Understanding the Millennium - Part 2

The central passage, from which all other passages are reinterpreted, is Revelation 20:1–10. It concludes a cycle which began in chapter 12 and introduced three characters, often referred to as the anti-trinity or the satanic-trinity: the dragon (12:3), the beast (13:1) and the false-prophet (13:11). The second and third characters (both described as beasts) get their power from the dragon, and the focus seems to be on cultivating worship for the first beast. In this way they are like the trinity, where the dragon is like the Father, the first beast is like the Son, and the second beast is like the Holy Spirit. The actual trinity can be described in similar ways, whereby Father is the source who eternally begets the Son, and the Spirit is not trying to draw attention to himself but to the Son. The satanic-trinity imitates the actual trinity in similar ways. 

But of course, Revelation is written to real people at a real time and real place, and so the powers which are front and centre in their lives are the Roman Empire, who is depicted by the dragon; the Roman Emperor, depicted by the first beast; and the local leaders and priests, prominent in chapters 2–3, who encourage idolatrous worship of the emperor in order to gain economic benefit. But the Roman reality is not the ultimate reality; John is saying (or the angel is telling John) that when you unmask Rome, you get the devil. When you worship the emperor, you are blaspheming Christ. 

What we see with each of these characters is that they are introduced in order, and then dismissed in the reverse order. Koester in his 2015 Anchor commentary outlines the concentric structure which sees their introduction and dismissal, as follows: 

A 12 Dragon/Satan thrown from heaven to earth to destroy

B 13 Beast and False Prophet destroy on the earth

C 17a Whore rides the beast

C` 17b Whore destroyed by the beast

B` 19b Beast and False Prophet captured and destroyed in sulphur

A 20 Dragon/Satan captured (then released!) then destroyed in sulphur

I'm not 100% sure how to describe the whore of Babylon (note that Babylon was what Rome was called only after they destroyed the temple in 70 AD like the real Babylon did 600 years earlier), except that to say she would seem to be city of Rome herself, or the people of Rome, or the idea of the city of Rome - something along those lines. 

But the important thing to note is there is a certainty; as certainly as there are forces against God, who look indestructible, and wreak havoc, so too is their destruction guaranteed. What goes up must come down, and the harder they come the harder they fall. So as bad as things look today, the hope embodied in Revelation is that we are about to reach peak bad, and things will start to get better, as the city, the promoters, the emperor, and ultimately the whole empire will be destroyed. 

Of course, the reality is that it is not enough for simply the manifestation of evil to be destroyed, but the spiritual reality behind it must be dealt with also. So when the final enemy, the source of all, the dragon is to be destroyed, it is described in a fourfold manner:

[The angel] seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and the Satan, and bound him for 1000 years. (Rev 20:2)

In particular, it is his description as "the ancient serpent" which makes us recall Genesis 3, with the entry of sin which cursed the world, and now, with his destruction, its exit and time of healing. 

The power which was behind the Roman (Revelation) is the same power which was behind the Seleucid Empire (Daniel) is the same empire behind the Babylonian Empire and Tyre (Isaiah, Ezekiel). Whichever kingdom we might point at and say "that's the kingdom of the devil!", it is the devil which is the ultimate target, because there will always be another Babylon, another power which is interested in enticing people to blaspheme Christ in idolatrous worship. That is, until the devil himself is dealt with. 

Now if you are especially astute you will have noticed that I still haven't got to the millennium. Next post. Probably.