Outer darkness: A thousand years? or for eternity?

[InChristAlone]

Originally Posted by UntoHim

One of the biggest problems (among many) that I find with this view is that Satan is supposed to be "bound into a pit" and made powerless to deceive for this kingdom period. (Rev 20) It sure seems to me that Satan is very much active and very effectual in "deceiving the nations" as we speak. And this is to say nothing of the Old Testament prophesies that mention: "The 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"(Isa 11:6)

Christ destroyed Satan who had the power of death, Heb 2:14. Because Satan has been cast down and bound, we now have authority over him through Christ, (Matt 28:18. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth). Kingdom has arrived. (Matt 12:28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you).

Satan is bound and he doesn't have much power over people as before but he is able to roam. (1 Peter 5.8). Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Originally Posted by UntoHim

I do understand and can appreciate the reasoning of those who would lean towards the non-literal interpretation of much of Revelation, however I don't think it makes sense to interpret that Christ's "reign" is literal, but the time and place are not literal. Just my opinion...for what it's worth

Christ's "reign" is literal but it's not an earthly reign. His Kingdom is not of this world. It's a spiritual kingdom. Though all power is given unto Jesus in heaven and in earth. That's why we now have authority over Satan through Christ.

Protestants lost mysticism and metaphysics that the Orthodox Church still keeps. The material Earth is not the center of the universe, be it physical or spiritual. Our material world is not Christ's kingdom. In John 18:36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world."

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I don't want to promote any teachings. I just want to explain my point of view and where it comes from. Just for your information:

The Orthodox Church is not simply another denomination. It is the original Church, founded by Christ Himself and described in the New Testament. She traces her history in unbroken continuity all the way back to Christ and His Twelve Apostles. Today, we see thousands of Christian bodies, who seldom agree on important points of doctrine and practice.

However, for the first thousand years of Christian history, there was one unified worldwide Church. In the eleventh century, for reasons of doctrine and practice, the Church suffered a tragic split, separating East and West. Eventually, the western Church experienced further ruptures when certain European religious and political leaders broke ties with her over conflicts of doctrine and politics, establishing their own independent church bodies. Over the years, those bodies further splintered and fragmented, and continue to do so to this very day.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Church maintained unchanged the "faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3); it never experienced a Reformation, or a counter-Reformation, or a restoration, or a revival; it is and has for twenty centuries been the living fulfillment of the continuing New Testament Church, the very "Body of Christ" (Col 1.18,24).

The Orthodox Church is today the second largest Christian body in the world. It is not reserved for certain ethnic communities, but welcomes every ethnicity, every race, every heritage. The word "orthodox," which comes from the Greek word meaning "correct belief," not only identifies, but also describes the Orthodox Church, which has maintained the correct belief, practice, and worship of the New Testament Church, unaltered and undiminished, for two-thousand years. The Church has preserved the Faith, neither adding to nor subtracting from it; confessing the original Nicene Creed and guiding her people to growth in Christ through union with Him.

http://orthodoxdetroitoutreach.org/W...istianity.html

Of course, it's up to you to decide where the truth is. It's just some food for mind.

I for one would like to know the truth, too. And I ask the Lord to grant me wisdom not to take the truth for something else when I see it.