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remnant of His heritage?' and uses the figure, 'Thou wilt cast all their sins
into the depths of the sea', to assure the restored remnant of the
completeness of their forgiveness.
The last words of Micah are a solemn attestation that God will perform
the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which He had sworn unto the
fathers 'from the days of old', linking the fulfilment of His promise with
Him whose goings forth were 'from of old'.
When the survey of these minor prophets is completed, we should
assemble together the words with which they bring their prophecies to a
close. We shall then find that most of them end on this satisfactory and
triumphant note.
MILLENNIAL
STUDIES
No.
1
The
Bottomless
Pit
We have remarked in another article, that the positive teaching
concerning the Millennium is confined to Ten Verses of Holy Writ, namely
Revelation 20:1 -10. All else must agree with what is there revealed before
it can be admitted as a further revelation concerning that prophetic period.
The opening verses speak of the binding of Satan (Rev. 20:1 -3), which
will be one of the great characteristics of this great Day. We have in these
three verses, such words as 'key', 'bottomless pit', 'a great chain', 'to lay
hold', 'bound', 'shut up' and after the thousand years 'to loose'. It would
be an insult to the intelligence and the integrity of the reader to set out a
detailed 'proof' that these terms mean all that we associate with
'imprisonment'. The 'bottomless pit' however calls for examination, although
no one we hope needs an explanation of the figure 'bottomless', which simply
means 'fathomless' or deep beyond human gauging.
The Greek word so translated is abussos, which becomes in English
abyss, and this Greek word is found in the Apocalypse seven times. In
Revelation 9:1 and 2 it is joined with the Greek word phrear, 'a well or
pit', the remaining passages using the word abussos alone.
The way in which this word is distributed in the book of the Revelation
clearly indicates that it is of importance. Let us see:
Abussos in Revelation
A
9:1,2,11.
Key
Let loose
Locust scourge.
The Angel called in Hebrew Abaddon
in Greek Apollyon.
B
11:7.
The Beast ascends out of the abyss, overcomes saints
B
17:8.
The Beast ascends out of the abyss.
Lamb overcomes (14).
A
20:1 -3.
Key
Shut up
Loosed
Deceive (8).
Serpent, called Diabolos (Greek) and Satan (Hebrew).