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"I personally believe that the MARK will be either an invisible laser tattoo (they are in the skin) or a micro chip, which will be placed under the skin having the Uniform Product Code (UPC). This MARK, a type of bar code in the skin or on the micro chip, would be scanned at the point of trade."
-- Gary D. Blevins
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Exclusive: The Loosing of Satan--Fulfilled
Posted on Tuesday, October 29 @ 14:48:30 PST by Parker |
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by Parker
A comparison of parallel events described in Revelation and the Olivet Discourse shows that Satan's "Last Stand" against the Church of Jesus Christ was waged and overcome during the time of the events of the Roman Jewish War.
The "loosing of Satan" in the book of Revelation is the
apocalyptic description of Satan's last stand against the Church
during the biblical last-days period. Having been soundly resisted
and defeated during the Messianic generation of the first century
(John 12:31; Heb 2:14; 1 John 3:8; Col 2:15; 2 Tim 1:10; 1 Pet 3:22;
Matt 28:18; 12:28-29; 4:1-11; Lk 10:18-19; Mk 16:17-18; Eph 1:20-23;
Matt 16:18-19), the Devil was permitted a last chance to annihilate
the Church that Jesus established as the eternal Nation, People,
and Temple of God. The book of Revelation gives two parallel depictions
of Satan's last stand against the Church, one in Revelation 20:2-3,7-9
and the other in Revelation 12:9-17. The two passages are close
parallels (the key comparisons are emphasized in bold and numbered for the examination which follows the table):
| Revelation 20:2-3,7-9 |
Revelation 12:9,11-17 |
|
And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is
the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and
he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over
him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer,
until the thousand years were completed; (1)
after these things he must be released for a short time.
(2&3)
...When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released
from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations
(1) which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and
Magog, to gather them together for the war; (4) the
number of them is like the sand of the seashore.
And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded
the camp of the saints (5) and the beloved city, and fire
came down from heaven and devoured them
|
And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old
who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole
world; (1) They overcame him because of the blood of the
Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they
did not love their life even when faced with death. For this
reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them.
Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come
down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only
a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down
to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the
male child. (2,3&5)
But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman,
so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where
she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from
the presence of the serpent.
And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth
after the woman,(4&5) so that he might cause her to
be swept away with the flood. But the earth helped
the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the
river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. So the
dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war
with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of
God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (4&5)
|
While these two passages use differing poetic imagery, they
tell the same story of Satan's short, last-days attempt to destroy
the Church. By comparing these two passages, we notice some striking
similarities:
Satan...
(1) deceives the nations (cf. 20:3,8,10 to 12:9)
(2) is granted a "short time" to do this work
(cf. 20:3 to 12:12,14)
(3) is not bound, but is loosed in his wrath (cf. 20:3,7
to 12:12)
(4) is making war (cf. 20:8 to 12:17)
(5) goes to destroy the Church (cf. 20:7,9 to 12:12-17)
These passages speak plainly of a single last-days struggle between
Satan's forces and the Church of Jesus Christ. While the poetic
imagery varies, the activities and timing of this struggle show
that the same event is in view.
Having demonstrated that these passages speak of the same last
days event, we note that the Revelation 12 passage has an undeniable
parallel with the exodus of the Jerusalem Church into the wilderness
as prophesied by Christ in Luke 21:20-22 and Matt 24:15-20. Note
the similarity of these two passages concerning some key exodus
of God's people:
| Matthew 24:15-20 |
Revelation 12:12-14 |
|
Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which
was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the
holy place [Luke says: "when you shall see Jerusalem
compassed with armies, know that its desolation is near]
then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever
is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out
that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn
back to get his cloak. But woe to those who are pregnant and
to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that
your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.
|
...the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing
that he has only a short time. And when the dragon saw that
he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who
gave birth to the male child.
But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman,
so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where
she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from
the presence of the serpent.
|
It is remarkable that both of these texts speak of a key exodus
to the wilderness by God's people in the last days. Scholars acknowledge
that the exodus of the Jerusalem Church foretold by Christ in Matthew
24:15-20 and Luke 21:20-22 was historically fulfilled around AD
66/67 when the armies of Cestius Gallus (and later Vespasian) surrounded
Jerusalem. This historic verification is usually traced to early
Christian writers Eusebius and Epiphanius who reported that the
Jerusalem Christians fled to the Decapolis city of Pella just prior
to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70. Eusebius
(AD 260-340), the famed Church historian, writes:
But the people of the church in Jerusalem had been commanded
by a revelation, vouchsafed to approved men there before the war,
to leave the city and to dwell in a certain town of Perea called
Pella. And when those that believed in Christ had come thither from
Jerusalem, then, as if the royal city of the Jews and the whole
land of Judea were entirely destitute of holy men, the judgment
of God at length overtook those who had committed such outrages
against Christ and his apostles, and totally destroyed that generation
of impious men...the general course of the whole war, as well as
its particular occurrences in detail, and how at last the abomination
of desolation, proclaimed by the prophets, stood in the very temple
of God so celebrated of old, the temple which was now awaiting its
total and final destruction by fire...[is] accurately described
in the history written by Josephus. (Eusebius: Ecc.History III:5)
Epiphanius (315-403) makes reference to the same exodus to Pella
by the Jewish remnant of Christ in Jerusalem and says there were
both orthodox and heretical Jewish Christians in the Pella and other
Decapolis areas centuries later. Epiphanius writes:
For when the city was about to be captured and sacked
by the Romans, all the disciples were warned beforehand by an angel
to remove from the city, doomed as it was to utter destruction.
On migrating from it they settled at Pella, the town already indicated,
across the Jordan. It is said to belong to Decapolis
Therefore, since Matthew 24:15-20 took place when the apostles
saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies (cf. Lk 21:20-22), and since
scholars and historians are in agreement that those passages were
fulfilled by the Jerusalem Church in AD 66/67, it is plain that
the endtimes loosing of Satan to try and extinguish the Church was
fulfilled in the first century at this time. Satan's last chance
to extinguish Christ's Church and prevent New Covenant salvation
from permanent global success took place during the tribulation
leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem at AD70. Having won this
battle, the Church was ensured her predestined dominion with Christ the
Lord over all things in heaven and earth, world without end (Eph
3:21; Matt 16:18-19;Rev 5:10; Rev 11:15).
------
Parker is a columnist for PlanetPreterist.com.
View Parker archives
Note: Opinions presented on PlanetPreterist.com or by PlanetPreterist.com columnists may not necessarily reflect the position of PlanetPreterist.com, or reflect the beliefs, doctrine or theological position of all other preterists. We encourage all readers to first and foremost carefully analyze all articles in the light of God's Word.
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Average Score: 2.75
Votes: 4
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Re: The Loosing of Satan--Fulfilled (Score: 1)
 by Biga on Tuesday, October 29 @ 22:57:15 PST
(User Info | Send a Message) | Dear Parker,
thanks, the article is very good! Since I'm preterist I think Satan's role become more clearer. But sometimes I continue my thinking about the source of human evilness. Some "pretty" examples in our days... :( Right, perhaps I can say we accept that God is ruler on evilness and He can use this "testing" to reach good destination. But does it not sound similar to eastern god beliefs? What is your opinion? - Gabor
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- by Parker on Wednesday, October 30 @ 06:02:08 PST
- by Biga on Wednesday, October 30 @ 08:09:45 PST
- by Parker on Wednesday, October 30 @ 10:06:15 PST
- by Virgil on Wednesday, October 30 @ 11:59:08 PST
Re: The Loosing of Satan--Fulfilled (Score: 1)
 by davo on Wednesday, October 30 @ 19:00:03 PST
(User Info | Send a Message) | The logic of this position – the eternal working of Satan [in reality making Satan God’s antithesis] is the natural outcome of viewing Christ’s victory as only “partial” or limited – this of course sits well with the “partial” preterist who holds onto vestiges of futurism.
It is touted that “deliverance” from Satan is a benefit only for the righteous, yet we clearly see a benefit of deliverance to the unrighteous [without the necessity of faith in Christ] pre-parousia as in the case of Jewish exorcists – the fact that in the instance of the seven sons of Sceva they failed miserably does not change this fact.
If deliverance from Satan is afforded to the righteous only, post-parousia [because of his continuing eternal presence], then it is impossible for those who hold to the “deliverance of demons” to minister such unless such a “possessed one” first turns to Christ – which logic says should enact the deliverance instantly, as it is impossible for a righteous one to be possessed, hence the only real deliverance necessary is the rebirth.
And what of “spiritual warfare” and Eph 6? Surely these were appropriate in that age “changing time” of the transition of the covenants, but are we still being attacked now as to need such against the demonic realm – remember, the armour was for the righteous. Acts 26:17-18 in context needs to be seen as “Paul’s Commission” – did the apostle Paul fulfil his commission? Yes!
2Tim 4:7,17. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 17Moreover, the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
“For God so loved the world [not the elect only] that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
The elect were not the elect for salvation’s sake. No, the elect were the elect for the purpose of ministering it.
davo |
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- by Parker on Wednesday, October 30 @ 21:09:16 PST
- by davo on Thursday, October 31 @ 08:05:03 PST
- by Parker on Thursday, October 31 @ 09:14:17 PST
- by davo on Thursday, October 31 @ 13:02:37 PST
Re: The Loosing of Satan--Fulfilled (Score: 1)
by Parker on Thursday, October 31 @ 21:03:42 PST
(User Info | Send a Message) | Davo, you can only presuppose that the devil's place outside of the New Jerusalem city means he has no influence on humanity; you have no backing for this in scripture. You are merely guessing at what it means to be outside the New Jerusalem as a partaker in the gehenna refuse dump. Like I said before, I am right now in the New Jerusalem. Is this a physical city I have been transported to, or is it a state of covenant relations with the Father I have? For certain, to be in the New Jerusalem (as I am presently) is eqivalent to being "in covenant," and being "in Jesus." To not be in the New Jerusalem is to be outside of covenant, outside of Jesus, and partaker of the refuse heap just outside of the city.
Now, Satan had already been locked in the abyss, the bottomless pit, and was sealed up. Did any of this mean he was non-existent or not present in his children on earth? Of course not. (I am in New Heavenly Jerusalem right now. Does this mean I am no longer on earth?) I brought this up before about satan's continued presence on earth, and you agreed I corrrectly understood this. Then you went on in your next sentence to presume that "this just wasn’t the case after Christ’s parousia." I have to ask, how do you know this? Do you have scriptural support for this? I believe the concepts are entirely parallel. That is, to say that Satan was bound in the abyss and sealed would surely seem to imply to many that he could not during that time be participating in the dealings of men upon the earth. Yet we know he was at that time involved with the dealings of men. Why is it any different then when St. John speaks of his partaking in the refuse dump outside of the Heavenly City? Those designations are covenantal, not physical. The sorcerers and dogs and fornicators and liars are depicted as outside the heavenly city, as partakers in the Valley of Hinnom (Rev 22:15/21:8). Does this mean all such men were physically transported to some new location at AD 70? No, not any more than you and I were transported physically when we were saved by Christ's spirit.
It is crucial to understand that St. John clearly views the wicked as the children of Satan in exactly the equal and opposite way he views faithful Christians as the children of God (1 John 3:8-12). We are possessed by a Spirit by which we children may say "Abba, Father" to God, by which we are citizens of Heaven and partakers of Christ. The lost possessed the spirit of their father, and share in his darkness and wickedness and sorcery (Rev 22:15/21:8).
Next, you claimed that Hebrews 2:5 means that since Christ has supreme authority, there is no subjection that can be made to any other. Yet even among humans there is real subjection of some humans to other humans, whether in governments, or by force, or by position in work or in society, or by acts of evil. Since Christ's position as the ultimate Authority (Heb 2:5) did not eradicate human authority or subjection (be it that which is expressed among Christians or among non-Christians), then why should it be thought to have eradicated the existence of angelic beings and their authority? Christ's place as head of all authorities and powers does not make other beings extinct or their power extinct -- it simply makes all other beings accountable to the Almighty Judge and unto all higher powers, whatever powers they be. The true meaning of the defeat of satan is not the eradication of spirits of darkness from the universe, but the subjection of those spiritual powers unto the higher powers of the Saints of Christ. The rank of created beings has forever shifted, and the Elect are no longer subordinates to evil spirits.
Next, at some point you said that all are in God's Kingdom. But that is not true, as is plainly stated mutiple times in the New Testament (Matt 21:43; 1 Cor 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Matt 13:43; Matt 8:10-12). All are indeed under God's dominion, but not all are in his Kingdom. In fact, all these verses jus
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- by davo on Friday, November 01 @ 03:10:05 PST
- by Parker on Friday, November 01 @ 09:41:50 PST
- by davo on Saturday, November 02 @ 05:25:17 PST
- by Parker on Saturday, November 02 @ 06:11:56 PST
- by davo on Sunday, November 03 @ 07:53:58 PST
- by Parker on Sunday, November 03 @ 16:31:47 PST
Re: The Loosing of Satan--Fulfilled (Score: 1)
by davo on Sunday, November 03 @ 22:03:31 PST
(User Info | Send a Message) | Parker, I think you're right about our "convo coming to a close." It is fruitless when you ignore such clear scripture as "that through death He might DESTROY HIM who had the power of death, that is, the devil" relegating it as irrelevant, saying this applies only in relation to a select few – Christ died for ALL. And on behalf of all, Christ confined Satan to the Second Death - with no exits for or on behalf of any, yet your approach gives the devil an eternal presence, power and permanence in the lives of humanity – that effectively negates Christ’s victory, to quote one of the other columnists to Planet Preterist:
"One thing is certain: the Bible says Jesus came to destroy Satan, and he would return quickly to consummate his victory. The Christian must ask: did Jesus fail? If so, we are hopelessly lost. Personally, this writer believes Jesus returned as he promised, and consummated his grand Scheme of Redemption. Victory is assured! Mankind need never again say, "The devil made me do it!" [Don Preston]
http://www.planetpreterist.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=206
Did Jesus Fail? – NEVER! I asked you who else by way of author, article or quote promotes this view you espouse and the silence is deafening so I guess enough said.
davo |
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- by Parker on Monday, November 04 @ 14:39:42 PST
- by davo on Monday, November 04 @ 15:07:49 PST
- by Parker on Monday, November 04 @ 17:09:43 PST
- by Vern on Saturday, January 11 @ 08:50:45 PST
- by Vern on Saturday, January 11 @ 09:26:54 PST
Re: The Loosing of Satan--Fulfilled (Score: 1)
by Duncan2 on Friday, August 31 @ 07:58:07 PDT
(User Info | Send a Message) | The short time in Rev. 12 can not be the same as the short time in Rev. 20. In Rev. 12 the short time happens right after Satan is thrown from heaven to earth (i.e. he has a short time till he is put in the abyss). The short time in Revelation 20 happens right after Satan gets out of the abyss. Unless one wants to say heaven and the abyss are the same place, the two short times can not be talking about the same time period.
Duncan |
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- by Duncan on Sunday, September 02 @ 10:27:59 PDT
- by mazuur on Sunday, September 02 @ 12:42:14 PDT
- by Duncan on Sunday, September 02 @ 13:24:33 PDT
- by mazuur on Sunday, September 02 @ 14:13:24 PDT
- by Duncan on Sunday, September 02 @ 17:26:15 PDT
Re: The Loosing of Satan--Fulfilled (Score: 1)
by Kent on Saturday, September 01 @ 04:53:42 PDT
(User Info | Send a Message) | | Satan DOES NOT exist today, since all things have been fullfilled. See article: http://www.preterism-eschatology.com/Does SATAN Exist Today.htm |
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Re: The Loosing of Satan--Fulfilled (Score: 1)
by mazuur on Thursday, August 30 @ 12:05:01 PDT
(User Info | Send a Message) | Parker,
Do you see Satan as being both defeated and thrown into the lake of fire in the first century?
Is Satan still around today? Are other fallen angels around today?
-Rich |
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- by Parker on Thursday, August 30 @ 16:10:41 PDT
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- by Parker on Sunday, September 02 @ 20:48:17 PDT
- by mazuur on Monday, September 03 @ 07:21:05 PDT
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