Revelation 20--Revelation 20:3
Day 3
When I look at the eschatology (study of the end times) of God’s Word, I waver between being fascinated with how intricate and beautiful God’s Word can be and amazed that I’m being asked, as a matter of faith, to believe stuff that seems like comes straight from the Marvel Universe.
Can my mind bend and stretch like that?
A reader comments on who the angel is and even what the chain might be from v. 1:
“Jesus is the Angel because He has the key (not just given a key like in other chapters). Rev 1:17 "I am the first and the last, I am the Living One, I was dead and behold I am alive for ever and ever. I hold the keys of Life and Hades." The great chain is the Cross, every power of Satan was defeated and bound at the Cross.”
My wife, Karen, who is a fairly hardcore dispensational premillennialist, thinks the angel in Revelation 20:1 IS NOT Jesus because Jesus is already on the scene from the bloody events of Revelation 19. (See Rev.19:13).
The words are the same that they are reading but their interpretations are different.
Way different.
And me? I shrug a lot. I like when the elevator just works, I don’t need to know HOW it works.
So, to me, there are three ways to look at Revelation 20:3, the verse that ties together v. 1 (angel which may or may not be Jesus with the key to the Abyss and a great chain to hold Satan) and v. 2 (the angel name checks Satan’s 4 names throughout Scripture, seizes him, and binds him for 1000 years).
Revelation 20:3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
The two major themes introduced here are the PURPOSE of Satan’s binding and for how long.
First, amillennialists, like the ubiquitous Francois Moller in A hermeneutical commentary on Revelation 20:1–10, believe that the events in v. 3 are symbolic, not literal:
“Satan’s bondage during the 1000 years does not mean that he is made powerless. He is only powerless in terms of the spreading of the gospel over the world and the mobilizing of the nations against the church. It will be difficult to read more into Revelation 20:3 than this
The message of the symbolic millennium is therefore comforting – comforting in the sense that Jesus Christ, the Lord, is in full control of all Satan’s activities. He is an already bounded enemy, and the Lord will take responsibility for his church. Kingdoms will come and go, but the church will last until Christ’s return and the accompanied complete bondage (destruction) of Satan.”
I’m not sure I’m as comforted as Moller says I should be. But perhaps that’s on me and not the amillennial position (the one most Catholics believe).
A second view, held by my wife and folks like Dr. Robert Jeffress is literal. Jeffress writes in Final Conquest: A Verse-by-Verse Study of the Book of Revelation:
“The clear teaching of Satan’s binding for a thousand years is what makes the amillennial position so ludicrous. Satan is in no way bound right now. But Revelation 20:2-3 makes it clear there is coming a time when he will be bound for a thousand years which the amillennialists say is purely figurative. That position is illogical.”
It’s like we are all gathering in North Myrtle Beach for Christmas this year from Saturday, December 23 through Tuesday, December 26.
Rental contracts, plane tickets,and work schedules are all based on those very specific dates.
Those aren’t figurative, symbolic, or spiritual dates.
They are actual dates.
Satan being bound for a thousand years and then being let out for a short time–means just that to premillennialists.
Matthew Waymeyer polishes up the literal meaning of v. 3 in Revelation 20 and The Millennial Debate:
“Hundreds of years before the first coming of Christ, Satan was found to be ―roaming about on the earth and walking around on it‖ (Job 1:7), and today hundreds of years after the first coming Satan still ―prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour‖ (1 Pet 5:8). Simply stated, Satan is not currently bound and imprisoned in the abyss, and the millennium of Revelation 20 has not yet begun.”
Me?
I just love the image of how Satan is bound and thrown into the Abyss.
Has that binding already happened?
I don’t know.
Maybe.
Yesterday, as I struggled with my feelings about the ongoing torment of my knee replacement surgery, I would dip down into self-pity and hopelessness.
Through prayer, I would painstakingly apply what I’ve been learning, and regain a positive outlook on my rehab and I would announce to Karen–SATAN IS BOUND!
To my mind, Satan is still loose. He still clouds my mind with pain. He wants me to give up. He wants me to be whiny and miserable.
Rebecca Skaggs and Priscilla Benham write in Revelation: A Pentecostal Commentary about Satan’s binding in the Abyss:
“The figure of sealing the pit recalls the actions of the Romans when they imprisoned someone they sealed the door with the imperial seal. Similarly, God seals the pit where Satan is bound: he is powerless to escape until God allows him to do so. The language describing Satan’s release further supports the conclusion that Satan’s release is in God’s control. Satan is released so that the remainder of God’s plan will be accomplished. This imprisonment is not necessarily for punishment. It is specifically to shut down Satan’s activities temporarily.”
Symbolic? Literal?
Does it matter as long as Christ is victorious? 🙂
Lord, we thank You for Your triumph over evil–either now or in the future. Help us pray for our leaders and that they will govern with justice and righteousness.
Lord, in moments when we face our own spiritual battles, may we find refuge in the truth that Satan’s power is limited and temporary.
Amen.