What does any of this have to do with Rev. 20? Even if all of these are figurative( which by the way these are all ot books) it is not a command for 1000 to be figurative every time it appears.
For all you know some of them can be literal. You just don't know. you just assume they are all figurative.
But if you are one of the ones who believe we are living in this allegorical 1,000 year period, then when did the first resurrection happen?
2. When did those who refused th emark and were beheaded resurrect and co -reign with Jesus?
3. When was Satan chained and abyssed??
4. what was that mark they refused?
5. Is that mark still active?
6. The passage clearly says only those who were beheaded and worshipped not the beast and take his mark were resurrected. The second death has no authority over them
. So by direct reference- any believer who has not been resurrected yet, the second death has authority over them! That is a lousy place to be!
There is simply no warrant for saying the 1,000 years mentioned 6 times in Rev. have to be allegorical to refer to an indefinite time frame. It is even with less biblical warrant as to think that these vents are historic as they are only mentioned near the end of time. for after this mystical time frame, Satan is loosed attacks earthly Jerusalem and eternity rolls around!
Interestingly, the only place outside of Revelation 20 that the term a thousand years is mentioned in the New Testament is in 2 Peter 3. There, it is significantly used in an entirely figurative sense. In this chapter, Peter is specifically addressing the cynics who live in the last days that doubt the appearing of the Lord at His Second Advent and indeed harbour the foolish notion that He will not come at all. It is in this context that he addresses these misguided doubters, saying, “there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4).
Peter, however, says in response,
“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (vv 5-9).
This familiar passage closely parallels the reading that we have just analysed in Psalm 90, indicating the same spiritual truth – that God is
not limited to time. Again, notably, the contrast between the number one and a thousand is employed to simply represent an important divine truth.
Some theologians mistakenly attempt to use this passage to argue that one of God’s eternal days represents a literal thousand earthly years and that the commencement occurs at the time of Second Advent. However, they do err in their assumption, in that, this text simply indicates the briefness of time with God. 2 Peter 3 does
not in anyway indicate a future earthly millennium kingdom anywhere in this reading. Peter is simply reminding such people that time is absolutely nothing to the King of glory. He ultimately sits outside of time in the realm of eternity. Time is but a blink to His infinite mind and to the eternal state.
Christ speaks of the unprepared state of many professing believers, who are exposed for their unpreparedness in Luke 12:45-46, saying,
“if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.”
It is in this context that he addresses these misguided doubters. Peter says in response, “beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that
one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (v 8).
Peter thus outlines
two distinct yet contrasting time equations in this passage for the sole purpose of expressing a deep spiritual truth. Notwithstanding, and not surprisingly, the Premillennialist are swift to selectively advance the first aspect of this calculation as supposed evidence that one of God’s heavenly days represents a thousand literal temporal earthly years. However, whilst they unquestionably address, and happily literalise, the first part of this calculation they are understandably careful to side step the second part of the sum. Evidently, such is for the reason that it doesn’t fit their flawed hyper-literalist mode of interpretation.
Significantly, this reading in no place suggests the day of the Lord lasts a literal 1,000 years. The Premillennialist forces that into the reading. In the above passage it simply indicates
“one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (v 8).
Those who take the aforementioned verses to support a future 1,000-year millennium of peace are faced with an insurmountable inconsistency when they examine the detail of the remainder of the chapter, and try and get it to fit their paradigm. 2 Peter 3:10-13 continues,
“the day of the Lord will come (or arrive)
as thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall ‘go or pass away, or perish’ with a great noise, and the elements shall be ‘loosed by being set on fire’, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be ‘burned up utterly or consumed wholly’. Seeing then that all these things shall be ‘dissolved, loosened or broke up’ … Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be ‘dissolved, melted or loosed’, and the elements shall ‘melt by being set on fire’?” Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.”
This passage is so clear, final and all-consummating that one wonders how anyone could remotely imagine that creation could survive such an all-consummating fiery event. One also wonders how the Holy Spirit could have possibly advanced more explicit language to indicate the idea of total devastation. Whatever way you look at this chapter there is absolutely no allowance made or possibility for a future post-Second Coming millennial kingdom on this earth. Peter knows of no other coming of Christ other than that which eradicate the heavens, elements and the earth in one stupendous conflagration.
Anyone who contends that this passage supports the Premillennial theory that the day of the Lord lasts a literal 1,000 years after the second coming must surely see the absolute absurdity of their notion in the light of these last verses. This vivid account of complete devastation and utter destruction that occurs in this final day totally destroys any credence for the advancement of the Premillennial supposition. If this day lasts 1,000 years, as the Premillennialist passionately argues, then it is unquestionably a thousand years of awful and continuous judgment, which is in stark contradiction to the peaceful (albeit goat-infested) millennium that Premillennialists try to portray in their literature.
The Greek word
katakakeesetai used here carries a very strong and unambiguous meaning of ‘burned up utterly’ or ‘consumed wholly’. The King James Version uses it 12 times (Matt 3:12, 13:30, 40, Luke 3:17, Acts 19:19, 1 Cor 3:15, Heb 13:11, 2 Pet 3:10, Rev 8:7 (x2), 17:16, 18:8, each of which interpret the word the same.
Notwithstanding, this passage agrees totally with the all-consummating character of every other explicit Second Coming passage in Scripture, the day of the Lord sees the immediate destruction of the wicked and also this current world. In short, the day of the Lord will come as thief in the night; in the which:
1.
The heavens shall pass away / perish with a great noise.
2.
The elements shall be ‘loosed by being set on fire’,
3.
The earth shall be ‘burned up utterly / consumed wholly.
4.
The works that are within the earth shall be ‘burned up utterly / consumed wholly.
Seeing then that all these things (that is 1-4) shall be ‘luomenoon’ or ‘dissolved / burned up utterly / consumed wholly. The old here is completely consumed by fire in an all-consummating conflagration, in order to make way for the new eternal state. One cannot imagine how the Holy Spirit couple have made the concluding nature of Christ’s Coming simpler or plainer to the human mind in this explicit passage.
Those who spiritualise this day by stretching this fiery time-period out over the duration of a literal 1,000 years forget that the detail embodied within the description of the said day destroys any credence that they have for promoting their mistaken interpretation of Revelation 20. They completely demolish their own argument by advancing such a fanciful idea. They are quick to argue “day” doesn’t mean a literal day in Scripture, and “hour” doesn’t mean a literal hour in Scripture, yet they always arrive at a literal future thousand-year millennium every time they examine the symbolic detail of Revelation 20.