Topics Research

Question

How does the binding of Satan in Rev 20:1-3 correspond to the scapegoat ritual in Lev 16:20-22? What is the nature and duration of the millennium? How do Rev 20:4-6 (thrones, judgment given to saints, first resurrection, priests of God) complete the Day of Atonement typological sequence?

Topics

SCAPEGOAT

General scriptures concerning LEV 16:7-10,20-34. The scapegoat (Heb. azazel, H5799) is exclusively a Day of Atonement element with no parallel in any other Levitical ceremony. The ritual involves casting lots (v.8), presenting the goat alive (v.10), confession of sins upon it (v.21), and sending it to the wilderness by the hand of a "fit man" (ish itti, v.21-22).

SATAN

Names and titles include: Abaddon/Apollyon (REV 9:11), accuser (REV 12:10), adversary (1PE 5:8), angel of the bottomless pit (REV 9:11), Devil (MAT 4:1; REV 20:2), dragon (REV 12:3), old serpent (REV 12:9; 20:2), prince of this world (JHN 12:31; 14:30), tempter (MAT 4:3), god of this world (2CO 4:4), unclean spirit (MAT 12:43), wicked one (MAT 13:19,38). Kingdom to be destroyed: 2SA 23:6,7. Binding: MAT 12:29; LUK 11:21,22; 1JN 3:8. Unclassified scriptures: GEN 3:1,4,5,14,15; JOB 1:6,7,9-12; ZEC 3:1,2; COL 2:15; HEB 2:14; 2PE 2:4; Jude 1:6-9; REV 12:9-12; 20:1-3,7,8,10.

ATONEMENT

Day of Atonement: Time EXO 30:10; LEV 23:27; 25:9; NUM 29:7. How observed: LEV 16:2-34; LEV 23:27-32; HEB 5:3; 9:7,19,22. Made by animal sacrifices: LEV 16:6,10,11,15-19,24-34; 17:11; HEB 9:22. Typified by LEV 16:30,34 with HEB 9:7,12,28. The atonement is made BEFORE the scapegoat enters (Lev 16:20 — vekhillah mikapper, "made an end of reconciling").

MILLENNIUM

General scriptures: ISA 65:17-25; ZEP 3:11-13; ZEC 9:9,10; 14:16-21; REV 14:6; 20:1-15. The thousand years (chilia ete, G5507+G2094) appears 6 times in Rev 20:2-7. The millennium is bounded by two resurrections: the first resurrection at its beginning (20:4-6) and the resurrection of the "rest of the dead" at its end (20:5).

RESURRECTION

General scriptures: JOB 14:12-15; 19:25-27; PSA 16:9,10; ISA 25:8; 26:19; DAN 12:2,3,13; JHN 5:28,29; 1CO 15:12-57; 1TH 4:14,16; REV 20:4-6,13. Typified by Isaac (GEN 22:13 with HEB 11:19) and Jonah (JON 2:10 with MAT 12:40). The word anastasis (G386) appears in Revelation ONLY at 20:5-6, making these the only verses in the entire book that explicitly name the resurrection.

JUDGMENT

The General Judgment: DAN 7:9,10; 1CO 6:2; REV 20:11-15. The saints' judgment role: 1CO 6:2 (saints shall judge the world); 1CO 6:3 (we shall judge angels). According to opportunity and works: ROM 2:5-12; 2CO 5:10; REV 20:12,13. Daniel 7:22: "judgment was given to the saints of the most High."

THRONE

Figurative: Of God — PSA 9:4,7; ISA 6:1; 66:1; REV 14:3,5. Of Christ — MAT 19:28; 25:31; REV 3:21; 4:2-10; 20:4; 20:11; 22:3. The plural "thrones" (thronos G2362) occurs only 4 times in the NT: Mat 19:28, Luk 22:30, Col 1:16, Rev 20:4. Rev 20:4 is the fulfillment of the throne promise.

WILDERNESS / DESERT

Wilderness: Typical of sinner's state (DEU 32:10); Jesus' temptation (MAT 4:1). Desert: An arid region, LEV 16:22; DEU 8:15; JER 2:2,6; 17:6. Figurative: ISA 35:1. The wilderness (midbar, H4057) is the scapegoat's destination (Lev 16:21-22) and carries connotations of desolation, separation from civilization, and demonic habitation (cf. Mat 12:43 — unclean spirit walks through "dry places").

HADES

The unseen world: MAT 10:28; 11:23; 16:18; LUK 16:23; REV 1:18; 6:8; 20:13,14. Rev 20:13-14: "death and hell (hades) delivered up the dead... and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire." Hades is distinguished from the abyss (abyssos) and from the lake of fire.

PIT (Bottomless Pit)

The bottomless pit (abyssos, G12): REV 9:1,2,11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1,3. All 9 NT occurrences of abyssos build a consistent picture: demons fear it (Luk 8:31), it is a locked realm (Rev 9:1-2), has a king named Abaddon/Apollyon (Rev 9:11), the beast ascends from it (Rev 11:7, 17:8), and Satan is imprisoned in it (Rev 20:1-3).

KINGDOM OF SATAN

General scriptures: MAT 12:26. Jesus said, "If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?" Satan's kingdom is characterized by deception (Rev 20:3,8,10), and his binding during the millennium is specifically defined as preventing deception of the nations.

Related Topics Discovered

• MELCHIZEDEK: King-priest figure (GEN 14:18-20; PSA 110:4; HEB 5:6,10; 7:1-21) — relevant to the "priests of God and of Christ" in Rev 20:6
• DEEP (tehom, H8415): No standalone Nave's entry, but LXX translates tehom as abyssos (G12) 30 times — the conceptual bridge between Gen 1:2 and Rev 20:1-3