We continue with,

The Millennium and the End of Sin

We were looking at Rev 20:1-3 as explained by Brother Frank Shallieu in his work, “The Keys of Revelation.”

VERSE 2 and 3 “He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.”

The Little Season

“Before the remainder of Revelation 20:3 is treated, it is necessary to consider 1 Corinthians 15:24–28 as follows:

“Then cometh the end [of the Kingdom Age], when he [Christ] shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he [Christ] shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”

Note: the word “comes” or “cometh” is not found in any manuscript.

Verse 24, above, indicates that by the close of the Millennium, everything will have been brought into subordination to Christ, at which time he will turn over the Kingdom to God.

“As I live, saith the Lord [Jesus], every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God” “of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” (Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10).

“For he [Christ] must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.”

Verse 25 goes one step further, stating that by the close of the Millennium, all enemies will have been eliminated, not merely brought into subjection under Christ’s feet. In other words, all enemies are put under Christ’s feet—are slain—during his reign (Josh. 10:24–26; 2 Sam. 22:39; Lam. 3:34; Rom. 16:20).

“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death (Adamic death).”

Verse 26 states that the last enemy is death.

Is not Satan an enemy? Are not his associates in sin also enemies?

Will not the unrepentant be slain before the last enemy, death, is destroyed?

How can the “little season” (Rev 20:3), when Satan is loosed, occur after Jesus’ reign, for Christ “must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet”?

Incidentally, the enemy “death” in Verse 26 applies only to those men and angels classified in Scripture as being under judgment; it is associated with planet earth and its spirit environs.

If the little season occurs after the reign is over, how could enemies yet remain to be trodden underfoot?

Since Christ will reign until all enemies are put under his feet, is it not illogical to say that after his reign will come the little season in which millions will be deceived—millions who are counted as enemies or “goats” (Matt. 25:31–46)?

Relatively few of the goats will be cut off prior to the test at the close of the Millennium. Verses 25 and 26 alone prove the little season will occur during Christ’s reign. Revelation 20 shows the same time sequence, as will be demonstrated— the Scriptures harmonize!

The first part of the next verse, highlighted in red is omitted in the main text of the Sinaitic manuscript.

“For he hath put all things under his feet” But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he [God] is excepted, which did put all things under him [Jesus].”

Verse 27 states that the “all things” being put under Jesus do not include the Father.

What does the term “put under” signify?

First, those who repent, trust, and obey Christ implicitly—those who, under testing, are found fit to enter eternal life beyond the Millennium—are the class God can and will accept. Second, those found unfit for eternal life—the incorrigible who are at enmity with God and are, therefore, unworthy of acceptance—will be destroyed.

We will take a look at 1 Cor 15:28 and the remainder of Rev 20:3 in our next post.