Introduction
There is a popular belief within the church that Christians in the future will reign with Jesus for 1000 years of peace upon the earth because satan is bound. Is this biblical? Does the bible actually say that? If this is true there are so many unanswered questions and assumptions, for example…
Does the 1000 year binding of satan and the 1000 year reign of the saints start and end at the same time?
If Jesus is living on the earth during the 1000 years, why is it not mentioned anywhere in the Bible including in the book of Revelation?
Why is only satan bound and not his demons?
Where does Jesus go when satan is released?
Why do so many people turn against Jesus when satan is released?
Wouldn’t this mean that Jesus reign failed as at the end of his 1000 year earthly reign millions of people turn against him within a short period of time?
There are many more questions but we first need to investigate what the reigning and binding actually are and when they happen to get to those answers.
Are the time lines of each 1000 years the same?
Revelation chapter 20 does not mention Jesus' living on the earth or even that it is a time of peace. These assumptions are added to the text because people don’t understand what the reigning and binding are. Is the reigning only because of the binding of satan? If so we must see if both timelines match up.
The 1000 year binding
Satan’s binding for 1000 years starts in Revelation chapter 20:2
2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
Satan’s 1000 year binding ends in verse 7.
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison
The 1000 year reign starts in verse 4
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
The 1000 year reign ends in verse 12
. 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.
We know that the reign ends here in verse 12 because verse 5 tells us
5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection
These are not the same timelines they don’t match up. Satan is released from his binding just before he deceives the nations again and makes his last attempt to wipe out the church before being cast into hell. The reign ends on the judgment day when the rest of the dead comes back to life (see verse 5 above) which is after satan is finally dealt with by God. We clearly see here that the reigning isn’t because of the binding of satan because they are not the same timelines.
What is the binding of Satan?
The bible only says that Satan is bound from deceiving the nations it doesn’t say he is bound from doing any evil. I believe that Satan is bound spiritually by the power of the Holy Spirit from deceiving the nations because of the proclamation of the gospel to the world .When people hear who Jesus is and what He did for them through the gospel and accept Jesus as their savior the Holy Spirit enters them.
When the day of Pentecost came, the church grew at a great rapid speed for hundreds of years and millions of people were saved from all of the nations. Paul stated more than once that the gospel was spread throughout the whole earth during his time which was only about 20 to 30 years after the day of Pentecost. Doesn’t that sound like satan was bound from deceiving the nations as he was losing ground?
2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 tells us that Satan’s power is held back during Paul’s time.
6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
I believe that Satan was bound on the day of Pentecost as the Holy Spirit came into the world through the saints. Jesus now reigns over heaven and earth as satan was cast out of heaven. The nations would now learn that they are co heirs with Israel, we are all one body in Christ.
Revelation 12:10-12
10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.”
Satan can no longer accuse us before the throne because Christ has made us perfect
Hebrews 10:14
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
Jesus declared that satan fell from heaven after the disciples went out to preach the kingdom of God
Luke 10:18
18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
In Luke 4:5-6 Satan declares that the nations are his. This was before the death and resurrection of Jesus
.
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
The nations of the world had not heard about Jesus until the gospel was spread by the apostles. Now they can choose not to be deceived by Satan anymore because the gospel was preached to the whole world.
We are told that the gospel is preached to the whole world in Colossians 1:23
23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Titus 3:3-7 shows us that we were once deceived but now the Holy Spirit has saved us.
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Colossians 1:24-27
24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.
Paul states above that a great mystery has been revealed which is Christ in us. This mystery was hidden for ages and generations but now satan is bound from deceiving us if we choose because of the gospel which reveals this mystery.
Ephesians 3:2-11
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord
In Ephesians 3:1-11 Paul teaches us that he is to reveal a mystery that was kept from past generations which is that the gentile nations are also heirs together with Israel. This mystery was revealed by the Holy Spirit through the gospel. It was hidden in the past ages but now it is to be made known to the rulers and authorities of the heavenly realms.
There is a popular belief within the church that Christians in the future will reign with Jesus for 1000 years of peace upon the earth because satan is bound. Is this biblical? Does the bible actually say that? If this is true there are so many unanswered questions and assumptions, for example…
Does the 1000 year binding of satan and the 1000 year reign of the saints start and end at the same time?
If Jesus is living on the earth during the 1000 years, why is it not mentioned anywhere in the Bible including in the book of Revelation?
Why is only satan bound and not his demons?
Where does Jesus go when satan is released?
Why do so many people turn against Jesus when satan is released?
Wouldn’t this mean that Jesus reign failed as at the end of his 1000 year earthly reign millions of people turn against him within a short period of time?
There are many more questions but we first need to investigate what the reigning and binding actually are and when they happen to get to those answers.
Are the time lines of each 1000 years the same?
Revelation chapter 20 does not mention Jesus' living on the earth or even that it is a time of peace. These assumptions are added to the text because people don’t understand what the reigning and binding are. Is the reigning only because of the binding of satan? If so we must see if both timelines match up.
The 1000 year binding
Satan’s binding for 1000 years starts in Revelation chapter 20:2
2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
Satan’s 1000 year binding ends in verse 7.
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison
The 1000 year reign starts in verse 4
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
The 1000 year reign ends in verse 12
. 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.
We know that the reign ends here in verse 12 because verse 5 tells us
5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection
These are not the same timelines they don’t match up. Satan is released from his binding just before he deceives the nations again and makes his last attempt to wipe out the church before being cast into hell. The reign ends on the judgment day when the rest of the dead comes back to life (see verse 5 above) which is after satan is finally dealt with by God. We clearly see here that the reigning isn’t because of the binding of satan because they are not the same timelines.
What is the binding of Satan?
The bible only says that Satan is bound from deceiving the nations it doesn’t say he is bound from doing any evil. I believe that Satan is bound spiritually by the power of the Holy Spirit from deceiving the nations because of the proclamation of the gospel to the world .When people hear who Jesus is and what He did for them through the gospel and accept Jesus as their savior the Holy Spirit enters them.
When the day of Pentecost came, the church grew at a great rapid speed for hundreds of years and millions of people were saved from all of the nations. Paul stated more than once that the gospel was spread throughout the whole earth during his time which was only about 20 to 30 years after the day of Pentecost. Doesn’t that sound like satan was bound from deceiving the nations as he was losing ground?
2 Thessalonians 2:6-7 tells us that Satan’s power is held back during Paul’s time.
6 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
I believe that Satan was bound on the day of Pentecost as the Holy Spirit came into the world through the saints. Jesus now reigns over heaven and earth as satan was cast out of heaven. The nations would now learn that they are co heirs with Israel, we are all one body in Christ.
Revelation 12:10-12
10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.”
Satan can no longer accuse us before the throne because Christ has made us perfect
Hebrews 10:14
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
Jesus declared that satan fell from heaven after the disciples went out to preach the kingdom of God
Luke 10:18
18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
In Luke 4:5-6 Satan declares that the nations are his. This was before the death and resurrection of Jesus
.
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
The nations of the world had not heard about Jesus until the gospel was spread by the apostles. Now they can choose not to be deceived by Satan anymore because the gospel was preached to the whole world.
We are told that the gospel is preached to the whole world in Colossians 1:23
23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Titus 3:3-7 shows us that we were once deceived but now the Holy Spirit has saved us.
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Colossians 1:24-27
24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.
Paul states above that a great mystery has been revealed which is Christ in us. This mystery was hidden for ages and generations but now satan is bound from deceiving us if we choose because of the gospel which reveals this mystery.
Ephesians 3:2-11
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord
In Ephesians 3:1-11 Paul teaches us that he is to reveal a mystery that was kept from past generations which is that the gentile nations are also heirs together with Israel. This mystery was revealed by the Holy Spirit through the gospel. It was hidden in the past ages but now it is to be made known to the rulers and authorities of the heavenly realms.
