Introduction
There is a long history of dispute over the way to understand the statement found here that Mashiach will reign on earth for 1,000 years. The debate is set in relation to his promised second coming, and, roughly speaking, is set out in terms of as being present or future on the earth. Anyone who is unfamiliar with the different positions taken in this debate can easily research them under the term millennialism.
When we begin with an understanding of the good news of Israel's corporate atonement made through the prayer of the blood of Mashiach shed for her, we remove all replacement theology from our understanding of the Revelation of Yehoshua the Mashiach. When we do this, we see that the concealment of Mashiach from the world at the present time is for the sake of the concealment of Mashiach from Israel at the present time, and this concealment is for the sake of the glorification of his revelation to Jerusalem.
Therefore, the question of his reign upon the earth is completely reframed. I hope that the following commentary notes on this chapter will introduce how this is and why this is. With G-d's help, if it is His will, in the future, I will build on these notes and explain these matters fully.
1
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain.
...an angel... as in chapter 10. It is the same angel that in chapter 10 holds the Little Book in his right hand who here holds the key to the Abyss which is the prison of the evil one.
...The Abyss... What is this Abyss? And Why is it used here?
It is not that he is a threat while Mashiach reigns but because he is the inspiration of human opposition to God. The evil inclination remains in the world, in those not resurrected, but after the defeat of the satan, the beast and the false prophet in a subdued state. Mashiach will teach Humanity how to overcome what remains of the evil inclination during his reign. The first step will be to imprison the hero of the evil inclination, until it is time to bring about the final corporate test of Humanity, in preparation for its full corporate redemption, at the time of the full creation of the new heavens and the new earth.
The Key to the abyss is directly related to the day and hour of the coming of Mashiach, that no one knows but the Father. It is also directly related to the time of the seven thunders, when there is no more delay and time according to the measure of this world is no more the rule. For that is the key time for unsealing the Revelation, the time when the seventh trumpet sounds. All of these turning point are aspects of that key which unlocks and locks the abyss in which the satan will be imprisoned for 1,000 years.
...the chain... We will see that the abyss into which the devil is thrown will itself be sealed. And within it the devil will be chained. That is, there will be a seal within a seal. The abyss itself will be seen to be directly related to the 1,000 years of restraint in a way that those years of time themselves will be shown, in a certain sense, to form the abyss and the seal upon the abyss. The chain, the inner seal, represents the devil being locked by his defeat into his own thoughts, as though his hatred and envy of G-d will force him, year upon year, to go over and over his failed strategy in his war with G-d, to try to turn the truth into a lie, even when he is sealed in the abyss.
2
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
...bound him... Why the Devil should be put in prison instead of immediately judged is foundational. As said in the note on verse 1, the purpose of Mashiach’s rule upon the earth is not to perfect this world wherein corruption and mortality will always be possible in some way that would satisfy love for this world. Mashiach’s purpose for ruling upon this earth is to perfect the world's preparation for coming to its final end, so that there is full corporate repentance in Adam, so much as that is possible in the natural Adam. For only where there is preparation through such repentance is there that which can be redeemed.
...1,000 years... The bindings are themselves years of time. Read: “bound him with one thousand years.” Each year is a full Torah lesson, which will be taught to the world by Mashiach. Each yearly Torah lesson is an aspect of bringing the evil inclination into service of the good. After one thousand Torah lessons the divide will come between the corporate mind of Adam, which has repented of listening to the evil inclination on the one side and the collection of individuals who still cling to the voice of the evil inclination in their heart, even when the devil is not there to inspire them, on the other side. For this will be the final Torah lesson, to understand the manner in which the evil inclination will be entirely eradicated from the corruptible human by the corporate death of Adam and the new creation.
Some might argue that the complete subjugation of the evil inclination to the service of the good should not require the corporate death of Adam, that the corporate repentance of Adam should be enough. If this were so, this world itself could continue eternally. It would no longer be corruptible. There would be no need for a new creation.
3
And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.
...the Abyss... The abyss is unlocked and waiting. The key is to lock it afterwards. The narrative of the Revelation does not speak of the key being used to open the seal on the abyss. It does say here that after the Devil is thrown into the Abyss it is sealed, that is to say, locked. The key embodies the will and authority of G-d for the Devil to be locked away for this thousand years and then, after that time, released again for a short time. In the narrative, the revelation that this is G-d’s will and purpose implies that the Abyss has just been opened and stands ready for this event to happen. In effect, it was Mashiach’s return itself and subjection of the Devil which opened the Abyss. The structure of this abyss, this prison, then, can be understood to be the very words of the truth of the Good News declared by the Returned and Present Mashiach.
...after that... the evil inclination may be reanimated among the nations. This will be only for a very short time, in order that it might be demonstrated that humanity remains corruptible and its prayer unto G-d needs to be for completer corporate regeneration.
4
Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Yehoshua and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Mashiach for a thousand years.
...thrones... Thrones of the tzaddikim raised in the First Resurrection.
...to judge... The serpent, Lucifer, is already judged. These judges, who sit after that, judge only the worthy as to their immediate level of reward.
5
The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection.
...the rest of the dead... The rest of Humanity, including obviously the population of the world during the 1,000 years. The open rule of Mashiach changes the way faith is able to work. Why faith cannot be revealed to the one who sees and trusts in seeing must be understood here. Natural eyes produce natural knowledge and understanding and only confidence in the sinner’s own authority. This blocks faith occurring in the word of God alone.
It is such trust in the word of God and obedience arising from it that constitute repentance from Adam’s path of trusting the authorities of their own eyes and their own minds rather than the authority of the word of God. Thus, when individual sinners of this world see Mashiach with their own eyes, even if he appears to their eyes to be raised from the dead, they will think his glory to somehow be of this world. Seeing him in this way, they will not be able to receive through him the revelation of faith, the revelation of the judgment of this world and the mercy of G-d revealed in Israel and the world to come.
Corporately, however, Humanity will still be blind to the glory of Mashiach even when Mashiach is openly ruling the world. That is because corporately Humanity cannot see itself from the outside. Therefore redeemed corporate Israel will still be concealed to the corporate eyes of Humanity to some degree. A veil will still be over the corporate eyes of the nations, even during the 1,000 years of Mashiach’s open rule upon the earth. Therefore, it will be possible for All Adam, corporately, to be converted through the awesomeness of the word of G-d and come to faith in the word of God, the Good News of Israel and Her Messiah, just as Israel did, being corporately represented by Jerusalem, through the testimony of the Two Witnesses.
...until... The first resurrection, the resurrection of martyrs. The rest of the dead, who did not die in faith, do not know the 1,000 years of Mashiach's reign. They are awakened with the release of the devil after the 1,000 years and know only what they see.
6
Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Mashiach, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
...resurrection...There is only one resurrection — that of Yehoshua the Mashiach. There are two different stages of human entrance into his resurrection. This is called the first and the second resurrection from the point of view of those who enter through the first opening or the second opening.
...priests... These resurrected witnesses are priests to the living who enter the 1,000 years.
7
When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison,
...complete… His Gospel is complete: old things have become new! The child gives a testimony. This is precious in his sight. It has the glory of His Gospel! Also this glory grows continuously in the world. Yet their remains always a concealment for the sake of revelation for corporate faith in the time to come. This is in order that the final corporate conversion might be possible.
...released... No one knows the day nor hour of the Word of God but God Himself.
8
and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.
... Gog and Magog... Gog has prophetic reference to the anti-Messiah, the 4th beast, who is already destroyed here. This reference is, then, to their descendants, spiritual, or physical, or both. They have become billions again.
...to deceive... to assemble... Strong delusion will be sent upon them that they should believe a lie who did not receive the love of the truth. Even more than previously, it is clear to the adversaries of G-d that their only way of “touching” G-d is to harm Jerusalem.
9
And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them.
...they... This does not mean all peoples. There are those who repent in the final corporate repentance due to the rule of Mashiach from Jerusalem, the beloved city. [Look at how the designation of Jerusalem has changed from just a few chapters ago in chapter 11.]
...expanse...fire... They risk their lives, knowingly. They are Baal's offering.
10
And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
...devil who had deceived them... Angels and humans entirely given over to replacement theology are not angelic or human any longer. Not God but they themselves destroy their own nature. There is nothing left to prepare through chastisement for redemption.
From v. 9
...There... in judgment before the Great White Throne... The nature of hearing the final judgment of the word of God is that it lasts forever. It is the last word of God one ever hears, whether the word is strict justice or the word is mercy. Therefore, if any spirit comes before the Throne of its Creator hating His justice and in denial of His authority to judge, hearing a word of strict justice pronounced by its Creator upon it as His final word will be a tormenting moment of truth.
...forever... with no more part to play in the affairs of the world, the devil no longer will rule within the evil inclination, which will be entirely overcome in all Adam, having now been turned to serve the good.
11
Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.
...Earth and heaven fled... The nature of the first creation is to flee from the judgment of the One who created them. And this is what they actually do when faced with the revelation of Mashiach- God’s Truth.
...then... at the end of the 1,000 years all Adam is prepared for full transition to the New Creation. What can be redeemed in Adam has been fully prepared for rectification and translation through Mashiach's death for Israel and resurrection.
12
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. And there were open books, and one of them was the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.
...standing... The place of judgement is the final place of the first creation, preserved as well as the gateway of the new creation.
...books, and one of them... The Torah and the Good News.
...Book of Life... All those who came to life in the First Resurrection have, All Israel has, already faced the Great White Throne with Mashiach present for them and are now present to witness this judgment where there is no world of Adam to go back to anymore. This is All The Families Of The Earth, corporately speaking, and therefore there is a measure of redemption accomplished here in the witness that the salvation of corporate Israel was for the sake of the Testimony to the Truth of HaShem, through the justice exercised upon the headship of Adam, in the replacing of Adam with the Son of Adam as G-d's corporate Humanity forever.
...in the books.... And the Testimony is that this is also His mercy. Because this is the Testimony to the Truth of HaShem, it is not a testimony to condemn the 70 nations but to save them through the salvation of corporate Israel. This, then, is the testimony of there being this place for the 70 nations corporately with Israel in the Torah, read as the Book of Life. The origin of replacement theology was in the Garden, that Adam should replace Mashiach. For had Adam obeyed G-d, they would have come in G-d's time to meet Mashiach, their offspring, at the Tree of Life. The act of disobedience was the act of seeking immortality without relinquishing corporate headship to Mashiach, indeed, by replacing him forever.
The 1,000 year reign of Mashiach on the earth is to bring about the final end of replacement theology in such a way that the original design of God in the Garden should be accomplished, that Adam should come through the obedience of faith to the reward of meeting the Son of Adam, the Son of God, and so put on incorruptibility and immortality.
...their deeds... what measure of testimony of faith in the Good News of Israel and Her Messiah can be found in their deeds.
13
The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds.
...Death... Death and Hades are also judged by the Torah and Good News.
...the sea... Death and Hades... the deep and the deep of the deep, until there is no more depth, even from the beginning to the end of creation. For all is judged as to its preparedness for its translation into a new creation.
In this world, “all things flow to the sea, especially the dead.” As to those whose deeds testify to their hope in the promised blessing of Abraham, they were in exile from life in Death and Hades. But as to those who were found there who abhorred the promise made to Abraham, which brought judgment upon the pride of Adam, they have made Death their place.
14
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire.
...thrown... How is death thrown? If personified it would not be Satan- who was already thrown in. But if here, what about chapter 6:8? If this is an angel, of what kind? But if an angel, a kind of animation of Death. And so, the death of death.
...second death... not every aspect of the creation is made new. The element of corruptibility and mortality will no longer exist at all. They will be destroyed and then the memory of the anxiety they caused will be destroyed. And then the memory of the ignorance that allowed for their existence will be destroyed. This is the Lake of fire, evermore consuming the memory of corruptibility and mortality.
15
And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
...found... By God’s foreknowledge found — faith is the pen.
...lake... Replacement theology is the fuel of that lake.
...name... Whatsoever aspect of Humanity was the shell of mortality, which allowed replacement theology to come to exist, and was thus corruptible, will no longer exist.
All Scripture used here for the text of chapter 20 is from the NET translation.
