Some thoughts: William Milligan’s
The Book of Revelation is not representative of current studies in the idealist / amillennial school of Biblical and prophetic interpretation. I make the distinction between his older view, and the scholarship and thinking of the currently writing idealists / amillennialists. Readers will have to discern for themselves which interpretation is in accord with the Scripture and an appropriate amil hermeneutic.
Here is Milligan on the opening of Rev 20:
Thus also we may comprehend what is meant by the loosing of Satan. There is no point in the future at which he is to be loosed. He has been already loosed. Hardly was he completely conquered for the saints before he was loosed for the world. He was loosed as a great adversary who, however he may persecute the children of God, cannot touch their inner life, and who can only "deceive the nations,"—the nations that have despised and rejected Christ. He has never been really absent from the earth. He has gone about continually, "knowing that he hath but a short time." But he is unable to hurt those who are kept in the hollow of the Lord’s hand. No doubt he tries it. That is the meaning of the description extending from the seventh to the ninth verse of this chapter, -the meaning of the war which Satan carries on against the camp of the saints and the beloved city when the thousand years are finished. In other words, no sooner was Satan, as regards the saints, completely bound than, as regards the world, he was loosed; and from that hour, through all the past history of Christianity, he has been stirring up the world against the Church: he has been summoning the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war. They war, but they do not conquer, until at last fire comes down out of heaven and devours them. "The devil that deceived them is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (pp. 183, 184)
This sort of “idealist” interpretation, while agreeing in some respects with the modern view, diverges in others. For instance, to say, “There is no point in the future at which he [Satan] is to be loosed”, really contradicts the explicit statements in Rev 20: 3 and 7. Nor is this to be explained away by saying that there can be nothing outside of the “ideal and complete period of time” of the 1,000 years as an all-inclusive period is so designated; for – to the contrary – the 1,000 years signifies the church age or gospel age, which is brought to a close when gospel proclamation is outlawed world-wide, and the demonically-energized unregenerate are gathered and unleashed to attempt the complete annihilation of all God’s children – the church in its global entirety. Says G.K Beale, “The rebellion [of Rev 20:7-9] is portrayed as very brief so that the directly following judgment can with
general accuracy be seen as also coming at the end of the thousand years” (p 1024).
It is little wonder that folks are saying, “Look, the Scripture explicitly says that Satan is shut up in the bottomless pit (or abyss) ‘till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season’ (Rev 20:3) and ‘when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison’ (Rev 20:7), from which he shall go out to deceive the nations.
Because the Scripture explicitly and clearly says there is a period of time – however brief it may be – after the thousand year imprisonment of Satan, why must that unequivocal announcement be truncated to fit into a schema made to accord with an interpretation of a symbol? On the plain face of it it does not fit! Nor let it be said I am not aware of the symbolic 1,000 year meaning, for I am, I just let the Scriptural context determine what the symbol means.
I’d like to make clear what a Biblical amillennialists view is, but first let me say that the old pessimistic vs. optimistic amil labels are a smokescreen! What is called a pessimistic amil is a misnomer, for the church is glorious and victorious even if it be decimated! Look at our Firstborn from the dead (Col 1:18), is not the glory of His grace most manifest in His suffering unto death for love of us? Is not his victory most manifest in conquering death by dying and rising again? Even so it shall be with us, the church: our glory and victory will be manifest as we follow our Saviour into death and resurrection! The “pessimist” label is from seeing through worldly eyes, and ditto with the optimist label. Things looking good for the church, with success in her evangelistic “Christianizing” of the nations, the world looking rosy? It was not so with our Lord, nor will it be so with us. Even now, risen with Christ in spirit, we partake of the first resurrection (Eph 2:4-6). If we forfeit our earthly lives by faithful witness to Him, we reign with Him in the heavens – we are far more than conquerors through Him who loved us – we are children of the High King of Heaven.
True, the church has suffered persecution throughout the church age; she has born witness to her Lord, the world hated both Him and her witness to Him, and smote her for it (as it could not get to Him directly), often unto death. All through the church – or gospel – age it has been thus. Yet the church has been spiritually protected. How? For one, every member of her has been sealed by God; second, the devil has been restrained by his imprisonment in the pit so that he may not deceive the nations into turning against and annihilating the church – for that is all his heart’s desire; he is in a rage to do it. He has been able to persecute and hurt the church through his dupes, his goons, but not on the massive – universal – scale he longs for. It will be given him, however, to gather the kings of the whole world – and all its people – to the battle of that great day of God Almighty (Rev 16:13,14). We see it in Rev 11:7-12, in Rev 13:7, in Rev 19:11-21, and in the final Rev 20:7-9. The culmination of the hatred of the world, whose god is the devil, will find its expression against us just as it did against our King, in an all-out assault to utterly extinguish our lives, and when it seems as if all is lost and we are all killed save a few, then our God appears in blazing might, with fiery indignation, to join the battle – and they flee the face of Him that sitteth on the throne (Rev 6:16,17) – as He arises to tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (Rev 19:15). For they have put their hands on His beloved.
When exactly will the day of Satan’s release come? We don’t know, but when we see the order about to be given to kill all Christians and plunder their goods, we will know that it has. Though I think it may be discerned a good bit before it is given and executed.
As I have said, I don’t at all like to contradict my good friend and better, Rev. Winzer, but this matter of understanding aright the prophecy of Christ given to John for the churches, including us at the very end, is so crucial to our being prepared in heart and mind, I really would violate my conscience by not speaking up, even if it ruffled a friend’s feathers. To be lulled into thinking it will not get so bad can be our undoing, and I will not keep silent.
True, other things will happen before that last battle – especially here in America, I believe. But that’s another topic.
This view I hastily presented is held – in the main – by most all of the contemporary amil / idealists. A partial list (just to show I’m neither alone nor in bad company):
G.K. Beale,
New International Greek Testament Commentary: Revelation, and,
The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: 1-2 Thessalonians
Dennis E. Johnson,
Triumph of the Lamb
William Hendriksen,
More Than Conquerors
Michael Wilcock,
The Message of Revelation
Kim Riddlebarger,
The Man of Sin: Uncovering the Truth About the Antichrist, and,
A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End times
David J. Engelsma,
Christ’s Spiritual Kingdom: A Defense of Reformed
Amillennialism (A shortened
online version)
Stephen S. Smalley,
The Revelation To John: A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Apocalypse
Vern Poythress,
The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation
R.C.H. Lenski,
The Interpretation of St. John’s Revelation
Samuel E. Waldron,
The End Times Made Simple
Leon Morris,
Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: Revelation
Anthony Hoekema,
The Bible and the Future
Simon J. Kistemaker,
New Testament Commentary: Revelation
Arturo Azurdia,
An Exposition of the Book of Revelation (81 MP3 sermons)
William E. Cox,
Amillennialism Today