Judas Iscariot And The Revolt At The End Of The Millennium

A forum on prophetical matters, designed to increase our interest and knowledge of the sure word of prophecy, whereunto we do well to take heed in our hearts until the daystar arise. Contributions, in a variety of formats as brief as those hereunder, are invited from interested readers, perhaps offering alternative interpretations. Simple questions are also invited.
(Views expressed are not necessarily those of the Editorial committee.)

The period of a thousand years is specified six times in the first seven verses of Revelation chapter 20.

Twice that period refers to “that old ser­pent”, bound and shut up “that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years be fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little season”.

Righteous souls “lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished”. Verse 6 repeats this thought with additions.

It is the sixth reference, commonly referred to as the revolt at the end of the thousand years, producing a concept so difficult for many brethren to accept, that, both generations ago and currently, another period of a thousand years in the past is sought as the interpretation. Many brethren regard the idea of a revolt against the rule of Jesus after a thousand years of the Millennium as unthinkable; and so explanations such as the binding of the Cath­olic church from 800 A.D. to 1800 A.D. and the subsequent release of social revolution are pressed into service as applicable to this section.

If, however, the 20th chapter of Revelation is taken in a sequence of events that com­mences perhaps in the 17th chapter, and certainly by the 19th chapter, to build a picture of events future to our time and that climaxes in the New Jerusalem of chapters 21 and 22, then the sequence is broken by assigning the revolt to an earlier period. The natural con­struction of the passage also asks that the same thousand-year period be understood on the six occasions.

But there is a remarkable parallel in the life of Jesus that makes the idea of a revolt at the end of the thousand years less unthinkable. Right from the beginning of his ministry, with the full knowledge of Jesus, the man called Judas Iscariot was an integral part of the favoured band of disciples. His close in­volvement was such that he was their treasurer. His true ‘character was known only to Jesus. The ultimate manifestation of his true identity and his open revolt against Jesus did not occur until the very end of the first ministry of Jesus.

Is this another amazing Scriptural precursor of future events? The possibility bears close scrutiny. The parallel would go something like this. Right from the beginning of the kingdom ruled by Jesus, there will be an unrighteous and rebellious element, whose character will be hidden from all except Jesus. It may be so closely associated with the administration of the kingdom as to be entirely unsuspected by others. It will probably have to do with the riches of the kingdom. The ultimate manifesta­tion of its true identity will only be openly revealed when it is “loosed . .. and shall go out to deceive the nations” at the very end of the second ministry of Jesus. The end of Satan and the nations gathered to battle will be the same as Judas and the Jews at the hands of the Romans. It is no more unthinkable for a revolt at the end of the millennium than it was for Judas to do what he did after 3+ years with the Master.