Christian Guide to Binding the Devil

INTRODUCTION

In the light of current events, there is a strong possibility that the return of our Lord Jesus Christ may occur right away. He is near, even at the door. And massive unjust suffering may precede His coming.

There is nothing in the Bible that says that He cannot return at this instant. We hope He does.

One way to prepare for His Second Coming is to be sure that our understanding of future events is Biblically correct.

So, we hope that you, our reader, will prayerfully consider the contents of this post. It is vital that you do, especially now.

It is not sensible to base one’s entire prophetic faith on a false interpretation of one Scripture (like Revelation 20:1-8) and then use that misinterpretation as a filter when studying the rest of the Bible.

If we read all the Bible verses from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 19:21, we find nothing specifically about a millennium.

Only in Revelation 20:1-8 is there a 1000-year reign of Christ. And it is in a vision. To understand Biblical visions, we must interpret them using other Scriptures.

TABULAR VIEW OF THE TOPICS IN THIS STUDY

INTRODUCTION

WHEN GOD REMOVES THE BINDING OF THE DEVIL

BINDING THE DEVIL IN THIS STUDY

THERE ARE THREE PHASES OF OUR LORD’S BINDING OF THE DEVIL.

REVELATION 20:1-3 TEACHES THAT SATAN CANNOT KEEP US FROM COMING TO JESUS FOR SALVATION.

WE OVERCOME THE DEVIL IN JESUS’ STRENGTH (EPHESIANS 6:10).

DO NOT MAKE A NEW DOCTRINE OUT OF REVELATION 20

A MAJOR THEME OF REVELATION IS THE PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS AND MARTYRS.

THE EXTENT OF THE BINDING

THE REIGN OF THE GLORIFIED BELIEVERS WITH CHRIST

THE FALSE TEACHING OF REVELATION 1:19c

THE GREEK OF REVELATION 1:19c

WE MUST SHUN INTERPRETATIONS THAT TAKE THE VISIONS OF REVELATION LITERALLY.

OUR LORD WILL NOT REIGN ON THE EARTH DURING THE 1000 YEARS

PARALLEL CYCLES IN REVELATION

THERE IS NO REASON TO INVENT A NEW DISPENSATION OUT OF REVELATION 20.

IMPORTANT TRUTHS ABOUT INTERPRETING THE BIBLE

THE NEW TESTAMENT TEACHES US HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE OLD TESTAMENT.

BINDING THE DEVIL SO HE COULD NOT DECEIVE THE GENTILES

BINDING AND LOOSING THE DEVIL FOR UNBELIEVERS

CASTING THE DEVIL OUT OF THE WORLD

THE PRACTICAL USE OF THE BINDING OF THE DEVIL

TIPS ON INTERPRETING THE VISIONS OF REVELATION 20:1-8

FINAL APPEAL TO UNBELIEVERS

TABULAR VIEW OF THE TABULAR VIEWS IN THIS STUDY

TABULAR VIEW COMPARING THE SAVING OF MATTHEW 1:21 WITH THE BINDING OF REVELATION 20:3-8

TABULAR VIEW OF THE THREE PHASES OF OUR LORD SAVING US BY BINDING THE DEVIL

TABULAR VIEW SHOWING THAT JESUS ALREADY BOUND SATAN FOR US.

TABULAR VIEW COMPARING THE REST OF SCRIPTURE WITH THE REVELATION 20 BINDING

TABULAR VIEW OF THE THINGS JOHN MUST WRITE IN REVELATION 1:19

TABULAR VIEW OF JOHN’S INTERPRETATIVE EXAMPLE FROM REVELATION 1:16-20

TABULAR VIEW PROVING THAT JOHN ONLY WRITES WHAT HE SEES IN THE VISIONS OF REVELATION

TABULAR VIEW PROVING THAT JOHN ONLY WRITES WHAT HE HEARS IN THE VISIONS OF REVELATION

TABULAR VIEW OF SCRIPTURES ON THE LATTER DAYS

TABULAR VIEW OF THE BINDING OF THE DEVIL SO HE COULD NOT DECEIVE THE GENTILES

TABULAR VIEW OF THE PRACTICAL USE OF THE BINDING OF THE DEVIL

WHEN GOD REMOVES THE BINDING OF THE DEVIL

God used a hedge to protect Job from physical calamities which Satan wrought. In the New Testament, our Lord bound the devil so that he could not deceive us.

And God still has the hedge around each Christian.

In our Lord Jesus Christ, there is protection from that old serpent. Scripture calls that protection “binding.” And “casting out demons” requires binding Satan first (Matthew 12:29).

When we stubbornly sin against God, our Lord may direct His Church to “deliver us to Satan” This is so that we may learn to change our ways and follow our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:20). This is the practice of excommunication, which is for our Lord Jesus’ use in reclaiming errant souls. When we experience the horrors of the Churchless and Satanic way of life, we return to our Lord. Thus, He reclaims us if we are true Christians.

1 Corinthians 5:5 says, “Hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.”

Since excommunication from the fellowship of the saints is handing a person over to the devil, it follows that Jesus binds the devil so that he cannot win the Lord’s Christian people to himself.

At the time of the crucifixion of Christ there was an evil day. To the mob of Chief Priests and officers who came to arrest Him, our Lord said the following,

“Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on Me. But this hour belongs to you and to the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53).

During that time God removed His binding of the devil which had prevented Satan from already killing our Lord. The dark of evil became so powerful that even Simon Peter denied the Lord. And God fulfilled the Scripture, which says,

“…This very night you will all fall away on account of Me. For it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’” (Matthew 26:31).

So, our Lord had kept His disciples following Him. But when God delivered Jesus over to take the penalty for our sins, He removed the binding of the devil. Thus, His disciples became cold to the things of God. They no longer experienced the power that they previously had. God allowed the devil to inspire evil men to slay Jesus during this time.

At God’s pre-ordained hour of darkness (Luke 22:53), He stopped binding the devil. That was why sinful men were able to kill our Lord. It was also the reason that Jesus said, “No one takes it [My life] from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord” (John 10:18).

Jesus was the only one who had the power to bind the devil on His own. That was because He was and is God (John 1:1).

BINDING THE DEVIL IN THIS STUDY

In this post we train in both the binding and the unbinding of the devil in Revelation 20:1-8. We learn that there is a time of the binding of the devil, which is during the Church Age. And we learn that there will yet be another time of the power of darkness when Jesus will stop binding Satan (Revelation 20:7-9).

Unless there had been a divine binding of Satan, it is inconceivable that such a small band of disciples could have had the power to convert the known world to Christ (Colossians 1:6).

Colossians 1:6 says, “…All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God.”

In a scant 30 years God saved a multitude of elect people through His binding and the efforts of the disciples of Christ. In the words of Gamaliel, we have the following:

“…Leave these men [Apostles] alone. Let them go! For if their purpose or endeavor is of human origin, it will fail. 39But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5:38-39).

The rapid expansion of the early Church into hostile Gentile territory is a tribute to the power of God’s efficacious calling of His elect and of His binding of the forces of Satan as protection of His Church.

When missionaries go to pagan surroundings, it requires the power of God to protect them and prosper their mission. That protection and spiritual prosperity comes from the chain with which our Lord binds the forces of Satan. And all Christians need Satan bound even to stay alive.

THERE ARE THREE PHASES OF OUR LORD’S BINDING OF THE DEVIL.

Our Lord has already bound the devil. But He has not yet bound the devil completely. When He returns, He will complete that binding. It is like our salvation.

If we were to read Matthew 1:21 by itself with no other texts of the New Testament, we would think that when Jesus saves us from our sins, He perfects us instantly. (1) But that is not how He does it. He saves us in phases. That means that He saves us from the devil in phases. Thus, He binds the devil in the same phases.

Matthew 1:21 says, “She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” AMEN, BUT IT IS GOD’S WILL TO SAVE US IN STAGES. WE’RE ALREADY SAVED. WE’RE BEING SAVED. AND WE WILL BE SAVED IN THE FUTURE.

 TABULAR VIEW COMPARING THE SAVING OF MATTHEW 1:21 WITH THE BINDING OF REVELATION 20:1-3

Matthew 1:21 says, “She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”	Jesus saves His people from their sins in three phases.
Revelation 20:1-3 says, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. 2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete.”	Jesus binds the devil so he cannot deceive people from salvation. He binds Satan in the same three phases as He saves us. Thus, He binds the devil so he cannot stop redemption, regeneration, justification, sanctification, adoption, and glorification.

Revelation 20:1-6 does not tell us that there are three phases of Jesus’ binding of the devil. But our Lord Jesus came to save us from our sins. A large part of that is saving us from the devil’s deceptions (Ephesians 2:1-3).

Jesus bound the devil for our regeneration and justification. He is binding the devil for our sanctification. And He will yet bind Satan for our glorification. All three phases are part of salvation in Christ.

Notice that the purpose of the binding is so that the evil forces may no longer deceive us (Revelation 20:1, 8).

REVELATION 20:1-3 TEACHES THAT SATAN CANNOT KEEP US FROM COMING TO JESUS FOR SALVATION.

Revelation 20:1-3 teaches that Satan cannot keep us from turning away from our sin to our Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation (Revelation 20:1-3, 7-8).

Revelation 20:1-3 says, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. 2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations [elect Gentiles] until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period.”

Revelation 20:7-8 says, “When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, 8and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.”

Satan still goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).

Hebrews 2:14-15 says, “Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”

Our Lord did not completely destroy Satan at the time of His cross. But, after He has completed the three phases of salvation, He will have destroyed Satan completely. He destroyed the devil by dying for those who died in Him when He died on the cross. His death saved us. It did not provisionally save us. Our faith did not atone for our sins. His blood did that.

Hebrews 2:14-15 says that His death did the destroying of the devil. That is, by His death alone, without our help, Jesus destroyed the devil by dying for those who were in Him when He died.

He saved us from the fear of death, and by that, He destroyed Satan. He did this by atoning for our sins. Other than those who were in our Lord when He died on the cross, there was no one else for whom to atone. There was never to be another cross.

Note also that Jesus’ destruction of the devil came in three phases. So, Jesus already destroyed the devil by dying for His people. He is destroying the devil by sanctifying His people. And He will complete His destruction of the devil by putting him in the Lake of Fire where he will remain forever.

But the efficacy of that destruction occurred at His cross. By His blood Jesus satisfied His Father for His peoples’ sins.

TABULAR VIEW OF THE THREE PHASES OF OUR LORD SAVING US BY BINDING THE DEVIL

PHASE I OF THE BINDING OF THE DEVIL	PHASE II OF THE BINDING OF THE DEVIL	PHASE III OF THE BINDING OF THE DEVIL.
Our Lord already saved us from the everlasting satanic darkness of the devil and demons (Hebrews 2:14)(2).  By dying with those in Him who died with Him at the cross, Jesus destroyed the devil.(3)	Our Lord is saving us now [every day] from the devil, demons, their lies, and temptations (1 John 4:4 (4); 3:8(5)). 1 Jn 5:19 says, “…the whole world is under the power” of the evil one.” See 2 Corinthians 4:4.	We will no longer believe any of the devil’s lies and Jesus will change us to be like Him when He comes again (1 John 3:2)(6).
Our Lord already saved us from the penalty of sin. He bound the devil so we could believe despite satanic power (Rev. 20:3, 7-8(7); Jn. 12:31(8)).	Our Lord is saving us from the power of sin. He is binding the devil as we wear the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20; 2 Timothy 2:26(9)).	Our Lord will save us from the presence of sin and from the devil when He returns.
Jesus has saved us from the devil. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,”	Jesus is saving us from the devil. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”	Jesus will save us from the devil. Romans 13:11 says, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”

The freedom that our Lord gives to us (above), comes through salvation in Christ. He is saving us from the world, the flesh, and the devil.

WE OVERCOME THE DEVIL IN JESUS’ STRENGTH (EPHESIANS 6:10).

TABULAR VIEW SHOWING THAT JESUS ALREADY BOUND SATAN FOR US

Ephesians 6:10 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.”

1 John 3:8 says, “The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.”

1 John 4:3 says, “and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and which is already in the world currently.”

1 John 4:4 says, “You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

So, unsaved people are of the devil (1 John 3:8). They do not confess Jesus. They have the spirit of anti-Christ.

Born-again Christians do not practice sin as a lifestyle. Jesus Christ already set us free by His mighty power. That is what He came to do, and it is what He is doing now. We have overcome the devil, the spirit of anti-Christ, and the world.

Jesus has saved us, is saving us, and will yet save us in the future. The destruction of the works of the devil of 1 John 3:8 and the binding of the devil in Revelation 20:1 is the same truth. The Holy Spirit simply expresses them differently. Our Lord destroyed the works of the devil by binding the devil so that he could not deceive us by the spirit of Anti-Christ.

The result is that we Christians do confess that Jesus is from God (1 John 4:3). We are from God (1 John 4:4). He (the Holy Spirit) that is in us is greater than the spirit of Anti-Christ which is in the world.

Jesus bound the devil for us by destroying the works of the devil in us. He did it by giving us the Holy Spirit who is greater than the spirit of Anti-Christ. He did it by giving us a heart that confesses the true Jesus. God did it by joining us to Jesus who came from God to destroy the devil. Jesus did destroy the works of the devil in us. He did it by binding the devil so that he could not deceive us into rejecting Jesus (Revelation 20:1-3).

The responsibility of born-again Christians is to be strong in the mighty power of our Lord Jesus with which He already bound the devil at the cross and at our regeneration.

Ephesians 6:10-20 shows us how to avail ourselves of the strength of our Lord Jesus who already bound the devil for us.

Notice in the next Tabular View that the binding of the devil of Revelation 20, as some godly Christians teach today, connects with no other Scripture unless we understand it as something God already did for us.

DO NOT MAKE A NEW DOCTRINE OUT OF REVELATION 20

To create a new 1000-year era, specifically taught in no other text, is not wise. We find all real truths of the Bible continuously repeated throughout holy writ.

The truth is that the binding of Revelation 20 occurs during the Church Age. It is not complete at the time of our justification. It takes in all three phases of our Lord’s binding of the devil. It is binding for regeneration, justification(10), sanctification(11), and glorification(12), which are God’s three phases of salvation.

When we view the binding of Revelation 20 in all three phases of salvation as one event, it is a complete binding. But God parses our salvation into three phases. Salvation and binding go together like hand-in-glove.

A MAJOR THEME OF REVELATION IS THE PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS AND MARTYRS.

The theme of the first vision of Revelation 20 is that God will bless the martyrs and Church members whom the devil is persecuting. Our Lord has Satan under control. He can only do what our Lord Jesus allows him to do. So, the death of a martyr, rather than being a victory for Satan, fulfills God’s purpose for that martyr.

If a persecuted Christian has offered his life as a sacrifice to God by confessing Jesus on pain of death; if he does, God will not be unrighteous to forget such worship.

God welcomes such a martyr into Heaven. The martyr rules in Heaven with Jesus during the Church Age (Revelation 20:4; 3:21). God guarantees that He will avenge the martyr’s death (Revelation 6:9-11).

Another consolation for the martyrs is that the second death, which is eternity in the Lake of Fire is God’s vengeance upon those who put the martyr to death.

In Revelation 6:9-11 the martyrs had asked for vengeance. God gave it to them by judging their murderers.

The martyr has beloved brothers and sisters who grieve over their Church member’s death. And they may fear that the same fate awaits them. The Book of Revelation comes from God the Father via Jesus Christ via an angel to John. It is comforting for the saints to know the divine solaces that God has in store for those who follow the ultimate martyr into death, our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:5).

Revelation 1:5 says, “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”

In Revelation 1:5 the word “witness” is the Greek word μάρτυς or transliterated is martus, which is the exact word from which we derive our English term “martyr.” Jesus is the quintessential martyr.

A martyr is one who witnesses by giving his life for the glory of God. The deaths of the martyrs are the seed of the Church.

Paul expresses the plight of the Christians of the early Church in Romans 8:36 which says,

“As it is written: “For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

Such Christians need perspective on the purpose of their deaths. And the Book of Revelation supplies that insight.

When our Lord died and rose again, He bound the devil so he could only do what God allowed. He ascended to the rulership of the world far above Satan and his forces. Our Father in Heaven gave Him all authority in Heaven and on earth. By binding the devil, Jesus restrained him from blinding those who died with Him at His cross.

Our Lord Jesus continues to intervene into history by obeying His Father’s will.

TABULAR VIEW COMPARING THE REST OF SCRIPTURE WITH THE REVELATION 20 BINDING 

EXPLAINING …	THE RIGHT TEACHING OF BINDING THE DEVIL (Matthew 12:29)(13)	FALSE TEACHING OF THE BINDING OF REVELATION 20
Matthew 12:29	Matthew 12:29 says, “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first binds the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.”	Respectfully we say that Pre-millennialists do not explain the connection between Matthew 12:29 and Revelation 20:1-8.
Purpose of binding the strong man [Satan]	So, the stronger man [Christ] can save the goods [people who died with Christ at the cross] of the devil (Mt. 12:29).	It is future binding only and Revelation 20:1-3 is not a reference to other binding texts.
What do binding and sealing Satan show?	They do not stop Satan’s movements in the world. They only suspend him from deceiving the Gentiles who died with Christ at the cross. But the binding is total when the three phases of salvation are complete.	It makes Satan immobile in a future millennium so that he can influence no one. It is a form of perfectionism.
Purpose of binding the strong man	So, the devil cannot deceive Gentiles as he did in the Old Testament times and in their unsaved state in the New Testament (Revelation 12: 8-9)(14) See also John 10:16; Romans 11:30-31; Ephesians 2:11-13).	Binding & sealing Satan is to evaluate man in a perfect environment. Author note: But this binding does not come from the cross of Christ.
What previously kept Gentiles from salvation	Their sin blinded them. Jesus had not yet died for the Gentiles who died in Him (John 12:20-21, 31)(15), to deliver them from slavery to sin and to the devil.	The future binding has nothing to do with the blindness of the Gentiles due to sin.
Time of the binding of the strong man	Jesus disarmed the satanic forces at His cross for those who died in Him at the cross (Romans 6:5-11; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 2:15 (16); Hebrews 2:14).	Future binding and sealing of Satan in Abyss (only).
How our Lord Jesus frees His people in Revelation 20	Jesus freed Gentiles & Jews from satanic power at His cross, resurrection and ascension above all satanic powers (Romans 6:5-11; Ephesians 1:18-21)(17). He applies this binding to us at our conversion.	Future binding and sealing in Abyss) only.
Purpose of the Abyss (bottomless pit)	To show Christ controlling demons of the Abyss now, (Revelation 9:1-11).	Future binding and sealing of Satan in Abyss (also known as the bottomless pit).
Another purpose of the Abyss	To show that martyrs’ deaths and Christians’ sufferings are under our Lord’s control. This is to comfort the Churches re. martyrs (Rev 2:13; 3:9).	Future binding and sealing of Satan in the Abyss.
What conquers Satan	Jesus, by saving sinners conquered the devil by His blood shed for sinners (Revelation 12:11)(18).	Future complete binding by Jesus, locking him in the Abyss and by His blood during the Church Age.
How does the blood of Christ free people?	It puts away all sin, even the sin (19) of unbelief by completely satisfying God for our sins (Hebrews 9:26 (20); Daniel 9:24). God, then being satisfied, calls those who died with Christ to Him (Galatians 2:20). The blood of Jesus satisfies God who causes (21) us to believe via preaching (22) (Daniel 9:24; Hebrews 9:26) (23).	Now by satisfying God’s justice and holiness. The blood of Jesus takes away all sin [except the sin of unbelief] (Rom 3:25-26).
How Christians defeat the devil	Taking the whole armor of God now (Ephesians 6:10).	Both now & by Jesus’ future putting of Satan in the Abyss.
How Jesus makes converts	Dying for them and them dying in Him to the world, the flesh, and the devil (Ephesians 2:2, 5-7) (24).	Both now & Future by ruling with a rod of iron in a millennial world.(25)
When Jesus frees Satan from the abyss?	Jesus has Satan both bound and loosed now. Our Lord will free him at the end of the millennium [Church Age] (26) for a little while (Revelation 20:7-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).	Future release of Satan is a 2nd Tribulation (Revelation 20:7-9). For the first Tribulation see 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 (27) according to the false view.
When is Satanic blinding removed?	When anyone turns to the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:16). 2 Corinthians 3:16 says, “But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”	Both in future binding and at conversion (2 Corinthians 3:16).

THE EXTENT OF THE BINDING

Notice in the table above that the true teaching of the binding of the devil is that the binding comes from the blood of Christ. The false teaching is that Jesus’ blood is not the cause of the binding (But see Revelation 12:11). (28)

And remember that Jesus Christ can only do what His Father allows Him to do. John 5:19 says, “So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”

So, since God the Father chose Christians in Christ, Jesus cannot bind the devil for those who were not in Christ before the world began. Ephesians 1:4-6 says,

“For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love 5He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One” (Ephesians 1:4-6).

And before the foundation of the world our names were in the Lamb’s Book of Life. But unbelievers’ names were not there. We define unbelievers as those who never believed in the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

Revelation 17:8b says, “And those who dwell on the earth whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet will be” (Revelation 17:8b).

God the Father’s will is in the Lamb’s Book of Life. His will shows our Lord those for whom He can bind the devil (John 8:29).

Remember, the Son can do absolutely nothing outside His Father’s will. John 8:29 says, “He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.”

THE REIGN OF THE GLORIFIED BELIEVERS WITH CHRIST

We find clear teaching in the Bible about “the binding of the devil,” “the reign of Christ,” and glorified believers ruling in Heaven with Christ now, during the Church Age (Matthew 19:28; 1 Corinthians 6:2; Revelation 3:21). (29)

Those events are occurring in Heaven now, during the Church Age. They are in what we call the “Intermediate State,” which is the era between the deaths of the saints and the resurrection of their bodies.

If we object to this, pointing to Revelation 1:19, saying that it foretells that all events of the Book of Revelation beginning with chapter 4:1 are in our future, we overlook the facts of the next tabular view.

THE FALSE TEACHING OF REVELATION 1:19c

In Revelation 1:19c our Lord tells John to write the things that will be after “these things.”

“These things: of Revelation 1:19 are not interpretations of visions that John must make. They are a vision of Christ in Revelation 1:12-16. They are also the interpretation of some of those things that are in the vision. And they are things that John sees and hears in his prophetic trance.

If we are consistent in our understanding of Revelation 1:19, we believe that our Lord is telling John to write the things that he has seen, the things he is seeing, and the things that he will see after seeing what he will saw in visions in  Revelation chapter 1.

The “seeing” is not physical observation. It is seeing in visions, in the way that all seers and prophets of the Bible see.

Revelation 1:19 says, “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.”

Many godly Christians read Revelation 1:19c and think that when it says “those that are to take place after this” it means things in the world that will take place after Revelation 4:1. But it means “things that will take place in John’s visions that he is seeing.

In other words, these beloved brothers in Christ believe that Revelation 1:19c is a blanket statement which interprets the rest of the visions of Revelation as in the end times. But it is not.

Proof of this is what John does. All the way through the book, John describes and quotes what he sees and hears. He does not pretend to interpret the visions that he is seeing. John faithfully writes what he sees and hears. Twenty-four times John tells us that he is writing what he is seeing in his prophetic trances. He is not interpreting. And twenty-three times in Revelation John faithfully writes what he hears. He does not interpret the sounds he hears.

So, the Apostle John merely writes what he sees and hears. And he sees visions and hears things in those visions.

Notice that Revelation chapter 4 begins with the words “after these things I saw…” And John only writes what he sees and hears in the vision.

Revelation 4:1-4 says, “After this I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had previously heard speak to me like a trumpet was saying, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after these things.” 2At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it. 3The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.”

So, John is writing symbols that he sees in a vision. He is “in the Spirit,” which means that he is in a prophetic trance. And in the Bible, symbols require interpretation. It is like Pharaoh’s dream of seven thin cows and seven plump cows. God told Joseph how to interpret it. And He did not mean that there would be fourteen cows in the new Egypt. It was not a literal message. It was a pictorial message, like a hieroglyph from God to Pharaoh in a dream.

THE GREEK OF REVELATION 1:19c

The Greek of Revelation 1:19c is καὶ ἃ μέλλει γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα. Γενέσθαι or genesthai is the aorist middle infinitive form of the Greek word ginomai, which is the basic verb meaning “to become or to be.” We translate it many times in the New Testament as simply “be,” or “become.”  The literal translation of Revelation 1:19c is “the things that are about to become [genesthai] after these. The words “after these”” are translations of the Greek μετὰ ταῦτα or meta tauta. Meta is “after,” and tauta is “these.” John expects the Christians to whom he writes know that Meta tauta means, “after these things.”

Revelation 1:19 says, “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are, and those that are to become after these.” ESV The word “things” is a mutually understood number of things.

Not only is this the correct grammatical interpretation of Revelation 1:19, but it is also what John believed that our Lord commissioned him to write. We know this because that is what John writes. He puts on parchment only what he sees and hears. He does not interpret.

The words, “after these things” are “after what you are seeing now, write what will occur in the following visions that John will see and hear.

TABULAR VIEW OF THE THINGS JOHN MUST WRITE IN REVELATION 1:19

WRITE THREE THINGS	JOHN MUST WRITE	WHAT IT MEANS
“Things you have seen”	All the things he saw and heard in Revelation chapter 1:1-18.	John wrote what he saw in the vision of Revelation 1:12-16. He did not interpret but God interpreted some of it in Revelation 1:20.
“Things that are”	All that John is seeing in Revelation 1:19-3:21	John wrote what he was seeing right then. Revelation 1:19 still exists. He wrote it.
“Things that are about to take place (IN THE VISIONS) after this.”	All that John will experience in the visions after these things (Revelation 4:1).	In the rest of the Book, John followed the example in Revelation 1:12-16. John wrote only what he saw and heard. He left the interpretation to his readers. Only if God tells him to write an interpretation does he write it. What he saw and heard were symbols. When the Christians received the Book, they interpreted. Had the Romans intercepted the Book and if it included interpretations, Christians could have died.

Conclude this by seeing the Binding of the Devil of Revelation 20:3-8 in a following vision.

Revelation 4:1 opens by saying, “After these things [meta tauta] I looked and behold…” So, John described his experience of seeing the next vision, the vision of Revelation 4:1-4. Again, he only wrote what he saw and heard in Revelation 4:1-4.

God commissioned John to write what he already saw in the first vision. God told him to write what he was seeing in his present vision. And John must write the visions that he will see after seeing the things of Revelation chapters 1:19-3:21.

THE VISIONS OF REVELATION 1:1-22:21

John understands that he must only write the things that he will see and hear. We know that because he only writes things that he sees and hears. He does not write the interpretation of those things. Throughout the entire Book of Revelation John says, “I saw,” Then he writes exactly what he saw in the vision. John also says, “I heard.” And he writes only what he heard in the vision. The example is in Revelation 12:10-12). Repeating, John personally never interprets. If a voice talks to him in a vision, he writes down that he heard it and he writes what the voice says. We must understand the rest of the Bible to interpret Revelation.

JOHN ONLY WRITES WHAT HE SEES IN THE VISIONS OF REVELATION.

We are proving that the Apostle John writes what he sees rather than writing his interpretation of the visions of Revelation. By this we prove that the symbolic word pictures of Revelation remain without interpretation. When that occurs, we must use the rest of the Bible to interpret the vision.

The vision of our Lord binding the devil in Revelation chapter 20 requires interpretation in order that we may understand its meaning. Thus, we have no right to invent a new dispensation of a one-thousand-year reign out of a symbolic text such as Revelation 20:1-8.

God compels us to interpret such a vision using the rest of the Bible rather than leaning to our own understanding.

The concept of binding the devil is true enough. Our Lord does bind Satan. But shoving the interpretation of Revelation 20 into a future bloodless binding is the wrong way to interpret Revelation.

We are proving that Revelation 20 teaches the same truths as the rest of the New Testament. The devil has many Christians ignoring the connection between the binding of the devil in Revelation 20 and the rest of the New Testament. Well-meaning people create a new dispensation out of Revelation 20. Satan likes nothing better than to put distance between the blood of Jesus and his binding. And the bloodless binding in a future millennium does exactly that.

Revelation 12:11 teaches that the early believers overcame the devil by the blood of the Lamb. There is no difference between this overcoming and the binding of Revelation 20. And the timeline of Revelation 12 is the best indicator of the timeline of Revelation 20.

And forcing a literal interpretation on the one thousand years, which contradicts the symbolic use of the phrase one-thousand-years in the rest of the Bible goes against what John expressly says he is writing.

TABULAR VIEW OF JOHN’S INTERPRETATIVE EXAMPLE FROM REVELATION 1:16-20

What John Saw in the Vision Revelation 1:12-16	Jesus & John interpret Rev. 1:16-20 using the rest of the Bible. That is the way you do it, not by adding to the Word of God.
Seven Golden Candlesticks Revelation 1:12	Revelation 1:20 “the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” The point is that the 7 Churches are shining for Christ [even if dimly] (Matthew 5:16). They are the New Testament fulfillment of the Old Testament menorah (Ex. 25:37).
One like the Son of Man was in the midst of the seven golden lampstands Revelation 1:13. See also Revelation 1:11 Gold represents reflected deity.	Revelation 1:20 One like the Son of Man Revelation 2:1 “walking among the seven golden lampstands.” This is our Lord Christ pictured with the Churches, and ministering to them, giving them oil (Matthew 28:18). Rev. 2 and 3 show His ministering via His word to the churches.
Clothed with a long robe down to the foot Revelation 1:13;	The Long robe shows His dignity. It is white for righteousness (Daniel 7:9).
Golden sash around His breast Revelation 1:13	Belt was gold for Deity as was the gold in the Tabernacle.
Hair of His head white like wool and as snow Revelation 1:14	He is the brightness of His Father’s glory. The white hair is a sign of advanced age and wisdom. His goings forth are from everlasting (Daniel 7:9. He is the Ancient of Days.
His eyes were as a flame of fire blazing blue Revelation 1:14	Eyes of love for His people. They have heat and light. Good eyes for judging. Intense eyes for zealousness, searching and penetrating. They bring to light what is dark. Eyes of vengeance, bringing destruction to the evil ones.
Feet like polished bronze refined in furnace. 1:15	We make bronze in fire. God judged Him in our place. The altar of burnt offering was bronze. He completed His task through tribulation. So, He has the perfect foundation.
Voice like the sound of rushing waters 1:15	Like many waters, using His many apostles and pastors. And the sound of His vengeance is awesome. His voice went out to all the world Romans 10:15.
Seven stars in His right hand. Revelation 1:16 (Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Daniel 12:3)	Revelation 1:20 says, “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. Angels are messengers so they would be Pastors. He walks among the Churches holding their pastors in His right hand.
Sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. Revelation 1:16	Sword is the Word of God, which He speaks. Ephesians 6:17 His word will slay you and resurrect you again. The two edges are the law and the Gospel. The word pierces both the soul and the spirit. Hebrews 4:12
His countenance was like the sun shining at noon. Thus, His Deity shines through His humanity when He wants.	Matthew 17:7 says, “There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” See Judges 5:31

TABULAR VIEW PROVING THAT JOHN ONLY WRITES WHAT HE SEES IN THE VISIONS OF REVELATION

Revelation 1:12 says, “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me.”

Revelation 1:17 says, “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man.”

Revelation 4:1 says, “After this I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven.”

Revelation 5:1 says, “Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One seated on the throne.”

Revelation 6:1 says, “Then I watched as the Lamb opened one of the seven seals.”

Revelation 9:1 says, “I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth, and it was given the key to the pit of the Abyss.”

Revelation 10:1 says, “Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven.”

Revelation 13:1 says, “Then I saw a beast with ten horns and seven heads rising out of the sea.”

Revelation 14:6 says, “Then I saw another angel flying overhead, with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on the earth.”

Revelation 15:1 says, “Then I saw another great and marvelous sign in heaven:”

Revelation 15:2 says, “And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire,”

Revelation 17:6 says, “I could see that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs for Jesus.”

Revelation 18:1 says, “After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority.”

Revelation 19:11 says, “Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse.”

Revelation 19:17 says, “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun,”

Revelation 19:19 says, “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled.”

Revelation 20:1 says, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss,”

Revelation 20:4 says, “Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge.”

Revelation 20:11 says, “Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it.

Revelation 20:12 says, “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.”

Revelation 21:1 says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

Revelation 21:2 says, “I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven”

Revelation 22:8 says, “And I am John, who heard and saw these things.”

TABULAR VIEW PROVING THAT JOHN ONLY WRITES WHAT HE HEARS IN THE VISIONS OF REVELATION

Revelation 1:10 says, “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,”

Revelation 4:1 says, “And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place (IN THE VISIONS) after this.”

Revelation 5:11` says, “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.”

Revelation 5:13 says, “And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea.”

Revelation 6:3 says, “And when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!”

Revelation 6:5 says, “And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!”

Revelation 6:6 says, “And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying.”

Revelation 6:7 says, “And when the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!”

Revelation 7:4 says, “And I heard the number of those who were sealed…”

Revelation 9:13 says, “The sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard a voice coming from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God.”

Revelation 10:4 says, “When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to put it in writing. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.”

Revelation 10:8 says, “Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the small scroll…”

Revelation 12:10 says, “And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,”

Revelation 14:2 says, “And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder.”

Revelation 14:13 says, “And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.”

Revelation 16:1 says, “Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels…”

Revelation 16:5 says, “And I heard the angel of the waters say: “Righteous are You, O Holy One.”

Revelation 16:7 says, “And I heard the altar reply: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are Your judgments.”

Revelation 18:4 says, “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying: "Come out of her, my people.”

Revelation 19:1 says, “After this I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude in heaven.”

Revelation 19:6 says, “And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters.”

Revelation 21:3 says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man,”

Revelation 22:8 says, “And I am John, who heard and saw these things.”

The Apostle John is giving us a good example of how to obey our Lord. He is doing exactly what Jesus says to do. John’s commission is to only write what he sees and hears. He must not write the interpretation. He leaves that to the Churches. It is a coded message from Jesus to the Churches.

And in Revelation 1:20, when John is hearing the interpretation of some of the vision of Revelation 1:12-16, the voice says that the seven stars and the seven candlesticks have a mystery. The mystery is the interpretation of the candlesticks and the stars. The voice then gives the meaning of the mysteries. The meaning is the interpretation. The candlesticks are the seven Churches, and the stars are the pastors.

By that we know that candlesticks [and stars] have mysteries within them. God is not telling John about candlesticks and stars. Our Lord interprets this for John, explaining the mystery of the stars and the candlesticks. This is a pattern for the entire Book of Revelation.

So, how we interpret Revelation chapter 20 is not literally, but by using the rest of the Bible. This is our goal throughout this post.

We must pose this question to ourselves: What is the mystery of the binding of the devil?

The mystery of the binding of the devil is what the words picture about the binding of the devil. It is how must we interpret that binding. Are there Scriptures that explain this? And the truth is that the Bible has much plain teaching that answers these questions. In this post we are trying to explain what the rest of the Bible says about the binding of the devil.

Revelation 1:20 says, “This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

Below please find proof that John does not personally interpret Revelation for us. He expects God’s people to know their Bibles well enough to interpret the Book for themselves.

WE MUST SHUN INTERPRETATIONS THAT EXPLAIN THE VISIONS OF REVELATION LITERALLY.

For example, in Chapter 12:4b there is the following, “And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, ready to devour her child as soon as she gave birth.”

The correct interpretation of the above is from when the devil inspired King Herod to kill baby Jesus. We know this from God’s word. But if we say that everything in Revelation chapter 4:1 on, is in our future, we are inconsistently interpreting Revelation chapter 12:4b. Revelation 12:4b is about Satan trying to kill baby Jesus when He was about two years of age. It is not in our future.

The great red dragon is the devil. And his seven heads symbolize his Satanic energization of the Roman Empire. It is the Roman Empire that is persecuting the Christians at the instigation of Satan (Revelation chapters 12-13).

There is a coming persecution upon the Churches of Revelation chapters 2 and 3. The Book of Revelation warns the Christians of this. That is the original and actual interpretation of the Book. To the recipients of Revelation, it is about things that “must soon (30) come to pass…” (Revelation 1:1).

Some say that Revelation may foreshadow a persecution of believers in our last days. That may be. But the safe way for us to interpret it, saying “thus saith the Lord,” is to understand it according to its meaning to those who received the Book in the first place. After correctly interpreting Revelation we apply the right meaning of it to our lives.

If we try to interpret the visions of Revelation as “plain speech” instead of visions, we are going against the method of interpretation that we learn from the entire Bible. Visions and dreams have symbols. Symbols have riddles (Numbers 12:6-8). Symbols have pictures of truth like the great red dragon standing before the woman to devour her child as soon as He was born. By knowing the rest of the Bible and Revelation 12, we know that the “great red dragon” is Satan. It was he who inspired King Herod to try to kill baby Jesus.

We use the great red dragon as an illustration because we know that many Christians understand that the great red dragon of Revelation 12 is Satan. And we all learn that from the Bible. So, we are illustrating from what is common Christian knowledge to make the point that we must interpret the symbols of Revelation from Bible knowledge rather than leaning to our own understanding.

And clearly it is true that all the New Testament verbal timelines teach that our Lord bound, is binding, will yet bind the devil, will then unbind the devil, and then consign him to the Lake of Fire. That is the meaning of Revelation 20 and of the whole Bible. But the binding is at our Lord’s ascension and continues until He releases Satan.

Please see our post spelling out the New Testament verbal timelines of the future by clicking the following link:

https://www.williamrandolphpublishing.com/prophecy/new-testament-timelines

In Revelation 12:9-12 God gives the Churches the meaning of the vision of Revelation 12:1-8. To view the Biblical timelines of Revelation chapters 12 and 20, please follow the link above.

To understand the meaning of the woman of Revelation chapter 12, please follow the link below:

https://www.williamrandolphpublishing.com/prophecy/the-new-testament-teaches-two-kinds-of-israels-seed

For a more thorough explanation of Revelation chapter 20, please click the following links:

https://www.williamrandolphpublishing.com/prophecy/the-binding-of-satan

https://www.williamrandolphpublishing.com/prophecy/the-reign-of-the-saints

OUR LORD WILL NOT REIGN ON THE EARTH DURING THE 1000 YEARS

Scripture shows our Lord Jesus standing on earth before and after His crucifixion. But we find nothing in God’s word about Him ruling on earth in a future millennium. Revelation 20:1-8 does not say that. And Revelation 20 does not say that our Lord will return before the thousand years.

In Revelation 20:4 and 6, Scripture does say that martyrs and overcoming Christians “came to life and reigned with Christ for 1000 years.” But it does not say that our Lord only reigned for one thousand years. His reign is eternal. His reign as Messiah fulfills prophecy and begins at His ascension. Revelation 3:21 clearly puts overcoming Christians’ reign together with His Messianic reign. And that Messianic Reign is not in our future. It is during the Church Age. Please read Revelation 3:21 below.

Revelation 3:21 says, “To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

Notice that Jesus speaks to the Church at Laodicea during the Church Age. He says that He will grant to overcomers of that Church the right to sit with Him on His throne. And He says that He already sat with His Father on His throne. So, Christians overcome and reign with Christ on His throne when they die. Overcoming the world, the flesh, and the devil is what all truly born-again people do.

The time of our Lord’s reign in Revelation begins with His ascension (Revelation 3:21; 12:5-6).

Revelation 12:5-6 says, “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.”

The basis for Christian evangelism is that God the Father gave Jesus all authority [even over the devil] in Heaven and on earth.

Matthew 28:18-20 says, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

For a more complete understanding of Christians reigning with Christ, please follow our link below:

https://www.williamrandolphpublishing.com/prophecy/the-reign-of-the-saints

PARALLEL CYCLES IN REVELATION

It is best to interpret Revelation 20 as part of a time cycle beginning in Revelation 20 and progressing through Revelation chapter 22.

The previous cycle begins in Revelation 17 and moves through to the end of Revelation 19. Each of the seven cycles of Revelation roughly begins with the first advent of Christ and ends roughly with His second coming. They are parallel sections that cover the same time in Revelation.

They are like photos taken from different angles (31). Revelation chapter 20 begins with events that are part of the ascension of Christ. It includes a pictorial view of the rewards of the martyrs in Heaven during the Church Age. It has a Tribulation at the end of the Church Age. And it shows the final judgment of both saved and unsaved people.

Then Revelation 21-22 pictures the blessings of the saints in Heaven. Revelation 20 fits perfectly into that. First is the Church Age, then the tribulation, and then the second coming of Christ, then the Great White Throne Judgment, and then the eternal punishment of the impenitent ones and the eternal blessings for the saints.

This verbal timeline is precisely what all the other verbal timelines of the New Testament reveal. For this please follow the link below:

https://www.williamrandolphpublishing.com/prophecy/new-testament-timelines

The seven cycles in Revelation are in the following chapters: 1-3; 4-7; 8-11; 12-14; 15-16; 17-19; 20-22.

THERE IS NO REASON TO INVENT A NEW DISPENSATION OUT OF REVELATION 20.

Job foretold that Messiah would stand on the earth in the latter day (Job 19:25). Jesus fulfilled this (John 20:14). And Jesus brought the latter days in His first coming (Hebrews 1:2; Acts 2:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:11).

We live in the latter days, which began with Jesus’ coming to save sinners from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Saving sinners from their sins was always God’s purpose. It was never offering a national kingdom to Israel.

TABULAR VIEW OF SCRIPTURES ON THE LATTER DAYS

Job 19:25 says, “For I know that my redeemer lives, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:” KJV Note: It was the latter day as Job saw it, not as we see it.

John 20:14 says, “When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there;” So, our Lord was standing on earth in the latter day as Job foretold.

Isaiah 2:2 says, “In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.” In prophecy mountains are kingdoms. And Isaiah 2:2 foretells the Kingdom of Christ. It is universal, including all true Christians.

Hebrews 1:2 says, “But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.” So, the Holy Spirit wrote Hebrews during the “last days.”

Joel 2:28 says, “And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” Note: Joel says that the Spirit will come “afterward” which is after Old Testament times. The Holy Spirit came in New Testament times on the day of Pentecost. (See the entire prophecy in Joel 2:28-32.)

Acts 2:16-17 says, “No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy (32), your young men will see visions (33), your old men will dream dreams (34).” Note: In this text the word “this” refers to the events at Pentecost. And the word “What” refers to the fact that events at Pentecost fulfill the entire prophecy of Joel 2:28. And Peter says God fulfilled Joel 2:28 in the last days. Pentecost is in the last days. They were last days in respect to the former days which were Old Testament days (Isaiah 2:2)(35).

1 Corinthians 10:11 says, “Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.” Paul says that the days in which he lives fulfill the prophecies of the earlier ages.

The latter days are already here (Hebrews 1:2 (36); Acts 2:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:11 (37)), but the last day is not yet here. They are the latter days from the standpoint of the time of the prophecies of the Old Testament.

The rule of Christ in Revelation 20 is not on the earth. There is nothing in that text about our Lord ruling on the earth. And we find nothing in any other text about Him ruling on the earth. Job does not say that He is ruling on the earth in the last day. Jesus is now ruling the earth from Heaven in the latter days along with the martyrs and saints.

Job simply says that Christ will stand on the earth “upon the latter day” (Job 19:25). KJV And He did.

For a study on the Scriptures that reveal the Biblical timeline of the future, please follow the link below:

https://www.williamrandolphpublishing.com/prophecy/new-testament-timelines

IMPORTANT TRUTHS ABOUT INTERPRETING THE BIBLE

There are a limited number of doctrines in the Bible. There are 31,102 verses in the Bible. Many of those Scriptures point to one or more of the few doctrines in the Bible.

Here is our understanding of the Biblical Science of Interpreting the Bible: If we think that one Biblical text teaches a major doctrine while no other text teaches that doctrine, we must go, pray some more, and study further. Something is wrong with our theory if we think that.

The Book of Revelation is a book of visions. In Revelation chapter 1, our Lord Jesus teaches us how to interpret Revelation by giving us an example. It is a vision about Jesus Christ. In that text Jesus does not tell John to interpret the vision. Revelation 1:12-16 is a pictorial representation of Himself. He tells John to write what he saw in the vision (Revelation 1:19).

Our Lord does interpret part of that vision for John and for us (Revelation 1:20). And Revelation 12:9-12 is another place where God explains meanings to us. But the book as a whole is visions that John sees and in which he hears truths.

Revelation 1:20 says, “This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars [of Revelation 1:16] are the angels [pastors] of the seven churches. The seven lampstands of Revelation 1:12 are the seven churches [of Revelation chapters 2 and 3].”

So, in the vision there is a mystery, as in many visions. Jesus solves the mystery for John and for us. The seven stars are the messengers (pastors) of the seven churches. The seven lampstands are the seven Churches. By revealing this, our Lord explains the interpretative code of Revelation to John.

In Revelation chapters 2-3 our Lord told John that the messages to the Churches were from Him. Jesus opened each letter by naming Himself as the chief person of the vision of Revelation 1:12-16. He then gave a message to a Church. He described Himself symbolically, using the word pictures in the vision of Chapter 1:12-16.

Thus, it would be wrong to interpret something in a Revelation vision literally unless it is obvious that it is not a picture of truth. Use Scripture to interpret visions.

If we think any Old Testament Scripture needs a literal millennium, we are defying the laws of the science of Biblical interpretation. We cannot create another dispensation to compensate for our lack of understanding prophecy. The New Testament narratives interpret the Old Testament for us. All we must do is to do a study of quotes from the Old Testament in the New Testament. It is all there for us to understand.

THE NEW TESTAMENT TEACHES US HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE OLD TESTAMENT.

So, by example, our Lord is telling us that we must interpret the visions of Revelation symbolically, like Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream of seven skinny cows and seven fat cows (Genesis 41:4-27). Joseph is not teaching Pharaoh that there will be seven thin and seven plump cows in the new Egypt.

Our Master Jesus did not tell us anything about Himself in the symbols of Revelation chapters 1-3 that the rest of Scripture did not teach also. By that, He gave us an example of how to interpret visions.

In Genesis God told Joseph the meanings of dreams and Joseph relayed that to Pharaoh. So, God’s word is the best interpreter of visions.

We must follow in Jesus’ steps. We interpret the symbolic pictures of Revelation using the word of God. By that, we are interpreting per the oracles of God.

Jesus already has the devil bound. Proof is that there are numerous Jewish and Gentile Christians in the world today. To know that Jesus bound the devil, simply look within your own heart. Christians are not idolators as Old Testament Gentiles were when the devil dominated them.

We still struggle with idolatry (38). But God changed our hearts so that we know our Lord Jesus Christ. We refuse to worship a rank idol like Old Testament Gentiles did.

BINDING THE DEVIL SO HE COULD NOT DECEIVE THE GENTILES

When contending for the truth we must fight in the strength of our Lord. That strength is part of the chain that binds the devil. The chain itself is symbolic. No literal chain can bind a spirit being like the devil.

Ephesians 6:10 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”

The strength of our Lord is clear in that He has already bound the devil for us. We do not cause our Lord to bind the devil for us. Such is the power of Satan that we would not even be able to believe the Gospel had our Lord not already bound Satan for us. Jesus prevents the devil from being able to deceive Gentile believers (Revelation 20:4).

Revelation 20:2-3 says, “He [Christ] seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations (39) until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period.”

To understand the meaning of the one thousand years, please consult our link below:

https://www.williamrandolphpublishing.com/prophecy/the-binding-of-satan

TABULAR VIEW OF THE BINDING OF THE DEVIL SO HE COULD NOT DECEIVE THE GENTILES

Jesus did not bind the devil during Old Testament times (40).  Satan kept deceiving the Gentiles during OT times. Satan had Gentiles deceived into idolatry.	Jesus bound the devil at His cross so Satan could not deceive believing Gentiles (John 12:31). Note that the word “nations” of Revelation 20:3 is ἔθνη or ethne. We translate it both as “nations” or as “Gentiles” in the New Testament.	Jesus will release the devil so he can once again deceive the nations.  Revelation 20:3 says, “After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.” The fulfillment of this may be the one world Tower of Babel called Communism, the one world atheistic government
Acts 17:30 says, “Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.	John 12:31 says, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out.”	Revelation 20:7 says, “When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison.” It appears that God is releasing Satan today to blind the entire world.
Acts 14:16 says, “In past generations, He let all nations go their own way.”  So, the devil was free to deceive the Gentiles into idolatry. That was what he did with the nations of the world.	Revelation 12:9 says, “And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.”	Revelation 20:8 says, “and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle.” The battle is probably a spiritual one that will produce many martyrs. Jesus asked, “when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?” The answer is “yes.”
Before our Lord saved us, the devil had enslaved all Jews and Gentiles like he enslaved all Gentiles in the Old Testament times (Ephesians 2:1-3).	God, having united us to Christ before creation (Ephesians 1:4), let us die with Jesus at the cross and rise again with Him.	At the very end of the Church Age, just prior to our Lord’s return, it appears that God will stop saving people. Perhaps this is the imminent part of the Lord’s return.
Ephesians 2:1-3 says, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.”	Ephesians 2:4-6 says, “But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”	There will be a spiritual war by Gog & Magog, (who symbolize the hordes of unbelievers) against our Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. Of course, our Lord will win that war. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 says, “The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder, 10and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. 11For this reason God will send them a powerful delusion (41) so that they believe the lie (42), 12in order that judgment may come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness.”

Could you, in the light of Ephesians 2:1-3 have had the power to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ? No!!! Ephesians 2:3 says that you were by nature a child of wrath. You must change your nature to believe in Jesus Christ. You were an object of God’s wrath. He was angry with you every day. John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

Ephesians 2:1-3 says, “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.”

So, we ask, what is the difference between the devil’s work in the sons of disobedience and his work in saved persons’ lives?

The answer is in the following:

BINDING AND LOOSING THE DEVIL FOR UNBELIEVERS

The answer is that God is both binding and loosing the devil and his demonic forces even on unbelievers.

And we ask, why is the devil still the ruler of the power of the air if Jesus cast him down?

The answer is that the devil still rules the demons. But he can only do what God allows him to do. In Revelation 9:1-12 God lets Satan have the key to the Abyss [bottomless pit]. He opens it and lets hordes of demons out so that they can torment unbelievers. So, God allows the tormenting but does not cause it. And God limits the tormenting to 5 months. He does not allow the unbelievers to die.

The point is that, while the demons can torture, they can only do what God permits. And He is restraining them.

In that sense, God is restraining the sin and the suffering of the unbelievers. Another way to say that is that He is binding the devil. It is the same truth as in Romans 1:18-24.

CASTING THE DEVIL OUT OF THE WORLD

John 12:31 says, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.”

From the standpoint of Christians, the binding of the devil is the same as casting him out of their world.

From the standpoint of the demonic rulers of the Gentile nations who rule earth from Heaven (Daniel 10:12-13, 20-21,) the binding is the same as casting them down to the earth (Revelation 12:7-9).

From the standpoint of the devil and his deception of Gentiles, he is in the Abyss. He can no longer do what he does best [really worst], deceiving people into staying lost. So, in the picture of Revelation 20:1-8 God binds him, then unbinds him. He has no ability to overpower the power of the chain. In that sense he is in the Abyss. But he is not in the abyss in every sense.

Visions are like parables in that we must interpret them to know their meanings. If we say that because Jesus comes as a thief in the night, that He is a thief, we are interpreting the parable literally. But parables usually have only one major truth that they drive home to the hearers. It is the same with symbols.

In Revelation 20:1-8 the point is that God opened the floodgate of salvation for the Gentiles by binding the devil against being able to deceive them. And this was at the ascension and enthronement of Christ. But later, He will reverse that for a brief time. It is another way of proving that salvation is by grace through faith. It is nothing that we do. Jesus is sovereign even over the devil.

As of the ascension and enthronement of Christ, the principalities and powers cannot stop anyone who died with Christ at the cross from responding to God’s call to salvation. God saves us by grace through faith.

From the standpoint of Christians, the binding is knowing that we have the authority over Satan. We must know that no power of Satan or man can stop us (Ephesians 1:19-21). We have only to know, believe, and use the power of the resurrection, ascension, and enthronement of our Lord. That is true as we submit to His will.

Ephesians 1:19-21 says we must know, “the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength, 20which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”

From the standpoint of Christians who, before their salvation feared death, Jesus, by His death destroyed the devil who had the power of death (Hebrews 2:14-15).

No one can have the spiritual freedom to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior unless our Lord binds Satan for him first.

Notice in Revelation 20:1-3 that our Lord does not bind the devil entirely. He binds Satan only so that he cannot deceive the Gentiles like he did in the Old Testament times. And even in those days, Satan could not deceive gentiles like Rahab and Ruth.

God protected Gentiles Rahab and Ruth because they died with Christ at the cross.

If you are a Christian, Jesus saves you by dying on the cross for you. He also binds the devil so that you may have the spiritual freedom to believe that God resurrected Jesus from the dead. Otherwise, the devil takes you captive any time he wants (Ephesians 2:2; 2 Timothy 2:26).

If you are not a Christian, you are in Satan’s clutches now. Come humbly to our Lord Jesus by faith. Turn away from your sin and trust Him as your Master and Savior from sin and Satan. He promises to receive you as His forgiven child. Bow to Him as your Lord. Resolve to always follow Him. Believe in Him with all your heart!

Jesus bound, is binding, and will yet bind the devil. So, below please find how He uses us in His second phase of defeating the devil. That is now. Learn that unless you overcome the devil in Jesus’ binding power, you are Satan’s victim.

THE PRACTICAL USE OF THE BINDING OF THE DEVIL

TABULAR VIEW OF THE PRACTICAL USE OF THE BINDING OF THE DEVIL

Mattthew 12:29 says,	“How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.”	Our Lord Jesus bound the devil so He could evict a demon. (43) In the same manner He binds Satan so that he cannot deceive us into rejecting Christ. Every piece of armor that we take is part of the chain with which Jesus binds Satan.
Ephesians 6:10 says,	Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. The armor and the chain are emblems of the same strength of our Lord.	Jesus is the stronger man who bound the devil by dying for us (Matthew 12:29). But we must not fight in our own power We must be strong in the Lord and in His mighty [binding] power.
Ephesians 6:11 says,	“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.”	The Christian must put on the full armor of God. Every piece of it comes from the cross and from the chain. We must wear it all because the devil attacks our weakest point. We will stand strong in our Lord’s power if we do not neglect even one piece of it.
Ephesians 6:12 says,	“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”	Christians do not fight people. We fight an army of powerful demons. We are in a spiritual battle. If we do not use this armor, we become victims of demons.  To employ the pieces of armor, we know, trust, and obey God in each area below.
Ephesians 6:13 says,	“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.”	This is the second emphasis on taking the “full armor” of God. If we do not use it all, we lose.  Days of evil will come. We must be ready to defeat the devil with every piece of armor. We win because Jesus bound the devil.
Ephesians 6:14a says,	“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist.”	Christians must be people of God’s truth.  Jesus quoted truth to the devil to ward off his attacks of false doctrine. We must do the same.
Ephesians 6:14b says,	“Stand firm with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed”	Believe in God’s imputed righteousness. If the devil can get us to doubt that God is treating us as righteous persons, he wins. Believe in God’s imparted righteousness. Satan will remove your service to God if you have a bad reputation. We must choose righteousness and live it. God uses clean vessels. His children must be clean.
Ephesians 6:15 says,	“And with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace.”	We must be ready always to give an answer about why we know God saved us (1 Peter 3:15). Be sure to include the Gospel of peace in that answer. Strong stability comes to us through evangelizing others.
Ephesians 6:16 says,	“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”	The devil will shoot arrows of doubt at us. Trusting God and His truth is the shield that we need. Fight the good fight of faith. False doctrine burns us. Faith in Jesus puts out the flame. Believe this post.
Ephesians 6:17a says,	“And take the helmet of salvation”	Power is in being sure that God has saved you. You need a helmet. Understand that God has saved you, is saving you, and will yet save you. Sin will remove your assurance of salvation. So, repent quickly. Confess your sins to God. Save your head.
Ephesians 6:17b says,	“Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”	If you have an atomic bomb to defend yourself, you are usually safe. But if you know God’s word you can win spiritual battles. You must know how and when to use the word of God. Learn it, know it, and use it offensively and defensively (2 Timothy 3:16). Know your weapon.
Ephesians 6:18 says,	“Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.”	Use every kind of prayer. Be alert for the devil’s schemes. Confront them with prayerful truth. God bound, is binding, and will yet bind the devil. Pray for the saints when the devil moves them away from Christ. Watch your Christian life to see if you are persevering (1 Thessalonians 5:4-11).
Ephesians 6:19 says,	“Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel”	Pray that your preacher may have all this armor. Church leaders are the special focus of the wiles of the devil. God will hear and give your preacher power and freedom in the Spirit. But we must keep praying for him. Though Jesus already bound the devil in one sense, He is now using us to pray for more binding.

Conclude that you, when under attack by the devil and his followers are not alone. God tells you to be strong in our Lord’s power. God illustrates that power as a chain that is confining Satan in the Abyss. Satan is like a vicious pit bulldog on a chain. He gives us access to that chain by using the teachings of His word to overcome the devil. That is what we have in the third column of the table above. May God help you to be victorious over the devil, not in your own strength, but in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For the more detailed explanation of Revelation 20:1-3 please click the link below:

https://www.williamrandolphpublishing.com/prophecy/the-binding-of-satan

Multiple well-meaning Christians misinterpret Revelation 20:1-6 and then force everything else in the Bible to conform to the misinterpretation.

TIPS ON INTERPRETING THE VISIONS OF REVELATION 20:1-8

Revelation 20 consists of visions that God gave to John. We should never base a doctrine on an uninterpreted vision or dream. We can best interpret visions from the rest of the Bible.

Think of Pharaoh’s dream of seven skinny cows who devoured seven fat cows (Genesis 41:1-4). If that were in the Book of Revelation, how would well-meaning people interpret it? Literally? God forbid!!!

God told Joseph the right interpretation of it. Then Joseph relayed to Pharaoh the correct meaning – that there would be seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine.

The emaciated cows symbolized 7 years of famine. The fat cows symbolized seven years of plenty of food (Genesis 41:17-32).

So, Joseph gave Pharaoh the symbolic interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream. Only Joseph had the answer to its meaning because obviously God told him. It could not be that he was naturally more intelligent than others. God providentially arranged this to promote Joseph as a ruler in Egypt.

The Bible is God’s word. It has the meanings of dreams and visions. So, look to the Bible to understand the 1000-year reign of Christ. Do not lean to your own understanding.

In our post entitled “THE REIGN OF THE SAINTS” please find Revelation 20:4-6 as the Bible interprets it. Click the link below to see that post.

https://www.williamrandolphpublishing.com/prophecy/the-reign-of-the-saints

And in our post entitled “NEW TESTAMENT TIMELINES OF THE FUTURE” please find what the New Testament says about the progression of things to come first, second, third, et cetera. If you want to, click the link below:

https://www.williamrandolphpublishing.com/prophecy/new-testament-timelines

If you know the Scriptures that spell out the timeline of the future, you know that the popular view of the millennium as some godly Christians teach it, is out of place. Please click the link below for your convenience.

https://www.williamrandolphpublishing.com/prophecy/new-testament-timelines

There you will find that the right interpretation of Revelation 20:1-6 is the same as all the verbal New Testament timelines and Daniel 9:24. Revelation 20:1-6 does not create a new dispensation.

For further study on this please visit this site again to view the correct interpretation of Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks.

Remember that the whole Bible is about our Lord Jesus Christ, His death for sinners, His resurrection from the dead with saints in Him, His ascension into Heaven, His rule of earth from Heaven, and His second coming to judge the living and the dead, the saved and the lost.

Ask yourself how the binding of the devil of Revelation 20:1-8 fits into that.

Please also read the entire New Testament to see how Christ and His apostles interpreted Old Testament prophecies.

We do not wish for anyone to believe what we write unless it is the teaching of the Bible. But we must read without the bias imposed upon us by tradition or well-meaning saints.

And remember to study the Bible in the method of Acts 17:11, which says, “Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.”

When we study God’s word, we must not believe what any man says, even if it is yours truly. But God does give teachers as gifts to the Church. To avoid God’s gifted teachers and their writings is not wise. It is also folly to trust them as the final authority on God’s word, no matter how popular they are.

When we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, our Lord will expect us to have filtered out what others teach that is incorrect. We cannot blame our sins on someone else.

Jesus warned us against peer pressure, saying in John 5:44, “How can you believe if you accept glory from one another, yet do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

And God admonishes us not to trust in any man. Jeremiah 17:5 says, “…Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength…”

If your goal is to please God above all others, He will lead you into all truth. Pray about it. Whose approval you seek matters very much to our Lord Jesus and to our Father in Heaven.

Our beliefs glorify God if they are true. Whatever you do, be ready for our Lord’s coming!!! Especially if your timeline of the future is incorrect, confusion may overtake you.

FINAL APPEAL TO UNBELIEVERS

If you are not a Christian, you have no armor to protect yourself. Come humbly to our Lord and seek His mercy. God promised to justify you if you turn from your sin and trust in our Lord Jesus the Messiah. Read Luke 18:9-14 below:

Luke 18:9-14 says, “To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the other men—swindlers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and pay tithes of all that I acquire.’ 
13But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ 14I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

End Notes:

(1) Some denominations teach perfection in salvation. That is, they believe that when God has saved a person, he does not sin. Others teach that when a saved person is in the Spirit, he is perfect. These are forms of perfectionism. Note that when Christians interpret the binding of Revelation 20:1-8 as complete binding all at once, it is a form of perfectionism. Such teaching is false doctrine.

(2) Hebrews 2:14 says, “by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil”

(3) The full text of Hebrews 2:14 says, “Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,”

(4) 1 John 4:4 says, “You, little children, are from God and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

(5) 1 John 3:8 says, “The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the very start. This is why the Son of God was revealed, to destroy the works of the devil.”

(6) 1 John 3:2 says, “Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is.”

(7) Revelation 20:8 says, “And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time.”

(8) John 12:31 says, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the prince of this world will be cast out.”

(9) 2 Timothy 2:26 says, “Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.”

(10) Justification is an act of God whereby He credits the sinner with God’s own righteousness (Romans 4:3- 8).

(11) Sanctification is a continuous act of God in which He transforms a sinner into the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28-30).

(12) Glorification is an act of God in which He finishes His work of changing the sinner into the holy image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:30).

(13) Matthew 12:29 says, “Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.” ESV Context: Our Lord had healed a man who was demon possessed, blind and mute. Pharisees said Jesus did it by the devil’s power. Jesus said He had bound Satan first, so that He could do the miracle. Satan is the strong man; Jesus is the stronger man.

(14) Revelation 12:8-9 says, “But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels. 9And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”

(15) John 12:31b says, “now the prince of this world will be cast out.” Note: The devil had captured the whole world by getting Adam, its leader to sin. Jesus, the last Adam captured the world back by one act of righteousness (dying for sinners) (Romans 5:18-19). So, our Lord cast the devil out by dying for His people.

(16) Colossians 2:15 says, “”And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

(17) Hebrews 2:14 says, “Now since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil,”

(18) Revelation 12:11 says, “They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” Note that the blood of Christ is not an amulet or rabbits foot. It makes a real atonement.
(19) Calvinists believe that our Lord Jesus put away all sin by dying for the sinner and sending the Holy Spirit to give the elect person saving faith. Arminians believe that Jesus died for all the sins of all people but did not satisfy God for the sin of unbelief. For that the sinner satisfies God by believing in Jesus Christ in the Arminian scheme.

(20) Hebrews 9:26 says, “Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Note: The Bible says that the sacrifice of Christ did away with sin. But some godly Christians say that His sacrifice did not do away with sin. The latter is not true. It is not by the sacrifice of Christ and anything else. Jesus paid it all.

(21) Our Lord causes us to believe mystically, while not forcing us to believe against our own will.

(22) God loves everyone. He pleads with us to turn from our sin and believe on Christ. He warns us of the dangers of sin and promises us eternal life if we turn away from sin and believe in Jesus for salvation. But, through it all, He gives faith as a gift to those who die to themselves by repenting and believing in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is in Christ. To know Him by faith is to have salvation.

(23) The issue is whether or not the sacrifice of Christ by itself completely satisfy God or does it only make it possible for God to save people because of something else. Does Jesus do it all at His cross or do; we by believing add to His atonement? Does God require believing as part of the atonement or does our Lord even die for the sin of unbelief? Did Jesus die only for all sins except unbelief? Does our repentance and faith placate God or does it only partially satisfy God? It is not whether we must believe. It is whether faith comes from the fully placated God as a gift to us. The truth is that faith is God’s gift (Ephesians 2:8-9) and there is nothing that we can do that helps our Lord Jesus satisfy God for our sins (Romans 3:25-26). He redeemed us by His blood shed for us. We can add nothing to that. God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4). And Jesus redeemed us by His blood, not by His blood plus our faith (Ephesians 1:7). Grace, which comes from the blood of Jesus having satisfied God for us, gives us faith. We were in Christ when He died at the cross. We died with Him in God’s mind even though we were still in our sins until it pleased God to regenerate us by grace through faith. Ephesians 2:4-5 attributes our regeneration to us having been in Christ when He resurrected from the dead. He did something for us at the cross that He did not do for those who go to hell. He took our place on the cross.

(24) Ephesians 2:5-6 says, “made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! 6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”

(25)Premillennialists believe that God will bind the devil in the abyss during the 1000 years. They think that the devil will have no influence whatsoever on people during the millennium as they understand it..

(26) Revelation 20:7-8 says, “When the thousand years are complete, Satan will be released from his prison, 8and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.”

(27) So, pre-millennialists have two tribulations even though 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 and Revelation 20:7-9 say the same truth.

(28) Revelation 12:11 says, “They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.” The blood of Christ is not a “good luck charm.” It completely satisfied God for our sins. The word “of their testimony” does not add to that satisfaction. The “word of their testimony” proves that they belong to Jesus and that He satisfied God for them. Part of personal salvation is that a true Christian will testify unto death. Mark 8:35 says, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the gospel will save it.”

(29) Revelation 3:21 says, “To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”

(30) The word “soon” does not mean “suddenly.” It is the prepositional phrase ἐν τάχει It literally means “In quickness,” “not suddenly but soon as in most English translations. It is the Greek word from which we derive the English word taxi. Taxi cab companies do not advertise that they will come “suddenly.” They want us to know, by calling their cars taxis that they will come “soon,” or literally “in quickness. Jesus uses the same prepositional phrase in Revelation 22:6b, as follows, “The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon [en taxei or in quickness or soon] take place.” It is not “suddenly” as if it were an adverb. The preposition is en, which is “in.” The noun is “taxei,” which is the direct object of the verb deixei, which is the aorist infinitive active form of deiknumi which means to show. So, “en” taxei” is the locative form of the object of the preposition. It therefore means literally, “in quickness,” or “soon.” as in most translations.

(31) The seven movements in Revelation from the first coming of Christ to His second coming are in chapters 1-3, 4-7, 8-11, 12-14, 15-16, 17-19, 20-22. For this please see William Hendriksen in his commentary on Revelation entitled “More Than Conquerors” Third printing by Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506, 216 pages. Copyrights 1940, 1947.

(32) John Gill in his Baptist Commentary, commenting on Acts 2:17 says, “and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy: or foretell things to come, as Agabus, and the four daughters of Philip the Evangelist, Acts 21:9.”

(33) John Gill ibid “and your young men shall see visions; as Ananias, Acts 9:10, and Peter, Acts 10:17 and Paul when a young man, Acts 22:17 and John, the youngest of the apostles, Revelation 1:10 though he was in years, when he saw the visions in the Revelation:”

(34) John Gill ibid “and your old men shall dream dreams; or shall have night visions, as Paul at Troas, Acts 16:9 and in his voyage when at sea, Acts 27:23. The order of the words is inverted, this last clause stands first in Joel; perhaps the change is made, because the apostles were young men, on whom the Spirit was poured; and the thing was the more wonderful that so it should be, than if they had been old men,”

(35) To read the rest of John Gill’s Baptist Commentary on Acts 2:18-20 explaining the fulfillment of the rest of the Joel 2:28 prophecy, please click the following link: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/acts/2.htm And, the book is Gill, John D.D. “Exposition of the Old and New Testaments” Vol. 8 Printed for Matthews, Leigh, Strand, London,1809 Reprinted 1989 by The Baptist Standard Bearer, Paris Arkansas. It bears the Waldensian Emblem. See page 155.

(36) Job 1:2 says, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,”

(37) 1 Corinthians 10:11 says, “Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.”

(38) Colossians 3:5 says, “Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.” Notice that true Christians are free from idolatry but still have part of the earthly nature, which is idolatrous.

(39) The word “nations” in Revelation 20:3 is the Greek ἔθνη or ethne. It is “nations” from the standpoint of the Jews, which is “Gentiles.” From this Greek word we derive the English word “ethnic.”

(40) That is, Jesus did not bind the devil for the masses of Gentiles. But we believe that when He saved a Gentile, like Rahab the Harlot, He had to have bound the devil for her so that she could believe (Hebrews 11:31).

(41) God will send them a strong delusion, not by personally deceiving them, but by removing the binding so that Satan can do the deceiving.

(42) The lie is probably the one world deception of atheistic communism. It looks like the worship of the state in a one world government.

(43) Matthew 12:22 says, “Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed the man so that he could speak and see.” The Pharisees accused our Lord of casting out the demon by the power of the devil. Jesus gave a parable in the form of a question. One cannot enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first binds the strong man who owns the house. The house was the world. The strong man was the devil. The devil’s possessions were the people Satan had incarcerated in the house. Jesus’ point was that He, the Stronger Man, had bound the strong man (Satan) first so that He (Jesus) could evict the demon. Jesus bound Satan for those of us who died in Christ at the cross. His death counted for us. Our faith did not atone for our sins. God saved us by His grace through faith. Saving faith is a gift of God that comes from the fully satisfied God.