What does the binding of Satan in Revelation 20 accomplish?

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.”

Revelation 20:1–3, ESV

As we establish when the binding of Satan occurred, we can also anticipate an objection – “How can Satan be bound when Scripture says so many things about Satan’s activity?”

For example, Peter says in 1 Peter 5:8 –

Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

So, let’s consider what the binding of Satan accomplishes.

What is the result of Satan being bound in Revelation 20?

One of the problems with this objection is that the objector doesn’t understand what this binding consists of. The thought seems to go: if Scripture says that Satan is bound, then that means Satan cannot be active in any way.

But that’s reading into the text. Because Revelation 20:1-3 qualifies for us what this binding is.

The binding is limited to one thing –

and [the angel] threw [Satan] into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer

Satan is bound for this reason – and this reason alone – so that he might not deceive the nations anymore.

Satan bound like a ferocious dog

We can visualize this binding of Satan by using a human example.

Think of a ferocious dog – a very vicious dog – one that if you opened your front door he’d run straight out the door and would attack the first person or animal that he sees.

What does the owner of that dog – if he wants to keep that dog – do? He makes sure that when his dog goes outside he is leashed.

But is the dog not dangerous anymore? He’s not vicious anymore?

No that’s not the case at all!

If a ball were to roll into that yard and a young boy were to run and grab the ball he would be mauled by the dog still – even though the dog is on a leash – as people walk by he barks and he growls and he scares and he intimidates

His ability to harm – through the use of that leash – has been curtailed. But it has not been completely stopped.

This is how we’re to think of the binding of Satan. His power to act has been curtailed by God in the sending of Christ. But God hasn’t stopped Satan’s movement completely.

The one thing he is absolutely prevented from doing now is deceiving the nations any longer.

What does “so that he might not deceive the nations any longer” mean?

Now you might say to yourself “Well the nations seem pretty deceived to me. There are a lot of unbelievers all around the world that make up a lot of these nations. Is not Satan then deceiving the nations to this day?”

Let’s think all the way back to Genesis 3:15. When our first parents fell what did God say to the Serpent?

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

God unfolds his plan for human history – that a coming Messiah will crush the head of the Serpent. He tells them that from the beginning.

How did God progressively fulfil Genesis 3:15?

But how does God go about accomplishing that in the world?

In Genesis 12 he calls Abram out of the world, and he establishes the Israelites as his people.

Does he do that with any other nation in the world? No, it’s only with Israel that he sets up his Tabernacle. It’s only with Israel that he sets up his Temple. It’s only with Israel that he establishes the ceremonial law by which they could worship God rightly. It’s only with Israel that he sets up the judicial law by which they are to live in peace with one another as a Church-state.

All the other peoples – all the other nations – were separated from God – separated from the covenant him – while God allowed light to shine within the Israelite camp.

Only Israel – and not the nations – had light

Where was the light not shining during that time? In the other nations of the world!

And without the light they were trapped in their own sin and misery and darkness – with no hope – with no escape – only eternal destruction prior to Christ.

This was the state of all nations – darkness.

Paul says the same in Acts 14:16 as he’s preaching at Lystra –

In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways.

Prior to the coming of Christ Satan was empowered over the nations. God permitted him to cover and keep them in darkness.

But with the coming of Christ all of that has changed.

Rejoice in the light Christ has given

And in that then we can rejoice.

We can rejoice that the spiritual darkness the devil had kept all the nations in is no more. We can rejoice in God’s prophetic word spoken to Abram in Genesis 12:3 – “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” – has come to fruition.

We can rejoice that Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise – that in his first coming he brought the truth of the gospel to the nations – that in his first coming he brought light to the world.

The nations as Christ’s sheep

Jesus says in John 10:14 –

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

Then he says this –

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

Christ came in order to redeem his chosen people from all the nations.

And then he gives the apostles – his emissaries – his ambassadors – that charge in Matthew 28 –

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations

Satan can’t stop the gospel

The binding of Satan for a thousand years so that he cannot deceive the nations any longer describes for us Satan’s inability during the church age to stop the gospel from having its intended effect.

God is going to save everyone from every tribe, tongue, and nation of people that he has predestined unto salvation.

No one is going to stop the gospel from going forth to the ends of the earth. No one will be able to keep the nations in darkness anymore. The gospel will not return void.

This is why Jesus can say in Matthew 16:18 –

I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

He can say that because now Satan is bound – on a leash so to speak. And so he cannot stop the advancement of the gospel. He cannot stop the advancement of the light of Christ going forth to the nations. He cannot stop one of God’s elect from being saved – if Christ died and purchased him by his blood, he cannot stop the plan of God.

God protects his people

God is keeping his people safe during this church age. He protects us. God is his people’s shield. He will not allow Satan to have your soul ever again – for he is sovereign over your soul – he rules over your soul. And he will protect all believers spiritually and salvifically.

God is saying to his people this day “Do not fear! I have Satan on a leash. Go do your task as the Church. Go accomplish the goal I’ve sent you out to do. Satan is leashed. Go pursue those missionary endeavors to the ends of the earth – because I will bless those. That’s my plan for the Church. And Satan will do nothing to stop it.”

Thank God that Satan is bound

So let us thank God for we are one of those nations that needed the light of the gospel – and apart from the gospel coming to us we would still be in our trespasses and sin.

Let us thank God for the unfathomable riches of his kindness in appointing men like Paul to go to Gentiles like us to preach the light of Christ to the world.

This was God’s plan hidden from all ages beginning in Genesis 3:15 that was veiled in the Old Testament but revealed now to us in the coming of Christ.

Let us thank God that we have now been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Let us thank God that Christ is now our peace, and he has made everyone everywhere who believes in his name one people.

Let’s thank God for breaking down that dividing wall that once stood between Jew and Gentile.

Let’s thank God for reconciling us through his Son by putting away that hostility that once stood between the Jew and the nations.

In the first coming of Christ he – by his life, death, and resurrection – bound Satan and disarmed him from keeping the nations in darkness anymore – thus securing the success of the gospel.

But Satan is still active, so resist him

But let us not be naive – let us not be deceived – because Satan is still devouring unbelievers. Satan is still gathering an army. Satan is still making war against Christ and his people. He still wants to harm you. Satan is masquerading as an angel of light.

Satan is our enemy. Satan is a slanderer. He is a tempter. He’s a liar. He’s a murderer – which is why James tells us in James 4:7 –

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Oftentimes as we preach, we say “Flee the devil! Flee temptation!”

But James says actually the devil’s going to flee you. He’s going to run from you – who are living in the grace of God.

The devil will flee you because he doesn’t know what to do with the praying Christian. He doesn’t know what to do with the Christian who lives with the two-edged sword of the word in his hand.

Satan will never take your soul. He’ll never steal your salvation. He will continue to try to attack you and harm you. But he shall never win. He will ultimately fail.

Post-millennialism vs. amillennialism on Satan’s binding in Revelation 20

This is where the difference lies between the post-millennialist and the amillennialist. During this “thousand years” that Satan’s bound, post-millennialism says that during this time when Satan is bound the gospel is going to go forth – and then as it does, the world is going to be Christianized. It’s going to be heavily dominated by Christianity.

But this is not what the amillennialist believes. This is not at all what the book of Revelation teaches. This is not at all what we see.

Instead we see that Satan is very active during the gospel age – the church age. He is very active. He is attacking believers. He is trying to raise up armies to persecute God’s people – to cause them to suffer.

Christians suffer in this world

This is why Jesus tells his churches in Revelation 2:10 –

Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

We’re a persecuted people. We’re not a prosperous people. We’re not the predominant people. We are the persecuted. We are the suffering ones.

Jesus gives us his own example. We’re not greater than our master. Jesus’ example was suffering to glory. Let us not seek to try to escape that pattern. This is what we can expect. This is what Scripture tells us we can expect as we bear witness in the name of Christ and as we keep the commandments of God.

This is why we rejoice when Christ returns. This is why we want him to return – not because he’s going to pluck us from a Christianized world – but when he comes, he’s going to pluck us from a world of suffering.

That’s why in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 we’re told by Paul that God is going to –

grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire

Jesus says in Matthew 24:22 –

And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

And in Matthew 24:29-30 –

Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Scripture knows of no such thing as a semi-curse-free, semi-suffering free, Christianized world. It only knows the present evil age and the glorious age to come.

Don’t fear, look for Christ’s return

But don’t fear. Satan is bound. Yes, he will use his minions to try to stir up people to persecute the Church and to cause us to suffer harm. But he cannot steal your salvation. He cannot have your soul. That all belongs to the Lord.

So may this cause us to look forward to that day when Christ appears in the clouds to bring that ancient foe his final defeat – the day when God will gather his people and bring us to the new heavens and the new earth – a place of true everlasting peace and joy and happiness and security and safety and prosperity.

And let us all who believe look forward to hearing the voice from the throne saying

Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.