So that he might not deceive the nations
Sun, 18 June, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 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.
Today we come to the only place in scripture that talks of Satan being bound for a thousand years. There have been numerous books written on the topic of the millennium. There are many different views on exactly what it means. People have spent countless hours studying it, debating it, and coming up with their own theories of what will happen when in the millennium. But all that effort to explain this one thousand year period is based upon this one passage that mentions Satan being bound for a thousand years.
What do we learn from this?
In studying scripture, we should always be careful to explain the obscure passages in light of the clear. There are passages in scripture that are not clear to us, either because we are ignorant of the situation and circumstances of the original audience, or because the language and customs are so different from ours, or for some other reason.
The book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is a highly symbolic book, and it isn’t always clear exactly what the symbol means and how far we can take the interpretation.
What we can confidently say about this passage is that God is in total control of Satan and his activities. Satan can only do what God allows him to do. What a comfort that is for us to know that the great enemy of God and of His people is completely under God’s control. Even though he is in rebellion against God, he can’t go one step beyond what God allows.
Specifically, we see that during the millennium Satan is bound so that he might not deceive the nations any longer. There is a purpose to this leash God puts him on. For a time, Satan is limited in a way he was not previously, and this limit will be removed after the period of time.
Where is Christ in this passage?
I believe this time of Satan’s binding refers to the gospel era as the church brings the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. It started in Jerusalem, and then moved out to Judea and Samaria, and on to the ends of the earth. The gospel has been successfully progressing through the world because Satan has been limited in his ability to deceive people.
According to how I understand this passage, we are living in this period of time. We can confidently tell others about the problem of sin and the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ knowing that we will meet with success. Satan is not allowed to blind everyone to the truth of the gospel, and some will respond in faith. The gospel will continue to spread and the kingdom of God will grow, because Satan is bound and is not allowed to deceive the nations.
