The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 430

Aooordiug to 1101119> U is past. (1) Aooording to Hengstenberg. tli.e thousand years begm on the OnristmM Eve of the yar 800, when the pope plaoed the crown on the head of Charlemagne. But surely then was not at that time, nor during the thousand yeam after, such a et.ate of thing& as would seem to be represented by a binding of Satan fer the whole time. Hengstenberg t.akee the thoUBBlld years literally, and thinks that evea no\li' &tan is loosed from hia priaon, and that depravity bas reached ita utmoat height. (2) ACCQ!'(ling to many, and among them th.e most thoughtful and devout expoBitors, the binding of Satan began when Jesus came. Our Lord's casting out derila pl'O"ted that a check was put on Satan's power; this restraint was increased when Jesns died, and i11 continued in the perpetual advance of the kingdom of Christ. They refer to suoh ~ges as Matt. xii. 29; Beb. ii. 14, 15; 1 John iii. 8; Col ii. 15; Luke L. 18. But; (a) the symbolism of the text seems to indicate a more effectual restraint on evil than the earth as ;ret hu known ; and (b) since the binding of Satan is placed BO nearly to the coas11mmatlon of all things, since the kingdom of Cltrist b.!ld actually been ia progre,u for II01D8 thirty years when the book was written, and siDoe the prophecies were declared to lie of" things which should be hereafter," it seems much more coll80nant with the date, the aim, and the plan of the hook to think of the binding of Satan as that which was yet to come in the revolution■ of the ~es. At the same time, it is quite possible to combine this second view with another, (3) according to which, even if the binding of Sa.ian did eommen111 with the establishment of the kingdom of Christ, ~e reaults of that binding would take ages to work out, and would, in the long run, bri1tg about more of calm and of rest than earth has yet been permitted to - . Even the expositors who adopt the aeeond Tiew do in. many 0&888 oo:rnbiDe it with the third, and regard the binding here specified as 1101Dething so mllCh more effective than any hitherto known. aa to be virtually new. It is to thia eonolwi.on that we ind OW'18l'ffll shut up: that thia period which iB 1poken of as a thollll&nd yffl!'s i1 one w a bleued calm yet to be reaHr.ed, surpassing 11.ll that earth has known; tb.at though the e&Wl81 are already at work-to bring it about, and though the train of event.8 ill laid which is to usher it in, yet that tu pauage refera to t h e ~ ll!Blle in daya to come, when eril shall be kept under more eff.active re!!traini than before. Thui period jg what i.8 generall7 thought of 811 " the miHiennmm." From the puaage before us it ia perfectly clear that the millenninm is not a period of the extiootion of evil, but only of 1ts ~estraint. Neither sin nor death nor the curse will cease till th,e 1leW heavens and ~e 118W earth are brought in, and they are not yet. While, however, the righteoua on earth will enjoy a period of delightful calm, the faithful ones who sha.1.1 have gene hence will be living and reigning with Christ all that while. They will bo enjoying" the first resurrection." (1388 ne4 homily). Let us now, after these few preliminary explanations, look at our present theme, "the binding of Satan," in th4, light of the entire Scripture teaching, that we may lea.m what is to be the state of the world during this period of halcyon calm; and how it ia to be brought about by forces and ageooies already in operation. We shall &ppl'oach our tw.bject. cauiioasly and gradually. May we in <bi's light. see light! L 'l"lanm IS IN 'l'llE WORLD 1A lrl!IOHTY PORCB 01' EVIL. As 11m forth in these A ~ lyptill viu'i8ns, we haTe aeen : 1. That old 1erpe11t, called the devil 2. The firH beast, or worldly power oppolied to God, having its power from the dngoo. 3. The J111100nd bea8t, or false prophet, having his pewer from the irat. 4. The harlot, Babylon the great, tN' apostasy, whether in the ecclesiastical or commercial 11phere. We have seen No. 4: ilenroyed; Nos.-3 alld 2 cast into the lake of fire; stili No. 1 remainL We are t,o wa&ola what •becomes of him. His power in the world is too well known. II. MIGJHTI&ll :nmc,u 01' GOOD, ALTHOUGH UN~, AU Ill THE liCXGaomm. As •• read this book, we can but note that evil is surveyed from above ; held in oheclt by God; allowed to work for a time-known to the year, the month, the day, and tile bom. And 811 we have seen the downfu.ll of three of the forms of evil, we here watch with deepest illterest a new eheck: upon the first. Ill 'l'IIB llllPLOYJIDT OJ' TBB llJGBTID 4GAIN8'1' THB JOGBTY JIAll '811:D IIA'l"l'Q Ill' AJl(lIBNT PROESB. No sooner had the tempter marred Eden's bowers than the promise was given (Gen. iii. 15). The aerpent might bruise the seed of the woman, lxat he would do so at a fatal OOBt to himself. Dim promise I needing the 0TolutioD ,f ages to interpret. it, but yet containing tlm which u the luis of our hope when in l(ply 9MI' she tempter'■ power, 'a. u. 1-15.] mB REVELATION OP ST. JOHN TB:& DIVINB. 47'1