1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pita and a great chain. 2And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
4Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.6Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
The Defeat of Satan
7And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heavenb and consumed them,10and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
We know that the serpent mentioned in Genesis chapter 3 is never called “The Satan” really until the book of Revelation
There aren’t many places in the Hebrew text where you find what we know of as “Satan”
Places where Satan is mentioned, it’s not the entity that we know of, but it’s one of a number of “satans or adversaries” as a job and not as a name
We learn from the book of Job that this is a divine job and part of the angels watching mankind and keeping a record of their deeds
Even defining this title in the Hebrew lexicon, “sin or Satan” in man was considered as something akin to the evil desire of mankind or something to overcome and never reflected in an entity that tempted
In Second Temple Judaism and the New Testament age, this original rebel is perceived as the ruler of this world
Ephesians 6
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
The process of giving this entity a name starts during the Second Temple Era
Through this, the rebel of Eden, Genesis 3, this supernatural one gets called a number of things, including Satan as a proper name, but it takes the form of “Satam,” and “Mastima”
“Mastima” is the title in the Dead Sea Scrolls and means “Belly, or Worthless One”
“Bel Zabul,” is Canaanite, meaning “Baal-Prince”
Baal became a primary source figure for Satan because he was also considered the “Lord of the Dead” who also thought he was the ruler of the nations
This is also where “Beelzebub” comes to us when referring to Satan
These other names come over from the Greek, such as “Diablos, Devil, Deceiver, Liar, Slanderer”
The Greek is not like Hebrew and English and doesn’t have the same rule of the definite article and tolerates this in front of a proper personal name and so “Satanos” becomes a proper name
So you don’t have a contradiction between the Tesaments
You have a supernatural rebel in Genesis chapter 3 who brings about the ruination of Eden and who brings about death and estrangement of mankind and Yahweh
He has many names and titles but he has always been the same
We still see his handiwork today
But where does he get thrown into the abyss so that he can’t deceive the nations?
The trouble with this is that many claim that we are in the thousand year millennium right now where Christ is ruling and we are in the Church Age, so then Satan has to be bound where he can’t deceive the nations
And if he is bound in the abyss at the beginning of the church age, or even the resurrection of Yeshua, then there are those, some claim that Dr. James M.Gray, was the first but I have heard who suggested that, if he is bound today, it must be a terribly long chain!! (I have heard that this was suggested by Chuck Smith but I couldn’t find it)
Of course we know that Satan was active in the Gospels
Matthew 4
1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”
11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Matthew 26
25Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
Matthew 13
18“Hear then the parable of the sower:19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.
Luke 22
3Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.4He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. 5And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. 6So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.
He is active during the “Church Age”
Acts 5
3But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?
Acts 26
15And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,17delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
1 Corinthians 5
3For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.a
1 Corinthians 7
5Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
2 Corinthians 2
10Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
2 Corinthians 11
12And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.
Ephesians 6
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
1 Thessalonians 2
17But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us.
2 Thessalonians 2
8And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders,
2 Timothy 2
24And the Lord’s servante must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
James 4
7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5
6Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
So from these particular texts we know that he was active before and during what we know of as the Church Age and this is what most claim as the thousand year reign of Christ
Let’s look at something that Yeshua said again (about the kingdom of Satan) except we’ll look at it from a different Gospel
Mark 3
23And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
Another very important mention of Satan is in the book of Luke
Luke 10
17The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Some see this verse linking up with Revelation 12
Revelation 12
7Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.10And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothersb has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.12Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
And this portion of chapter 12 linking here to chapter 20
So that for them chapter 12 begins the fourth repeating sequence and chapter 20 begins the 7th and final repeating sequence
It goes without saying that we must take into account that we can’t (or rather shouldn’t) base an entire doctrine on one particular text or chapter
I couldn’t really find a good definition for it, although I’m sure there is one, but let’s just call it “Cherry Picking”
I personally believe that Scripture is inspired or “God-Breathed” in that it’s what we learn from it through the unction of the Spirit
The physical book is just that, a physical book, no different than any other religious book
I take the same approach as to the very words written in this physical book, they are just words put together to express what the original author was conveying to the original audience
I believe that each author believed that they were inspired to write what they wrote by Yahweh
The problem of claiming that this physical book or the words inside are sacred and without error
We can get a private interpretation from a bad translation or from a teacher
A lost person can read this physical book every day and nothing will change
It’s the unction of the Spirits teaching that makes the difference and that only comes through Yeshua
I believe that through this, regardless of how much time has passed, that Scripture has an answer for everything but only when taken as a guide using the whole council of Scripture and not just one verse
This very chapter in particular
It’s interesting that when we find the use of a “thousand years” outside of this chapter we get a very different understanding of the term
Psalms 90
4For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.
2 Peter 3
8But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,a not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Another look at the reasoning of recapitulation throughout chapter 12 through 20 shows that the thousand years mentioned in chapter 20 is not necessarily an exact time frame but rather two things:
For Yahweh it’s like a day, for us, it’s a long time
Chapter 20, verses 1-2 could be then taken as commencement of the “non-literal” thousand years of what some know as “The Church Age”
The only issue with that is that some who are mentioned ruling with Christ on His throne were those who had not taken the mark of the Beast
Revelation 20
4Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”
With that very reference, we can only say that this thousand years must be after the church age, or take the notion that the Tribulation is referring to a time period in the past
Then we have the same conception that there may be more than one “thousand years” mentioned with the binding and loosening of Satan
This gives me a headache
In chapter 12, the text seems to be telling us that Satan was defeated and cast out of Heaven following the birth and ascension of Yeshua
That is if we take the text literally
Galatians 4
1I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave,a though he is the owner of everything, 2but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principlesb of the world. 4But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
Colossians 2
12having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15He disarmed the rulers and authoritiesb and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”
Hebrews 2
14Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”
Ephesians 4
4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.8Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”a
9(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?b 10He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)”
1 Peter 3
18For Christ also sufferedb once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19in whichc he went and proclaimedd to the spirits in prison,20becausee they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.”
The destruction of Satan, casting him powerless out of Heaven,
Through death and resurrection Yeshua delivered His people from the Law and its curse (death)
In so doing He robbed the Accuser of brethren, not only of the strength of his legal case, but from making a case at all
This took us, the accused, completely out of the courtroom and away from any subjugation to the “Lord of the Dead”
This is the current position of Satan at the closing of chapter 12 and the inclusion of Luke 10, where Yeshua mentions seeing Satan fall like lightning
He is confined, bound, from Yeshua’s ascension up until a short time just before His return where Satan will have another go at deceiving the nations and bringing on the Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon
So Yeshua sending out the 70, or 72 is a reference to the Gentile nations and to the fact that the kingdom has been inaugurated and if you are a part of this kingdom (The kingdom of Yeshua) then Satan has no claim against you and he can’t even access you because the Judge ain’t hearing it
Chapter 12 even mentions “Deceiver of the nations” as a reference for Satan so it also ties together in that way
So as far as the binding of Satan is concerned and as we saw earlier, it’s not his influence that has been limited, it’s his power to deceive that has been limited, as in Job and in Matthew with the temptation of Yeshua, although Peter would argue that point (1Peter 5:8) so that could be a stretch on my part
This idea of the limitation of Satan’s power to deceive the nations comes from Dr. Heiser, and I am sure he probably got it from some other scholar
We are better off just dealing with the “deception” mentioned in chapter 20 in light of what Satan does when he is released (he knows he doesn’t have much time and he was furious – we get this from chapter 12)
So in chapter 20 verse 3
1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pita and a great chain. 2And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while”
The Greek “Lemma,” translated “Deceive,” is “planaō,” and it’s primary meaning is “Leading astray in a specific way”
This ties to what Satan does immediately after he is released
He marshals the nations, all the physical and evil spiritual forces and leads them into battle against Zion, Yahweh and His people
It’s Deuteronomy 32, Psalm 82, and Isaiah 14
He leads all the forces of the Chaos system to attack and overthrow what Yahweh has destined
So why would Yahweh want to keep this from happening?
The answer lies in 2 Peter
2 Peter 3
2that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,a not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodiesb will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.c
Yahweh is forestalling the judgment of the nations, and their gods in the final battle because He will redeem people from all of those nations
He stalls Satan from pulling all of these nations together in this final desperate act because this particular act has to invoke a response and that response is the Battle of Armageddon
It involves the return of the Lord and complete destruction of the evil forces, physical and spiritual, from the earth so Yahweh is forestalling Armageddon for the Great Commission and this ties into the fullness of the Gentiles
Heiser seems to have favored the idea that the Millennial Kingdom language here, that Full Preterism sees as past, most Amils see as symbolic of the present, Post (Partial Preterism) and Pre-Mills see this as a separate time set apart in the future
Heiser reasoned that this very period is actually the future physical reign of Christ but not an interlude in between His second coming and the Final Judgment
The Old Testament authors would disagree with him on this very issue but they were looking for something that came in Yeshua but it’s not what they or the Israelites, who existed during His ministry, were looking for
They were looking for a Messiah who would tell them that they were right and they were better than the rest of the nations
Yeshua loves Israel but He already knew that they weren’t His true people
Matthew 27
24So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood;b see to it yourselves.” 25And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourgedc Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.”
John 18
35Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
Now Ezekiel and Isaiah seem to suggest that the Battle of Gog and Magog was not the end as we know it
Isaiah 11
1There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
3And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
or decide disputes by what his ears hear,
4but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
5Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,
and faithfulness the belt of his loins.
6The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
7The cow and the bear shall graze;
their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
9They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
10In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
11In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush,a from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
12He will raise a signal for the nations
and will assemble the banished of Israel,
and gather the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
13The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart,
and those who harass Judah shall be cut off;
Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah,
and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.
14But they shall swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines in the west,
and together they shall plunder the people of the east.
They shall put out their hand against Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites shall obey them.
15And the LORD will utterly destroyb
the tongue of the Sea of Egypt,
and will wave his hand over the Riverc
with his scorching breath,d
and strike it into seven channels,
and he will lead people across in sandals.
16And there will be a highway from Assyria
for the remnant that remains of his people,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from the land of Egypt.”
Ezekiel 39
1“And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshecha and Tubal. 2And I will turn you about and drive you forward,b and bring you up from the uttermost parts of the north, and lead you against the mountains of Israel. 3Then I will strike your bow from your left hand, and will make your arrows drop out of your right hand.4You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your hordes and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. 5You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the Lord GOD. 6I will send fire on Magog and on those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7“And my holy name I will make known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be profaned anymore. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. 8Behold, it is coming and it will be brought about, declares the Lord GOD. That is the day of which I have spoken.
9“Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and make fires of the weapons and burn them, shields and bucklers, bow and arrows, clubsc and spears; and they will make fires of them for seven years, 10so that they will not need to take wood out of the field or cut down any out of the forests, for they will make their fires of the weapons. They will seize the spoil of those who despoiled them, and plunder those who plundered them, declares the Lord GOD.
11“On that day I will give to Gog a place for burial in Israel, the Valley of the Travelers, east of the sea. It will block the travelers, for there Gog and all his multitude will be buried. It will be called the Valley of Hamon-gog.d 12For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. 13All the people of the land will bury them, and it will bring them renown on the day that I show my glory, declares the Lord GOD. 14They will set apart men to travel through the land regularly and bury those travelers remaining on the face of the land, so as to cleanse it. Ate the end of seven months they will make their search.15And when these travel through the land and anyone sees a human bone, then he shall set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon-gog. 16(Hamonahf is also the name of the city.) Thus shall they cleanse the land.
17“As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field: ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. 18You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth—of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan. 19And you shall eat fat till you are filled, and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you.20And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors,’ declares the Lord GOD.
21“And I will set my glory among the nations, and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them. 22The house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward.23And the nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity, because they dealt so treacherously with me that I hid my face from them and gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they all fell by the sword. 24I dealt with them according to their uncleanness and their transgressions, and hid my face from them.
The LORD Will Restore Israel
25“Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob and have mercy on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for my holy name. 26They shall forget their shame and all the treachery they have practiced against me, when they dwell securely in their land with none to make them afraid, 27when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations. 28Then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, because I sent them into exile among the nations and then assembled them into their own land. I will leave none of them remaining among the nations anymore. 29And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.”
If this is referring to the very same battle that we are looking at then Ezekiel was looking for a time where the Messiah reigned over the earth
At the same time, I don’t believe that, in the past, they really had a grasp on just what or if an afterlife was at all possible
They generally, and with time, have come to the point of believing in the immortality of the soul in resurrection and this has always been connected to the reign and reconciliation of the Messiah but this concept is still varied and has not yet been completely nailed down
Isaiah 27
1In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.
2In that day,
“A pleasant vineyard,a sing of it!
3I, the LORD, am its keeper;
every moment I water it.
Lest anyone punish it,
I keep it night and day;
4I have no wrath.
Would that I had thorns and briers to battle!
I would march against them,
I would burn them up together.
5Or let them lay hold of my protection,
let them make peace with me,
let them make peace with me.”
6In days to comeb Jacob shall take root,
Israel shall blossom and put forth shoots
and fill the whole world with fruit.
7Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them?
Or have they been slain as their slayers were slain?
8Measure by measure,c by exile you contended with them;
he removed them with his fierce breathd in the day of the east wind.
9Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for,
and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin:e
when he makes all the stones of the altars
like chalkstones crushed to pieces,
no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing.
10For the fortified city is solitary,
a habitation deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness;
there the calf grazes;
there it lies down and strips its branches.
11When its boughs are dry, they are broken;
women come and make a fire of them.
For this is a people without discernment;
therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them;
he who formed them will show them no favor.
12In that day from the river Euphratesf to the Brook of Egypt the LORD will thresh out the grain, and you will be gleaned one by one, O people of Israel. 13And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem”
Isaiah 35
1The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
the majesty of our God.
3Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.a
9No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10And the ransomed of the LORD shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”
Isaiah 65
17“For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
18But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy,
and her people to be a gladness.
19I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and be glad in my people;
no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping
and the cry of distress.
20No more shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not fill out his days,
for the young man shall die a hundred years old,
and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
21They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoyc the work of their hands.
23They shall not labor in vain
or bear children for calamity,d
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD,
and their descendants with them.
24Before they call I will answer;
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
25The wolf and the lamb shall graze together;
the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and dust shall be the serpent’s food.
They shall not hurt or destroy
in all my holy mountain,”
says the LORD.”
Isaiah 66
15“For behold, the LORD will come in fire,
and his chariots like the whirlwind,
to render his anger in fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16For by fire will the LORD enter into judgment,
and by his sword, with all flesh;
and those slain by the LORD shall be many.
17“Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one in the midst, eating pig’s flesh and the abomination and mice, shall come to an end together, declares the LORD.
18“For I knowb their works and their thoughts, and the time is comingc to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and shall see my glory, 19and I will set a sign among them. And from them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, who draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands far away, that have not heard my fame or seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the nations. 20And they shall bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the LORD, on horses and in chariots and in litters and on mules and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the LORD, just as the Israelites bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. 21And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the LORD.
22“For as the new heavens and the new earth
that I make
shall remain before me, says the LORD,
so shall your offspring and your name remain.
23From new moon to new moon,
and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
declares the LORD.
24“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
Walking by Faith 
You must be logged in to post a comment.