Texts in Conversation
1 Enoch 18:14 depicts rebellious stars bound in a fiery prison until the completion of their appointed time, apocalyptic imagery also found in Revelation 20:3 where Satan is confined in the abyss for a thousand years before release.
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1 Enoch 18:14
Pseudepigrapha
11 And beyond that abyss I saw a place which had no firmament of heaven above, and no firmly founded earth beneath it; there was no water upon it, and no birds, but it was a waste and horrible place. 12 I saw there seven stars like great burning mountains, and to me, when I inquired about them, 13 The angel said: 'This place is the end of heaven and earth; this has become a prison for the stars and the host of heaven. 14 And the stars which roll over the fire are those which have transgressed the command of the Lord at the beginning of their rising, because they did not come forth at their appointed times. 15 And He was angry with them, and bound them until the time when their guilt should be consummated, even for ten thousand years.'
Date: 200-50 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Revelation 20:3
New Testament
1 Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. 2 He seized the dragon—the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan—and tied him up for a thousand years. 3 The angel then threw him into the abyss and locked and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.) 4 Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those who had been given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. These had not worshiped the beast or his image and had refused to receive his mark on their forehead or hand. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Date: 92-96 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The anger and hostility of Satan toward the people of God are here said to be based on his awareness of the temporal limitations God has placed on his activities. According to the eschatological schema of Revelation 20:3, Satan is to be released for a short time (μικρὸς χρόνος) after his thousand-year confinement (in parallels in Jewish apocalypses, the evil angels are not released but are bound until the time of judgment; see 1 Enoch 18:16; 21:6). In Revelation 17:10, the period of activity of the seventh king is described as ὀλίγον (here used as an adverb of time), meaning a “short [time],” again reflecting the foreordained eschatological plan of God ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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