SATAN IS BOUND AND KING
JESUS BEGINS HIS 1,000 YEAR REIGN
UPON THIS EARTH
Revelation 20:1-6
As taught by Dave
Lindstrom
I. Satan is bound in the Abyss for most
of the 1,000 year reign of King Jesus on this earth (Rev 20:1-3).
A. The most natural reading of the
book of Revelation places the binding of Satan and the Millennial
reign (1,000 years) of Christ after the events of the seal, trumpet,
and bowl judgments (Rev. 6:1 – 19:21) and before the New Heaven
and New Earth (Rev. 21:1 – 22:5).
1. This was the accepted method of
interpreting the book of Revelation by the early church for
greater than the first 300 years of church history. The Greek
word for 1,000 is “chilia” and people that believed in a
literal 1,000 year reign of Christ were called Chiliasts. The Latin
word for 1,000 is “mille” and the Latin word for year is
“annum” so the 1,000 years of Christ’s reign became known
as the Millennium.
a. A person who believes that Christ
will return to this earth “before” setting up and reigning
1,000 years literally and physically on this earth is called a
Premillennialist.
b. An Amillennialist is a person who
believes that the 1,000 year time period is not literal but
symbolic. Many of them believe that if there is a millennial reign
of Christ, it is already happening during this present time of
the church. They also would believe that Satan was bound at the
time of Christ’s death and resurrection and, therefore, Satan’s
power in this world was very much reduced (see if you agree with
this – Acts 5:3; I Cor. 5:5, 7:5; 2 Cor. 2:11,
11:14, 12:7; I Tim. 1:20).
c. A Postmillennialist is a person
who believes that the church will usher in the restoration and
millennial reign of Christ on this earth under Christ’s invisible
direction. Christ will then return visibly after this
millennial work on earth (by the church) to judge the wicked and
set up His New Heaven and New Earth (see if you agree with this – Matt. 24:1-31; 2 Thes. 2:1-12; 2
Tim. 3:1-13).
B. After King Jesus has returned with
His armies to this earth (Rev. 19:1-14), conquered the armies of
the Antichrist (Rev. 19:15-19), and judged the Antichrist and False
Prophet (Rev. 19:20, 21), He now turns His attention to Satan
himself before setting up His earthly kingdom (verse 1).
C. An angel comes down from heaven
(like Rev. 10:1, 18:1) having the key to the Abyss (the demonic or
fallen angels prison Rev. 9:1) and a great chain in his hand. Satan
had been thrown out of heaven about 3 ½ years earlier (verse 1;
Rev. 12:9).
D. This angel laid hold of Satan
(“adversary”) who was also known by the names of the dragon
(Rev. 12:9), that old serpent (Gen. 3:1-15), and the devil
(“accuser or slanderer” Rev. 12:9). The angel bound Satan with
the chain (made from something that could hold powerful spiritual
beings in a similar way that the Abyss contains fallen angels),
threw him into the Abyss, and the Abyss was shut and sealed
(insured of no escape). This is where Satan will be for almost all
of the 1,000 year reign of King Jesus except for a time of short
deception (Rev. 20:7) and finally being eternally banished to the
lake of fire (Rev. 20:10) (verses 2, 3).
THOUGHT: Think of
what life on earth will be like with King Jesus ruling the entire
earth and Satan being bound. Thank Yahweh that you will be a part
of it. Pray for those who do not yet believe that their minds would
be opened and that they can discern truth from error (2 Cor. 4:4).
II. King Jesus sets up His rule on this
earth with His saints which will last 1,000 years (Rev. 20:4-6).
A. The Apostle John sees two different
groups that are going to be with King Jesus during His 1,000 year
earthly reign. The first group is going to judge on thrones which
seems to be a reference to his resurrected Old and New Testament
saints ruling with Him as His co-heirs (verse 4a; Dan. 7:9-10, 22-27; Matt. 19:28; Rom.
8:16; I Cor. 6:3; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 11:18). The second group is
the saints that have died in the Great Tribulation by martyrdom
(after the rapture by axe beheading) because they refused to take
the mark of the beast, and stuck to the word of God and the message
of Jesus (verse 4b; Rev. 13:1-18, 14:9-13, 16:15). These two groups
receive their new bodies before the 1,000 year reign of Christ for
the purpose of living and reigning with Him (verse 4).
B. The rest of the dead (which would
be the Old Testament, New Testament, Tribulational, and Millennial
unbelievers) do not receive resurrected bodies until the 1,000 year
reign of Christ is completed (verse 5).
C. Believers in Yahweh Jesus (Old,
New, Tribulational) are blessed and holy (favored by Yahweh and set
apart for His service) because they are free from the second death
(lake of fire,
Rev. 20:14) and will be priests of
God forever and reign with Christ for 1,000 years (verse 6;
Isa. 61:6; I Pet. 2:5-11; Rev. 1:6,
5:10, 22:3-5).
D. Through the book of Revelation,
Yahweh has given to His believers increased understanding
concerning the phasing of the bodily resurrections and duration of
the reign of King Jesus from what is found in I Corinthians
15:20-28.
THOUGHT: John uses
the term “thousand years” six times in seven verses in Revelation
20:1-7. From a contextual, grammatical, literal, and historical
standpoint, what Biblical information causes you to take this number
literally or figuratively?
