Satan bound for 1000 years?

[mikebr]

The bible teaches that Satan will be bound for a thousand years. This implies that God can stop Satan. My question(s)........If God is not using Satan for His eternal purposes why doesn't He bound Him now and Why would He ever let him go once He did?

[mike1983]

If God removes evil, He would remove almost all people with it, since they have evil (satan) within them. God loves us so much, that He gives us more time to repent!

Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

God bless!

[mikebr]

If God removes evil, He would remove almost all people with it, since they have evil (satan) within them. God loves us so much, that He gives us more time to repent!

Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

God bless!

Not sure I agree with the whole "more time to repent" deal. What about folks that died yesterday?

[mike1983]

Not sure I agree with the whole "more time to repent" deal. What about folks that died yesterday?

They were either saved or they were not
But God is just and gives everyone his fair chances.

I just meant God set the time (7 days/7000 years) for the world, to repent as humanity. If He removed the tares (evil) sometimes in between, the wheat (Gods people) hasn't been fullgrown yet, and would been taken with the tares.

[RogerW]

The bible teaches that Satan will be bound for a thousand years. This implies that God can stop Satan. My question(s)........If God is not using Satan for His eternal purposes why doesn't He bound Him now and Why would He ever let him go once He did?

I realize this is probably a reply that will send this to end times but I am curious as to why you speak of the binding of Satan in a future sense?

Blessings,
RW

[A820djd]

They were either saved or they were not
But God is just and gives everyone his fair chances.

I just meant God set the time (7 days/7000 years) for the world, to repent as humanity. If He removed the tares (evil) sometimes in between, the wheat (Gods people) hasn't been fullgrown yet, and would been taken with the tares.

Uhm, what do you mean 7,000 years? Does that mean the world will end in the year 3000? lol

[OldChurchGuy]

The bible teaches that Satan will be bound for a thousand years. This implies that God can stop Satan. My question(s)........If God is not using Satan for His eternal purposes why doesn't He bound Him now and Why would He ever let him go once He did?

Much depends on you interpret the Bible. Notice, for example, Satan in the Hebrew Bible (aka the Old Testament) has an article before the name. So the proper title is "the Satan" which translates as "the accuser". Notice also, in the Hebrew Bible, the Satan is depicted as being a part of God's heavenly court (see Job, chapter 1). The Satan's job in the Hebrew Bible seemed to be similar to a prosecuting attorney by keeping track of people and their actions then presenting information to God.

The evil, conspiring, titanic battle between God and Satan we have come to know appears in the New Testament. It is my understanding there is approximately a 300 year gap between the last writing of the Hebrew Bible and the time of the New Testament writings.

There is a theory that this change in perception of the Satan can be traced back to the Persians. When the Persians conquered the Babylonians, the Persians released the Jewish leaders of the Southern Kingdom who had been captive in Babylon. Prior to their release, the Jewish leaders were exposed to the Persian belief that the world is divided in two spiritual camps. A camp of good and a camp of evil. Both camps are fighting for control of the earth and it's people.

The view worked out well for the Jewish leaders who were trying to understand how they as the chosen people were conquered by the Babylonians. The idea that at least some if not all the blame for being conquered by the Babylonians could be applied to the Satan was very appealing. Thus, by the time of the New Testament writings, the Satan was protrayed as an evil force trying to conquer the world.

On the other hand, there is the passage from Isaiah 45:7 which reads in the King James version:

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

This creating evil would seem to imply creating the Satan so, since God created it, God is responsible for evil, and God can do whatever God wants to do with evil including binding or unbinding.

There are probably many other views and understandings. May your quest for understanding yield much fruit.

As always,

OldChurchGuy

[mike1983]

Uhm, what do you mean 7,000 years? Does that mean the world will end in the year 3000? lol

Yup...

Not exactly 3000 but around that. The 1000 years rule of Christ is the "sabbath millenium" after which the current heaven and earth will go away. ("Elements shall melt"). If you want a better answer, post your question in the end-times forum.

God bless!

[mikebr]

The bible teaches that Satan will be bound for a thousand years. This implies that God can stop Satan. My question(s)........If God is not using Satan for His eternal purposes why doesn't He bound Him now and Why would He ever let him go once He did?

My question was is Satan just a tool of God that he uses for his eternal purposes. If God can stop him and He don't then he must be using him for His purpose.

[mikebr]

Much depends on you interpret the Bible. Notice, for example, Satan in the Hebrew Bible (aka the Old Testament) has an article before the name. So the proper title is "the Satan" which translates as "the accuser". Notice also, in the Hebrew Bible, the Satan is depicted as being a part of God's heavenly court (see Job, chapter 1). The Satan's job in the Hebrew Bible seemed to be similar to a prosecuting attorney by keeping track of people and their actions then presenting information to God.

The evil, conspiring, titanic battle between God and Satan we have come to know appears in the New Testament. It is my understanding there is approximately a 300 year gap between the last writing of the Hebrew Bible and the time of the New Testament writings.

There is a theory that this change in perception of the Satan can be traced back to the Persians. When the Persians conquered the Babylonians, the Persians released the Jewish leaders of the Southern Kingdom who had been captive in Babylon. Prior to their release, the Jewish leaders were exposed to the Persian belief that the world is divided in two spiritual camps. A camp of good and a camp of evil. Both camps are fighting for control of the earth and it's people.

The view worked out well for the Jewish leaders who were trying to understand how they as the chosen people were conquered by the Babylonians. The idea that at least some if not all the blame for being conquered by the Babylonians could be applied to the Satan was very appealing. Thus, by the time of the New Testament writings, the Satan was protrayed as an evil force trying to conquer the world.

On the other hand, there is the passage from Isaiah 45:7 which reads in the King James version:

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

This creating evil would seem to imply creating the Satan so, since God created it, God is responsible for evil, and God can do whatever God wants to do with evil including binding or unbinding.

There are probably many other views and understandings. May your quest for understanding yield much fruit.

As always,

OldChurchGuy

Never heard this but its closer to what the thrust of my question was. Thanks

[Mograce2U]

Not sure I agree with the whole "more time to repent" deal. What about folks that died yesterday?

Maybe these will help:

(Mark 6:12 KJV) And they went out, and preached that men should repent.

(Acts 17:30-31 KJV) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: {31} Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

(2 Pet 3:9 KJV) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

[drutland]

God created all things and he is all knowing, so yeah, Satan is serving Gods purposes. It is hard to understand, God, whos nature is good, has created his opposite. How can good create evil? I don't think God asks us to understand this. He only expects us to choose sides.
David

[revrobor]

The bible teaches that Satan will be bound for a thousand years. This implies that God can stop Satan. My question(s)........If God is not using Satan for His eternal purposes why doesn't He bound Him now and Why would He ever let him go once He did?

Satan will be bound during the Millennial Kingdom. To get an answer to your whys you'll have to ask God as our answers here are only conjecture at best since we don't know the mind of God.

[David Taylor]

I did alot of research on the topic of 'the Binding of Satan' a couple years ago, and it was interesting enough to me, to do some research on how that view is held today, compared to how it was held and taught by the early Christian writers.

I spent alot of time querying and digging through the ancient writings found in the Calvin College Library, as well as other similar sources of ancient Christian writings.

I focused first on the pre-400 A.D. era writings...pretty much everything that was ante-nicene. Then, I spent time also, comparing that to the Christian writers up through the Reformation, from 1000 A.D. until the 19th century.

Here is what they wrote, concerning 'the Binding of Satan', and how that was interpretted by the early Christian Church.

I hope it is worthwhile to those interested in this topic.


The Binding of Satan: ECF through to 19th Century Record Pre-400 AD Church Fathers - On the Binding of Satan (Revelation 20)




Irenaeus, (130-200 AD)
Bishop of Lyons, Book 3, C.VIII
"when He spoke of the devil as strong, not absolutely so, but as in comparison with us, the Lord showed Himself under every aspect and truly to be the strong man, saying that one can in no other way "spoil the goods of a strong man, if he do not first bind the strong man himself, and then he will spoil his house." Now we were the vessels and the house of this [strong man] when we were in a state of apostasy; for he put us to whatever use he pleased, and the unclean spirit dwelt within us. For he was not strong, as opposed to Him who bound him, and spoiled his house; If, then, he had not pointed out Him who binds and spoils his goods, but had merely spoken of him as being strong, the strong man should have been unconquered."

Irenaeus, (130- 200 AD)
Bishop of Lyons, Book 3, C.XX1
"and the apostate angel of God is destroyed by its voice, being exposed in his true colours, and vanquished by the Son of man keeping the commandment of God. For as in the beginning he enticed man to transgress his Maker's law, and thereby got him into his power; yet his power consists in transgression and apostasy, and with these he bound man [to himself]; so again, on the other hand, it was necessary that through man himself he should, when conquered, be bound with the same chains with which he had bound man, in order that man, being set free, might return to his Lord, leaving to him (Satan) those bonds by which he himself had been fettered, that is, sin. For when Satan is bound, man is set free; since "none can enter a strong man's house and spoil his goods, unless he first bind the strong man himself." The Lord therefore exposes him as speaking contrary to the word of that God who made all things, and subdues him by means of the commandment. After [the Man had done this], the Word bound him securely as a fugitive from Himself, and made spoil of his goods,-namely, those men whom he held in bondage, and whom he unjustly used for his own purposes. And justly indeed is he led captive, who had led men unjustly into bondage; while man, who had been led captive in times past, was rescued from the grasp of his possessor, according to the tender mercy of God the Father"




Anonymous, Acta Pilati, (150-255 AD)
Chapter 7 & 8
"And again there came the voice of the Son of the Father most high, as it were the voice of a great thunder, saying: Lift up your gates, ye princes; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting gates, and the King of glory will come in. Then Satan and Hades cried out, saying: Who is the king of glory? And it was answered to them in the voice of the Lord: The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

Then holy David, inflamed with anger against Satan, cried out aloud: Open thy gates, most vile wretch, that the King of glory may come in. In like manner also all the saints of God rose up against Satan, and would have seized him, and divided him among them. And again a cry was heard within: Lift up your gates, ye princes; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting gates; and the King of glory shall come in. Hades and Satan, at that clear voice, again asked, saying: Who is this king of glory? And it was said to them by that wonderful voice: The Lord of powers, He is the King of glory.

Chap. 8 (24).--And, behold, suddenly Hades trembled, and the gates of death and the bolts were shattered, and the iron bars were broken and fell to the ground, and everything was laid open. And Satan remained in the midst, and stood confounded and downcast, bound with fetters on his feet. And, behold, the Lord Jesus Christ, coming in the brightness of light from on high, compassionate, great, and lowly, carrying a chain in His hand, bound Satan by the neck; and again tying his hands behind him, dashed him on his back into Tartarus, and placed His holy foot on his throat, saying: Through all ages thou hast done many evils; thou hast not in any wise rested. To-day I deliver thee to everlasting fire. And Hades being suddenly summoned, He commanded him, and said: Take this most wicked and impious one, and have him in thy keeping even to that day in which I shall command thee. And he, as soon as he received him, was plunged under the feet of the Lord along with him into the depth of the abyss. "





Victorinus of Petau, (270 - 303 AD)
Commentary on the Apocalypse of the blessed John
"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a chain in his hand. And he held the dragon, that old serpent, which is called the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be finished: after this he must be loosed a little season." Those years wherein Satan is bound are in the first advent of Christ, even to the end of the age; and they are called a thousand, according to that mode of speaking, wherein a part is signified by the whole, just as is that passage, "the word which He commanded for a thousand generations,"69 although they are not a thousand. Moreover that he says, "and he cast him into the abyss," he says this, because the devil, excluded from the hearts of believers, began to take possession of the wicked, in whose hearts, blinded day by day, he is shut up as if in a profound abyss. And he shut him up, says he, and put a seal upon him, that he should not deceive the nations until the thousand years should be finished. "He shut the door upon him," it is said, that is, he forbade and restrained his seducing those who belong to Christ. Moreover, he put a seal upon him, because it is hidden who belong to the side of the devil, and who to that of Christ. Moreover, that he says that he is bound and shut up, that he may not seduce the nations, the nations signify the Church, seeing that of them it itself is formed"

"this is the true priest of Christ, and accomplishing the millenary number thoroughly, is thought to reign with Christ; and truly in his case the devil is bound. But he who is entangled in the vices and the dogmas of heretics, in his case the devil is loosed. But that it says that when the thousand years are finished he is loosed, so the number of the perfect saints being completed"







Ante Nicene Fathers (? to 325 AD)
VIII, Chapter VI, "The Descent of Christ into Hell"
"Thou wast nailed on the cross, and placed in the tomb; and now thou art free, and hast destroyed all our power. Art thou then the Jesus about whom the chief satrap Satan told us, that through cross and death thou art to inherit the whole world? Then the King of glory seized the chief satrap Satan by the head, and delivered him to His angels, and said: With iron chains bind his hands and his feet, and his neck, and his mouth. Then He delivered him to Hades, and said: Take him, and keep him secure till my second appearing."







Tyconius, (330 - 390 AD)
Commentary on Revelation, edited in English by Craig R. Koester
"the church had already entered the millennium. Rev 20:2 said that the millennium would begin when Satan was "bound" and Matt 12:29 said that Christ's exorcisms proved that he had already come to "bind" Satan and bring in the kingdom. By placing these texts together Tyconius concluded that the thousand-year kingdom began with the first advent of Christ. People entered this millennial kingdom through the "first resurrection" (Rev 20:4-6), which he identified with baptism; the second resurrection (20:11-13) would be the bodily resurrection at the end of time. The righteous and the unrighteous would exist side by side in the church even during this millennial period. Satan had been "bound" but would not be annihilated until the end."





Aurelius Augustin, (354 - 430 AD)
Bishop of Hippo, Psalm LXX, C.4
"There came to pass also that which was consequent; kings believed, peace was given to the Church, the Church began to be set in the highest place of dignity, even on this earth, even in this life: but there is not wanting the roar of persecutors, they have turned their assaults into thoughts. In these thoughts, as in a bottomless pit, the devil hath been bound, he roareth and breaketh not forth. For it hath been said concerning these times of the Church, "The sinner shall see, and shall be angry."

Aurelius Augustin, (354 - 430 AD)
Bishop of Hippo, XX, C.7 & 8
"The Lord Jesus Christ Himself says, "No man can enter into a strong man's house, and Spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man"32 -meaning by the strong man the devil, because he had power to take captive the human race; and meaning by his goods which he was to take, those who had been held by the devil in divers sins and iniquities, but were to become believers in Himself. It was then for the binding of this strong one that the apostle saw in the Apocalypse "an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a chain in his hand. And he laid hold," he says, "on the dragon, that old serpent, which is called the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,"-that is, bridled and restrained his power so that he could not seduce and gain possession of those who were to be freed. that is, which had yet to expire before the end of the world-a thousand years; or he used the thousand years as an equivalent for the whole duration of this world, employing the number of perfection to mark the fullness of time. And for the same reason we cannot better interpret the words of the psalm, "He hath been mindful of His covenant for ever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations,"35 than by understanding it to mean "to all generations."

"And he cast him into the abyss,"-i.e., cast the devil into the abyss. By the abyss is meant the countless multitude of the wicked whose hearts are unfathomably deep in malignity against the Church of God; not that the devil was not there before, but he is said to be cast in thither, because, when prevented from harming believers, he takes more complete possession of the ungodly. For that man is more abundantly possessed by the devil who is not only alienated from God, but also gratuitously hates those who serve God. "And shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled." "Shut him up,"-i.e., prohibited him from going out, from doing what was forbidden. And the addition of "set a seal upon him" seems to me to mean that it was designed to keep it a secret who belonged to the devil's party and who did not. But by the chain and prison-house of this interdict the devil is prohibited and restrained from seducing those nations which belong to Christ, but which he formerly seduced or held in subjection. For before the foundation of the world God chose to rescue these from the power of darkness, and to translate them into the kingdom of the Son of His love, as the apostle says.For it is as God, from whom nothing is hid even of things future, that the Lord knows them. The devil, then, is bound and shut up in the abyss that he may not seduce the nations from which the Church is gathered, and which he formerly seduced before the Church existed.

"After that," says John, "he must be loosed a little season." If the binding and shutting up of the devil means his being made unable to seduce the Church, must his loosing be the recovery of this ability? By no means. For the Church predestined and elected before the foundation of the world, the Church of which it is said, "The Lord knoweth them that are His," shall never be seduced by him. And yet there shall be a Church in this world even when the devil shall be loosed, as there has been since the beginning, and shall be always, the places of the dying being filled by new believers. For a little after John says that the devil, being loosed, shall draw the nations whom he has seduced in the whole world to make war against the Church, and that the number of these enemies shall be as the sand of the sea. "And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. And the devil who seduced them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."39 This relates to the last judgment, but I have thought fit to mention it now, lest any one might suppose that in that short time during which the devil shall be loose there shall be no Church upon earth, whether because the devil finds no Church, or destroys it by manifold persecutions. The devil, then, is not bound during the whole time which this book embraces,-that is, from the first coming of Christ to the end of the world, when He shall come the second time,-not bound in this sense, that during this interval, which goes by the name of a thousand years, he shall not seduce the Church, for not even when loosed shall he seduce it. For certainly if his being bound means that he is not able or not permitted to seduce the Church, what can the loosing of him mean but his being able or permitted to do so? But God forbid that such should be the case! But the binding of the devil is his being prevented from the exercise of his whole power to seduce men, either by violently forcing or fraudulently deceiving them into taking part with him. "

[David Taylor]

1000-1800 AD Church Fathers - On the Binding of Satan (Revelation 20)


Pre 19th Century Church Fathers - On the Binding of Satan (Revelation 20)


John Calvin (1509-1564)
Harmony of the Evangelists
"Christ is pursuing the subject, on which he had lately touched, about the kingdom of God, and declares it to be necessary that Satan be violently driven out, in order that God may establish his kingdom among men. "







The 1599 Geneva Study Bible Commentary
"The story of the dragon is twofold: First of the first victory, after which he was bound by Christ, to the sixth verse (Revelation 20:1-6). The second is of the last victory, by which he has thrown down into everlasting punishment, there to the fifteenth verse (Revelation 20:7-15). This first history happened in the first time of the Christian Church, when the dragon thrown down from heaven by Christ, went about to molest the new birth of the Church in the earth"






Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
Commentary on Revelation
"A prophecy of the binding of Satan for a certain term of time, in which he should have much less power and the church much more peace than before. The power of Satan was broken in part by the setting up of the gospel kingdom in the world; it was further reduced by the empire's becoming Christian; He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan. Neither the strength of the dragon, nor the subtlety of the serpent, was sufficient to rescue him out of the hands of Christ; he caught hold, and kept his hold. And, (2.) He cast him into the bottomless pit, cast him down with force, and with a just vengeance, to his own place and prison, from which he had been permitted to break out, and disturb the churches, and deceive the nations; now he is brought back to that prison, and there laid in chains. (3.) He is shut up, and a seal set upon him. Christ shuts, and none can open; he shuts by his power, seals by his authority; and his lock and seal even the devils themselves cannot break open. (4.) We have the term of this confinement of Satan— a thousand years, after which he was to be loosed again for a little season. The church should have a considerable time of peace and prosperity, but all her trials were not yet over. II. An account of the reign of the saints for the same space of time in which Satan continued bound"







John Gill (1697-1771)
Exposition of the Bible
"And bound him a thousand years, with the great chain he had in his hand: the devil is in chains now, is under the power of divine Providence, and can do nothing without divine permission; but this chain is long, and he appears oftentimes to have great liberty, and ranges about the air and earth, and does much mischief; but now he will be so bound by the power of Christ over him, that he will not be able to stir hand or foot, to disturb the saints, or deceive the nations, whether with false worship, and false doctrine, or by stirring them up to persecute the saints."






Adam Clarke (1768-1832)
Commentary on Revelation 20
"what is said Revelation 20 ver. 3-5, no doubt refers to a time in which the influence of Satan will be greatly restrained, and the true Church of God enjoy great prosperity, which shall endure for a long time. But it is not likely that the number, a thousand years, is to be taken literally here, and year symbolically and figuratively in all the book beside. He should deceive the nations no more] Be unable to blind men with superstition and idolatry as he had formerly done. I am satisfied that this period should not be taken literally. It may signify that there shall be a long and undisturbed state of Christianity; and so universally shall the Gospel spirit prevail"