The Millennium, and Satan Imprisoned
By Hampton W. Cottrell
Is the Millennium Before or After the Coming of Christ? — How Is Satan Bound? — The Voice of the Archangel and the Resurrection — The Wicked Are Silenced — The Redeemed Escorted to Glory — How Is Satan "Loosed" for the "Little Season"? — The Final Great Climax THE word "millennium" is one frequently spoken from the pulpit and among many religious people, and the period to which it refers is much talked of; but it is not a Bible term. It is derived from two Latin terms,—mille, meaning a thousand; and annus, meaning a year. Thus was coined the term "millennium." However, its equivalent is used several times in Revelation, the twentieth chapter. The Bible is the Father and Son's joint revelation to man, not the revelation of the prophets and the apostles; for we read, "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass." Rev. 1:1. When John was on the isle of Patmos, whither he had been banished because of his religion — his faith in the word of God — he was permitted to appear, by vision, in the presence of God, and look down through what would otherwise have been the dim future, and behold coming events. He beheld the premillennial coming of our divine Lord. Said he of Christ: "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Rev. 1:7, 8. Then John spoke of his personal experience: "I John . . . was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." Verse 9. And when he saw the millennium introduced by the coming of the Lord, and had seen the dawning of the day, he beheld an angel binding Satan. He saw the work of binding completed. He said: "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years." Rev. 20:1, 2. Thus we are assured of the length of the millennial day, and that Satan will surely be bound during that period. UNIVERSAL PEACE IN THE MILLENNIUM
Jehovah has declared universal peace during the millennium. There will be no robbery of money, reputation, honor, or influence. There will be no slavery, either white or black, physical or spiritual; but all will be peace, perfect peace. THE ANGEL HAD THE "KEY" AND A "CHAIN"
The angel had the "key" and a "great chain" in his possession, and he put Satan in chains. To illustrate: We have known of communities where poverty and wretchedness prevailed, but we were helpless to remedy the situation. But Mr. A is a man of great wealth and influence, and of him it is said: He holds in his hand the key to this situation. He can change this miserable, pitiable condition. Again: A case is being tried in court; and that justice may be meted out, a certain witness must be secured, for he holds the key to the entire situation. He holds in his hand, or has in his possession, the facts. The hoarding up of millions of money ties up business, binds it as with a great chain. So the angel who has the key and the chain, is in possession of all the evidence contained in the eventful, cyclonic, death-strewn career of Satan from before the beginning of the world until that glorious hour when he is to be placed in solitary confinement for a thousand years. In the morning of that millennial day, the angel will bind the devil with a chain of facts, from which state Satan will be powerless to extricate himself; and in that condition he must take a vacation from his arduous relentless, soul-destroying work of six thousand years' duration. Hasten on, glad day! Surely this should be the prayer of every Christ-loving soul. SATAN BOUND AT THE BEGINNING
Satan is bound at the beginning of the one thousand years, and placed in a pit, and the pit sealed, so he can not escape therefrom. No one can enter the pit where he is, for it is sealed. And he can "deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled." Thus he remains bound during the one thousand years, making the millennium possible. "And after that he must be loosed a little season." Rev. 20:1-3.211 The binding of Satan comes in the divine course of occurrences, the first link of that eventful chain being the fulfilment of the Saviour's promise to His people who lived then and now, "I will come again, and receive you unto Myself." John 14:3. The chain thus begun is lengthened by the rapidly succeeding events in close proximity to the coming of Christ. THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL AND THE DEAD ARISING
Let us notice a few of these events in their order, as based upon the word of God, which in itself is assurance. "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:16, 17. We have here a series of events,—the coming of our divine Lord; His speaking with a voice like a trumpet, which awakens from the dead the sleeping saints; the momentary change of the Christians who are alive, from mortality to immortality; then the glad reunion of the resurrected saints and the ones who had not died, to be held aloft in the air with their Lord and Master, who is also supreme ruler of the air, thus assuring perfect safety in the place of meeting. "This is the first resurrection." Rev. 20:5, last clause. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." Verse 6. When Christ was here, He said: "In My Father's house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2. The Father's house is heaven itself; for where the house was, was where He intended to go, and He went to heaven, and was seated at the right hand of the Father. HE LEADS THE NATION HEAVENWARD
After the meeting in the air, in further fulfilment of His promise, He leads the nation "born in a day," heavenward; and as they near the pearly portals of the city of God, prepared for them, He speaks once again to His accompanying angelic attendants, in the voice of melody, "Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in." Isa. 26:2. In compliance with the heavenly command, the gates of pearl swing wide open on their glittering golden hinges, and the righteous nation surely enter in to heaven itself; for we read, "After these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God." Rev. 19:1. THEIR JOY AT LAST COMPLETE
Their joy is complete. They are at last in the personal presence of their Lord. They occupy seats of honor with Him, and they remain there one thousand years. "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived [for they had been resurrected] and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Rev. 20:4. Thus it is clearly stated that the children of God will spend the one thousand years, or a millennium, in heaven, while Satan is bound and in the bottomless pit. Those who refuse to acquaint themselves with the Lord now, while His mercy is offered, can not endure the glory of His presence at His coming. When the righteous are taken to heaven, at the time of the first resurrection, the wicked are all silent in death, awaiting the call of the Archangel to judgment at the second resurrection, which is at the latter end of the thousand years. "The rest of the dead lived not again [were not resurrected] until the thousand years were finished." Verse 5. The millennium is bounded at the beginning by the following events:- The second personal coming of Christ.
- The resurrection of the righteous dead.
- The translation of the living righteous.
- The binding of Satan with this chain of circumstances.
The righteous will spend the millennium in heaven with Christ. "And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Satan will spend the millennium in exile. "And he laid hold on . . . Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, . . . till the thousand years should be fulfilled." The wicked will spend the millennium in quiet, in the silent grave; for they are referred to by the expression, "But the rest of the dead lived not again [the righteous having had their resurrection] until the thousand years were finished." Verse 5. These are the circumstances that constitute the chain which binds Satan. WHEN THE WICKED ARE RESURRECTED
The end of the millennium is determined by the resurrection of the wicked, who will then meet the Judge, and hear Him utter the decision that each of them has made for himself: "You, by your course through life, chose the way of death — separation from Me. Eternal death is your portion." See Rom. 6:23. As men use money with which to do business, Satan uses men with which to do business; and as the removal of money from circulation binds the men of business, so the removal of men from Satan's grasp will bind him. Every other soul will be removed from the earth during the thousand years — the millennium. The righteous will be in heaven. 1 Thess. 4:16, 17; Rev. 20:4; Isa. 26:2; Rev. 19:1. The wicked will all be unconscious in the sleep of death. "Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it." Isa. 13:9. See also 2 Thess. 2:8; Isa. 24:1-3. These are heaven-assured promises and declarations relating to the millennium, the time of beginning and ending, and all detailed conditions prevailing during the period; and they will surely come to pass, "for all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him amen, unto the glory of God by us." 2 Cor. 1:20. WHEN SATAN IS LOOSED FOR THE "LITTLE SEASON"
It is said that after the thousand years, Satan will be "loosed a little season." Rev. 20:3, 7. Removing the people beyond Satan's grasp bound him. The return of the righteous and the resurrection of the wicked will loose him. The wicked will be resurrected at the close of the period; and of the city of God, where the righteous are, we read: "I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven. . . . And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God." Rev. 21:2, 3. WICKED AND RIGHTEOUS AGAIN ON EARTH
Both the righteous and the wicked are again on earth. This condition looses Satan for the "little season." He deceives the wicked nations, and they surround the city of God and the camp of the saints with evil intent; and God sends from heaven fire which melts the earth, thus forming a lake of fire as broad as the earth, and Satan and the wicked are destroyed because of their determined course of rebellion against God. Rev. 20:7-10; 2 Peter 3:10, 11. And of Satan it is said that he shall then be brought to ashes in the sight of men, and that he shall never be any more. Eze. 28:18, 19. During that period of the destruction of sin, and the earth's renovation by fire, the righteous are preserved by the Lord, as were the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace. Isa. 33:14, 15. THE FORETASTE OF ETERNAL JOY
The millennium is but the foretaste of the eternal joy, peace, and bliss that are now in reserve for the child of God. "I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away." Rev. 21:1. "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever." Rev. 5:13. Reader, if you have not already done so, choose that good part that can never be taken from you. The atheist will say the Bible is but the word of man. The doubter who has a theory to sustain may whisper in your ear that Rev. 20:5 is a forgery — that it is not in the original; but so to state is to beg the question, for the combined scholarship of the day retains that verse in all standard revisions. The millennium can not precede the coming of the Lord; for the Lord has said His coming will be the first event to mark its beginning. Conditions in the world will continue to grow worse and worse until the beginning of the millennium, or the coming of the Lord. Read James 5; 2 Tim. 3:1-5. The time for one to make Christ his choice and have an eternity of peace assured, is now, before the time of the millennium, which will be marked by the coming of the Lord; for after that event, it will be forever too late to choose.