Modern Amillennialism (or Now Millennialism, NowMil for short) creates a strawman by saying “all flesh” in Rev. 19:17-18 refer to “all of mankind without exception” first by (1) double standard, (2) eisegesis, (3) selective bias, (4) scripture twisting, and (5) accusing the Lord of attempting genocide.

1) Double standard because they say Revelation is full of symbols and figures yet they make self-serving exception for Rev. 19:17-18 . Why can’t it be a hyperbole? But we’re not saying it is a hyperbole, see #2, #3, & #4 below. The point is this: NowMil is guilty of double-standard which is a form of intellectual dishonesty because they do this very thing.

2) Eisegesis because they imported a foreign meaning into the text to contradict authorial intent. The author of Revelation assumes we know that there will be survivors because after 1,000 years of the reign of the people of God, there still be enemies able gather in massive number surrounding the beloved city where the saints are encamped (Rev. 20:7-10). Furthermore, in Rev. 22:2, it says the “leaves of the tree” in the beloved city is for healing the nations. Why would it say nations will need to be healed if the survivors were not in the mind of the author? Also, Rev. 19:15 tells us the “sharp sword” from the mouth of the “Word of God” is meant to strike down the nations and rule them with rod of iron, not to wipe them all out, why would he write that if there will be no more nations to rule?

3) Selective bias because they only want to pick on Rev. 19:17-18 and want us to ignore its correlation with Zechariah 14:16 which tells us that after the attack (Zec. 14:2), when the Lord fights for his people (Zec. 14:3), there would still be survivors (Zec. 14:16) who will pay tribute to the Lord. Are they assuming that the author of the book of Revelation was unaware of what Zec. 12-14 prophesied before him?

(4) Scripture twisting because not only did they add foreign meaning into the text, something that contradicts the authorial intent (eisegesis, see #2), they also twist the intent of the author in the text which tells us that only combatants are being referred to, see Rev. 19:19, “gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army”. In the narrative, they’ve been gathering as early as Rev. 16:14-16. Even the “rest” in Rev. 19:21 based on context, authorial intent, and correlation with Zec. 12-14 can only mean “the rest of the combatants”.

(5) Accusing the Lord of attempting genocide because as explained above (see #2 and #4), with their scripture twisting, led them to the conclusion that all will be killed including non-combatants. They even fail to account the survivors of the Great Earthquake in Rev. 11:13, who, after witnessing the rapture of the two witnesses, got terrified and glorified God at the end of the 3.5-year Great Tribulation. Why would the Lord mercilessly kill them too since that is the eternal gospel proclaimed by the angel in Rev. 14:6-7?

Context in the Revelation Narrative Framework

Rev. 16:14 says, “They are demonic spirits that perform signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY.” Indicating that the deceived kings are going to gather their armies to the great day of God almighty (Compare this with Psalm 2:1-3). This gets picked up in Rev. 19:17 as the Great Supper of God, “And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, ‘Come, gather together for the GREAT SUPPER OF GOD.'”  (Compare this with Ezekiel 39:17). The constitution of these armies are stated in Rev 19:18 this way, “so that you may eat the FLESH OF KINGS, GENERALS, and the MIGHTY, of HORSES and their RIDER, and the FLESH OF ALL PEOPLE, FREE and SLAVE, GREAT and SMALL.” Although “the flesh of all people are mentioned” we know that the context of these all people is already given in Rev. 16:14. On top of that, their make up is also visualized in Rev 19:19, as the gathered kings and their armies,

“Then I saw THE BEAST and THE KINGS of the earth and THEIR ARMIES gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. “

Rev. 19:19

As you can see “the flesh of all people” are qualified by all that gathered in the GREAT DAY OF GOD almighty in Rev. 16:14 which is concluded in the GREAT SUPPER OF GOD in Rev. 19:17, and their make up is given by Rev. 19:18 as “THE BEAST and THE KINGS of the earth and THEIR ARMIES” and not ALL the EARTH DWELLERS.

Analogea Scripturae

Aside from the context within the Revelation narrative framework we can also appeal to the hermeneutical principle of analogea scripturae or analogy or correlation of scriptures, the Whole Bible Biblical Context also says in many places that there will be survivors, here are some of them:

“Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.” (Ezekiel 36:36)

“I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those who survive to the nations–to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians (famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations.” (Isaiah 66:19)

“He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.” (Psalm 110:6)

“…and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. …on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.” (2 Thessalonians 1:7, 10)

And so here were are wondering are they not aware of the warnings in Revelation 22:18-19? Or maybe they just disregard the warnings because they know that these survivors poses a great threat against their eschatological framework?

“the structure of Revelation does not relate consecutive events but frequently covers the same ground from different perspectives.”

He gave the seven sections as:  (1) Chapter 1-3; (2) chapter 4-7; (3) chapter 8-11; (4) chapter 12-14; (5) chapter 15-16; (6) chapter 17-19; (7) chapter 20-22 and went on to say that,

“Revelation 20:1 is not to be thought of as following in chronological order chapter 19 (which describes the Second Coming of Christ). Rather, it takes us back once again to the beginning of the NT era and recapitulates the entire present age.”

The problem with this Recapitulation eisegesis is that it blurs your understanding of the entire book and you severely miss its authorial intent. You will not find John saying that he was writing a “progressive parallelism.”

In fact, John was told to write the things he has seen, the things that were, and the things that will take place later (Rev. 1:19) which, for all intents and purposes, a chronological purpose for his book.

And there is this heavy use of “then I saw” or “then I heard” clauses which goes in accordance with the instruction in Rev. 1:19:

Then I turned to,  Rev. 1:12.
Then I saw, Rev. 5:1.
Then I looked, Rev. 5:11.
Then I saw, Rev. 7:2.
Then I saw, Rev. 8:2.
Then I looked, and I heard, Rev. 8:13.
Then I saw, Rev. 10:1.
Then I saw, Rev. 13:11.
Then I looked, and behold, Rev. 14:1.
Then I saw, Rev. 14:6.
Then I looked, and behold, Rev. 14:14.
Then I saw, Rev. 15:1.
Then I heard, Rev. 16:1.
Then I heard, Rev. 19:6.
Then I fell down, Rev. 19:10.
Then I saw, Rev. 19:11, 17.
Then I saw, Rev. 20:1, 4, 11.
And I saw, Rev. 20:12.
Then I saw, Rev. 21:1.

So what gives? Where did they get this recapitulation view? Sam Storms went on to say,

Revelation 20:1 is not to be thought of as following in chronological order chapter 19 (which describes the Second Coming of Christ). Rather, it takes us back once again to the beginning of the NT era and recapitulates the entire present age.

Who gave them such an instruction?

The “then I saw” clauses found in Rev. 19:11, 17 and then in Rev. 20:1, 4, 11 actually give us indications that the author saw visions in progressive succession.

First, in Rev. 19:11-16, John saw Jesus coming in clouds with great power and glory (c.f. Mat. 13:26; 24:30; Lk. 21:27).

Second, in Rev. 19:17-21, he saw the carnage that followed his coming: death and destruction of the Beast and his armies led by the kings of the earth (c.f. 2 Thes. 2:8-12).

Third, in Rev. 20:1-7, he saw the Millennial Kingdom which is placed between two resurrections, or between the binding and loosing of Satan. It is wrapped up with the final defeat of Satan along with the armies he deceived from four corners of the earth (Rev. 20:8-10).

Fourth, in Rev. 20:11-15, he saw a great white throne where those who did not belong to the first resurrection were judged (Rev. 20:13), when the earth and sky are no more (Rev. 20:11).

And fifth, in Rev. 20:1-4, he saw a new heaven and new earth, the holy city Jerusalem coming down from heaven, and God finally dwelling with his people.

Saying Rev. 19:17-21 is recapitulated in Rev. 20:8-10 is like saying the feeding of the five thousands (Mat 14:13-21) is recapitulated in the feeding of the four thousands (Mat. 15:32-39).

Rev. 19:17-21 is about the coming of the Son of Man from heaven, destruction of the Beast, and the binding of  his source of power, Satan (Rev. 13:4). Whereas Rev. 20:8-10 is about God himself defeating Satan with finality after he was loosed at the end of the thousand years.

I do hope they have a Return Warranty for their lens, it’s broken.

Remember Rev. 21:5 which says, “these words are trustworthy and true.” If it’s trustworthy and true, why rearrange the author’s ordo-eschaton? Do they not fear the Warning Label in Rev. 22:18 that says, “if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book”?

“Amillennialists also teach that during this same thousand-year period the souls of believers who have died are now living and reigning with Christ in heaven while they await the resurrection of the body.”

But according to Rev. 20:4 they already came to life and then reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Beforehand, Rev. 5:10 says, “they shall reign on the earth,” not in heaven as Hoekema says.

Furthermore, Rev. 20:6 calls it, “the first resurrection” they are not awaiting resurrection as Hoekema says.

Makes you really wonder what Scripture he was reading.

“He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” Rev. 20:2

According to Amillennialism or Anti-premillennialism, those who deny the coming future Kingdom, Satan is already bound in this era which made the missions and evangelism possible.

However, they have a disclaimer. They say that Satan’s binding does not mean he’s no longer active in the world. It’s just that he cannot prevent the spread of the gospel.

The problem with this claim is that it is unfounded in the text and even contradicts the other scriptures.

Firstly, in Rev. 20:1-3, John saw in a vision that Satan was not only bound in the bottomless pit (the Abyss), he was also locked up and was sealed. So, how can a chained, locked up, and sealed Satan still be active in the world? It must have been a very long chain, a shallow pit, and a useless seal. It doesn’t square well with the text.

Secondly, in Rev. 20:3, John gave the purpose of the binding, the locking, and the sealing: “to keep him from deceiving the nations.” John did not say it was to “prevent him from obstructing the spread of gospel.”

Besides, the Millennial Kingdom described in Rev. 20:1-6 is not a picture of evangelism but of resurrection, reigning, and judgment (Rev 20:4).

The Amillennial interpretation even contradicts the other scriptures such as 1 Jn. 5:19 which says, “the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” And 2 Cor. 4:4 that says, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel.” Satan even hinders, disguises, outwits, and strays believers  (1 Thes. 2:18; 2 Cor. 2:11; 11:14; 1 Tim. 5:15)

Third, in Rev. 20:7, when Satan was released he immediately went on deceiving the nations in order to gather them for battle. And the spread of the deception given in Rev. 20:8, is global. It says, “the four corners of the earth,” and their number, “is like the sand of the sea.” This means that when Satan was bound, locked up, and sealed he had no activity whatsoever in the four corners of the earth. He only resumed and even intensified his deceptive activity upon his release, “when the thousand years are over” (Rev. 20:7).

So, is Satan already bound? Not yet. But he’s been judged (Jn. 16:11) and his work destroyed (1 Jn. 3:8) by the death of the coming King (Heb. 2:14). So now his time is short (Rev. 12:12) and he is soon to be crushed under your feet (Rom. 16:20).

If we stop right here, it does seem to say the Kingdom is already in their midst, doesn’t it? However, as we continue reading through its immediate and broader contexts the meaning becomes clearer.

The Lord went on to say that time will come they will look for him and they will not find him (Luke 17:22) and so he warned them not to follow (“Do not go out or follow them.” Lk 17:23b) or believe any mediator (anyone) who claims that he is already somewhere (“Look, there!” or “Look, here!” Lk. 17:23a) assuring them that he is coming from heaven and everyone will see him (“from one side to the other another,” Lk 17:24). His coming will be a surprise (Lk. 17:27-30).  However, before that would happen, he must first suffer and be rejected by their generation (Luke 17:25).

In other words, they should not expect to see a gradually appearing Kingdom of God just from anywhere on this planet, they would not be needing anyone to tell them that it has already come from somewhere. It will come as a surprise but for everyone to see because the event will be visible from heaven, just as lightning is seen from one side to the another. This is what he means when he said, “For behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

A quick survey of Luke will further establish the futuristic expectation of the Kingdom of God.

First, when he sent his disciples to heal the sick he told them to say to them, “the Kingdom of God is near you” (Luke 10:9). If what the Lord meant to say in Luke 17:21 is that the kingdom is already in their midst, why preach “the Kingdom of God is near you?”  They should have been preaching: “the kingdom of God is already in your midst.”

They were were the servants of our God (Rev. 7:3).

They were 12,000 from each from every tribe of the sons of Israel (Rev. 7:5-8).

They were virgins (Rev. 14:4).

They were redeemed from the earth (Rev. 14:3); redeemed from mankind as first fruits (Rev. 14:4).

They told no lie; they were blameless (Rev. 14:5).

They were sealed with the name of the Father on their foreheads (Rev. 7:3).

They have their tribe names inscribed on the gates of the holy city Jerusalem coming down from heaven (Rev. 21:12).

The author has seen the salvation of remnant Jews, a remnant, “from all the tribes of Israel”, Rev. 7:4.

Are they representatives of Gentiles servants of God too?

No. John said in Rev. 7:9, after that vision of the 144,000, he beheld,

“a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages….clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.”

The Greek word used to describe the innumerable multitude is “ethnos” which is also translated as “Gentiles” elsewhere.

According to Rev. 7:15, they serve God “day and night.” That makes them God’s servants too.

In other words, aside from the remnant Israelites that John saw, he has also seen the salvation of innumerable multitude from every nations.

While the 144,000 remnant of Jews were on Mt. Zion (Rev. 14:1), a great multitude of non-Jewish nations were in a heavenly Temple, singing praises and salvation songs (Rev. 19:1,6-8) and worshiping God on his throne (Rev. 7:11, 15).

Keep Calm, Don’t ‘Herme-new-twist’

So, don’t worry if the text doesn’t seem to say you belong to the 144,000 especially if you’re not a Jew. You don’t have to argue non-sequitur to make yourself belong to a remnant.

Learn from the mistake of Kevin DeYoung when argued non-sequitur in favor of his Anti-premillennial bias in his blog in TGC.

You don’t have to make Revelation say what it is not actually saying. Aside from those 144,000 there were also a great innumerable multitudes clothed in white, clean, washed with the blood of the Lamb. Even chapter 7, John saw a vision of Gospel preaching, “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,” Rev. 14:6.

Lastly, Revelation doesn’t have to say that those innumerable great multitudes were sealed to be saved too. They already praise God and they were singing salvation songs to him in his temple, and more importantly Rev. 7:17 says, “the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”