Revelation chapter 20shows Satan being bound so that he may no longer deceive the nations, insuring that the gospel message will be accepted by people from every tribe and nation.
Revelation 20:1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
IV. Satan is Bound
Revelation 20:1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
As Christ had said… I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:18
And really this is why Christ came to earth. Christ appeared for this purpose, that he might destroy the works of the devil. I John 3:8
See also: Matthew 12:28-29, Mark 1:24,34, 3:11, Luke 4:41
The ancient alien rebel, Satan, who came to the Garden of Eden to extend his rebellion to earth has been bound to keep him from deceiving the nations. Christ’s death and resurrection wrested power from Satan. Because of Christ’s victory, Satan has lost his ability to keep the nations in darkness. They who were once blind have been brought out of darkness and into the light.
Christ had commanded: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 In binding Satan and restricting his power, Christ has insured the successful spread of his Kingdom to all nations and peoples.
As Christians are obedient to Christ’s command, Christ guarantees Satan’s defeat, insuring that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10
As Christ taught in Revelation 12:11: the persecuted Christians conquered him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Romans 16:20
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. Acts 26:17
“We meet together as an assembly… that as an organized force we may assail God with our prayers. Such violence is acceptable to God. We pray for Emperors, for their ministers and those in authority, for man’s temporal welfare, for the peace of the world, for the delay of the end of all things.” Tertullian, “The Writings of Tertullian”
Revelation 20:2 states that Satan will be bound for a thousand years. As we have already seen, in the Bible the term thousand refers to completeness. One example; we are told that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Psalm 50:10 This means that God owns all of the cattle; completeness. No one, in reading Psalm 50 would think to actually count out one thousand hills and conclude that the cattle on the other hills belonged to someone else.
Similarly the thousand years in Revelation 20 refers to the entire Church age in which those formerly captive to Satan’s deception are being released and are streaming into Christ’s Kingdom. And as Tertullian prayed above, perhaps we should actually pray that Christ delay the end of things so that we may have time to bring more people into his Kingdom.
V. The Church Age: 1,000 Years
Revelation 20:4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
What is the second death?
Riddle me this: Once born, twice dead. (20:14)
Twice born, once dead…
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:3-5
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-6
Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4
Everyone that you know will face death. Everyone. But as a Christian, God has granted you what everyone wants and desperately needs: life. You were born again, twice born, given life, made alive, and raised from death to walk in newness of life as priests of God and of Christ, reigning with him. You will not face the second death of eternal judgment.
Revelation 20:7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for war. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
At the end of time Satan will be allowed to once again deceive the nations. He will enlist the aid of the unbelievers of the world in an attempt to destroy the Church. Gog and Magog are ungodly forces from the prophesy of Ezekiel 38:14-16:
Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? 15 You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. 16 You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land… 39:11 “‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the valley of those who travel east of the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog.
As Gog and Magog came against ancient Israel, so too this Gog and Magog will gather unbelievers from the nations together to come against the Church, the “camp of God’s people, the city he loves.”
In one final spasm Satan will try to destroy the Church. We are told that Satan will once again will be allowed to deceive the nations and in so doing gather an army of unbelievers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. This vast unbelieving army will be coordinated to besiege Christians the world over, perhaps following the same tactics used against the First Century Christians: silencing, threatening, denying employment, confiscating property, enslaving, imprisoning, torturing, slaughtering, and as Christ had warned the First Century Christians: the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. John 16:12
Revelation 20:7-9 could very well be describing a terrible time of testing and persecution for all believers but like all of Satan’s misguided plans before; Adam in the Garden, Cain murdering Abel, Israel taken into slavery, Herod trying to murder Christ, Satan tempting Christ in the wilderness, the crucifixion, Israel and Rome trying to destroy the Church, just to name a few highlights, this plan will also ultimately be thwarted. God’s judgment will devour Satan and his army.
Though we are not told when this will happen or for how long this persecution will last, if it were to happen during your lifetime stand firm with Christ and do not give in to the hollow promises of the father of lies. Remember Christ’s words; whoever denies me before men, I will deny before my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:33
God has promised:
Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us. Isaiah 8:9-10
Fire will devour them. Genesis 19:24-25, 2 Kings 1:10-12 Satan’s cause is finally and thoroughly overthrown.
VI. Great White Throne
Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
On this point the great creeds of the Church; Apostles, Nicene, Te Deum Laudamus, Athanasian as well as the confessions; Belgic, Heidelberg, Westminster, agree, Christ will reign at God’s right hand until the end of history, at which time he will judge the living and the dead.