Revelation 20:3 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Revelation 20:3

Comments

In what sense is the devil bound? In a very major sense, but we not going to run away with the idea that he is totally bound. If we did that, Scripture would contradict Scripture. The passage is only looking at one element of Satan's desire, intention, and work. He is bound that he should deceive the nations no more. Before Christ came many nations were completely deceived: impenetrable by the truth, in the pocket of the devil, lost to polytheism, paganism. But during the gospel age the devil is going to be unable to deceive the nations. He is going to be unable to prevent the great commission being carried out, and the gospel being preached throughout the earth. People will be saved from ‘every nation and tribe and tongue and people’. He will still try, and evangelists will still suffer for their witness, but the elect will be gathered in. He will attack the gospel in many nations; he will do all he can to eclipse it, but he cannot keep it out and stop it. ‘Until the thousand years should be fulfilled, and after that he must be loosed a little season.’ A number of commentators have the same illustration, and it's a very good one. Satan is like a guard dog in a courtyard, and there's a strong stake at the centre, and the dog is chained to that stake. The chain is, let's say, 20 yards long. As long as you don't go within his radius you’re safe; you can skirt round him. But if you were to go into his territory, he could get you. The devil is bound; he is limited. This is the language of limitation. But he is only bound in this respect: that he cannot deceive the nations. During his earthly ministry, Christ continued to command his disciples, not to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans (Matthew 10:5-6). But after his crucifixion and resurrection his new commission was, ‘Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature’ (Mark 16:15). Satan was no longer able to prevent the gospel reaching all nations. The thousand years will come to an end, as verses later in this chapter tell us in more detail. There is a limited time during which the Gentiles can be reached. At the end of the world, Satan will organise a worldwide hostility to God and to his people. We have already seen this in earlier sections of the book. This same final apostasy is now viewed from the perspective of the devil’s final struggle against Christ. The fact that there is a limited time for the preaching of the gospel, after which men’s hearts will become impossibly hard is perhaps hinted at by Paul’s words,

Application

When you see what's going on in the world today, and you think we are approaching the end times, and laws are increasingly passed which are going to make the truth illegal, ultimately, and all Christians possibly prosecutable for not recognising the new alternative morality (which is immoral), and ever stating Christian views; when you see that, remember that it can't go all that far, because the dog is on a chain, and Satan is restrained. He cannot, for example – though he strives to do this – organise the whole world against Christ. He can get hold of some nations pretty well, but what he longs to do is have all world governments following the same script, legislating against Christ, bringing force to bear, persecuting and imprisoning. He cannot do it. There’s quite a lot of things the devil cannot do, because he’s chained. He can tempt us to sin; he can tempt us to doubt, and through his demons. He can pollute a church if the church lets him, so it gets so bad that it loses its lampstand and Christ withdraws, but he can't close us all, and he can't wipe us out. Not until the last elect saved person comes into the kingdom and the thousand years, a symbolic period for the gospel age, is ended.

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Revelation 20:3 Commentary and Bible Study