The Little Season of Revelation 20: 3
In end time Bible prophecy there are implications for periods in which God allows Satan more freedom to hinder the Gospel than in other periods.
"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." Revelation 20: 1-3
God had allowed Satan more freedom to hinder God's work of redemption at the time in the history of redemption right before Jesus Christ appeared. At the time Christ appeared, God put some more restraint on Satan for a period of time so that the Gospel could go out.
The metaphor for this restraint of Satan is that Satan was cast into the bottomless pit. The thousand years is also not literal. Christian Zionism insists that all scripture is to be interpreted literally, which destroys the meaning or knowledge within many end time Bible prophecies, including Revelation 20: 1-3
The falling away prophecy in II Thessalonians, plus Luke 13:21 and the prophecies in I Timothy and II Timothy which also talk about a falling away from sound doctrine implies that Satan's freedom to hinder the truth has been increased in this period.
Christ repeats his warning in Matthew 24 that the tribulation period will be a time of deception (Matthew 24: 4, 5, 11,24).
The period of the little season in Revelation 20: 3 is to be a time of deception, when, as Matthew 24: 11 says "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many."
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." II Peter 2: 1-3
But - Revelation 12: 15-17 says that at the time when the Serpent-Dragon is casting a flood out of his mouth (to inspire the number of false prophets to speak and write lies in the period of deception of the Little Season), the remnant has the testimony of Jesus Christ. Daniel 11: 33 says "they that understand among the people shall instruct many..."
This means the Little Season is characterized as being a period of time in which there is a conflict, a "war," going on between those who promote and believe lies - false doctrines - and those who teach the truth. This is the Gog-Magog war of Exekiel 38-39. But dispensationalism or Christian Zionism insists the Gog-Magog war is literal and Russia is now preparing to take over Syria and will invade Isreal. In fact, rather than in the fable of dispensationlalism where the Russians are preparing to invade Israel, now under Putin the Russians are opposing ISIS.
Events during the 19th century set up the situation such that out of several false doctrines promoted then - Mormonism, Christian Science, Jehovah Witness, dispensationalism, etc, - dispensationalism arouse as the one false doctrine which took over many protestant denominations by the middle of the 20th century, when the Little Season might be said to have begun in full force.
In end time Bible prophecy there are implications for periods in which God allows Satan more freedom to hinder the Gospel than in other periods.
"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." Revelation 20: 1-3
God had allowed Satan more freedom to hinder God's work of redemption at the time in the history of redemption right before Jesus Christ appeared. At the time Christ appeared, God put some more restraint on Satan for a period of time so that the Gospel could go out.
The metaphor for this restraint of Satan is that Satan was cast into the bottomless pit. The thousand years is also not literal. Christian Zionism insists that all scripture is to be interpreted literally, which destroys the meaning or knowledge within many end time Bible prophecies, including Revelation 20: 1-3
The falling away prophecy in II Thessalonians, plus Luke 13:21 and the prophecies in I Timothy and II Timothy which also talk about a falling away from sound doctrine implies that Satan's freedom to hinder the truth has been increased in this period.
Christ repeats his warning in Matthew 24 that the tribulation period will be a time of deception (Matthew 24: 4, 5, 11,24).
The period of the little season in Revelation 20: 3 is to be a time of deception, when, as Matthew 24: 11 says "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many."
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." II Peter 2: 1-3
But - Revelation 12: 15-17 says that at the time when the Serpent-Dragon is casting a flood out of his mouth (to inspire the number of false prophets to speak and write lies in the period of deception of the Little Season), the remnant has the testimony of Jesus Christ. Daniel 11: 33 says "they that understand among the people shall instruct many..."
This means the Little Season is characterized as being a period of time in which there is a conflict, a "war," going on between those who promote and believe lies - false doctrines - and those who teach the truth. This is the Gog-Magog war of Exekiel 38-39. But dispensationalism or Christian Zionism insists the Gog-Magog war is literal and Russia is now preparing to take over Syria and will invade Isreal. In fact, rather than in the fable of dispensationlalism where the Russians are preparing to invade Israel, now under Putin the Russians are opposing ISIS.
Events during the 19th century set up the situation such that out of several false doctrines promoted then - Mormonism, Christian Science, Jehovah Witness, dispensationalism, etc, - dispensationalism arouse as the one false doctrine which took over many protestant denominations by the middle of the 20th century, when the Little Season might be said to have begun in full force.