The Book of Revelation is ALL ABOUT COVENANT!
Revelation is all about covenant. It’s a covenantal book. When you look at it that way, things become more simplistic. There were two covenants – One, old. One, new. One (the old) was preparing to vanish away, or be demolished (Hebrews 8:13), while the other (the new) was already in existence because men and women were pressing into it even during Jesus’ earthly ministry (Matt. 11:12, Luke 16:16).
Revelation, written to 7 churches to SIGNIFY to them things which would shortly come to pass (Rev. 1:1), is virtually entirely written in signs, symbols, metaphors and figurative language. If you read the book with a literal narrative, you will miss the entire meaning and focus.
The Focus?
The revealing of Jesus Christ as Messiah – judgment for the ones that had pierced him (Rev. 1:7) and salvation and deliverance for those 1st century saints that were being persecuted. Covenantally, it was judgment being released on those that killed the apostles and prophets, or the servants of God. This scenario is played out over, and over, and over and over again throughout Revelation with the use of different imagery, symbols and idiomatic language each time the scenario is retold.
That being said, the majority of stuff in the book cannot be taken literal. This includes hard things to be understood like “1000 years”, Satan being bound, and the Lake of Fire. Long story short, Satan being bound for a “1000 years” is in reference to the time in which the gospel went forth relatively unhindered. This would be the gospel of the New Covenant. Remember, it’s all about covenant. Satan was “loosed for a little while”, and this SIGNIFIED the time when the 1st century saints (who were preaching the gospel of the N.C.) were being persecuted, killed, imprisoned, etc., just as Jesus had previously told them (Matt. 24:9, Mark 13:9, Luke 21:12). Satan’s main objective was to stop the spreading of the N.C by making the 1st century Hebrew Christians trip up and fall away and back into bondage, via the old covenant.
Luke 8:13
They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
Hebrews 3:12
12Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
It was Judaism, or the temple worship, and the pressure of the unbelieving Judaizers that caused many to fall away from the faith (in Jesus) and back into Judaism (bondage under the law). Thus, Jesus’ question-
Luke 18:8
I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
So, what better way to put an end to any competitiveness of the New Covenant? DESTROY the infrastructure of the Old Covenant. That would be the temple. EVERYTHING in Jerusalem revolved around the temple – worship, politics, economics/commerce (thus, Jesus driving the money changers out!), etc. When the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, the entire economy and way of life for the Jews was destroyed. Furthermore, when it was destroyed, the main oppressor, or competition of the New Covenant was destroyed also (the Old Covenant had then vanished away).
Satan (which means adversary), who opposed God EVERY step of the way, from Genesis to Revelation, could not stop the ultimate plan of redemption for the entire world – the gospel message of faith in Jesus Christ. His last ditch effort to stop the spread of the gospel was with the persecuting of the saints (Rev. 12 – “chasing after the woman”, then “chasing after the woman’s seed”) through the unbelieving Judaizers. He (Satan) failed miserably! Him (Satan) being thrown into the Lake of Fire is symbolic of his eternal covenantal judgment, and also symbolizes that he can no longer hinder the progression of the gospel of the kingdom – world without end (Eph. 3:21).
New heavens and New earth is spiritual and covenantal. Lake of Fire is spiritual and covenantal. Those that accept Jesus and the New Covenant enter into New heavens and New earth (which 1st century saints began entering – Hebrews 12:22). Those that reject Jesus and the New Covenant enter into the Lake of Fire, the “2nd death”, which is representative of being cut off from communion with the Father forever. Satan, being in the Lake of Fire, cannot plead His case with God. Unbelievers who enter the Lake of Fire will not be able to plead their cases. It’s covenantal judgment.
However, Satan, and demons HAVE NOT been annihilated! They still roam around the world, thus, the continued need for deliverance ministry and salvation. But they are forever outside of the kingdom, or City of God.
The gates of the city are continuously open for those that are made righteous in Christ, but closed to those that are unbelievers:
Rev. 22:14-15
14Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
We see in Rev. 21:8 that the same people of Rev. 22:15 are said to experience the 2nd death:
Revelation 21:8
8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
So, being in the Lake of Fire, which is the 2nd death, is synonomous with being left outside of the gates of the city, which is a spiritual city. New Jerusalem, heavenly Jerusalem, Mount Zion, the city of God, the general assembly, the CHURCH of the first born! (Heb. 12:22)
THE CHURCH IS NEW JERUSALEM!!! The kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and the church is an everlasting church!!!
Ephesians 3:21
21Unto him be glory IN THE CHURCH by Christ Jesus THROUGHOUT ALL AGES, WORLD WITHOUT END. Amen.