Revelation 20:1-2 When Jesus returns to earth again it will be in the glory and majesty of God. He is coming to eliminate the ungodly and to establish the rule and reign of God on earth. The earth will be filled with the righteousness of God. Jesus Himself is going to be ruling and governing the affairs of the world in what is known as the Millennium, the one thousand year rule of Jesus on the earth.
No man or nation or technology or science can ever bring about the perfect earth. Only God can and Scripture declares that this is exactly what God is going to do. This will be done after the battle of Armageddon. Now, right after Armageddon, the spiritual power that lays behind all the ungodliness and evil of this earth, Satan himself, has to be bound.
Who is going to remove Satan from the earth? The angel of God’s power who will come directly out of heaven, from God’s presence and remove Satan from this earth. Some scholars believe this messenger is Yeshua. He is described as having “the keys of hell and death” (Revelation 1:18). They believe that Yeshua would never give those keys to anyone else.
Whatever the case, the messenger holds two things in his hands: The key to the bottomless pit: this means that he has the power to cast Satan into the abyss, away from the earth. A great chain: this means that he has the power to bind Satan and to keep him leading people into sin and ungodliness (Romans 16:20).
Satan’s names tell us his nature:
1. He is the dragon: the spiritual power that stirs up the, cruel, and brutal passions of people causing people and governments to behave like beasts destroying people and property.
2. He is that old serpent: the spiritual power that deceives and seduces people; leading them into sin and evil causing them to disobey, ignore, and neglect God. (Genesis 3:4, 14; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
3. He is the devil: the spiritual power that slanders, lies, and murders by leading people to lie and murder (John 8:44; 1 Peter 5:8).
4. He is Satan: the spiritual power that accuses, opposes, and stands as an enemy to God and His followers.
Satan leads his followers, the ungodly and evil of this world, to accuse, oppose, and stand against God and believers, even to the point of persecuting and killing them. He is also the main accuser of believers. He is pictured as constantly pointing out the sins and failures of believers to God. He does this in order to cut the heart of God and to arouse God’s justice against man (Matthew 4:10; John 13:27; Acts 26:18; Romans 16:20). How long will Satan be removed? The time is clearly stated: for one thousand years. This is the period of history when the Lord Jesus rule and reign on this earth as Sovereign Lord.
Revelation 20:3 Satan will be placed in the bottomless pit for the thousand years (Isaiah 24:21-22). He is bound so that he cannot deceive people and nations any more. Remember the spiritual forces that fight against God and man now, the high places that Scripture says they hold (Ephesians 6:12). Satan and his evil spirits are the ones who arouse us to lust after more and more food; after another person; to lust after power over others; to lust after more and more pleasure and possessions; to lust after more and more position and money.
When Jesus comes to bring the Kingdom of God, to earth he will bring love, joy, and peace; self-control, discipline, and personal strength; unity, and oneness; purpose, meaning, and significance people will have. When Satan is removed there will be no more deception of people or nations. There will only be a society in which there will be no need and no lack. Scripture says Satan will be released again for a season.
Revelation 20:4 This passage describes the first resurrection and millennial reign of Jesus on earth. John sees thrones and people sitting upon them with authority to judge and rule. He also sees the millions of believers who were martyred during the tribulation, who were killed for their witness for Jesus and their stand for the Word of God, and those who refused to worship and receive the mark of the Antichrist.
John tells us who are the people sitting on the thrones, the are those who live again and who are reigning with Him and take part in the first resurrection. These are believers who have died and will rule and reign with Messiah in the Millennium. John sees the martyrs of the tribulation as a special group of believers probably because of the most difficult situation that they are in. The millennial reign of Jesus is when the believer’s rule and reign with Christ begins.
