We now come to the principal part of this study. The preceding chapters have led us to a clearer understanding of the symbols—that is, of those expressions from which the concept of a so-called Thousand-Year Reign has arisen.

In the preceding chapter, Rev. 19:20, the last vision concludes with the words, "cast alive into a lake of fire." Since no further event can follow this scene, it is reasonable to conclude that this vision has come to its end and that chapter 20 begins a new vision. Therefore, we should not assume that the visions follow one another in strict chronological order. Likewise, the vision in chapter 20 concludes with verse 10: "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are... and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." No events beyond this point are revealed to us.

Rev. 20:1-2: "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan; and bound him a thousand years."

Concerning the angels, Scripture says: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister...?" (Heb. 1:14). Although the name of this angel is not given, the text clearly shows that God accomplishes His purpose through the ministry of His angels. It is noteworthy that the passage does not simply say that he seized the serpent, the Devil, or Satan, but specifically the dragon. This indicates that the deception which Satan exercised through the pagan religions during the period of the Roman world was, simply stated, restrained for the thousand years. This interpretation is confirmed by the historical context. The pagan worship of the gods practiced by the Greeks and Romans was displaced through the spread of Christianity and was eventually prohibited altogether under the rise of Roman Catholicism. The influence of Roman Catholicism increased steadily until, through the power of the church, the practice of pagan and occult religion was almost entirely suppressed.

An example from the Book of Acts illustrates how this restraint of occult influence took place (Acts 8:9-12): "But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria... To whom they all gave heed... saying, This man is the great power of God." Yet the Gospel proved stronger than paganism and sorcery: "But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women" (Acts 8:12). Here we see clearly how the Gospel broke the power of paganism and magic.

Rev. 20:3: "...and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."

One might ask why the events described here are presented as though they concerned the whole world, since other regions in Asia, Africa, or America experienced their own historical developments. The answer is found in the very first verse of Revelation: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass..." (Rev. 1:1). The Revelation was therefore addressed to the servants of Christ—to believers who, at that time, possessed no knowledge of distant lands. Consequently, the events described relate to that part of the world known to them. At the same time, these events can apply only to those regions in which Christianity had already taken root.

The meaning of the number one thousand has already been considered and is symbolic here as well. The restriction and binding of the dragon did not occur in a single day or even within a single year, but unfolded over an extended period and at different times in different countries. As Christianity spread and became firmly established, the satanic influence of paganism was increasingly driven back. How can these developments be placed within history? In the following section, several historical milestones will be presented that help to define this period.

Historical Background of the Binding of the Dragon

• Around A.D. 270, Anthony the Great became the founder of Christian monasticism, which later occupied a permanent and influential place within Roman Catholicism. Numerous monasteries were established, and through them Catholic teaching spread ever more widely. This development, however, did not signify the complete binding of the dragon, but only a weakening of his influence.
• Likewise, the Edict of Milan was not the result of the sudden conversion of a single emperor. Rather, it confirmed and expanded the Edict of Toleration issued by Emperor Galerius in A.D. 311 while he lay on his deathbed. Although written in a rather condescending tone toward Christians, it granted them, for the first time, the freedom to practice their faith openly, provided that public order was not disturbed. Both Constantine and his imperial rival Maxentius had already accepted this edict. Consequently, the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (A.D. 312) should not be understood as a conflict between Christianity and paganism, as it is often portrayed.
• The term Constantinian Shift refers to the religious transformation initiated through the Edict of Milan, issued in A.D. 313 by the Roman Emperors Constantine I and, at Constantine's influence, Licinius. (Although often referred to as the Edict of Toleration, this designation is historically inaccurate.) During the years that followed, Christianity steadily gained influence throughout the Roman Empire and was finally declared the official state religion in A.D. 380 through the edict Cunctos Populos issued by Theodosius I. When this decree was incorporated into the Codex Justinianus in A.D. 534, Nicene Christianity became the officially binding religion for all inhabitants of the Empire.

These developments profoundly influenced many nations and permanently shaped the religious and social order throughout the Empire.

• Several church councils are regarded as major milestones in church history and are often used as reference points in chronological calculations: the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325), the First Council of Constantinople (381), the Council of Ephesus (431), the Council of Chalcedon (451), the Second Council of Constantinople (553), the Third Council of Constantinople (680–681), and the Second Council of Nicaea (787). These are known as the first seven ecumenical councils of the early church. At these councils, doctrinal definitions were established that have ever since been regarded as infallible by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. To a large extent, they also remain part of the doctrinal foundation of many Protestant churches.
• On September 5–6, A.D. 394, the Battle of the Frigidus took place. Traditionally, it has been interpreted as a confrontation between two opposing worldviews. The Christian emperor Theodosius I defeated the last representative of ancient paganism. Following this battle, Christianity became the only legally permitted religion within the Empire. The prohibition and eventual disappearance of paganism marked one of the most far-reaching cultural transformations of the ancient world.
• In A.D. 445, Leo the Great received from Emperor Valentinian III the title "Bishop of the Whole Church" in recognition of his outstanding service in defending Catholic doctrine. Through his ministry he gained great respect among the clergy. Leo also gave new significance to the title Pontifex Maximus ("Supreme Priest"), applying it not to himself but to Jesus Christ as the true Chief Shepherd. Nevertheless, Leo was already popularly called Papa during his lifetime. The later bestowal of the title Pontifex Maximus by Emperor Valentinian III was not the result of Leo's own initiative. However, his teaching concerning the office of Peter and the position of the pope laid the foundation for the later development of papal authority.
• In A.D. 538, the Ostrogoths, the final obstacle to the supremacy of the papacy, were driven out.

The "Loosing" of the Dragon

The loosing of the dragon—that is, the reintroduction of pagan and esoteric practices into so-called Christian nations—cannot be assigned to one specific day or year. Rather, it was a gradual process in which the pagan spirit, in its many different forms, steadily regained influence. Throughout the centuries this influence spread more and more and continues to affect our own time. History likewise shows that the more the power and authority of the established churches declined, the more pagan and esoteric movements were able to spread again among the people. This development progressed at different rates and with varying intensity from one country to another.

• For example, John Wycliffe's translation of the Bible in 1383 greatly contributed to the spread of Christianity in England. Several later Reformers built their work upon Wycliffe's achievements. Although these developments weakened the authority of the papacy in England, they cannot properly be regarded as the loosing of the dragon.
• More than any other event, however, Dr. Martin Luther's Ninety-five Theses in 1517 shook the papal throne. This was followed in 1530 by the Augsburg Confession, the principal confession of the Protestant Reformation. Through these events the power of the papacy was decisively weakened and may therefore be regarded as the beginning of the loosing of the dragon.
• The most significant and influential anti-Christian movement that became established—and that has continued to expand its influence throughout every sphere of society—is the atheistic spirit of the Enlightenment. In 1732, Jean-Baptiste Dubos first spoke of the Siècle des Lumières ("Age of Enlightenment"). As unbelief increased, the door was opened ever wider to a pagan worldview. The Order of the Illuminati, founded by Adam Weishaupt on May 1, 1776, and today commonly associated with Freemasonry, became one of the best-known atheistic movements and has continued to extend its influence into virtually every area of society. The end of the eighteenth century may therefore be regarded as the beginning of the renewed spread of nature religions, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), occultism, and many other similar movements.
• In A.D. 1798, during the French Revolution, Pope Pius VI was taken prisoner by the French General Berthier. Some interpreters regard this event as the actual loosing of the dragon. In reality, however, it merely marked a visible decline in the political power of the Roman Catholic Church, not the beginning of the renewed spread of the pagan spirit.

We therefore observe that both the binding of pagan practices and their later revival did not occur on one specific day or in one particular year, but unfolded gradually over time. For this reason, the number one thousand is to be understood symbolically here as well. It represents a long period extending across the historical developments described above.

We now proceed to the exposition of the passage itself.

Rev. 20:4: "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years."

The statement, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them," reminds us of the words of Jesus: "Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Luke 22:28-30). Before Pilate, Jesus testified that His kingdom was not of this world—it is a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of believers. Therefore, Rom. 14:17 declares that "the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." In this spiritual kingdom there is not natural food, but spiritual nourishment and spiritual fellowship.

The children of God live according to higher moral standards. For this reason, they are figuratively described as sitting upon thrones—they reign over sin. Their holy lives become a testimony of judgment against the world, because their purity exposes the contrast between themselves and those who do not belong to Christ. Compare the words of Jesus: "The men of Nineveh shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here" (Luke 11:32).

The word reign easily gives rise to false ideas because of human pride. Considered by itself, many associate it with power, wealth, and honor—that is, with the very things after which the carnal mind longs.

It should be noted, however, that verse 4 speaks of "the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God," and of those "which had not worshipped the beast." These are true Christians who were put to death because of their faith. Their souls are presented here without symbolic language. What kind of reign did they share with Christ?

• They reigned over their own flesh: "...Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).
• They reigned over sin in their mortal bodies: "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof" (Rom. 6:12).
• They reigned over the world: "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (I John 5:4).
• They resisted the devil: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

The overcomers of that period, who did not deny their faith, reigned with Christ throughout that long medieval era of papal darkness, together with all "the souls of them that were beheaded"—those who suffered martyrdom for the sake of Christ.

The expression "they lived." Who, then, are those who had "not worshipped the beast" and had not received "his mark," yet "lived"? Let us begin with the last expression, "they lived." This refers to those who experienced a spiritual new birth. They did not accept the dead, formal church worship; they worshipped neither the beast (the devilish deception through Roman Catholicism) nor his image (the church system patterned after Roman Catholicism). They did not receive the corrupt churchly thinking and conduct—the mark upon the forehead and upon the hand.

Rev. 20:5: "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."

The spiritually dead did not live during these thousand years; they did not experience the new birth. This gives us an indication that during the dark period of Roman Catholicism there was no free opportunity for evangelization. The words "This is the first resurrection"—already explained earlier—give us the assurance that this is not speaking of the physically dead, but of the spiritually dead.

Rev. 20:6: "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

Blessed indeed are all who have been redeemed from their sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. Physical death has no power over those who are spiritually alive. Even though the body of the believer dies, for him this is only a transition from faith to sight. The Apostle Paul says: "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory" (I Cor. 15:54). Death cannot take away their inheritance in heaven. "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Rom. 8:17). They have a priestly duty to pray for others. Like priests, they stand between sinners and God and pray for the salvation of their souls.

But why is the expression "the second death" used here? It is similar to Rev. 2:11: "...He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." Although the explanation already given is true—physical death cannot harm our spiritual life, because the soul continues to live with Christ—the judgment and condemnation are also made harmless to the redeemed through Christ. The second death is clearly explained in Rev. 20:14-15: "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Whoever is spiritually born again here on earth—whoever has part in the first resurrection—has escaped eternal condemnation. See John 5:24: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." Therefore, there is a first resurrection, which is the spiritual new birth, and there is a first death, caused by sin and consisting in separation from God. There is also a second resurrection at the return of Christ, and there is the second death in the lake of fire.

Rev. 20:7: "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison."

In verses 2 and 3 the time period was described with reference to the Devil. Verses 4 through 6 describe the same period from another perspective, namely with regard to the redeemed. With verse 7, the account therefore returns to the phase already mentioned in verse 3. In both scenes we find the same expressions: "when the thousand years are fulfilled" and "Satan shall be loosed." This makes it clear that the same period of time is in view, now brought to its conclusion by the loosing of Satan. Thus, with verse 7, the description of the so-called Thousand-Year Reign comes to an end.

A detailed exposition of the following verses, 8 and 9, is deliberately omitted here. The explanation of the names "Gog and Magog" alone would require a thorough biblical investigation and a precise historical classification—a subject that cannot be adequately treated within the present scope. Let this much only be noted: this passage also does not describe a literal war or a military confrontation before the walls of Jerusalem, but a spiritual conflict.