The binding of Satan.
If Satan is already bound as amillennialists claim, why is there so much deception in the world?
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old – who is the Devil and Satan –
and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. Rev 20:1-3
We should note two preliminary observations here:
1) A face value reading of these three verses conveys the total restraint of Satan.
2) Whenever the use of “bottomless pit” (or abyss) is used in the New Testament, it is always a separate location to the earth’s surface (Luke 8:31; Rom 10:7; Rev 9:1, 2, 11; 11:7; 17:8).
Premillennialists see the binding of Satan as a future event where the devil is fully incarcerated in such a way that he has no influence in world events during this period. In contrast amillennialists reject a literal, physical future millennium. They claim this world is currently experiencing a spiritual millennium and that Satan is bound now. If Satan is bound, how can amillennialists then justify Rev 20:1-2 based upon what we see in the world today?
In his book A Case for Amillennialism Kim Riddlebarger attempts some responses. He acknowledges the perceived problem and writes:
The apostle John told us in Revelation 20 what this binding of Satan actually entails. Confined to the abyss, the devil is no longer free to deceive the nations until he is released before the end (20:3). This does not mean that the binding of Satan prevents all forms of satanic activity in this age. (p 242)
Riddlebarger asserts this means that Satan’s continuing attempts to organize the nations against Christ and His kingdom are being restrained until he is released from the abyss (p 243). In doing so Riddlebarger changes the plain meaning of Rev 20:1-3. The text does not say that Satan is only kept from gathering the nations to an eschatological war. While that is the case for the moment, this restraint does not keep him from currently deceiving the nations.
In the previous page Riddlebarger implies the premillennial view is incorrect because it faces the problem of the presence of evil in the millennium after Christ’s return. How can there be evil if Satan is bound?
However we know that Christ will rule the kingdom with a rod of iron (Rev 19:15). Can anyone honestly say that this is the case now? Is this as good as it gets? The presence of evil during the millennium poses no problem for premillennialism. Jeremiah 17:9 and Proverbs 19:3 tell us something of our nature. See also Romans 7. In his carnal condition man does not need Satan to cause him to sin.
Amillennialists also claim that Rev 20 is a recapitulation of earlier events. Hence they argue that Satan gathers the nations after he is loosed (Rev 20:7). This runs contrary to the chronological reading of the verses which have Satan gathering the nations prior to his binding (Rev 16:16).
Note that dispensational premillennialists are often criticized for claiming to take Revelation literally but not doing so consistently. In fact we understand that Revelation contains symbolic elements. See HERE.
However, amillennialists tend to arbitrarily allegorize whatever doesn’t literally dovetail with their scheme. A classic example is their need to spiritualize the resurrection in Rev 20:4. They argue that this resurrection really means spiritual regeneration (born again, rebirth). This doesn’t make sense because you then have a case where saints are spiritually regenerated after they are beheaded. Of course one can go ahead and spiritualize the beheading as well.
Following are two responses to the amillennial apologetic of the binding of Satan.
The first one is from Matt Waymeyer:
Revelation 20 is generally viewed as a crux interpretum in the debate over the timing and nature of the millennium. In verses 1–3, the apostle John describes a vision in which Satan is bound and imprisoned in the abyss for a thousand years. Premillennialists consider this passage to be compelling evidence for a future millennium, because this restriction of Satan is clearly incompatible with his activity and influence in the present age. In contrast, amillennialists believe that Satan is currently bound in the abyss and therefore that the millennium of Revelation 20 is a present reality. As evidence for their view, amillennialists generally point to the significance of the abyss, the purpose of the binding, and parallel passages in the New Testament which are said to shed light on the meaning of John’s vision. But a careful evaluation of these three arguments demonstrates that the case for amillennial view cannot be sustained and therefore that the binding of Satan must be future, just as premillennialism teaches…keep reading
The second, briefer response is by Michael Vlach:
One distinctive of amillennial theology is the belief that Satan is bound during this present age. This belief stems from an interpretation that sees the binding of Satan described in Revelation 20:1-3 as being fulfilled today. The purpose of this work is to examine the amillennial view of Revelation 20:1-3 and address the question, “Is Satan bound today?” In doing this, our evaluation will include the following: 1) a brief definition of amillennialism; 2) a look at the amillennial approach to interpreting Revelation; 3) an explanation and analysis of the amillennial view of Revelation 20:1-3; and 4) some concluding thoughts…keep reading
Further reading:
A Critical Review of Sam Storms’ Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative
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