Last Things #3: Satan Bound

SATAN GETTING HIS DUE

REVELATION 20:1-3

Pastor Jim Gray

At the great war the ambassadors of Satan were captured and their armies were destroyed (Rev 19:17-21). They were thrown into the lake of fire to await their leader, Satan himself. Chapter 20 speaks to the capture and imprisonment of Satan.

Satan is said to be the supreme example of good gone wrong.[1] He was created good in the highest rank of angelic beings (Ezek. 28:12, 15). Yet, he decided to overthrow God and take his place (Isa. 14:12-14). He took with him part of the heavenly host; these rebels became like him. The, like he, embody evil. Satan is called the evil one (1 John 5:19), a murderer (John 5:19), a roaring lion which devours (1 Pet 5:8), the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10); the fathyer of lies (John 8:44). God pronounced judgment upon him from his fall (Isa. 14:15). What he intends and what he achieves are two different things. Instead of the apex of heaven, he will be assigned to eternal torment.

Revelation 20:1-3 begins the first stage of his judgment. Newell observes that “This imprisonment of the great enemy is the closing scene connected with the Day of Wrath; and, we may say, the opening scene of the coming age—the Millennium.”[2]

The Instrument: An Angel—20:1

The text clearly indicates that “an angel coming down from heaven,” is God’s divine agent for this task.  Angels are a common agents of God in the book of Revelation (cf. 10:2; 18:1).  Their task is judgment. The angel’s two main functions are loosing and binding; opening and closing. This angel has two tools in his hands:

·         “The key to the abyss.” This is not the first time that an angel is used in reference to the abyss. In Rev.9:1 the angel is given a key to release the demons of the bottomless pit. The Greek word in both references is abussos, a compound word meaning an immeasurable depth, bottomless, the underworld, the abyss of Sheol, commonly translated bottomless pit or abyss. In the Old Testament, it is Toperth, the place of burning (Isa.  30:33; Jer. 7:31).[3] Here it is associated with the place of demons (as in Luke 8:30-31), however, Paul says it is the place of the dead (Rom. 10:7). The question becomes who could the demons be release without releasing the dead? It seems to me the natural answer is that there are compartments within the abyss for different classes of beings. The abyss is unlocked in 9:1 for the demons to be released; in 20:3 it is shut and sealed.

·         “And a great chain in his hand.” If this is a literal chain is debated. It most likely figurative, describing the power and authority to retain Satan.  Spiritual beings cannot be restrained by physical means or instruments.  

The Incarceration of Satan—20:2-3a

This is the climax of the event. It involves the following:

• The Arrest— “he was laid hold of.” The word laid hold of (ekpathsen) is precisely the same word used of the arrest of Jesus (Matt. 26:50). It literally means to exercise power over; thus, to lay hold of, subdue, apprehend, or seize. The angel arrests Satan.
• The aliases. Satan is known by a number of names: the dragon, the serpent of old, the devil, and Satan. These are the four names used of him in the book of Revelation. John brings these together so there can be no confusion of identity, and that they all refer to the same person.
• His approved sentence— “bound him for a thousand years.”  This sentence is not eternal, it is for a thousand years. This indicates there is more to come from Satan. His final destination will come (cf. 20:10). It must be noted that some view his imprisonment as happening today. That Satan is bound, an event that happens today and carries through until the second coming of Christ.[4] I reject this view. There is no evidence that Satan is bound in this age of the church. His activity on earth today is clearly seen in Scripture. [1] Blinds the minds of those on earth (2 Cor. 4:3-4). [2] He destroys lives today (1 Peter 5:8). [3] He deceives the nations (Rev. 12:9). [5] He is still the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:6). His being bound in this text is to put a stop to such activities by him. The millennial age is a time when divine righteousness is demonstrated (Isa. 11:5; 32:1; Jer. 23:6; Dan. 9:24).  
• His assignment— “he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him” (20:3a). Satan’s non-activity in the world is reinforced by the security of his judgment. He is in the abyss, which is shut and sealed. He is securely put away.

His inactivity in the world—20:3b

Now John states the reason for Satan being bound— “so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were competed.” MacLeod observes “Satan’s imprisonment during the thousand years is not so much punitive as it is precautionary. It is a precaution against his deceiving the nations.”[5] If the stated purpose of the blinding of Satan is so he cannot deceive the nations, and as amillennialists hold, it started a the cross; how can Satan deceive the nations in Rev. 12:9? He could not. They hold that this binding is simply a limited power in regard to his work on earth, “as a rope, which can be more or less lengthened”[6] Satan’s power has always been limited by the sovereignty of God.  This is totally against the immediate context, which speaks of complete inactivity by Satan. If Satan is bound today, there are two things to notice:

• It goes against those scripture that show us Satan is the god of this world and active in the world today.
• It goes against the experience of the early believers and those today. Satan filled the heart of Ananias to lie (Acts 5:3). We are warned not to give place to the devil (Eph. 4:27). We are in a battle against a spiritual host of wickedness (Eph. 6:12). The whole world today lies under the power of the wicked one (1 John 5:19). The Scripture and experience speaks in concert that Satan is not yet bound.

The duration of this confinement is one thousand years (20:3b). The amillennialist must say this is symbolic and not literal. They are forced to say that because in their view Satan was bound at the cross, and he has been so for more than the time duration. In fact, the cross was over 2000 years. To be consistent in their view it must be taken in a figurative sense. However, Revelation takes it to be a part of the second coming of Christ and its aftermath. The word thousand is chilia, from which the word chiliasm is based. This is the belief that the thousand years is literal, the number of years Christ will reign on earth in the Millennial Kingdom. All appearance seems to be against the view that Satan is bound and we are in the millennium now. He is not bound but loose in the world to cause mayhem.

He will be released from being bound at the end of the thousand years (20:3b). This will be his final release. Notice the word must, it speaks of absolute necessity. MacLeod states: “For some reason, grounded in the divine will, Satan will be released and will deceived the nations again. It is apparent that his long imprisonment will not change either his own plans or the character of humanity.”[7] He is released to lead the world in the last great war—Gog and Magog (20:7) that leads to his final destruction. During the time of his incarceration, Christ will rule on earth for that one thousand years. Rejoice! Christ will be the victor.  

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[1]  J.I. Packer, “The Devil’s Dossier,” CHRISTIANITY TODAY, June 21, 1993, 24.

[2]  William R. Newell, THE BOOK OF REVELATION [Chicago, Moody Press, 1935], 315.

[3]  David J. MacLeod, “The Third ‘Last Thing’: The Binding of Satan,” BIBLIOTHECA SACRA, October-December 1999, 474,

[4]  R.C.H. Lenski, THE INTERPRETATION OF REVELATION, [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1943], 564.

[5]  David J. MacLeod, “The Binding of Satan,” 482-483.

[6]  Simon J. Kistemaker, NTC: REVELATION, [Grand Rapids, Baker, 2001], 534.

[7] David J MacLeod, ‘The Binding of Satan,” 483.

The Strategy of Satan

against Believers

As a believer in Jesus Christ, YOU are the prime target of Satan’s strategy. He is “the accuser of the brethren...which accused them before God day and night” (Revelation 12:9-10). Satan’ strategy is centered around discrediting you before God. He directs God’s attention to our sin, weakness, and failures. Sooner or later each of us is accused by him before God.

The aim of his strategy is to carry out Isaiah 14:13-14. He was to show himself as being more powerful and important than God. He wants to be God. Therefore he is trying to make God’s people conform to his strategy will so that he might accuse them.

Paul warns us against being ignorant of Satan’s strategy and devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). The word “device” is the Greek word noema which denotes a plan, purpose or strategy. We believers need to know the strategy of Satan so he will not gain an advantage over us. In the Word we can identify at a least threefold strategy:

Strategy 1—TO MAKE US IGNORANT OF GOD’S WILL

One Element of the strategy centers around the Word of God and our minds. It is clearly seen in the case of Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:1-7). His aim is to get her to disobey the Word of God, and to do so he works on her mind. His tactics are threefold: (1) He questions God’s Word... “Yea, hath God said.” (2) He denies the Word... “Ye shall not surely die.” (3) He adds to the Word of God... “Ye shall be as gods.”

We should not be surprised to learn that Satan wants to control our minds. He knows as a man thinks, so he is (Proverbs 23:7). It is the mind that controls the life. If he can control what we think and how we think, he can control us.

Note well the weapon Satan uses—it’s the Word of God. Satan uses the Word as a tactic, because he “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). As an angel of light his aim is to use God’s own words against him, as he did in the case of Eve.

His strategy in Eve’s case is successful. He gets her to misuse the Word of God. We see that she (1) omitted some of the Word. She omits the word “freely” when she replies, “We make eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden” (cf. Genesis 3:2 with 2:16). (2) She added to the Word of God. The words, “neither shall ye touch it,” are not the original command of God to Adam. (3) She changes the Word by saying “lest ye die” instead of “thou shalt surely die.” In other words, Eve read into the Word what she wanted, rather than letting the Word speak to her. Because of Satan’s strategy of attacking her mind and Eve misusing the Word, she disobeys the will of God.

What then is our defense against this strategy? It is 2 Timothy 2:15. It is the Word of God in our minds and the ability to use the Word correctly. Our strength as believers comes from the Word of God being “rightly divided.” Or handled right, truthfully treated without falsification. Our aim in doing so is “making every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). It is when the Word speaks to us that it transforms us by the renewing of our mind and will of God is known (Romans 12:1-2). It is by the Word we put on the whole armor of God so we can stand against the wiles of Satan (cf. Ephesians 6:10-18).

Strategy 2—TO MAKE US IMPATIENT WITH THE WILL OF GOD.

When Satan cannot make us ignorant of the will of God, he will try to make us impatient with it. This is illustrated in the case of Job. In Job’s case Satan tries to make him impatient through circumstances, sickness and pressure. Job lost his wealth, his health, and gained the anger and the chastisement of his friends and family. Satan wanted him to come to the point that he didn’t care because God did not care. He tried Job’s patience.

In spite of all this, Job remained patient and did not sin or blame God (Job 1:22). The reason is, he knew his redeemer lived (Job 19:25). In other words, his defense against this strategy was his faith and assurance that God was working in spite of all that was going on. Faith is also our defense against this strategy of Satan. The key to obeying God’s will or Satan’s depends on how we as believers react in times of stress; whether or not we fully trust God. Job trusted God fully and completely. If we are to be faithful in spite of circumstances65386+ we need to heed 1 Peter 5:7-9. We need to cast our cares upon Him, and “resist steadfast in the faith.” Isaiah 26:3 declares that, He will keep us “in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed of thee; because [we] trusted in Thee.” Again Isaiah reminds us, “Fear thou not,” and will “uphold thee with the right hand of...righteousness” (41:10). Our faith in Christ is a substantiating one; an anchor; upholding and securing us.

It is vital that we understand that such a faith is produced by the Word of God. For “faith comes from hearing, and hearing is by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). The Word produces faith, not only for salvation, but for upholding us along life’s pathway. Psalm 119:11 reminds us that if we hide the Word in our heart it will help us not to sin against God.

Job endured this strategy of Satan by his faith in God. Faith produces peace which guards our hearts (Philippians 4:7). If we have the peace “of” God in our lives, no matter what the circumstances or the stress, we will not become impatient with God and His will.

Strategy 3—TO MAKE US OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY OF THE WILL OF GOD.

When Satan cannot deceive our mind, nor make us impatient with God’s will, he seeks to make us act independently of the will of God. A prime example of going against the will of God is 1 Chronicles 21:1-12. Here Satan tempts David into taking a census of Israel. Now there is nothing wrong with taking a census, except it was not what God wanted. Every indication is that David had his own name and glory in mind when he ordered this done. Here we read the “never-the-less” of pride, which leads to an act of disobedience. God was displeased. This act of David constitutes presumptuous sin and rebellion, stemming from pride. Satan was successful in making David act independently of the will of God. It resulted in 70,000 killed (21:24). When man begins to act independently and ignores the will of God, in reality he is saying that his wisdom is greater than God’s, and that his will is better than God’s will. David was exercising his own will and Satan won.

Isn’t it strange that many of us fear the will of God. We have the idea that God’s will is something dangerous, and Satan encourages this way of thinking. It is his strategy to get us to think selfishly. Only if we realized that it is more dangerous to be out of the will of God than to be in the will of God.

The key to prevent this is submission. James 4:7 says, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” The word “submit” is primarily a military term meaning “to rank under” and denotes obedience to one that is higher in rank. David did not do this, rather he forgot his commander. His pride caused him to go over the head of the next in rank. Submission means to give up ourselves to be governed by God and His will. We are to present our members as instruments of His hand (Romans 6:13). Submitting means not rebelling against the will of God (which is what acting independently is), but letting God guide and we follow His will.

Note well the strategy of Satan so he will not gain advantage over us. Fix your mind upon His word, patiently waiting in His Word, and submitting to the Word of God. 

The Way We Were

Exposition of Ephesians 2:1-3

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

The first observation one needs to understand is the difference between the (NASB translation (above), and the KJV that has the words “you hath he quickened.” The KJV has the words in italics, which means they were added by the translators, and are not in the Greek text. They are omitted in modern translations and rightfully so.

Our Past Condition (2:1)—“you were dead in trespasses and sins.”  Before we were blessed by God in redemption, we were dead in trespasses and sins. The pronoun “you” is emphatic, and indicates those to whom he is writing. He is speaking to believers. Their past condition was “being dead.” It is a present participle indicating they were existing and continually in a state of spiritual death. It portrays our condition by our nature before God’s action. Of course, death here is not speaking of physical death, but spiritual death (Col. 2:13); speaking of those who are alienated from God. Death means separation from either the spirit from the body (James 2:26), or the spirit separated from God (Isa. 59). Being dead is further described with the prepositional phrase “in trespasses and sin.” There are three possible ways to understand this phrase. It could indicate cause, instrumental, or locative. It is best to take it as locative (in the sphere of). “The ‘trespasses and sins’ do not merely indicate the cause of death…, but they are descriptive also of the state of death. They represent not simply the instrument, but as the same time the condition of death” notes Eadie (Ephesians, 119). Men, outside Christ, are dead in trespasses and sins for all are sinners. Doctrinally this is known as total depravity. This does not mean man is as bad as he can be; rather he is as bad off as he can be. He is lost in his sin. The only differences between unsaved men are the deepness of their sin. All have sinned (Rom. 3:23), all are guilty. But thank God, there is also grace for all (Rom. 3:24, Eph. 2:8-10).

Our Past Consequences (2:2-3).  Paul giving our past standing now goes on to describe our state. He states “in which formerly walked” (2:2; cf. Col. 3:7). The preposition is one of sphere, referring back to being dead spiritually. Now he speaks of our state of conduct in that condition. The Greek word for “walk” is peripateo, meaning to walk around in the ordinary. It is a metaphor for our ordinary conduct. It speaks of the ordinary course of life of one who is not a believer. Their walk was according to three operative standards or forces:

·         The Direction of the World—“according to the course of this world” (2:2). The word translated according (kata), indicates the standard by which action occurs. Eadie says it usually expresses conformity (p. 122). Thus, our lifestyle was in conformity to the standards of the world, not God’s standards. We followed the world’s course. The word course is the Greek word aion, normally translated age. Thus, this phrase is literally “according to the age of this world.”  This is no doubt a reference to this present evil age (Gal. 1:4). Lincoln suggests the translation of “this world-age.” (Ephesians, 95). It speaks of being controlled by the age or course of worldly norms and values, which is hostile to God. It is the governing principle which controls the world. It is the spirit of the age, by which man is moved along on his downward slide from God.

·         The Dictates of Satan—“according to the prince of the power of the air” (2:2). Again the word according indicates an additional conformity that the unsaved exercise. The word prince is the Greek word archon, conveying the idea of first or chief, denoting a ruler or prince. This is a clear reference to Satan (cf. 2 Cor. 4:4; John 12:31).  Satan is the prince or ruler of this world. The word exousia (power) denotes authority, right to act, realm, and power. It is probably best to understand it in this context as realm. He rules over the realm of the air.  Job (1:7) says Satan goes to and fro on earth. He controls this evil world (1 John 5:19).

Hoehner observes: “The unregenerate not only walk according to the values of the present age but also under the control of the leader who rules over this evil world” (Ephesains, 320-321). This is clear from the rest of the text—“of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience’ (1:2). This phrase describes the preceding clause. There can be little question that this phrase indicates men are controlled by the prince and power of the air. We are in subjection both by environment (domain of the air) and internally (spirit). He works in the unsaved. He controls their spirit by blindness (2 Cor. 4:4) and lies (John 8:44).

The phrase “sons of disobedience” refers to man’s natural character and condition. The Greek word apeitheia (disobedience) means “unwillingness to be persuaded, and expressive either of disobedience in general, or of unbelief which is only one form of disobedience” (Hodge, Ephesians, 102).  Paul takes up the phrase again in Ephesians 5:6, to show that they desire and will receive God’s wrath.

·         The Desires of the Flesh—“Among them we too all formerly lived in the lust of the flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath” (2:3). The word formerly is used in three areas in this chapter. Our former walk (2:1), our former life (2:3), and our former state as Gentiles as being far off (2:11, 13).  The “we also” or we all, is a universal and all inclusive phrase that includes Paul the author and the readers, and expands out to all men everywhere. All men who are unsaved live in conformity to these elements. The “among whom” joins this clause with the immediately preceding phrase “in sons of disobedience.” All men are in this condition by nature.

In times past “we all lived in the lust of the flesh” (1:3). Here is the main verb—anastrepho, meaning literally a compound word ‘again’ and “turn,” meaning return, to turn back, to turn again. Figuratively it is indicates to conduct. It depicts our lifestyle before we were converted and saved. The sphere we lived in was that of the lust of the fresh. The word translated lust is epithumia, denotes a strong desire of any kind. It marks the sphere of activity of the unsaved. The word flesh is always used in a metaphorical sense by Paul. It denotes our nature, and signifies our fallen state, not the material skin we are encased in. Unlike the other two forces, which are external, this is an internal force—our own nature. Flesh is not to be understood merely as our sensuous nature, but our corrupted nature we have from birth.

Therefore, man is always “indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind” (1:3). The text is a present participle indicating this is a continuous action or pursuit of the natural man. This corrupted nature of man desires sin (Rom. 6:12), impurity (Rom. 1:24), covetousness (Rom. 7:7-8), and is not obedient to the will of God (1 Peter 4:2). This phrase defines how the lust of the flesh manifests itself—in indulging it the things satisfying and fulfilling to the soulish or fleshly nature of man. But that is not all, Paul adds “and of the mind.” The word mind is the Greek word dianoia, meaning the thinking process, thoughts, or reflection. It is not just carrying out the desires of the flesh, but also the mind, the corrupted mental process. It is the mind-set of the natural man, which opposes God (cf. Rom. 8:5-7). Since man lives in this sphere of influence, he can not help but carry out the wishes of the flesh and mind.

We “were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest” (1:3). Paul ends this section with a parallel of verse 1. He ends were he begins. As “we were” death in sin, also we “were” by nature children of wrath. This last “were” speaks of the result of man’s condition and conduct—children of wrath. This is a statement of status. It is the present status of sinful man. This status came by nature. The word nature (phusis) indicates “our natural constitution or condition as opposed to what is acquired” (Hodge, 107). It is not what we became, but what we are by birth. It is by nature, (not on the account of nature), that men are the children of wrath. Being children of wrath is genitive of destination, which indicates man is by nature moving toward the wrath of God. It does not describe man in terms of attributes or character (wrathful children), but speaks of being destined for wrath. It describes a status for all mankind outside of Christ. It can only be changed by faith in Christ.

“But God” (v.4) intervened by His grace, and believers are no longer in this condition.  It is the way we were—but no longer. God intervened to give us a new status by grace through faith. We are now sinners saved by grace (Eph. 2:8-9) with a new status—made alive with Christ, raised up and seated with Him (Eph. 2:4-7).