Free Bible Commentary
“Revelation 20:1-3”
Categories: Revelation“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.”
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A “key” is a symbol for authority to lock and unlock, to bind and loosen (Matthew 16:19). When the fifth seal was opened, John saw the vision of “a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him” (Revelation 9:1). Satan used the key to open the abyss and release noxious smoke and hideous locust creatures to inflict pain upon God’s enemies. That key has now been transferred to an angel, along with “a great chain” with which to bind that “fallen star” for “a thousand years” (verse 2). With his allies, the great beast and the false prophet having been thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20), the dragon’s previous power to control the nations has been stymied, but he is by no means a toothless beast.
Christ first spoke of “binding” Satan when He was accused of casting out demons by the power of the devil in Matthew 12:24-29. He asked the rhetorical question: “How can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” (Matthew 12:29). Jesus came to live and die as a man and sacrifice His life for the sins of all mankind in order to break Satan’s death-grip over the grave (Hebrews 2:14-15), and to release us from the bondage of sin and death (Romans 6:12-16). Satan no longer has the power to bind people by demon possession or to accuse the brethren before God (Revelation 12:10). But our adversary still “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour,” so we must continually “resist him, firm in” our “faith”. (1 Peter 5:8-9)
Homer Hailey astutely commented on verse 2 about man’s greatest enemy: “As a dragon, he is strong and ferocious; as the old serpent, he is the cunning deceiver, who from Eden has beguiled with his craftiness (II Cor. 11:3); as the devil, he has been the accuser and slanderer, the malignant enemy of God and man; and as Satan, he is the adversary, opponent and antagonist of all that is good.” Concerning the “thousand years” of verses 2-3, Robert Harkrider wrote: “The total of a thousand is reached by the number ten multiplied and raised to the third degree, the apocalyptic symbol of highest completeness. ‘the thousand years’ symbolizes a full, uninterrupted period of time. Neither Satan nor any other force can alter God’s purposes. His kingdom ‘cannot be moved’ (Heb. 12:28). Christ was born when the ‘fulness of time was come’ (Gal. 4:4), and he shall return in the fullness of the time at God’s own bidding, not Satan’s.”
Again, Homer Hailey made the following keen observation about verse 3: “The abyss was the place dreaded by the demons, and apparently was their proper place of habitation (Luke 8:31). The sealing of the abyss is reminiscent of the tomb of Jesus which was sealed that it might not be tampered with and the body stolen (Matt. 27:66). Also the book in the hand of God was ‘close sealed with seven seals,’ safeguarding its content (5:1). The purpose of casting the devil into the abyss was not punitive, for his punishment comes later (v. 10); but it was preventive. He was now restrained from deceiving the nations, trapping and controlling them as he did before Jesus came, for his power and the power of paganism are now broken.”
Please read Revelation 20:4-6 for tomorrow.
Have a wonderful day!
-Louie Taylor
