The Millennium and the Binding of Satan
By J. W. Rich
How Is Satan Bound?—What Marks the Beginning and the Close of the Much Discussed Thousand Years?
THERE is so much said, these days, about the millennium, that one would imagine the Bible well filled with material on the subject. We hear it mentioned in social talks, from the lecture platform, and from the pulpit. In many places, and at different times, enthusiasm over the subject is intense. Why is this, when the word is not even once used in the Bible? "Millennium" is derived from two Latin words,—mille, a thousand, and annus, a year,—a thousand years. This period of time is mentioned just six times in the Bible, and all within the scope of one chapter—Revelation 20. In this chapter, three times reference is made to the period in connection with Satan, twice in its relation to the righteous, and once to the wicked. As the millennium is so widely discussed, and so many opinions are held concerning it and the condition of the earth during its continuance, we may well note some of the scriptures relating to the subject. From Rev. 20:2 we note that Satan is bound during that period. This binding of Satan is due to the fact that there will be no one left here on the earth for him to tempt or molest. The righteous will be in heaven with Christ, having been taken back with Him at His second return. At that coming, the righteous dead are resurrected, and with those who are living, are caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. 1 Thess. 4:16-18; Rev. 20:6. The wicked, at the same time, are destroyed by the "brightness of His coming." There will be no man or woman left upon the earth for Satan to annoy. The millennium is given him in which to wander over the broken surface of the earth, there to behold the result of the working out of his own plan. THE PROPHET VIVIDLY DESCRIBES IT
The prophet Jeremiah, in looking down through the future, evidently saw this scene, and has given us a brief sketch, as recorded in Jer. 4:19-28: "Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled. . . . I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger." What a desolation—the bottomless pit, in which Satan is to spend the millennium with his angels! All his subjects are dead, either buried or strewn over the face of the earth. Thus is Satan bound in the bottomless pit, a condition that remains during the entire period. What may we look for at the close of the millennium? A resurrection—that of the righteous—marked its beginning; and according to Rev. 20:5, a resurrection is to mark its close. What a contrast! At the first resurrection, every one raised was an heir to the kingdom of God. At this second resurrection, all those raised, with their leader, are enemies of God, even besieging the city of the saints, God's capital. Verses 8, 9. Then it is that the end of sin, sinners, and Satan shall be consummated. BEGINNING AND CLOSE OF THE THOUSAND YEARS
What events, then, mark the beginning of the millennium?—The coming of Christ, the resurrection and translation of the righteous, and the death of the wicked, together with the binding of Satan. And what events mark its close?—The loosing of Satan out of the bottomless pit, brought about by the resurrection of his subjects, the besiegement of the city of God, the overthrow of the besiegers, and the end of sin. The long night of the reign of sin has finally reached its end, and the dawn of eternity has been ushered in. The misery of burdened hearts is now a thing of the past. Beauty and consolation extend over the vast domain of the new earth. The question that should concern each of us now, is as to where we are going to spend the millennium,—in heaven with God, the angels, and the redeemed of all ages, or here on the broken surface of the earth, awaiting the second resurrection, then to begin warfare against God and all that is good. It is your privilege and mine to be among the former class. Will we be? Either of the places may be chosen, but only the two are offered. There is no alternative. Your decision is for eternity. The relation that you sustain to the plan of salvation determines the answer. Be sure as to the way you respond.