GETTING THE MESSAGE/Jesus binds the great deceiver Satan
The millennium, or 1000-year reign of Christ, is only mentioned in Revelation chapter 20. The 1000 years isn’t literal; it represents the time between Christ’s ascension into heaven and when he returns in glory, which was described in Chapter 19.
Verses 1-3 summarize how God deals with the devil during the gospel age. John sees an angel with a chain and a key to the bottomless pit. The angel seized the devil and threw him into the bottomless pit and sealed it over him. This was done so that the devil “might not deceive the nations any longer, until the 1000 years were ended.”
The coming of Christ into the world, his death, resurrection, and ascension into glory, is connected to the binding of Satan. In John 12, just before he is arrested and crucified, Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of the world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
Satan is called the deceiver of the whole world and is thrown down in connection with the coming of Christ into the world (Revelation 12:1-9). In Matthew 12, Jesus said that if you enter the house of a strong man, you must bind him before you can plunder his goods. Jesus binds Satan in order to free Satan’s captives, which is you and me and all men.
It is plain that Satan was bound in some way as the gospel went forth, though some do not believe this binding is the same as in Revelation 20, which is understandable. The devil is described as like a lion prowling about seeking whom he might devour (1st Peter 5), so it is also plain that in the gospel age Satan is still very active.
But while the Scriptures ascribe great power to Satan, he cannot keep the gospel from going forth to all the nations. Neither can he prevent the Holy Spirit from opening the eyes of sinners to see their sinful condition and to see the majesty and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who come to Christ are said to have previously been under the power of the prince of the air.
The description of such a thorough binding in Revelation 20 is also to give Christians under the assault of the devil the confidence that they have been delivered from the power of the devil and that in their warfare with the devil their victory is sure. The devil is bound in such a way that he cannot snatch them out of God’s hand. Who will not continue to fight when he is assured of a certain victory? The binding depicts God’s complete sovereignty over the devil.
We are taught to resist the devil with the truth of the gospel of Christ. Christ’s people are to walk a different path than the world, endeavoring to glorify God and do his will. The name “Satan” means adversary; he is against the will of God and against those who endeavor to follow Christ.
In Revelation 20:2, he is called “that ancient serpent,” reminding us that he has the highest degree of subtle deception. He came as like an angel of light to Eve in the garden and in tempting Jesus in the wilderness. Even now, he still makes forbidden fruit appealing in order to ruin souls.
The name “devil” means he accuses us. He can cause one to doubt the goodness of God, accusing God of wrongdoing. He can cause one to doubt their salvation if they are a Christian, but a sincere Christian should look to Christ for the assurance of their salvation. Our great comfort is that Jesus has made atonement for all the sins of his people. We don’t learn we are God’s people by the law, our own righteousness, but by grace, the good news that God nailed all of the debt of our sin to the cross.
If one shows little evidence of being a believer to himself or to others, then he has a reason to doubt and is right to examine himself. Whatever problems you have, they do not compare to being enslaved to the prince of darkness and under the penalty of sin. Christ was forsaken by God so that we may have God’s loving favor. If conscience troubles you, join other sinners who have called to the Lord to take away their iniquity. Let Christ have the commanding power, not the devil.
The other name for the devil is the “dragon”. That name alone makes us remember that the dragon is bound only because Christ bound himself to us. We slay the dragon with Christ’s blood, knowing our Lord paid too great a price for us to leave us on our own.
The Rev. Chris Shelton is pastor of Union’s First Presbyterian Church.