The Binding of Satan - 52

Well, tonight we come to arguably the most controversial and debated subject in the entire book of the Revelation.

Tonight will only be an introduction to this theme. This subject will probably be dealing with this subject for at least two more sermons after tonight. And the subject is the Millennial Reign of Christ.

The Millennial Reign of Christ. Respected scholars and theologians differ on their understanding and interpretation of this subject. And as important as the subject is, and I believe it's very important, this is not the gospel.

We must be charitable and gracious in our defending and arguing for our position. This is not a subject that is in the category of essential doctrine. Our confession does not state a particular millennial position that you must hold. We do not make this a test of fellowship, and we do not have a position that you must hold to as a criteria for membership. You say, well then, it doesn't sound like it's very important. It's very important. But it's never been a test of fellowship here, and Lord willing, it's not going to be a test of fellowship in the days to come.

So where do we begin? Well, I believe that it is vital to a correct interpretation and understanding of Revelation chapter 20 by considering again the structure of the book of Revelation. I've shown this to you several times, but I think with the subject at hand, it is critical that we revisit that. The structure of the book is not chronological.

You must get that in your head. The structure of the book is not chronological. Instead, there are seven cycles that John's vision continued to describe. He's revisiting the same period of history. Each cycle brings a little different nuance, a little more detail, speaking from a little different perspective, but again, seven cycles. Each of these seven cycles begins with some reference to the first advent of Christ, the first coming of Christ, and each cycle ends with some reference to the second advent or the second coming of Christ. Now, with that critical observation, when we come to chapter 20 of Revelation, which begins, by the way, with the seventh and final cycle of the book, we understand that chapter 20 does not follow chapter 19 chronologically, any more than does chapter 12, which introduces or begins the fourth cycle, follow chronologically with chapter 11. I'd like to take you back and show you that pattern, but for sake of time, I won't tonight.

We may again, because of the importance of it, revisit it another time. But how does chapter 19 end? Chapter 19 ends with the full and final judgment and wrath of God poured out upon an unbelieving, wicked, defiant world. Here's the final battle, the battle of Armageddon being mentioned.

And Christ stands victorious over all of his enemies. That's the end of chapter 19. If this book was written chronologically, what would we expect to read when we turn to chapter 20? We would expect to read about the consummation of this age and the ushering in of the age to come, the new heaven and the new earth. But what does Revelation 20 verses 1 to 3 describe? Let me read these three verses. We're not going to get very far in our consideration tonight, but let me again read the first three verses.

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot. I'm sorry, I'm in the wrong chapter. It took me a whole verse to realize I was in the wrong chapter.

Something's not sounding right here. I'm sorry, Revelation 20. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him so that he should not deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.

But after these things, he must be released for a little while. Before I get to the exposition of these opening verses of Revelation, I want to take just a few minutes and sketch for you the major tenets of the three most popular millennial views. The three most popular millennial views. View number one, the premillennial position. The premillennial position.

I think it's probably the most popular position in our day and age. The position argues that there will be a literal thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth after Christ's second coming. Then the consummation of all things. Those who hold to this position usually are pessimistic about the future. Things are going to get worse and worse, then Jesus is going to return.

Which leads to a why bother mentality toward the culture. We know things are just going to get worse and worse, so why be busy about rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic is the mindset. These are very broad strokes, but just setting out briefly these three popular millennial positions. That's the premillennial position. Then there is the post millennial position. This is the position that the millennium comes before the second coming. That this thousand years of Christ's reign actually occurs during the church age. That the church age enjoys a golden age.

These individuals see the millennium as symbolic, not as a literal thousand years. They are very optimistic about the future. Things are going to get better and better and better. The gospel is going to spread and spread and spread.

Nations are going to become more and more Christianized. Then there is the all millennial view. I'm disappointed that this position has carried this title because I think it's inaccurate.

It's misleading. The all millennial view is misleading because the prefix all means not or no. That the all millennial position does not believe in a millennium.

But I do not think that accurately represents the position. The all millennial view sees the millennium as the age between the first and the second coming of Christ, which is now. The all millennial position is that Christ is reigning right now. That the reign of Christ isn't something future. That the reign of Christ is right now. The all millennial view says that what happens at the end of this period of time is that Christ is going to return at the consummation of all things at the end of the age. People who hold this view always see the millennium, a thousand years, as symbolic. They're viewing eschatology through the lens of an already and a not yet.

What do I mean by that? Christ is reigning right now. But there is a sense in which his reign will take on fuller dimensions at the consummation. All of his enemies will be placed under his feet.

There will be no opposition to his reign. So he's reigning now and not yet fully reigning as he will in that day. Christ is reigning here and now, in and through his church, and yet his reign is not consummated until he returns in the future. Now, the exposition of Revelation 20. Let me just mention in those first ten verses of the chapter, there are six references to the thousand years.

So, we're not going to get away from that. It permeates these first ten verses. But, what the first couple of verses do consider and pertain to is the binding of Satan. John says, Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him, so that he should not deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.

But after these things, he must be released for a little while. Now again, this is apocalyptic literature. It's very symbolic and figurative language. We're not to be viewing this in a literal fashion.

We've not taken that approach throughout our study. And this is not the time to abandon that hermeneutic. The London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 says this in chapter 1 and paragraph 9. The infallible rule of interpretation of scripture is the scripture itself. And therefore, when there is a question about the true and the full sense of any scripture, it must be searched by other places that speak more clearly. Admittedly, the language here is a bit vague. We don't have much detail to fill in our understanding.

Question. Is there any other place in the Bible that speaks about the binding of Satan or any other passages that might give us an idea about this event as to when it occurred and what it means? So the first consideration in this study about the millennial reign of Christ is the timing of the binding of Satan. The timing of the binding of Satan.

And I'm going to take you to a number of places that speak to this matter. And we'll begin in the gospels. So turn with me to Matthew chapter 12, Matthew chapter 12. This is beginning at verse 22. Then one was brought to him who was demon possessed, blind and mute.

And he, that is Jesus, healed him so that the blind man, the blind and the mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, Could this be the son of David? Now, when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. When Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man?

And then he will plunder his house. He who is not with me is against me. And he who does not gather with me scatters abroad. This is what Jesus is saying to these Pharisees. Your explanation for the power I possess to cast out demons is illogical and self-contradictory. Because if I am using Satan's power to cast out Satan's demons, then Satan is enabling me to destroy his own kingdom.

It would be like a military general calling on his artillery to bomb his own infantry. You're not going to fight your own people and your own army, or else your kingdom is going to collapse. So Jesus is saying, in effect, there is another explanation as to why I am able to cast out demons. And that is because I have bound the prince of demons, and therefore I can ravage his kingdom. That's what Jesus is saying. Jesus is telling the Pharisees, my ability to cast out demons is because I have bound the master of demons, Satan himself. And I can take Satan's people out of his kingdom of darkness and translate them into my kingdom of light, because I have bound him and he cannot do anything to stop me. Amen?

Amen. Here we have a clear statement about Jesus at his first advent binding Satan. Now, it's interesting to note that the very word used in Revelation 20 verse 2 for the binding of Satan is the same Greek word that is used in Matthew 12 verse 29 for the binding of Satan. Let me read verse 29 again.

Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man? The word bind there, the same Greek word that's in verse 12, Matthew 12 29 is in Revelation 20 verse 2. When did the binding of Satan take place? It took place at the first coming of Jesus while he was here on the earth. That is why he could cast out demons and take people who were in Satan's kingdom and bring them out of it and into his own kingdom because he had bound Satan.

He could go in and pillage and plunder Satan's kingdom of his people and take them to be his own people. Matthew 12 22 to 29. Now, turn to Luke chapter 17. I'm sorry, Luke chapter 10. We'll look at verses 17, 18 and 19.

Luke 10 beginning at verse 17. Then the 70 returned with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. Jesus is sent to 70 out two by two, and he told them to cast out demons and preach the gospel.

And they return and they give this report that I just read. Here again, we have the beginning of the downfall, the control and the containment of Satan as a result of the first coming of Christ and his teaching and his works. Satan is falling from power. Jesus bound Satan in such a way that not only could he ravage Satan's house, but his disciples could also ravage Satan's house. Once again, we see Jesus containing, controlling and overpowering Satan and defeating his agenda and his purposes.

When does he do this? He does this at his first coming. In verse 19, the serpents and the scorpions are metaphors for Satan and his demons. The idea being that not only Jesus, but also his disciples have power over the enemy and over his demons. The enemy can do nothing to harm or hurt his disciples as they go out and preach the gospel, nor can they stop the spread of the gospel. John chapter 12.

Turn there with me. John 12. Before I read these few verses in John 12, verses 20 to 22, there's a little background here. There were certain Greeks that came to worship at the feast who came to Philip and said, Sir, we would see Jesus. The apostles bring the message to Jesus that Gentiles want to see him. And this has great significance to Jesus because it symbolizes the expansion of his kingdom to include all categories of people and not just the Jews. Notice verse 20.

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast. Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we wish to see Jesus. Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn, Andrew and Philip told Jesus. Now, notice what Jesus says in verses 31 and 32. Jesus says, Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

And if I and I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself. Again, the word cast out in verse 31. Now is the judgment of this world.

Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. Is the same root word as is found in Revelation 20, verse 3, when it says that Satan was cast into the bottomless pit. There's three passages in the Gospels. Let's move from the Gospels to the Epistles. Turn with me to Colossians chapter 2. Verse 13. Well, let's begin at verse 11. Colossians 2, verse 11. In him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism in which you also were raised with him through faith in the working of God who raised him from the dead. Verse 13. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has made alive together with him, having forgiven you, all trespasses. All trespasses.

I don't know why I got tongue tied with that word. This is good news, folks. This is good news. All your trespasses are forgiven. No matter what kind they are, no matter how many they are, no matter how terrible they are, he has forgiven you all trespasses.

How did he do that? Verse 14. Having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us, and he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Jesus took the bill that the law of God wrote out that charged us with what we owed for our transgression against it, and Jesus said, I will pay that.

I will pay that. And he nailed it to his cross, and he paid every claim for punishment that it made against us. Now notice verse 15. Having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. He disarmed principalities and powers. That's warfare language.

When warfare occurred and you defeated a soldier, you disarmed him by stripping him of his sword and armor and shield so that he was left defenseless. The phrase there in verse 15, principalities and powers, refers to Satan and his demons. In Paul's writing, and he is looking back to the cross, and he's writing about what happened at the cross. What happened at the cross was not only the forgiveness of our sins. What happened at the cross was the triumph over Satan. Jesus stripped him of all his power.

Jesus mocked him publicly and paraded him before the spiritual universe as a defeated foe. That's what Jesus did. That's our passage in Colossians. Interestingly enough, let's turn to Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2.

Pastor Barkman spoke to this this morning. Six things that Jesus accomplished at the cross. Verse 14, in as much then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. Question, when was the devil destroyed?

Answer, when Jesus took part in our flesh and blood and died on the cross. By Christ's death on the cross, Satan's power of death was removed. Now when it says that Satan was destroyed, it means he was defeated.

His power over death was defeated and destroyed. It's not saying that Satan was destroyed in the sense that he was annihilated, but his power over death was destroyed. One more, 1 John chapter 3 and verse 8. John says this, He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Here is John writing and he is doing what Paul did.

He's looking back to the cross and he says, again, what does he say? For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Question, did he succeed in destroying the works of the devil at his first coming? Absolutely he did, because if he didn't, the Bible is not telling us the truth.

He did. Back to Revelation chapter 20. By studying these gospel passages and these passages in the epistles, it becomes quite obvious when Satan was bound. He was bound at the time of the cross by the work of Jesus at his first advent. The binding of Satan is something that has already taken place in the past, again at the first coming of Jesus. Therefore, when did the thousand years begin?

When did the thousand years begin? It began when Satan was bound. When was Satan bound? He was bound at the first coming of Jesus. If Satan was bound at the first coming of Jesus, then the millennium began at the first coming of Jesus.

What does that mean? It means we are living in the millennium right now. The millennium is not something that begins in the future. It is something that began two thousand years ago and has been going on up to this very point in time. Again, the all millennial position means no millennium.

Let me quantify or qualify that. No millennium, that is no literal thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth after his second coming. Satan is going to be bound for a thousand years. And when the thousand years have passed, he's going to be loosed. And again, the question we have to ask is, do we understand this thousand year period literally or figuratively?

I think you're going to know the answer to my question. Let me ask you to look with me again at these opening couple of verses. And as we do, ask yourself this question. Are these images, these word pictures given to us, are we to understand them literally or figuratively? John says, I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit. Do we think that this angel is coming with a literal key in his hand? I do not think he's coming with a literal key in his hand.

You can turn to Revelation 1 verse 18, chapter 3 and verse 7, chapter 9 and verse 1. There are three references that speak of keys. Jesus has the keys of heaven and hell.

What does that mean? He has authority. Keys represent authority, speak of authority. So I don't believe this angel is coming with a literal key, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. Do we really think the angel's coming with a literal chain?

No. I think that's, again, figurative. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. Does Satan have human constitution or is he a spirit? He's a fallen angel.

How do you lay hold of a spirit being? Again, this is not to be understood literally. This is to be understood symbolically or figuratively.

I think if you're listening to me tonight and you're honest with the text, I don't know how you come to any other conclusion, which drives this point home. If all of that is figurative, what hermeneutic then allows us to say, oh, when it's speaking of a thousand years, that's a literal thousand years. If the key and the chain and the devil himself are not literal, on what basis do we say, well, a thousand years has got to be literal?

I mean, a thousand years is a thousand years, I hear people say. Numbers throughout the book of Revelation have been understood figuratively. So, there's no biblical warrant that insists that we must take this literally. Now, if Christ is happening right now during this church age and Satan is supposed to be bound, how do you explain all the wickedness in the world? How do you explain the present activity of Satan in this world if he is bound?

That is a legitimate question. Let me just take a couple of minutes and try and answer that objection. The binding of Satan is very specific and particular. The binding of Satan does not mean or imply that all evil everywhere is gone. It does not say that Satan is rendered powerless.

What does it say? Notice with me in verse 3. And he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him so that, or because. Because of what?

So that what? So that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. He's bound so that he might not deceive the nations any longer.

Now, out of all the scheming and all the activity of Satan mentioned in the Bible, one thing and one thing only is mentioned in Revelation 20 and verse 3. That is, he will be bound so that he will not deceive the nations any longer. Again, it does not mean that he's rendered powerless. He has no activity.

No, the Bible says contrary. He's a roaring lion roaming about seeking whom he may devour. So the binding is limited, it's particular, it's specific. Let me just make a few applications. As you can see, we haven't got very far and I told you on the front end there's a couple more messages coming from this passage because there's a lot here. A lot here. We recognize that there is now an open door for the proclamation of the gospel. And we need to be busy about our involvement and our activity and our funding, the work of the gospel.

Think with me. Satan was bound, his kingdom is being plundered. When Jesus was on this earth, those who were his followers amounted to a very limited sect of people.

No more than 120 or so in the upper room. How did the gospel permeate the entire world? How is the gospel flourishing? Because Satan has been bound.

The strong man has been bound. Gospel preachers, gospel workers are going in and plundering Satan's kingdom. Calling out, God is calling out his elect out of the kingdom of darkness and translating them into the kingdom of the son of his love.

That's what's going on. And when I understand and when you understand that we are saved to exercise his rule and reign through us, we must take our responsibility as ambassadors of Christ and ministers of reconciliation seriously to be involved in this great gospel work because we know that it's going to succeed. We're guaranteed success.

Why? Because they were told his name shall be called Jesus and he will save his people from their sins. Not he'll hope to, he'll try to, he may, he may not, he shall, he shall. And this gets right to the heart of our personal holiness, our personal holiness. If Christ, as I am suggesting to you tonight, is ruling and reigning, his kingdom is the place where he rules and he reigns. And if I believe his kingdom is here, if I believe his kingdom is now, if I believe his kingdom is being expressed in and through his church, then I believe his rule and reign must be expressed through me.

Which means I seek to live in obedience to the reigning king. That begs the question, are you living like you believe Christ is reigning? For the moment, let's forget about whether Christ is reigning out there. Tonight, right now, at this moment, do you believe Christ is reigning right here, in your heart, over your life?

This is very practical. There is a gospel to preach, folks, and there is a king who's reigning, who loves to plunder the kingdom of Satan and rescue his elect sinners and bring them into the kingdom of his son. Christ will have the fullness of the reward for which he died. We know that.

We know that. I trust that God has exercised you in your inner man, that his grace has come to you, that he's made you a new creature in Christ Jesus, that you're not enslaved to Satan, but you are now a bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you rejoice in the fact that he is king, that he is ruling, that he is reigning. That's the good news of the gospel. In fact, any other gospel that doesn't put Christ on the throne and insists on his rule over our lives is a falsehood. Let's rejoice in a king, in the Lord Jesus Christ, whose reign is not something we're looking for and hoping for. His reign is going on right now, in and through his church, and it's expressed in the hearts and lives of his people who are submitted to him.

Let's pray. Father, we thank you tonight for your word. We thank you for the help that you give to understand a very challenging passage that has been much debated.

There's much confusion that's been sown. I pray that you would give light, that you would illuminate our minds, that we might understand this portion of the Scriptures aright. Father, thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you that he came from heaven's glory on a rescue mission to defeat our archenemy, the devil himself, to strip him of his power, to defeat him at the cross of Calvary. And you've made promises to us that we are more than conquerors through him who loved us and gave himself for us. I bless this word to our hearts tonight, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.