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, and he laid hold on the monster, the old Serpent who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years were finished. And after this he must be loosed for a little time.'

In this vision John is carried back in time to the period of the binding of Satan (Mark 3:27; Colossians 2:15). The effect of Christ's presence on earth and the power He endowed on His disciples through His Spirit resulted in the restricting of Satan and his fall from heaven (Luke 10:18). Now the angel coming down from Heaven with the key of the Abyss is to act as his gaoler. See for the end of this situation Revelation 9:1. There it is clear that there has been a period when the powers of evil have been kept under restraint in the Abyss. This is in contrast with the star that fell who was also later given the key of the Abyss (Revelation 9:2). The latter was to open the Abyss. This angel in Revelation 20 is thus acting prior to that and utilising the Abyss as a prison in which to hold Satan and his minions. Satan's total grip on the world was therefore broken

The later opening of the Abyss is a theme of Revelation and is described a number of times. It is described in Revelation 9:2 where the star fallen from heaven to earth is given the key to open the Abyss, in which is the king of the Abyss, called Abaddon and Apollyon. A powerful host of evil spirits is released, including their king. It is mentioned in Revelation 17:8 where the red beast comes out of the Abyss (for a short while) and after a while goes into Destruction, compare Revelation 11:7 where he is described as the beast who comes up out of the Abyss. As Satan is here described as being chained in the Abyss (Revelation 20:3), and after his loosing also goes into Destruction (Revelation 20:10) it is natural to see these events of the Beast and Satan ‘going into Destruction' as parallel.

The Binding of Angels and Satan in the Abyss.

The Abyss is both a place where the dead go (Romans 10:7) and also a place for the imprisonment and punishment of spiritual beings (Luke 8:31). It is the unseen world other than Heaven.

We learn in Jude that “the angels who kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness until the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6). This is used as an example for false teachers, who misuse the truth to their own condemnation, showing that those who turn from the truth face severe judgment. It is clear that the chaining of angels who did not keep ‘their first estate' in everlasting chains is in the past for Jude, and the context, coming before Sodom and Gomorrah, suggests it refers to Genesis 6:1.

This is specifically confirmed by Peter, for in 2 Peter 2:4 we read, “God spared not the angels who sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus (a place of torment), and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment”, and he refers this to the time of Noah. Thus these angels were certainly chained in the abyss in pre-history because they crossed the forbidden boundary between the natural and the supernatural.

Satan also is later described by Jesus Christ Himself as being bound so that his goods can be spoiled. Indeed Jesus claimed that He was here as ‘the stronger than he' and that it would be necessary for Him to ‘bind the strong man' so that He could despoil his house (Matthew 12:29; Mark 3:27; Luke 11:22). A Greater than Satan was here. When His disciples returned from their ministry amazed that they had been able to cast out evil spirits and joyously announcing to Him their triumph, He replied, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18). In other words Satan was a defeated foe. He had seen Satan defeated at the hands of His Apostles. His statement indicated that, as the disciples had discovered, Satan was now disempowered. His total grip on the world was broken. In other words he was bound.

The heaven from which Satan ‘fell' was not the Heaven of Heavens, but the spiritual sphere in which he was active. Late in His life Jesus could declare, “now is the judgment of this world, now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (John 12:31). In other words the whole life and work of Jesus resulted in a continual binding and casting out of Satan, finalising in His victory on the cross. As Paul says in Colossians 2:15, “having spoiled principalities and powers (in the cross), he led them in a show of triumph”. His work on the cross resulted in the final spoiling and captivity of Satan and his minions.

This defeat of Satan is also described in Revelation 12:7 (which see). Satan is defeated, and having been defeated is cast down ‘to the earth', the emphasis being on the fact that he is no longer in a position to directly approach God and accuse His people. It is shortly after this point possibly that the angel, under instructions, chains the defeated foe in the Abyss which is always described as being under the earth, restricting his activities. All this suggests that the opening of the abyss to receive Satan and his angels is to be seen as a past event, an event followed by his later release in the end days (Revelation 11:1).

One objection raised to this is that it fails to explain how Satan, if he is bound in the abyss, can be so active on earth. That Satan is active can be seen quite clearly in 1 Chronicles 21:1; Job 1:6 to Job 2:7; Psalms 109:6; Zechariah 3:1; Matthew 4:1 and parallels; Matthew 12:25 and parallels; Mark 4:15; Luke 13:16; Luke 22:3; Luke 22:31; Acts 5:3; Acts 26:18; Romans 16:20; 1Co 5:5; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 1Th 2:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 1Ti 1:20; 1 Timothy 5:15; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 2:13; Revelation 2:24. We have deliberately included all the main apposite passages at the risk of overemphasis so as not to weaken the case being argued against.

In these passages we learn that Satan leads men astray, accuses them before God, tests them out, walks around like a lion seeking to devour men, is allowed limited powers against them, holds sway over unbelievers, hinders Christian activities and performs ‘lying wonders'. If he can act so, it may be asked, how can he then have been bound? As someone has sarcastically put it, ‘if he was bound, it was with a remarkably long chain'.

But this is to ignore the symbolism behind all this. The point is that Satan has been defeated, he has been chained in the abyss so that he cannot deceive the nations any more, and it is from there that he carries out his present activity, although in the end for a short time being allowed his final personal go at the world.

In regard to this we must consider:

a) That Satan is so powerful that even Michael the Archangel is wary of him (consider Jude 1:9). This being so why would he be as restrained as he is if he is not bound in some way? His powers have clearly been restricted. That is why Paul can speak of ‘that which restrains' (2 Thessalonians 2:6) until he - the man of sin - is revealed in his season. He speaks of ‘one who restrains until he be taken out of the way, and then shall be revealed the lawless one' (2 Thessalonians 2:7). The ‘restrainer' may well have in mind the angel of the abyss, and the restraint the heavenly ‘chain'.

b) How literally are we to take the descriptions in the verses which teach about Satan? The answer is that we must remember that Satan is a spirit-being who can only operate within the restrictions put on him by God. The truth is that the Bible has to teach heavenly things in earthly language. We must be careful not to over-press such language.

Taking the second consideration first. Satan comes before God to accuse both Job (Job 1:6 to Job 2:8) and Joshua the High Priest (Zechariah 3:1). But does this really mean that Satan has physical ready access to God in a physical Heavenly court, and can approach His glory and holiness without fear?

The fact is that this is simply a picture in earthly language, picturing spiritual truth in terms of the way in which great kings called men before them for judgment or praise. But God is not limited to a physical place in space and time, and nor for that matter is Satan. The aim of the picture is to express God's overall sovereignty and His awareness of all that happens, and especially of Satanic claims. It brings out the accountability of Satan. But it is not intended to be interpreted physically. If Satan were really to come into the presence of God he would shrivel up before His holiness.

In the same way the picture of Satan as being bound in a long chain in the Abyss is simply a picture. It is a picture of a doomed and controlled Satan, a picture of him as a defeated and reined-in foe, as restricted in what he can do. The homely pictures are to be seen as conveying ideas, not describing actual physical events. God is not physical, neither is Satan. We must surely therefore accept that Satan could not be bound with a physical chain. The chain is rather the restrictions put on him by God. Nor indeed could he survive in the presence of God's awesome holiness. The pictures depict spiritual realities, not physical realities.

The fact is that Satan's power is such that if he were not restrained Christians would stand no chance against him, and the world even less. If even Michael the archangel hesitates in his dealings with him (Jude 1:9), where would anyone else stand? That is why he had to be ‘restrained' by a Greater than he and is depicted as bound. He operates on his chain. As we have mentioned, 2 Thessalonians 1:6 mentions ‘that which restrains' where ‘that' is neuter and may well indicate the Abyss and the chain. So while Christians may expect to suffer from his attentions they do so in the confidence that he is restricted by God in what he can do. The result of his being bound is seen here as that the good news goes out into the whole world, ‘he deceives the nations no more' (Revelation 20:3). Light goes out to the Gentiles.

So Satan has been ‘bound' by Jesus, and subjected to the disciples in Jesus' name, and is clearly under restraint - and doomed. It is God Who restrains him. No physical chain could restrain Satan, and no physical place hold him. Those are but pictures in earthly terms. The fact that God allows him limited activity does not cancel out this fact. He is still seen as tightly controlled under God's ‘seal' like a savage dog on a leash. When he walks around seeking whom he may devour he does it through his minions, those on earth who persecute God's people. But the further point of Revelation 20:1 is that for a short period in the future that restraint will be somewhat lifted, as revealed earlier in the book.

At last he will have his hour (Revelation 17:12), the little season (Revelation 20:3). And this will lead to the final face to face encounter, and the final consummation of the victory of the One Who is the Word of God (Revelation 19:11; compare John 1:1). Thus Revelation 20:1 is a brief summary of Satan's defeat and ‘binding' under God's control in the period from the time of Jesus' first coming to the second coming of Christ.

‘Bound him for a thousand years.' In the ministry of Jesus He had laid emphasis on the fact that His people must be ready for His second coming. As the events described in Matthew 24; Mark 13 and Luke 21 occurred the people of God felt the excitement mounting and began to look for that return. But the years passed and He did not come. It was then that the Apostles drew their attention to the fact that in God's eyes even a thousand years was but a short time (2 Peter 3:8).

Peter said, “Do not forget this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day' (2 Peter 3:8). If there is delay in His coming, he says, it is because of God's longsuffering, His desire to give men ample opportunity for repentance. So he sees ‘a thousand years' as representing that unknown space of time between Christ's first and second coming. It simply means a long, long time. Indeed through Peter's words it may well have become a technical term for that period. And it is for the same length of time that Satan must be bound. It is thus a round number indicating what could be a considerable period of time, the length of which was unknown.

Note on the Biblical Use of ‘A Thousand'.

We do not intend to discuss the question of what a ‘thousand' indicates when it is used as a part of larger numbers, only its significance when used on its own, as here. Nor will we consider its use when it means a military or family unit. There are a good number of examples of its use on its own:

1). In many cases it is used simply in order to indicate a large amount. Thus:

· ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as you are, and bless you, as He has promised you!' (Deuteronomy 1:11). Here it is simply the equivalent of our saying, ‘I have a thousand things to do.' It simply means, ‘many times'.

· ‘And the man said to Joab, ‘Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in my hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king's son: for in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom (2 Samuel 18:12). This is similar to the first case and simply means a large round number. The ‘thousand' was figurative.

· ‘And he spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were a thousand and five' (1 Kings 4:32). Here we have a generalisation probably indicating a huge number of proverbs and a large number of songs.' Compare how we might say, ‘I've got thousands of them', and ‘I have a thousand and one things to do'.

· ‘For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills' (Psalms 50:10). We can assume that no one asks who the cattle on the other hills belong to. Here a thousand hills point to all hills.

· ‘Your neck is like the tower of David built for an armoury, on which there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men' (Song of Solomon 4:4). Again the significance is of a large number.

· ‘And it shall come about in that day, that every place will be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briars and thorns (Isaiah 7:23). Again the significance is of a large number.

· ‘Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand' (Daniel 5:1). It is doubtful if this is intended to indicate an actual number. It rather means a large number of lords.

2). More significant in this context are the examples where ‘a thousand' is used with a time word indicating the passage of time:

· ‘Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, Who keeps covenant and mercy with those who love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations' (Deuteronomy 7:9). We suspect here that no one would suggest here that God's mercy would fail once the thousand generations were past, nor that it bound God specifically to a thousand generations. It simply means a great many.

· ‘For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of My God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness' (Psalms 84:10). Again the significance of ‘a thousand' is ‘many', and once more in a time context.

· ‘For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night' (Psalms 90:4). Here the idea is of a large number, (he could have used any large round number). It is important here because it refers both to how God sees time, and to a time context.

· ‘He has remembered His covenant for ever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations' (Psalms 105:8). Here again we have a reference to God's view of time and it is related specifically to the passing of time and to a time word, ‘generations'. No one would suggest that here the idea is that after a thousand generation He would forget His covenant, nor that He is indicating that a thousand generations will actually be achieved.

· ‘Yes, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet has he seen no good. Do not all go to one place?' (Ecclesiastes 6:6). Here ‘a thousand years' signifies a long time, and interestingly it can without difficulty be seen as two thousand.

All this would seem to stress that when God says ‘a thousand years' it simply means a long extent of time.

End of note.

‘After this he must be loosed for a little time.' In Revelation 17 the scarlet beast is released from the abyss for such a time (Revelation 17:8), as is the king of the abyss (Revelation 9:11), and under the wild beast the ten kings exercise authority for ‘one hour' (Revelation 17:12). Satan himself is also aware from the beginning that he only has ‘a short time' (Revelation 12:12). So all the ingredients of these first three verses are found earlier in Revelation. They are a resume of what has gone before.