The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 429

HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-8.-&ttm 5outad for a thousand years. God sees the end from the beginning. If he pleases, he can disclose the future to others, although even then, by reason of the limitation of creatnre-faculties, the unfolding of the future must be limited too. '!'here is, moreover, one feature of that limit which cannot be too clearly recognized, viz. that inasmuch as man has no strictly creative power, and can only weave new patterns by putting together in different forms the materials ready to his hand, so also he can conceive of the new life of the ages to come only by means of some varied setting of the BCe11es of the ages that are past. Hence our God graciously etoops to our capacity, and puts his revealings of the forthcoming v,ars under the form of the facts which have marked those that are past. 'l'hus the events which are to mark the consummation of this age are set forth in two forms, vie. (1) by a repruenta- tion of the good we already enjoy as wrought up to -a higher degree of perfection; and (2) by setting forth the evil over which we mourn as brought to extinction, or as restricted within narrower bounds. Now, under this last-mentioned form, a prolonged period is here set forth, spoken of as a thousand years, aa one during which the evil one shall be bound and pent up within his own place. Many questions nat111ally start up as we study this passage-a paaaage which is not specially easy, under any circumstances, but which we cannot help thinking has been made to appear vastly more difficult than it is in itself, by reason of the enormous incub11B of fanciful theories by which it baa been all but smothered.. We venture to think that even although, owing to lack of data, there are some queries the full answer to which mUBt yet be left in abeyance, yet there is quite enough in the verses before us that is sufficiently,clear to make the heart leap with delight, to stimulate our hopes, and to excite our prayers. Who is the angel ? What is the period of a thousand years? What is the binding \l When does it begin? These are the queries which seem to need a reply before we can appreciate and appropriate the disclosures which the paragraph contains. 1. W/io i• the angel I Some say the Lord JesUB Christ, because he alone con.trwa Satan's power. It is quite true that. JesllB alone controls the evil one, but it is also true that he does so at times by the instrumentality of others. So far as the symbolism of the text goes, there is no reason for thinking the angel to be other than a created .one. Still, if any aee reason for thinking otherwise, even then the main sense of the passage is the same. Our Lord Jes11B may bind the evil one directly or mediately. 2. What is the period ,pecified 1 There are four hypotheses respecting the thousand years. One that it is to be taken literally ; a second, that on the "day for a year" principle it is equivalent to 365,000 years; a third, that it is an indication of completeness, but not of time; a fourth, that it is a definite expression for a period indefinitely prolonged. The first of these is the one most commonly adopted; although why, if twelve hundred and sixty days mean twelve hundred and sixty years, the "thousand years" should be less than that by two hundred and siitty days is to the writer extremely puzzling, The second and third views have few defenders. It seems to us to be much safer to look at the expression as indicating an indefinite period of time, of immense duration-a time Gf peace and freedom from ill, which will vastly exceed the period of trial and sorrow during which the Church's wilderness-life will have lasted. 3, What is the binding 1 .At present it may suffice to sa.y that it certainly denotes such a restriction upon Sa.tan, his doings and roviogs, that daring this period he will not be able to "go about seeking whom he may devour" to the eJitcnt he would desire. .4. When doe, U,. bindfag beJJin r 476 Tf,IJ!l REVELATION 011' BT. JORN THE DIVIN& [oa. u. 1-16.