I. INTRODUCTION
A. Preview Blog Posts
- The Lamb and 144,00 at Mt. Zion (Rev 14:1-5)
- Three Angels Fly Through the Air (Rev 14:6-13)
- The Earth Is Harvested (Rev 14:14-20)
- The Song of Moses and Seven Last Plagues (Rev 15)
- The First Through Fifth Bowl Judgments (Rev 16:1-11)
- The War of Armageddon (Rev 16:12-21)
- Five Views on the Identity of Babylon in Revelation 17-18
- Judgment on the Great Prostitute (Rev 17:1-8)
- Jesus Christ’s Return (Rev 19:11-21)
B. Text of Revelation 20:1-10
“1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding the keys of the abyss. He also held a large chain in his hand. 2He seized the dragon—the ancient serpent-who is the Devil and Satan, and tied him up for a thousand years. 3The angel threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the 1,000 years were over. After this it is necessary for him to be released for a short time.
4Then I saw thrones and the ones sitting on them were given authority to judge. These are the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the Word of God. They refused to worship the beast, his statue, and they did not take the mark on their forehead or on their hands. They came to life again and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the 1,000 years were over.) This is the first resurrection. 6The blessed and saints have a share in the first resurrection. For them, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
7When the thousand years have ended, Satan will be let out of prison 8and he will go out to deceive the nations from the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for war. Their number will be like sand of the sea. 9They went up to the wide plain of the earth and they surrounded the saint’s headquarters and city which they loved. But! Fire came down from heaven and consumed them completely. 10Then the Devil—who deceives everyone—was cast into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and false prophet are. There they all will be tortured day and night forever and ever.” (Rev 20:1-10)[ref]Unless otherwise noted, all translations are my own based on the NA28 Greek
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C. General Remarks
“Jesus wins. All Christians can agree on a few things, and this is one of them.” (Hitchcock, The End
“At this point above all – above all the rest of the New Testament, itn my experience – it doesn’t do to be too dogmati. We must hold on to the central things which John has made crystal clear: the victory of the lamb, and theh call to share his factory through faith andpatience. God will then do what God will then do.” (Wright, Revelation for Everyone
“This is one of the great chapters of the Bible. It presents in summary the tremendous series of events that relate to the millennial reign of Christ on earth. In this future period of a thousand years, many expositors believe that hundreds of Old Testament prophecies will be fulfilled.” (Walvoord, Revelation
D. Prophecies of the Millennial Reign of Christ
- “May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass, like the showers that water the earth. May all the godly flourish during his reign. May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more. May he reign from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. Desert nomads will bow before him; his enemies will fall before him in the dust.” (Psalm 72:6–9, NLT)
- “All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him.” (Psalm 72:11, NLT)
- “In the last days, the mountain of the LORD’s house will be the highest of all— the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the LORD’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. The LORD will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:2–4, NLT)
- “He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked.” (Isaiah 11:4, NLT)
- “In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD. In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to bring back the remnant of his people— those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt; in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Elam; in Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands. He will raise a flag among the nations and assemble the exiles of Israel. He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth. Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah will end. They will not be rivals anymore.” (Isaiah 11:6–13, NLT)
- “And in anger I will reach out with my strong hand and powerful arm, and I will bring you back from the lands where you are scattered. I will bring you into the wilderness of the nations, and there I will judge you face to face. I will judge you there just as I did your ancestors in the wilderness after bringing them out of Egypt, says the Sovereign LORD. I will examine you carefully and hold you to the terms of the covenant. I will purge you of all those who rebel and revolt against me. I will bring them out of the countries where they are in exile, but they will never enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 20:34–38, NLT)
II. BINDING SATAN (Rev 20:1-3)
A. An Angel with a Key (v. 1)
Καὶ εἶδον ἄγγελον καταβαίνοντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔχοντα τὴν κλεῖν τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ ἅλυσιν μεγάλην ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ.
“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding the keys of the abyss. He also held a large chain in his hand.” (Rev 20:1)
The “abyss” is the prison house of demonic spirits (1 Enoch 10:4; 18:14; 2 Peter 2:4). They they wait for their final destiny. The abyss (Rev 19:20) is a holding place and seems to be less severe than the lake of fire mentioned in Rev 19:20; 20:10.