Last Sunday I included in the bulletin an insert containing the following parallels between Revelation chapters 17, 19 and 20.
The table highlights how the imagery overlaps substantially, which strongly suggests that the passages are viewing the same event from different angles. This isn’t new to Revelation as we have seen in the previous weeks with the ‘7’ cycles recycling various images. Why John is doing this seems pretty straight forward: to reassure his readers, again and again, of the great truth that though God’s people will face intense persecutions they will ultimately win in the end because the Lamb is triumphant and God is sovereign.
This Sunday we look at Revelation 20 and the often debated meaning behind the 1000 years (Millennium). If you haven’t done so already check out this previous post for an infographic which highlights the major differences between the millennial views.
| Revelation 17 | Revelation 19 | Revelation 20 |
| 17:8a The beast that you saw was, and is not… | 20:2 [The angel] seized the dragon…and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended
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| 17:8b and is to ascend from the bottomless pit… | 20:3 After that he must be loosed for a little while
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| 17:12-13 And the ten horns that you saw are the ten kings who…are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. | 19:19a And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies | 20:7-8a And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations…
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| 17:14a they will make war on the Lamb… | 19:19b gathered to make war against him who sits upon the horse and against his army.
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20:8b to gather them for battle… |
| 17:14b and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings… | 19:20-21 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet…these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur… | 20:9b-10 but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. |