Binding Satan

Most of my Christian friends subscribe to a version of the end times known as dispensational millennialism (DM) introduced by John Nelson Darby and C.I. Schofield in the early twentieth century. I recently explained the place of this view in contrast to its alternatives in “Heaven Can Wait.” The major point of contention between the various views concerns the place of the millennium mentioned in Revelation 20: “And I saw and angel descending from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he seized… Satan and bound him for a thousand years.” The DM interpretation sees this thousand years, a millennium, as a literal time period during which Jesus reigns over all the earth from Jerusalem. At the end of 1,000 years, Satan is released, and the battle known as Armageddon brings about the enemy’s demise and is followed by the final judgment.

Most of those who don’t subscribe to the DM interpretation of Revelation believe the 1,000 years is a metaphor for an extended period of time. Often mentioned in defense of this idea is statement by Peter echoing Psalm 90:4 that “with the Lord, a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day.” Those who take this position are called Amillennials, and they extend their tendency to include most of Revelation as symbolic in the manner of all apocalyptic Scripture. To these folks, the millennium refers to the church age when Christ is said to be reigning over earth from heaven with His saints at His side. At the end of this long period of Christ’s rule, He will return to earth, execute judgment on all people, and institute the final state of the new heavens and new earth.

The question I am most often asked by those who look for a literal millennial reign of Jesus on earth is how I can consider Satan to be bound during the present age. To this I offer three passages of Scripture in support. First, in Colossians 2:15 we are told that Christ “disarmed the rulers and the authorities, [and] made a display of them in public, triumphing over them by it.” If this falls short of claiming Satan was bound, read Jesus’ explanation of His power to cast out demons in Matthew 12. “How can someone enter into the house of a strong man and steal his property, unless he first ties up [binds] the strong man?” Finally, Jesus told Peter that in the coming church age, “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.” The Greek Matthew used for “bind” and “release” is in a perfect tense, with passive voice. This means the best translation would be “has already been bound” and “has already been released” in heaven. Those things believers do in the Spirit are a done deal. Satan is already bound.

 The other day, my friend, John, and I were discussing this conundrum. I stumbled upon a useful analogy when John asked about the setting for Jesus’ words to Peter about binding and loosing. That exchange occurred in the area of Mt. Hermon, a location believed by locals to be the home of their gods. They called it “The Gates of Hell.” When Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail against the church, He was predicting the chaining of Satan vis-a-vis the church. That situation has come to pass. Satan has no power over believers unless they surrender their position. James promised that if believers resist the devil, he must flee. John reminds us that “the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

So, Satan is still around, but he is chained. Picture a vicious dog bound by a heavy chain. When you approach the dog, you may be frightened until you realize he is chained. But if you foolishly wander into the range of the beast’s chain, he will chew you up. Stay outside of the territory he rules, and you will be safe. We are living in the era between the initiation of God’s kingdom at the Cross of Calvary and its perfect culmination at Christ’s second coming. We are experiencing a clash of kingdoms; Satan’s kingdom, the world, still exists, but we are of a different kingdom: we are in but not of the world. Jesus follows that declaration with a prayer that the Father would protect us “from the evil one.” He has answered that prayer by binding Satan with regard to the church.

This satisfactorily explains that Satan is in fact bound during this age, the church age. Of course, there are numerous other areas of contention between Amillennials and dispensational millennials. The resolution to most of those differences can be provided by taking Scripture literally when that provides the simplest interpretation and using a symbolic approach where necessary, especially with apocalyptic literature such as Revelation. I will say again that though I differ with many of my friends regarding end times prophecy, we all must agree that however this all ends, our responsibility in the interim is to present Christ as the risen Savior who is coming again. Today as I write this, it could be the last day for me or anyone else. The Last Day is of less concern to all of us than This Day. “Behold, now is the day of salvation!”

Related posts: Take the Bible Literally Part 2; Understanding the Bible as Literature; What Happens to People Who Never Hear About Jesus?; Why Heaven Matters; Why Wait