by Angus Harley

Premillennialism charges Amillennialism with not following through on the literal details of the book of Revelation. Of Revelation 20, some Premillers maintain that the full-blown, literal, details of that passage are passed over by Amillers. For example, it is argued that Amillers do not fully appreciate that Satan is completely and utterly locked down in the abyss and cannot deceive any nations; the idea of a partial lockdown of the nations goes against the text, we are informed. Another criticism by Premillers is that Amillers are guilty of eisegesis, adding to the text of Rev.20. There’s no mention of the Gospel, we are told, but Amillers without warrant inject this theme into the text.

Genre first

Premillianism’s hermeneutic is tied too strongly to a literal hermeneutic. Traditional Dispies in particular buy into literalism as the control of interpretation, giving to genre a secondary place. Genre cannot ever be secondary, however. It is the style of the text: is it poetry, or apocalyptic, or narrative? Which? The style, or genre, of the text controls how we read and interpret it. If I read about Captain America, I must allow that his story is within the comic genre and has to be interpreted within that genre. Revelation is apocalyptic in genre, highly symbolic, and is riddled with metaphors and figures of speech. For example, Jesus is not a literal Lamb! The apocalyptic genre is quite happy to recount real events and people but does so within this symbolically-loaded textual environment. Sheer literalism, or literalism as the control, is not an option, therefore. For example, the seven assemblies of Rev.2-3 were real assemblies in real places, but John describes their condition in apocalyptic language and symbolism. In fact, John’s use of the apocalyptic genre is so controlling that, he absorbs the genres of prophecy and of a letter/epistle into his apocalyptic writing. 

Revelation and perspective in regard to the nations

Another feature of Revelation derived from the apocalyptic genre is perspective. Ezekiel’s apocalyptic-genre sections are high on this form of perspective. For example in Ezekiel 8-11, the same event of the judgment of Jerusalem and the temple is viewed from different perspectives. So, in Revelation, the same general events are reviewed over and over from different angles or perspectives. Typically, Amillers refer to seven cycles repeating the same general themes but from different angles.

Satan’s deception of the nations meant what? It meant that he was ruling on earth, having been thrown down from heaven. He then became a source of woe for all of the nations on earth. In particular, he went after the assembly of God to persecute it (Rev.12:7-17). The implication is that the nations were swept up into the dragon’s evil actions and owned by him (see Rev.13:11-18; 19:20-21). This Babylonian system of worldwide, national, and material godlessness persecuted and murdered God’s saints (Rev.18:21-24; 20:8). 

What does it mean, then, that the nations are no longer deceived? It entails that all of the above is removed. What does this look like in Revelation? It takes the form of the nations bowing before the Lamb and before God, praising God for purchasing them with the Lamb’s blood (Rev.5:9; 7:9; 14:3; 15:3-4; see 21:24, 26; 22:2). Revelation 14:6 wonderfully sums up this situation, “And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people”. 

Revelation, as apocalyptic genre, is giving to us two perspectives of this world and of power and authority. The first is ‘from below’, the nations as controlled by Satan: earthly persecution of God’s people by Satan and by the wicked nations. The second perspective refers to the same nations but as viewed from the heavenly angle, who have been redeemed by the Lamb, and who triumph through the Lamb and by adherence to his Gospel. The nations are wicked; the nations are redeemed- concurrently!

Both realms (Satan on earth and God and the Lamb in heaven) have a holistic form of authority and power over the nations. However, the power of Satan is only fully over the nations considered as wicked. Whereas, the power of the Lamb and of God is fully over the nations considered as the Lamb’s followers, whose names are written in the book of life. Put another way, in regard to salvation and the success of the Gospel, along with the reign of God’s saints, salvation is fully enacted and Satan’s power and authority fully prevented from interfering in God’s salvific work. Yet, in regard to this fallen world and its life, Satan’s power is such that it controls the wicked nations, for he continues his work of deception in all the nations, sending forth his evil armies to murder God’s righteous ones. Both dimensions- the earthy/demonic with its authority, and the heavenly/divine- are ‘full on’ in Revelation. This is because John’s use of perspective is able to give to us two contrasting, nay, competing, models of full-blown authority in action. We know from Revelation, however, that although Satan musters all his authority in each evil act he performs, yet he is ‘outpunched’ in power and authority by God and his Lamb. It’s just a matter of time before the final bell for the bout rings and Satan is lying on the floor!

Perspective, Rev.20, and Deception

With Rev.20 in mind, in v3, Satan’s power is considered from the heavenly perspective, from God’s point of view. The serpent’s power has been completely curtailed and stopped in regard to the Gospel and the wiping out of God’s assembly. This is because the victory of the Lamb has secured the imposition of his more powerful authority and of his unbeatable Gospel. Salvation will happen! The saints do, and will, reign in heaven, even though persecuted and murdered! The binding of Satan in the ‘abyss’ is to say that Satan’s power over the nations considered as the recipients of the Gospel has been utterly, and completely, and wholly, locked down, and Satan is, in regard to the salvation of God’s people in the nations, locked in the prison of his own dark and spiritual realm, unable to effectuate the destruction or bondage of God’s people. For was it not a fact that once-upon-a-time Satan was able to enter into the heavenly realm to accuse, not the nations as a whole, but God’s people, his true saints? Satan is fully and irrevocably shut down in regard to the Gospel’s success in regard to the assembly that is within the nations, and in respect of the assembly of nations as spiritually risen into heaven.

Counterbalancing this in Rev.20 is demonic authority from the fallen-world perspective. Satan fights God’s people and the Lamb, deceiving the wicked nations, leading them to their destruction against the heavenly armies of the Lord (Rev.20:8). Satan is therefore fully active in regard to the deception of the nations and fully in control of them, leading them to their destruction.

Two perspectives, two models, both concurrent, both equally valid, both full on. One angle, the divine, teaches in Rev.20 that Satan cannot condemn the assembly that rises into heaven and that is taken from the nations of the world. The other perspective is Satan’s power to deceive the nations and lead them into war against God and his Lamb. This is, in effect, John’s theology in a nutshell as stated in John 3- the world is saved and yet it is condemned. A world in rebellion; a world redeemed!

As said before, Premillennialism focuses on literalism and does not deeply enough follow through on genre. Until it does, it will continue to woodenly interpret Revelation in a literal fashion, and not appreciate John’s multifaceted approach to spiritual warfare.