Satan Bound For A Thousand Years Series

Tom Lowe

9/29/17

Book of Revelation Commentary

Lesson: V.A.1: Satan Bound For a Thousand Years, Unable to Deceive Nations (Revelation 20:1-3)

Revelation 20:1-3

1 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.

Introduction

Jesus has come, and the Millennium has arrived. The golden age, so frequently proclaimed by the prophets of Israel’s past, has dawned at last, and the earth is filled with the knowledge of God. Jesus is Lord, and he rules the nations with a rod of iron. His reign is righteous, and the nations obey. The principles of the Sermon of the Mount are the laws of the kingdom, and men obey them because infractions are not allowed. Sin is punished with swift and sure judgment. The era lasts a thousand years.

The two beasts were cast alive into the lake of fire before the golden age began, but the devil was not. He was chained in the abyss{1] for God is not yet through with him. He has one more evil mission to fulfill.

In chapter 20 we will see four outstanding things:

The binding of Satan. He will be put in prison for one thousand years. We might say he will be placed in God’s penitentiary (vs. 1-3).

The reign of Christ and the saints for one thousand glorious years (vs. 4-6).

We see Satan loosed for a little season to test those who will be born during the Millennium. [The Millennium will be an actual historical period taking its place in a tightly-forged chain of events.] He makes his last great drive to conquer the world and overthrow God. He comes to utter defeat and meets his eternal doom (vs. 7-10).

And in the last part of chapter 20 we see the judgment of the wicked dead. There are no righteous dead here—only the wicked dead. The righteous have already been judged for their stewardship of the gifts they have received, and have received their rewards at the marriage supper of the lamb (vs. 11-15).

All of the events so far in the book of Revelation have been premillennial, that is, they all occur before Christ returns to earth to reign. In this chapter the events are millennial. During the millennium God will bring to pass certain of His plans and purposes, and then after the 1000 years have run their course, the millennium will merge into the eternal state.

Commentary

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

The end of chapter 19 describes the Beast, the false prophet, and all their followers thrown into the lake of fire. This vision at the beginning of chapter 20 describes Christ’s dealings with Satan.

We do not need to speculate on the identity of the angel . . . It is the angel of the Lord. In Revelation 1:18{2] we read that Jesus has the keys of hell and death, and He would not trust those keys to anyone else. The last time the key to the abyss{1] was mentioned, Satan had it and was permitted to open that dreaded prison and release swarms of foul fiends upon the earth. Now an angel has that key. Armed with authority and power from on high, the angel seizes that old dragon, flings a mighty chain around him, and hurls him into the abyss{1], locking him up for a thousand years. I believe He personally binds Satan and puts him into the bottomless pit{1], thus denoting by sealing the pit that the government of Almighty God is behind the prison term of Satan, and He will see to it that he does not escape. With similar chains evil angels are kept bound even now awaiting the day of judgment (Jude 6{3]). Satan and his demons can break the chains and shackles that men may fashion (Mark 5:1-5), but the "great chain" of God's making not even Satan himself can resist or shake off. It is adequate for the purpose of binding him and making him a helpless prisoner.

There could be no Millennium, no time of peace, as long as Satan is loose. As long as he is at liberty to act he will not rest from deluding men with lies, and seeking their destruction. And let each one of us be reminded that Satan is not bound now. He would have us believe that he is, but the Word of God says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). We know that he is at present the god of this age, and the prince of the power of the air. This is the day of Satan. Evil men and seducers are waxing worse and worse. As it was in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot, so shall it be before Jesus returns to this earth to reign. There can be no peace on earth and good will toward men until Satan is in the pit, securely locked away to deceive the nations no more.