College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Revelation 20:1-3
Strauss-' Comments
SECTION 65
Text Revelation 20:1-3
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed for a little time.
Initial Questions Revelation 20:1-3
1.
If Christ's work on the cross actually defeated Satan and his powers of darkness, why do we read in Revelation 20:1 that Satan is being bound for a thousand years (a limited period of time)?
2.
Is Satan to be found with finality according to Revelation 20:3?
The Thousand Years of Satan's Captivity and the Martyr's Reign
Chapter Revelation 20:1-6
In this chapter men have supposedly found the biblical justification for millennial theories (see the Special Study after this chapter). We have just finished the section in Revelation 19:19-21 in which John's vision carried us to the end of sin dominated human history and the day of the wrath of God. It cannot be shown by merely examining the text (or any other way) that the material in the Seer of Patmos-' visions are chronological. In fact, if we were entering a technical discussion, we would assert that most of the material in The Revelation is repetition which develops in intensity of judgment, i.e., the three series of the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls of wrath. Chapter 20 is a more detailed description of the final judgment than was given in the last verses of chapter 19. We must not be led astray by the chapter and verse divisions. Basically their purpose is to show a change in the content of what is being discussed; but John wrote The Revelation under the direction of the Holy Spirit, and he used no such divisions. We must therefore be most careful in our evaluation of the materials. Millennial theorists assume that the materials in The Revelation are also chronological and this assumption enables them to claim that the imagery of chapter 20 does not reveal the same final judgment as does Revelation 19:19-21. (If available, always consult Lenski's work on The Revelation, see bibliography.) Since Revelation 20:3 is the only place in the N.T. where the word millennium (the Greek word is chilia ete - a thousand years; Millennium comes from Latin and also means a thousand years) occurs, we must be very careful in our analysis of this section of scripture.
The relationship between Chapter s 19 and 20 are similar to those of Chapter s 11 and 12. In chapter 11 the end had come (see especially Revelation 11:15-19), but in chapter 12 we return to the human situation. The man-child is born and immediately Satan seeks to kill Him. Satan continues to overcome the man-child, until Satan and all forces are completely destroyed by the victorious Lord (Revelation 19:11-16). The host of the saved follow their regnant redeemer. (See Marcellus J. Kik, Revelation Twenty, an exposition, The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Box 185, Nutley, N.J. This work is a very good basic study by a conservative Calvinist.
Note: Do not be disturbed by our frequent citation of Catholic and Calvinistic works. No one else is producing any serious studies of the Bible and biblical problems (except of course those who deny that The Bible is The Word of God).
The coming again of our Lord, and the signs which will precede His return are two of the most discussed and written about topics among people who accept the Bible as the Word of God. Even the Ecumenical world is producing an almost endless supply of literature on Christian Hope. In this body of literature the great coming events such as the coming again of Christ, the resurrection, of the just and the unjust, the day of judgment, and hell and heaven are reinterpreted (or really interpreted away) according to contemporary Existential hermeneutics. (See the brief, popular presentation of some of the problems in Prof. Lewis Foster's Basis for Historical Jesus, The Christian Standard, July 13, 20, 27, 1963.)
What is the thousand year period of which we read in Revelation 20:3? Is Christ's coming again connected with this period?
John saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain on (epi - hanging down from his hand. The chain was not contained in his hand) his hand. In our study we will emphasize only two factors in this section of scripture (Revelation 20:1-3); (1) The binding of Satan and its relationship to the Millennium; and (2) the reign of the Christians with Christ in the Millennium.
The angel laid hold of (ekratçsen - 1st aor. ind. active - expresses the actual, complete act of binding) the dragon, the old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound (edçsen - 1st aor. ind. active, expresses the fact that Satan is bound) him for a thousand years. (See 2 Peter 3:8 - But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.). What can this binding of Satan mean? Are there any other passages of scripture which speak of the binding of Satan? If the work of Christ on the cross completely and once-for-all overcame Satan, why is his power and influence still very evident in our own lives, the Church, and most assuredly the world?
Peter tells us in his second epistle that--If God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, (Greek is tartarus), and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;----(2 Peter 2:4). Is it possible that Satan is bound in a limited sense, but never-the-less, still bound? Satan was permitted to test Job. Yet, in specific sense he was bound (i.e., limited as to what he was allowed to do). Paul tells us all (1 Corinthians 10:13) there hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it. Paul here claims that Satan is really limited or bound. (Note that the imagery of chains binding Satan is a metaphor, therefore figurative). Our Lord gives us an illustration of the binding of Satan. One day Christ was casting out demons, and His opponents accused Him of doing it by the power of the prince of devils, Beelzebub. (Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15.) Christ's reply was in the form of a parable. Matthew 12:29 ----Or how can one enter into a strong man's house, and seize his vessels, if not first he binds the strong man? and then he will plunder his house. We must keep two facts in mind; (1) Christ's work has already defeated Satan; and (2) Satan's influence seems to increase rather than diminish. Paul makes this point very clearly in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 ----Touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; let no man beguile you in any way: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition----
The above brief discussion enables us to claim that Satan is actually bound, but his limitations respect only certain activity. What reason does the text give for the binding of Satan?
The answer to the above question is given in this verse. Satan is shut up in the abyss in order that (hina clause - the purpose clause again) he should not deceive (plançse - 1st aor. act. subjunctive - the aor. subj. with the negative me, as here, is to be understood as an imperative) any longer the nations, until (achri - clearly asserts that the time will come again when Satan shall deceive the nations) the thousand years are finished; after these things he must (dei - absolutely necessary) be loosed (luthçnai - 1st aor. infinitive, passive voice - signifies that Satan will be loosed by someone else (God), and not because he is powerful enough to break his binding chains) a little while. Satan was bound in order that he could not deceive the nations any longer, but in Revelation 20:8 we note that he shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth,---. The dragon and his angels were cast down into the earth (Revelation 12:7 ff), and he knew then his time was short. What is implied in Satan's deceiving of the nations? The Bible (it is opposed to universalism in every form) never asserts that the whole earth will be saved. What is the possible relationship of the missionary enterprise and the deceiving of the nations? The original language of both Old and New Testaments have specific words for the people of God and the nations of the world. Examine the Roman Epistle for a possible commentary on these matters. Paul's argument in Romans 1:18 to Romans 2:16 is that the Gentiles are lost. He states that God gave them up three times (Romans 1:24; Romans 1:26; Romans 1:28). This passage in The Revelation does not claim that the people of God are deceived; but rather, the nations which are in the four corners of the earth. Only the Church shall be empowered to avoid the deception! Satan deceives the nations so thoroughly, that they refuse the Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation. John is speaking only of the nations as a whole; he is not declaring that there might not be individuals who escape deception. Our's is an age when individualism is all but dead. Mass-man has replaced the individual. Depersonalized, dehumanized man is being prepared (via Madison Avenue techniques of manipulation) to be deceived at the international level. The masters of cybernetics (the Greek word for a steersman - on a ship) can sway unnumbered multitudes. Are we being prepared in our day for the fulfillment of Revelation 20:8? Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 that God will send a strong delusion, that (hina or purpose clause) they should believe a lie. Christ commissioned His Church to preach the saving Gospel to all nations. Christ went on to say that when this was done - then the end would come.
Remember that John introduced five enemies of Christ's church in chapter 12. The Revelation clearly tells us of their ultimate doom, but the information about their defeat is contained in more than one vision. The visions before this chapter have revealed the destruction of four of the five enemies introduced in chapter 12; only one remains - Satan. Christ's victory over every enemy is the binding thread of the entire book. When Satan is cast into the lake of fire and sulphur in Revelation 20:10 - that is the end of all of Christ's enemies.
Discussion Questions
See Revelation 20:11-15.