That's right, there is a HUGE difference. For someone without... their head buried in the sand, they can easily... see how evil is STILL going on in this world, including Atheism and direct working against Christ and His Church on earth. If you say those things reveal that Christ's Kingdom has come on earth today, then it shows how you are like those Apostle Paul mentioned in 1 Thess.5 that are spiritually drunken and have not remained sober (spiritually). And Paul's idea on that is truly applicable today for a lot of brethren because of their heeding the fanciful traditions of men, and are like drunks on those doctrines.
Eh! Look, if you're going to disagree with me, at least make an effort to get what I claim right. I don't claim that "all evil" will be gone. I don't even claim that any evil will be gone. Just Satan's ability to hinder the march of the gospel.
And in point of fact, where do we see the gospel spreading the fastest and furtherest? It actually happenes to be in places where we DO see evil. Christ's promise to 'bind' the strongman is not to keep his followers safe from harm, it's that he will see his Church grow in SPITE of it. It's people's souls, not their bodies that he cares to save, ultimately.
No, the Revelation 20 Scripture is a different timeline. It is of a time in our future when everyone on earth, all nations, will SEE Jesus Christ and KNOW that He is God The Son. It is the time when every knee shall bow to Him, like Apostle Paul said. It is the time of this...
Rev 3:8-9
8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied My name.
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
KJV
Well...no. Actually, in the first part of Rev 20, we see nothing about 'the nations' apart from the fact that Satan is stopped from decieving them. Then, when he is released, we see him gathering them together to battle against the Saints and the 'beloved city'.
I wouldn't say that is them seeing Christ and knowing him...bowing to him.
Where do we see them do this? Goodness...I believe it is AFTER Satan has been defeated finally and tossed into the Lake of Fire.
So, you know, the 'timeline' still fits my view.
Jesus said that to the Church at Philadelphia. Those of the synagogue of Satan worshiping at Christ's elect's feet has NEVER happened yet to this day.
So what prophecy was our Lord Jesus pointing to? The Old Testament prophets, of course...
Ezek 44:23-24
23 And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
24 And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to My judgments: and they shall keep My laws and My statutes in all Mine assemblies; and they shall hallow My sabbaths.
KJV
Isa 29:23-24
23 But when he seeth his children, the work of Mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify My name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel.
24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.
KJV
Yes it is a reference to OT passages, but not to those.
Thus says the LORD:
“The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush,
and the Sabeans, men of stature,
shall come over to you and be yours;
they shall follow you;
they shall come over in chains and bow down to you.
They will plead with you, saying:
‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other,
no god besides him.’” -Isaiah 45:14
Kings shall be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you,
and lick the dust of your feet.
Then you will know that I am the LORD;
those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.” -Isaiah 49:23
The sons of those who afflicted you
shall come bending low to you,
and all who despised you
shall bow down at your feet;
they shall call you the City of the LORD,
the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. -Isaiah 60:14
And then when we look at the Revelation verse we see it is very similar:
Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. -Revelation 3:9
What we are seeing here is a promise from God...once given to the Jews...a promise that Gentiles would come to honor the Jews. But...is that what history has seen? What the Jews have seen since the days of Isaiah? The Jews have seemingly been passed from one conquering King to the other, always persecuted, always hated. How can this promise be true?
It is true through Christ. The 'Gentile' Church makes up a multitude, and we all honor the people of the bible...the people that bought Christ to us...the forefathers, the Disciples. Truly, through the 'seed of Abraham' they have indeed been a blessings to all nations.
So, when we come to Revelation, we are suddenly turned on our head...it's an about face. Here, God is promising a predominantly Gentile church that the Jewish people, who have been persecuting the fledgling Church...whom Paul has taught them have been 'removed from the Olive tree in disbelief', so are clearly not 'Jews' anymore, not in the biblical sense, that it will be their turn to recognize the Gentiles.
This brings us back to Romans 11, and where Paul tells us that salvation has come to the Gentiles to make 'Israel' jealous! To be jealous one must first covet what someone has...
And that brings us to the second unifying part of all these verses....they're not really about having people 'bow' before us. They're about God being recognized as the One True God. Because, he doesn't truly want Gentiles bowing before Jews in worship, or vise versa...we are to only worship God. No...the 'bowing' metaphor is only in use to show recognition and respect, because we point to a greater truth. Just as Israel in the OT pointed always to a greater truth, so the Church points to a greater truth; Christ. And whenever a Jewish person comes to Christ, he also recognizes that we; the Gentiles, we shining a light that he should have been. That is, I would expect, a humbling moment. We did NOT have the prophets or the scriptures.
How is that related to Revelation 20? That "thousand years" of Rev.20 is that time period above of their learning doctrine, and the difference between the clean and unclean, the holy and the profane. That and The Gospel is what one of the main jobs of Christ's Church will be in Christ's future Millennial reign over the nations with His elect.
Except...you're ignoring everything the NT reveals to us about these things in light of Christ's coming and work. To say that we need to look back and consider 'clean and unclean' when God tells Peter that he has made all things clean, is to ignore the work of Christ and the clear command of God.
So...you're barking up the wrong tree entirely.
