given the key to the bottomless pit. He opens it up, unleashing smoke from which emerge locusts like horses arrayed for battle which attack and torture men for a period of five months. Their king is the angel of the bottomless pit, Apollyon (9:1-11). They have no power to hurt the people of God (v. 4). Notice that Satan is given control of the bottomless pit, he opens it, and unleashes a host of evil forces from it. This is in marked contrast to 20:3 where the pit is closed with him shut up inside.

4. At the end of the "time, two times, and half a time" the dragon is angry with the woman and makes war with the remnant of her seed (12:17). At this same point in time the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit makes war on the two witnesses and kills them (11:3), but after 3½ days they are resurrected and ascend to heaven (vv. 11-12).

5. On the great day of God Almighty demonic spirits gather the kings of the earth to battle at a place called Armageddon (16:14, 16). These kings (represented by ten horns) receive authority for one hour with the beast. "They will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings" (17:12-14).

6. At the end of this "hour of power" for the kings of the earth, the Rider on the white horse, followed by the armies of heaven, makes war with the beast, the kings of the earth, and the armies of earth. The beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire, while He slays the rest with the sword that issues from his mouth (19:11-21). Victory for the armes of heaven!

7. Satan is cast into the pit where he is bound for a thousand years.

8. At the end of the thousand years Satan is loosed from his prison and gathers the (resurrected) nations from the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, as numerous as the sand of the sea, to attack the camp of the saints. Fire comes down from heaven and devours them (20:7-9).

The amillennialist would make stage 1 the same as stage 7. But Satan is cast from heaven to the earth in stage 1 (12:8-9) whereas he is cast even lower down into the pit in stage 7 (20:1-3).

The amillennialist would also make stages 2-3, the 1260-day period, the same as stage 7, the thousand years when Satan is bound. Notice, however, the power his evil forces have to persecute the woman (12:13). There is no lessening of his power to persecute.

The most striking contrast is shown in the state of the bottomless pit as depicted in the 5th trumpet (9:1ff) and in the commencement of the thousand years (20:1-3). Satan could not be confined to the pit because he had in his pocket the key to unlock it! He not only had the key, but he exercised its full powers to unleash myriads of evil forces to torture mankind. He ruled as king of that domain (v.11). By contrast, in chapter 20 an angel from heaven has resumed control of the key (v.1) and entraps the devil in his own hell-hole.

The amillennialist position would make stage 5 the same as 8. Note some differences, however, between the battle of Armageddon in 16:12-16 and the battle in 20:7-10. The characters are different. In the former the instigators are demonic spirits from the dragon, beast, and false prophet. In the latter only the dragon (Satan) remains. The locations are different--a place called Armageddon (geographically in northern Israel) vs. "the beloved city," Jerusalem, to the south. Read sequentially there are three stages of the Battle of Armageddon described in 16:12-16 (the sixth plague), 19:11-21 (before the millennium), and 20:7-10 (after the millennium). Read as recapitulation, there is only one stage-- the climax in 19:11-21 being the same as the climax in 20:9-10. Here again the scenes are not the same. In 19:21 the armies of the beast are slain by the sword and the birds devour their flesh. In 20:9-10 the nations are consumed by fire.

Note that stages 6 and 7 must be consecutive. First the beast and the false prophet are defeated and cast into the lake of fire. At the end of the thousand years the dragon is cast into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet already are [20:10]. Though 20:10 has no verb [literal reading: where the beast and the false prophet], it is evident that they are absent in the final battle of the nations against "the beloved city." Only Satan is left to gather them to battle because the beast and the false prophet are already in the lake of fire.

In this warfare there is constant progress toward victory for the Lamb and His people. Though in the heat of the conflict they often are killed, yet their death is seen as victory--by their faithful testimony even unto death, they overcome (12:11). Then God intervenes to overcome the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. The Lamb is victorious at the end.
 

The Kingdom and Reign of Christ and the Saints

The kingdom of Christ and the reign of the saints come in stages. Arranged sequentially, with significant words italicized, it might look like this:

1. Jesus Christ, by virtue of his resurrection ("first-born of the dead") is "the ruler of kings on earth" (1:5). When Christ ascended to heaven He established a kingdom of priests "and theyshall reign on earth" (5:10). John, imprisoned on the isle of Patmos, saw himself sharing a kingdom (1:9). As a result of His death, "salvation and power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come" (12:10). The spiritual kingdom of God had new authority and power on earth as a result of Jesus' mighty act of salvation. The saints have new power to overcome the enemy through the blood of the Lamb and their own martyrdom (ibid.).

2. The reign of the saints is muted during the long period of persecution called 42 months or 1260 days. The martyrs, crying out for vengeance for all they suffer, are clothed with white robes and told to wait until more fellow servants are killed as they have been (6:11). The saints, while enduring the trampling by the nations, worship in the temple of God (11:1-2). The woman, fleeing from the dragon, is nourished in the wilderness for 1,260 days (12:6). During this period there is a rival kingdom in power, ruled over by the beast (16:10-11).

3. During "the great tribulation" of the end time the saints are spiritually with Christ (7:14): the great multitude stand before the throne praising God for His salvation (vv. 9-10). The 144,000 stand on Mount Zion singing praises and following the Lamb (14:1-5). As the plagues are poured out they stand on the sea of glass (15:1-4) singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. During this time there is trouble for the kingdom of the beast--darkness with men gnawing their tongues in pain (16:10-11). The beast unites with the ten kings to make war on the Lamb, but in the end the Lamb will conquer them (l7:12-17).

4. At the final battle Jesus rides forth on a white horse to smite the nations and rule them with a rod of iron. On his robe he has a name inscribed, "King of kings and Lord of lords" (19:11-16). He rules by smiting the nations and slaying them with the sword coming out of his mouth (vv. 15, 21).

5. At the 7th trumpet when God judges the dead, rewards the saints, and destroys the destroyers of the earth (11:18), "the kingdom of the world [becomes] the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever" (v. 15). At that time God Almighty takes His great power and begins to reign (v. 17). Here reigning seems to be equated with judging, executing sentence, and taking possession of the world.

6. During the thousand years the souls who had been beheaded come to life and reign with Christ a thousand years (20:4). They sit on thrones and participate in the judgment process (ibid.).

7. At the end of the thousand years God creates "a new heaven and a new earth" (21:1). God and the Lamb are enthroned in the city, New Jerusalem (22:3), and the saints "reign for ever and ever" (v. 5).

The kingdom of God during the 1260-days and the tribulation that follows, is a contested reign because there is a rival kingdom in power (16:10). God's kingdom might be compared to the Allied governments-in-exile during the Nazi conquest of Europe in World War II. God reigns, but the existence of a powerful rival kingdom limits His exercise of power. But when the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, God takes His power and begins to reign (11:15-17). He judges His enemies and rewards His saints (v. 18). Chapter 20 has moved into that time when God and His saints enter the work of judgment.

Is the spiritual reign of the saints during the 1260-day period the same as their reign in Rev. 20:4--they come to life and reign with Christ a thousand years? A comparison between 12: 10-11 and 20:4 indicates escalation in the victorious reign of the saints. When Satan is cast out at the cross, the saints "conquer him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death" (12:11). The saints conquer Satan through their martyrdom. In 20:4 the martyrs are raised to life. Death has no further power over them (v. 6).

Revelation 20:4 refers to "the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God." This group appears initially in 6:9-11, where they are called "the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne" who cry out for God to judge and avenge their blood on those who dwell on the earth (6:10). These are martyrs who have been killed (Greek, sphazo, slaughtered, murdered). Described again in 20:4, they had been beheaded (pelekizo). Beale argues that at death their souls went to heaven where they reign with Christ. To have the souls judging, he incorporates them with angels and Christ in approving of His judgments (997)--an unnecessary complication. But even here there is a difference between chapters 12 and 20. The souls in the fifth seal are dead, having been slain for the witness they had borne" (6:9). In 20:4 they have come to life. In 6:9 they are "under the altar," their blood crying out for vengeance as the blood of Abel cried from the ground (Gen. 4:10). In 20:4 they are no longer under the altar, but sitting on thrones. In 6:10 they call for God to judge and avenge their blood, but are told to wait--the time of judgment has not yet come. In 20:4 they have the privilege of joining in the work of judgment. Their cry for vengeance has been answered. Beale does not see 20:4-6 as the "complete fulfillment" of the cry for judgment in 6:10--only a partial answer (997). But this dilutes the thrust of the text--the souls who had been "under the altar" crying for judgment on their enemies now sit on thrones judging their enemies.

The kingdom of God and the reign of the saints must be seen as a spiritual kingdom and reign during the Christian era, but a literal kingdom and reign after the second coming described in 19:11-21. Chapter 20:1-6 is best understood as succeeding chapter 19 since it describes victory over the dragon, the resurrection of the martyrs, and their work of judging their enemies.
 

The two resurrections

Another problem of the amillennial view has to do with the first and second resurrections. A simple reading of Rev. 20:4-6 projects a thousand-year period with a resurrection at each end. It seems clear that the righteous are raised at the first resurrection and the wicked at the second resurrection. The first resurrection consists of the "blessed and holy" (v.6)--i.e., the saints--whereas "the rest of the dead" raised at the end of the thousand years are the wicked. The latter are called forth from the sea, Death, and Hades (20:13)--enemy territory. They suffer the "second death" (v. 14), a fate which those raised in the first resurrection do not suffer (v. 6).

Beale's system is more complicated. The "first resurrection" at the beginning of the thousand years (Christian era) consists of the souls of martyred saints who are translated to heaven at death. He mentions the objection that nowhere else in Scripture is the intermediate state called resurrection (pp. 1007-8). Therefore the first resurrection must be spiritual in nature, just as the second death (meaning eternal life in the lake of fire) is spiritual. (Those who believe in annihilation would see the death of the wicked as literal. The lake of fire is the second death [20:14].)

A minor problem with the spiritual view of the first resurrection is that the martyrs are said to reign with Christ a thousand years. What about those who were martyred hundreds of years after the cross event, some just prior to the second advent of Christ? They might have only a few years for their spiritual reign!

A more serious problem is locating the physical resurrection of the saints. If their souls have already been resurrected at the beginning of the thousand years--the Christian era--when is the resurrection of their bodies? Beale states that the second resurrection at the end of the thousand years (v. 5) includes both the righteous and the wicked (p. 1013). But verse 6 says the first resurrection is for the "blessed and holy." It is clear from the description of the second resurrection in verses 11-15 that it is for the purpose of judging and destroying the wicked dead. They stand before the throne and are judged by what is written in the books, and then they are thrown into the lake of fire (20:12-15). If the souls of the righteous have already been awarded white robes (6:11)--that is, judged innocent--if they have already been seated on thrones, judging and reigning with Christ (20:4), why would they be summoned to appear before the throne to be again subject to judgment?
 

Evidence that Revelation 19 and 20 are consecutive

Chapters 17 to 20 of Revelation comprise a vision that could be called "The Downfall of Satan's Kingdom." (See Appendix A). The purpose of the unit is to depict the downfall of every aspect of Satan's kingdom--the great harlot, the city of Babylon, the beast and the false prophet, the armies of earth, the dragon, the wicked dead, and Death and Hades. Even though some of these symbols overlap (the harlot and Babylon, for instance), John treats them individually, describing the downfall of each one. Each eventually is destroyed by fire.

In chapter 17 the harlot meets her doom, executed by the ten horns and the beast who make her desolate, devour her flesh, and burn her with fire (v. 16). The great city Babylon falls, is burned with fire, and goes up in smoke (18:8-9, 18; 19:3).

The fall of the demonic trinity (the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet) is described in chapters 19 and 20 in terms of a great battle. On one side are the armies of heaven led by the Rider on the white horse; on the other are the armies of earth led by the beast. In the ensuing victory for the forces of heaven, the beast and the false prophet are captured and thrown into the lake of fire (19:20). "The rest"--the armies of the beast--are slain by the sword coming from the mouth of the Rider (19:21).

Chapter 20 continues the narrration with the doom of the dragon. He gets special treatment--a thousand years in solitary confinement where he is completely immobilized. At the end of the thousand years his hosts are raised from the dead so he can mobilize them for a resumption of the battle of 19:11-21. As they surround the beloved city fire comes down from heaven and consumes them. At this point the devil is cast into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet have already been since the beginning of the thousand years (see 19:20) to be "tormented for ever and ever" (20:10).

The end of the wicked dead is depicted next. The sea, Death, and Hades give up the dead that are in them to face the judgment of the great white throne. Since they are not found in the book of life, they are thrown into the lake of fire (20:11-15). Then Death and Hades themselves are thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second death (v. 14). Even the sea which contained the wicked dead (20:13) is no more (21:1). Thus all parts of Satan's kingdom are destroyed. Satan himself is gone. There is not even a place for the lake of fire in the new heaven and the new earth which God creates since pain and crying and death are no more (21:1, 4).

If the theme of chapters 17-20 is indeed the fall of Satan's kingdom, the successive elimination of all its elements leaves no room for a recapitulation of the whole Christian era in chapter 20.
 

Is the doctrine of the millennium unique in Scripture?

The thousand-year period is new. Are new concepts ever introduced in Scripture? As the last revelation given to the church, John's book has the last chance to introduce something new! Although the thousand-year period is unique, there is room in several places of Scripture to insert it.

Isaiah 24 describes the final destruction of the earth: "Behold, the Lord will lay waste the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants.... The earth shall be utterly laid waste and utterly despoiled; for the LORD has spoken this word (vv. 1 & 3). "The windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man, it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again" (vv. 18-20). This clearly depicts the destruction of the earth at the Second Coming of Christ. Isaiah continues: "On that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth. They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished (verse 24). Revelation interprets the phrase "after many days" as a thousand years.

Isaiah 14:12-20, describing the downfall of Lucifer, must be seen as a major source for Rev. 9:1ff and 20:1-4. After aspiring to ascend to the throne of God (vv. 12-14), Lucifer is "brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the Pit" (v. 15). Though he was cast into the pit after his initial rebellion, he still "made the earth tremble...shook kingdoms," "made the world like a desert" and "overthrew its cities"(vv. 16-17)--activities which have occupied him for thousands of years and occupy him still. So, as in Rev. 9:1ff, he is not yet confined to the pit.

Peter and Jude depict Satan and his angels as chained in darkness to await future judgment, much as John pictures the dragon in Rev. 20:1-3. Peter sees him and his angels cast down to hell, "to pits of nether gloom to be kept until the judgment" (2 Pet. 2:4). Jude says, "And the angels that did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling have been kept by him in eternal chains in the nether gloom until the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6). These texts indicate that Satan and his angels are currently chained in darkness (though Satan still is free to prowl around like a roaring lion [1 Pet. 5:8]). John indicates that they are headquartered in the bottomless pit from which issue their myriad forces of evil (Rev. 9:1ff). He further spells out in detail when Satan is immobilized in the pit (at the beginning of the thousand years), the duration of his confinement (a thousand years), and the manner in which he is judged.

The concept of two resurrections, mentioned several times in Scripture, allows for the insertion of a thousand years between them. Daniel mentions two resurrections. "At that time shall Michael stand up, that great prince who standeth for your people, and there shall be a time of trouble such as never has been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2). Jesus mentions two separate resurrections. "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28-29). Paul also mentions two resurrections: "[I have] a hope in God...that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust (Acts 24:14-15). What Revelation 20 does is to insert a thousand years between the two resurrections.

In his description of the consummation, Paul leaves room for a millennium: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive...Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.//Then corneth the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (1 Cor. 15:22-25). The place where I inserted two slashes is where Revelation 20 inserts a thousand years. Read this way, "the end" comes when Christ makes a full end of Satan, his hosts, and death itself, and delivers a purified kingdom to the Father.

The apostle Peter connects the second coming with the fiery destruction of the earth:
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be kindled and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire! But according to his promise we wait for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Pet. 3:10-13). Revelation expands "the day of the Lord" to include not only the fire at the second coming (19:20) but the final fire at the third coming, followed by the creation of new heavens and new earth (21:1). What is new, then, is the insertion of the millennium.

As the majority of OT prophets did not distinguish between the first and second comings of Christ, so the majority of biblical writers did not differentiate between the second and third comings of Christ (at the beginning and end of the millennium).
 

Conclusions

Some aspects of the amillennial view are attractive. It has a strong view of inaugurated eschatology, creating a positive view of history that focuses on the victories of the Lamb. The parallel chart of Rev. 12:7-11 and 20:1-6 is tempting (though I think this demonstrates the progressive nature of the conflict). Interpreting the thousand years figuratively rather than literally might seem to be a plus, since much of the book is figurative.

In any theory or interpretation the simplest explanation is the most plausible. For instance, the concept that the earth is the center of the universe requires that all the stellar systems revolve around the earth each day, traversing immense distances at immense speeds. The contrasting view that the earth rotates on its axis is much simpler and requires much less expenditure of energy.

To conform Revelation 20 to a recapitulation pattern requires high-energy reasoning, extensive explaining, and often a dilution of the obvious meaning of the text. One of Beale's strategies when faced with a problem is to dilute the obvious meaning of the text by introducing alternate possibilities (e.g., p. 1005). In all of this he is open and fair. He evaluates all the options, clearly presenting objections to amillennialism, then giving his answers. (Some of my ammunition came from his own presentation of objections to his view.) The problem with his answers is that they are too tenuous and intricate to be convincing. They violate the principle of simplicity. In view of the difficulties of the recapitulation interpretation of Revelation 20, I think the sequential reading of chapters 12 to 20 is to be preferred.
 
 

Prologue: Rev. 1:1-8

1. Seven Churches (Rev. 1:9 to 3:22)

2. Seven Seals (4:1 to 8: 1)

3. Seven Trumpets (8:2 to 11:18)

4. Seven Wonders (11:19 to 14:20)

5. Seven Plagues (15:1 to 16:21)

6. Downfall of Satan's Kingdom (17:1 to 20:15)

7. New Heavens and New Earth (21:1 to 22:5)

Epilogue: (22:6-21)
 
 

Prologue: Rev. 1: 1-8

1. Seven Churches (1:9 to 3:22) with no interlude between 6 & 7.

2. Seven Seals (4:1 to 8:11) with chapter 7 as interlude between 6th and 7th seal.

3. Seven Trumpets (8:2 to 11:18) with chapters 10 & 11:1-14 as interlude between 6th and 7th trumpet.

4. Seven Signs (11:19 to 14:20) with 14:1-13 (144,000 and 3 angels' messages) as interlude between 6th and 7th sign.

5. Seven Bowls (15:1 to 16:21) with 16:13-16 as interlude between 6th and 7th plague.

6. Babylon (17:1 to 19:16) with 19:1-10 as interlude.

Interlude: 1000 years (chapter 20)

7. New Earth (21:9 to22:5)

Epilogue: 22:6-21

This structural outline of Revelation proposes that as there are often interludes between the sixth and seventh scenes of a vision, chapter 20 itself is an interlude between the sixth and seventh visions. As the other interludes often recapitulate an entire vision from the divine perspective, so chapter 20 recapitulates the whole book from the divine perspective. (Unpublished paper by Larry Christoffel, Loma Linda Hill Church, Loma Linda, CA 92354.)
 
 

1.        The Book of Revelation: a Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids: W. B. Eerdmans, 1999), pp. 972 to 1037.
2.         Ibid., p. 992.
3.         Ibid., p. 996.
4.         Ibid., pp. 1003-1004, 1013-1014.
5.         Each vision brings advance for the cause of God: the Seven Seals climax in silence (8:1); the Seven Trumpets climax in the beginning of Christ’s active reign (11:17); the Seven Wonders climax in the harvest of the earth (14:19-20); the Seven Plagues climax in the fall of Babylon (16:19); the Downfall of Satan’s Kingdom climaxes in the death of Death (20:14); and the final vision climaxes in the eternal reign of the saints (22:5).  See Appendix A for the list of visions.
6.         References are to the RSV unless otherwise indicated.
7.         Beale questions the logic of "protecting the nations from deception by Satan in 20:1-3 after they have just been both deceived by Satan (16:13-16)...and destroyed by Christ at his return in 19:11-21" (p.981).  The point is not to protect the nations, who actually are dead (19:21), but to sentence Satan to solitary confinement to allow him time to reflect on his miserable life before his next engagement when the dead are raised and he again deceives them (20:13, 7-8).  Satan always deceives when he is able.  He stops only when all his people are dead and the earth is destroyed, making it an abyss (see Jer. 4:23-28), the primordial condition described in Gen. 1:2.
8.         The nations in Revelation applies uniformly to the enemies of God (2:26; 11:2, 18; 12:5; 16:19; 19:15; 20:3, 8) until the final chapters (21:24, 26; 22:2) after sinners have been destroyed.
9.         There is no way these souls could be interpreted as live saints, physically on earth while spiritually they are “seated with Christ in heavenly places” (Eph. 2:6) since they are dead--they have been martyred.
10.       A  second group mentioned in 20:4 is those "who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands."  Beale agrees with my conclusion that the syntax of the verse differentiates between them and the martyrs. This group that has not worshipped the beast or its image has come through the "great tribulation" of the end time (7:14).  They have been under the death decree of the image to the beast (13:15).  During this time they spiritually stand with the Lamb on Mt. Zion and the sea of glass (14:1; 15:2-3).  In 20:4 they sit on thrones and judge their enemies.  There is progress from their initial spiritual reign with Christ to their taking part in the final judgment.  They "live and reign with Christ a thousand years."