A LINGUISTIC APPROACH TO REVELATION 19:11–20:6 AND THE MILLENNIUM BINDING OF SATAN, by Alan E. Kurschner

A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance

by Benjamin J. Montoya, PhD

 

About the Author

Alan E. Kurschner (PhD, McMaster Divinity College) is an Instructor of Greek at the Center for Learning Biblical Greek.

 

Introduction  

In biblical and theological studies, there are age-old debates about how to understand certain biblical passages. In the book of Revelation, there remains a debate surrounding the millennium binding of Satan and the vindication of the saints in Revelation 20:1-6 and its relationship to the victorious battle of Jesus in 19:11-21. Instead of using the same methods used previously to come to the same conclusions, Alan E. Kurschner employs a linguistic framework known as Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) to argue these events are cohesively linked. 

 

Table of Contents

Chapter 1  Approaches to the Millennium Binding of Satan
Chapter 2  A Model of Koine Greek Discourse Analysis
Chapter 3  Cohesive Harmony: Cohesive Ties and Chains
Chapter 4  Cohesive Harmony: Chain Interactions
Chapter 5  Information Flow: Clauses, Sentences, Paragraphs, and Sections
Chapter 6  Information Flow: Discourse of the Book of Revelation
Chapter 7  Conclusion
Appendix 1:  Historical Shifts in the Millennial Debate
Appendix 2:  The Identity of Those Seated on Thrones in Revelation 20:4

 

Summary

 

Chapter 1: Approaches to the Millennium Binding of Satan

There remain certain discernable approaches to the millennium binding of Satan:

• Sequential frameworks, or the historical-temporal approaches
• Non-sequential frameworks
• Other non-traditional proposals that do not employ a temporal framework

Three other key theological terms are tied to how to understand these larger three approaches; those three are premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism. Both pre-mil and post-mil are sequential frameworks whereas amillennialism is a non-sequential framework. Other non-traditional approaches include those from historical and social-scientific criticism, literary criticism, theology, and ethics. To make a unique contribution to this larger academic discussion, this study will employ a different methodology, that of a robust linguistic methodology rooted in modern linguistics. The thesis of this monograph is as follows: 

This study proposes that 19:11–21 and 20:1–6 are cohesively linked with each other. While cohesion and coherence do not in itself demonstrate sequence, the analysis demonstrates that there is no cohesive break at 20:1. Instead, the analysis indicates a continuous semantic environment between 19:11–21 and 20:1–6. If this is correct, then it strongly implies that the millennium binding of Satan and the vindication of the saints are consequent effects from the battle in Rev.19. . . .

[To continue reading this summary, please see below....]