Satan is bound, and we are enjoying the kingdom of heaven This chapter is considered as an introduction, or a preparation for the two following chapters; therein he tells us about “the kingdom of God that is within us” (Luke 17:21). 1 - Satan is bound (1- 3). 2 - The first resurrection (4-6). 3 -Satan is untied at the end of time (7-10). 4 -The Day of Judgment (11-15). 1. SATAN IS BOUND “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal over him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But, after these things he must be released for a little while” [1-3]. This angel who came down from heaven, who has dominion over the bottomless pit, and who is able to tie up Satan and bound him, is the symbol of the Angel of the covenant, the Lord Jesus, who came down from heaven, and was nailed on the cross for the sake of human beings, in order to wipe out the writing of requirements that was against us. Thereafter, Satan will not have a place, nor right over us, and the believer thereby can tread on Satan and his power. As the Holy Bible says1, “...now the ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12 : 31). “Having wiped out the writing of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers, and He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it, that is the cross” (Col. 2:14,15 ). “... of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (John. 16:11). “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). We find in the New Testament many quotations to reassure our souls not that Satan’s behavior is tied down, but his authority is confined. Therefore he cannot have dominion over man so far as man gives him no place into his heart. But if man chooses to allow something of Satan’s belongings to enter in his heart, thus he surrenders willingly to the enemy. Many are the writings of the early Church Fathers who give to the believers hope and courage to fight Satan without fear nor trouble. Thus the believer is reassured that with the cross of the Lord, he will tie him down and destroy him. 1 Cf. Fr. Pishoy kamel: The Millennium, (Our orthodox Church Faith, no. 3). 8 St. Augustine says1, that the Angel coming down from heaven is the Lord Jesus, who rescued those who had the hope for salvation from hell. He as well tied down the power of Satan, so that he would not have dominion over His militants during their struggle on earth. As for the time of thousand years, it could be understood in two ways: 1. That the Church in her struggle on earth lives in the day of the Lord, or “the Sabbath,” which started with the resurrection of the Lord, and it will never end. Thus will stay this way, an endless Sabbath for the saints, as they finish their strive, and finally they live in eternity as an extension to their life here. For the Lord, a day is as a thousand years, therefore his time was calculated to be a thousand years! 2. That it points to time (after crucifixion, or resurrection), for a thousand indicates the completeness of time and its plenty. It is the period which started on the Lord's entry into “the strong man's house and plundered his goods, after binding him” (Mark. 3:27). He always grants His children to strive, and overcome Satan. When the Antichrist comes, he unties Satan who will mislead even the chosen ones if possible. Although a few Protestant dominations despise this interpretation, and say sarcastically how can you say that Satan is tied down and we see him working and working, probably he will be tied down later2. I will let their brethren the Protestant and especially the Lutherans answer this. For example, Charles Erdman says, that the Lord and His disciples used words stronger than (tie, or prison,) to reveal the effectiveness of the redemptive work of Jesus on Satan, as He said “The ruler of this world is judged.” Rev. Joseph S. Exell quoted in “The Biblical Illustrator” the opinions of the interpreters. Many from our brethren the Protestant insist strongly on accepting this interpretation, which is that Satan is actually tied down, in what concerns the true believer. 2. THE FIRST RESURRECTION “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and, had not received his mark on their foreheads, or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” [4-6]. Here he tells us about the first resurrection, and the Holy Bible in all its books did not mention the “second resurrection,” so what does the first resurrection mean? We know that sin entered the world, consequently death reigned over all souls. And although we were carnally alive, our souls were dead because of its separation from the source of its life, “God.” Therefore, God came to give us a spiritual resurrection for 1 Cf. City of God, 20:7. 2 We will mention this thought of theirs once more, when we discuss the millennium 9 our souls, before the enjoyment of our bodies and souls with the general resurrection on the Day of Judgment. The Lord says, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live” (John 5:25). We do not wait for this resurrection, but as the apostle says, “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Col. 2:12). Also through repentance we taste the resurrection, while we are still struggling on earth, “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Eph. 5:14). It is a daily experience in the life of the believer. The apostle says, “...and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:4-6). Besides he says, in a continuous sense, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3 : 10). For sure, we can say that the Church in her struggle, in spite of her suffering pains, is living in the millennium which is the first resurrection, tasting the pledge of the heavenly places. St. John Chrysostom says1, [Man was the last reasonable creature, but behold! the foot became head, and through Christ, the First-born of all creation we reached the royal throne. He sanctified our nature at the divine throne, therefore St. Paul declares, “and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness towards us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6,7). What is the exceeding riches of His grace? He gives His grace free for all people, for He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in every heart. But the true believer alone realizes the exceeding riches of His grace, enjoys it, working within him and overflows. The Lord deals wondrously with His saints, but those who reject will not receive.] Those who carry the cross with the Lord Jesus, and witness to Him until death, will enjoy here the first resurrection. But the rest who are spiritually dead, those who do not accept faith, do not enjoy the first resurrection, and fall under the eternal second death (Rev. 21:8). We reassure what St. Augustine says2, [There will be no coming of Jesus before His last appearance for judgment, for His coming is actually happening now in the Church and in her members. As for the first resurrection in the book of Revelation, it is metaphoric, and points to the interpretation of what happens to those who die in sin, then rise for a new life through repentance. So the millennium has indeed began, for Christ has conquered death and won on the cross, and now we His saints rule with Him, and through Him.] The idea of the “materialistic millennium” After exposing the interpretation of the last text which talks about the millennium, or the first resurrection, we would like to explain to the reader that some thoughts came 1 St. John Chrysostom: Does the Devil have authority over you?! translated into Arabic by the author. 2 Cf. Magazine “St. Mark,” Jan. 68. (On the City of God 20:6,7). 10 accidentally among the Father’s writings, in the first three centuries, and it came in a stronger and different way in the writings of some upstarts. It is the literal interpretation of the text that the Lord will reign on earth with His believers, a millenary earthly reign... However it is suitable for us to differentiate between what came in the early writings and the writings of the upstarts. The literal millennium in the view of the Early Church We know that the Jews have their own materialistic thinking, therefore they didn’t accept Christ as their Lord because of His refusal of the earthly reign. Unfortunately up to this day, they are still waiting for the Messiah who will have an earthly reign, and will give them dominion over the whole world. This thinking was introduced into the Church in the beginning of its institution through two ways: 1- The conversion of the Jews to Christianity, and with them some of their materialistic imaginations were introduced1. They diffused some of these thoughts haphazardly among Church writings and sermons. Therefore, we find for example Fr. Papias, from the first century, imagining a materialistic earthly reign for a millennium, where grapevines grow, every grapevine carries ten thousand branches, and every branch carries ten thousand ramification, and other hazy ideas that they accept naively, the outcome of the materialistic Jewish thought. Eusebius says,2 that Papias came to this materialistic way of thinking because of his misunderstanding of the apostolic writings, not being aware that their sayings were metaphoric (spiritual). And he drove many of the Church Fathers to embrace the same views, after him. Eusebius call the matter “superstition.” After Papias, declined Ireneaus, Tertullian, Victorianos, Justin, and Augustine at the start, who later on realized he was mistaken. 2- Reading the debate between Justin and Trypho the Jew,3 we realize that Justin was so enthusiastic and full of zeal to assure that all what the Jews had, as promises and blessings, were totally and completely transferred to the Church of the New Testament. Thereby, he tried to confirm that what came in (Isaiah 65:17-25 and Mich. 4:1-7) will be realized only for Christians. We find the same thing in the debate of Tertullian with the Jews. After confirming the same thoughts, that all the promises and blessings mentioned in the Old Testament to belong to the Jews, were given to the Church, depriving the Jews of any of it. But unfortunately, he drew back, and adopted the Jewish materialistic thought, and intruded it into Church’s doctrine. Awakening of the Church The belief in the millennium was not a belief standing by itself, or was given great attention, but quickly the school of Alexandria noticed the seriousness of the matter. She seemed had looked with far sight, to see in our days how this false belief presented a dangerous and principal thought in some denominations, like the Adventist. Therefore, Origen opposed this idea; he was followed by Pope Dionysius the Alexandrian in the 1 St. Justin: Dialogue with Trypho 80-81. 2 Cf. Fr. Pishoy Kamel: The Millennium. 3 Eusebius H.E, 3:39. 11 third century who refused the idea of the literal interpretation of the book of Revelation. Before the end of the fourth century this thought was on the point of vanishing completely in the church of Alexandria. Abroad St. Augustine, after realizing his mistake, he clarified the dangerousness of the literal interpretation of the millennium, giving unresistable strong proofs that it is wrong. And he considered heretic he who proclaims it. The millennium in some Protestant denominations This idea appeared in some Protestant denominations, they made of it a principal belief, and started to set fixed dates of the coming of Christ to reign a millennium. Here we find that this idea in the early writings was different from some upstarts. 1- It came accidentally in the early writings, and its main purpose was to assure that all the promises were taken away from the Jews, the unbelievers in the Lord. Martyr Justin says, [that many of the honorable Christian do not adopt this teaching, and do not approve of it.] 2- Some Protestant denominations proclaimed this thought on the following bases: First: The Lord Jesus comes to reign over His saints1 before the coming of the “man of sin,” and the occurrence of the great tribulation. Then He comes back once more to destroy the Antichrist. Second: Israel repents, but she remains a distinct body from the Church2 and Jerusalem gets wider, embellish herself, and becomes a center for the Jewish people who will rule the world. Third: The rebuilding of the temple and the offering of animal sacrifices. I would not like to enter into discussions of this matter, but I will let my brethren the Protestants reply to these denominations: 1- Erdeman thinks, that these principles on which the idea of the materialistic millennium is based, are contradictory to each other and is far from the spirit of the Holy Bible. 2- Ray Sumers3, in his book, “Worthy is the Lamb,” thinks it is not appropriate to build a general skeleton comprising the last events, the divinity and the philosophy of history upon three verses (4,5,6 of chapter 20), in a literal insatiable interpretation. 3- H. Monod4 refuses the literal interpretation of the millennium, giving the following reasons: First: The spiritual and symbolic interpretation agrees with the line of the prophets in general, and especially in the book of Revelation, in which we find the Church as a candlestand, and the ministers stars, and we do not accept it literally. Second: Notice that St. John speaks only about “souls” v.4 who came to life and reigned with Jesus, and did not say “souls and bodies.” Third: The literal interpretation does not agree with the other verses of the Holy Bible, which speaks about the general resurrection. It never came in the Bible that the resurrection happens twice, or in two different periods. But it appears already in (Isa. 12:2, John 5: 28, 1Thess. 4:16-17), that the resurrection of the dead concerning the 1 Laura B. Hamilton says in her book “Uncovering the Future,” that those who reign with Christ submit to Him, but some submit physically and not heartily. Thus when the Antichrist appears, the real submissive believers will be distinguished from the hypocrites. 2 Cf. Erdeman’s interpretation of the book of Revelation p.156. 3 Baptist’s publications. 4 The Biblical Illustrator by Rev. Joseph S. Exell M.A. 12 righteous and the wicked is followed immediately by Judgment and eternal life. Fourth: It is impossible for us to think that the return to earth gives happiness to the righteous, who died in faith, and are settled joyfully in Paradise as God’s own! The Jews’ mistake is represented in their desire that the Messiah rules an earthly kingdom, and the millenarians have a different view. Fifth: If we consider the literal interpretation, what would be the case of those who are born during the millennium rule? Now, we say that through (bodily) death, the believers are saved; as they die in peace leaving trials and misery, to depart to the Lord, but this does not happen to those who will be born in the millennium reign! They assume, it is a materialistic earthly rule where they marry and get married. How can those who are born during the millennium be rightly judged? When neither do they carry the cross with the Lord Jesus, nor walk in the narrow way! Sixth: This text is the only verse in the Holy Bible which says that the first resurrection comes before the end of the world, while great numbers of prophesies speak about the resurrection without talking about the resurrection of the bodies in a literal and materialistic way. Which is more correct? to explain all the Book and especially these prophesies on the light of this obscure text, or explain the obscure text on the light of the many and clear prophesies of the Book? Finally, he concludes by reproaching the materialistic millenarians, hoping that great number of souls in the church of their own would understand that this Christian kingdom is such a power, so gentle, so sweet and glorious!! And H. Monod comes out with this result: [That Jesus Christ continues to reign, by enthroning His Bible within the person who accepts the Christian faith, at that time Christianity will not be a tool at the governments hand for politics...1 It will be a faithful expression of the way of life.] 4- J. Gible2 refuses the idea of the earthly millennium, by refuting the idea of the resurrection of the bodies to rule a visual bodily kingdom. He says also, that the souls of the martyrs are alive, and they exercise a kind of resurrection as they taste a sort of rest, and a state of power and vitality. And somehow they practice authority with the Lord, for the amount of pain and trouble they bore at the time of their struggle for the Lord. He also says that the saints of the Lord Jesus reign with Him in a glorious immaterial way, beyond our understanding. He calls the millenarians, materialistic and doubtful. And he asks us to have a definite hope, not a material hope in false matters. It is better for man to claim everything for Christ, to gain Christ, to be found in Him, and to benefit of the kingdom of heaven, knowing that the cross is the way to the crown. And not to ask for material things. At the end, he says, that not accepting the earthly millenary rule revives consolation in the believers, when they take off their earthly tent. They know that their souls do not sleep in a state of darkness, without feelings, when their bodies are in the dust, but death becomes for them a gain. These are some views of our brethren the Protestant, where they attack violently 1 Here, we come out with the point, that this belief has political motives of some westerns influenced by the Jews. 2 The Biblical Illustrator P. 275/6. 13 the idea of the earthly millennium. There is no room for more, in order to come back to the interpretation of the rest of the chapter. 3. THE RELEASE OF SATAN AT THE END OF TIMES “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison” [7]. When the time comes that the Antichrist appears, he would be given Satan’s dominion and power to rise and destroy, even if possible to mislead the chosen ones. Therefore it is said that Satan is released from hell, his prison, to appear working with remarkable power. “And will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” [8-10]. There is two interpretations to this text: The First Interpretation, that certain tribes who submitted to one of the ten kings contemporary with the Antichrist, will gather in the city of Jerusalem to fight Elijah, Enoch and the rest of the church in Jerusalem, but God will send fire to burn them. Some others think that, “Gog and Magog,” do not mean certain tribes, but all the deviated nations whose soldiers gather to oppose the Church, but God punishes them with heavenly fire. The Second Interpretation: of St. Augustine1. He thinks the war here is a spiritual war and not a materialistic one. The Antichrist and his followers, “Gog and Magog,” use all means of severity, harshness, deception and misleading to assassinate the saints, to make them deviate from faith. However God supports the two faithful witnesses Elijah and Enoch with the heavenly fire of the Holy Spirit, which burns the misleading, takes away fear, and supports faith. By this fire the believers are confirmed at the time of the two witnesses, and mostly after their martyrdom, and the killing of the Antichrist. For the Holy Spirit rebukes many of the Gentiles and the Jews who declined behind the Antichrist and opposed the Church, in order to repent of their sins. Concerning Satan, his end will be with the beast and the false prophet, as the wicked are cast in to the lake inflamed with fire. 4. THE DAY OF JUDGMENT “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them” [11]. Previously we were taught about the Kingdom of God which is within us, that we enjoy, the power given to us, and the tribulations that will happen to the Church as a result of the release of the devil at the end of ages. However God never forsakes us, but is 1 City of God, 20:12. 14 working in the Church through His Holy Spirit. Now we are reassured as His children, that shortly the coming of the Lord for Judgment will follow. Here the Lord appears sitting on a white throne, as an indication of peace, or He will no more fight or defend because the whole Church became safe. And her enemy, “Satan,” comes tied down to be cast into fire, for the materialistic earth and heaven had fled away from his presence. He comes without a sword in His mouth. He does not appear here as a Horseman to fight, nor as a Lion to assure the fainting souls, but sitting on the throne to grant the victorious a share in the heavenly glories. As for His description that “from whose face the earth and heaven fled away. And was found no place for them,” the Apostle wants to assure us that we will not go back anymore to the old materialistic life. Therefore we will neither be in need of the earth and all what is above it from seas, natural and unnatural materials, nor stars or constellation... Thereby, He takes away from us all old memories of a life full of tribulations and troubles, the battles that were between us and Satan, however it was between God and Satan. So, the eternal glories swallows the old pictures and removes it from our memory! “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works” [12-13]. In one moment the righteous, old and young, whose names are written in the Book of Life will be judged according to their works. And the wicked who were in Hades, those who are spiritually dead, will also be judged according to their works, for God judges without partiality. Here we find: 1- Books opened; St. Augustine thinks1, that it symbolizes the opening of the secrets of all mankind, which is their hearts, and consciences in order that all understand God's equity. 2- The Book of Life is opened, which is the revealing of the Person of the Lord Jesus, and His work, as a Tree of Life, and whoever eats from it during the days of his struggle on earth, lives forever. In the opened book the believers read about their righteousness which is not out of themselves but in the Person of Lord Jesus Himself. Then they rejoice saying, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8 : 1,2). 3- The sea gave up the dead which were in it. The sea symbolizes the world, therefore, St. Augustine thinks that the symbol here is about the wicked who will not be yet dead nor sent into Hades when the day of Lord comes. The sea of the world in which they were dipped, and the pleasures they were immersed in, will deliver them to the eternal judgment. 4- The spiritual death and Hades delivered those who were in them, and they were also rightly judged according to their wicked deeds. 1 City of God, 20:14. 15 “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” [14-15]. This is the end of the death of the spirit and Hades. In other words, it is the end of those who follow their carnal desires, according to the death of their souls. And whose fate is Hades after the death of their bodies, thus they move to the second death, the eternal fire. St. Augustine thinks, that it points to Satan who is the leader of the spiritual death, and chief of the inhabitants of Hades. He is cast into the lake of fire. Thereby, the image of sin is completely removed. In the following two chapters, the Apostle records to us the joyful picture of the heavenly matrimonial home full of trust and security, for the wicked is cast far away forever.
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