And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
The dragon, the old serpent, the Devil and Satan are one being who started rebellion against heaven, and he is seized and held for a thousand years after Christ returns, His mediatorial work ends, and the wicked are destroyed. His binding is no literal chain, but confinement to this earth made a dark, broken desolation with no one left to deceive, tempt or harm, so he is wholly cut off from his work of ruin and cannot range to other worlds. There he wanders the ruin through the thousand years, suffering deeply as he sees the results of his rebellion against God's law and government and looks forward in trembling terror to punishment for all the evil he has done and led others to commit. After Christ's sanctuary work the sins of the truly penitent that he caused are placed upon him as originator of sin, as pictured by the scapegoat bearing sins to an uninhabited land, and banished to the desolate earth he at last bears their guilt and suffers sin's full penalty until he is blotted from existence. There is no earthly millennium of peace and world conversion before Christ comes, for wickedness will increase until He descends visibly in glory; before that binding Satan is now seeking control of minds with ever-growing, more artful deceptive power, and those bitten by sin are called to reject his suggested doubts and look to the Saviour lifted on the cross for pardon and life.
Binding's Meaning and Setting
The dragon, the old serpent, the Devil, and Satan are one and the same being, the instigator of rebellion against heaven. His binding for a thousand years follows Christ's second coming and the close of Christ's mediatorial work, when the wicked have been destroyed. In order, the beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire, then Satan is bound for a thousand years, then come the resurrection of the wicked, the final destruction of Satan and the wicked, and Christ's triumph and reign on earth.
The binding is not a literal chain holding him where people remain; confined to the earth with no one left to deceive, tempt, or harm, he is wholly cut off from his work of deception and ruin. The bottomless pit is the earth reduced to confusion, darkness, and desolation like before creation, with cities overthrown, mountains moved, rocks scattered, and trees uprooted, where Satan and his evil angels remain as in a home and prison. Limited to the desolate earth alone, he is deprived of his power and has no privilege to range to other planets or to tempt and annoy unfallen worlds.
Through the thousand years he wanders the ruin and suffers extremely, reflecting on his rebellion against God's law and government since his fall, seeing its results and the curse he caused, and looking forward with trembling terror to the dreadful future when he must suffer for all the evil he has done and be punished for all the sins he has caused to be committed. His confinement executes fully at the beginning of the millennium the sentence incurred when he led Adam and Eve into sin, which was implemented partially at the crucifixion. After Christ completes His work in the heavenly sanctuary, the sins of the truly penitent that Satan caused are placed upon him as originator and instigator of sin, pictured by the scapegoat bearing Israel's sins to an uninhabited land.
Banished forever from God and His people to the desolate, uninhabited earth, he bears their guilt, afterward suffers sin's full penalty in the fire that destroys the wicked, and is blotted from existence with sin and sinners, marking sin's final eradication and the deliverance of those who renounce evil. When the wicked dead are raised his restraint ends, and he gathers them under his leadership for a final attempt to seize the New Jerusalem.
Counterfeit Millennium Exposed
The thousand years were still future and had not already occurred in the past, and the claim that they had occurred before the meeting was an error. There is no temporal millennium of spiritual peace, prosperity, and world conversion before Christ comes. That teaching is a deceptive error that lulls people into spiritual danger. Wickedness will increase as the end approaches, while Satan works through deception to retain his power over the world, and Christ will instead descend visibly to earth in the clouds in His Father's glory.
The expected earthly millennium before Christ's coming is a deception, not the true ushering in of that thousand-year period. The supposed conversion of the world through a union of professing Christians, spiritualism, and worldly people will not bring it in. When the millennium was expected to occur on earth before Jesus returned, the announcement of His coming in 1843 challenged that expectation. Preaching the doctrine of the millennium in a way that soothes rather than calls to turn from sin lulls sinners who do not want to stop sinning into spiritual sleep.
In contrast to that error stands the true hope that when Jesus comes sin will end and there will be no devil to tempt and lead people astray. Then God's people will enjoy sanctification forever. One looked forward to this period as a time when the earth would be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, while another longed for Jesus to return, end sin and temptation, and take His people home. The thousand years provide no temporal millennium in which to postpone warning the world. The work of warning must be done now, before the opportunity to labor ends, before God's forbearance ends and His dealings with sinful people suddenly change.
Mesmerism comes from the Devil and the bottomless pit, and mesmerism and those who continue in it and continue to use it will soon go there.
Present Warning and Future Hope
Before his binding Satan is actively using his power to gain control of human minds. He is working to secure the world and the wicked and to place his stamp wherever he can, and his work can be so subtle that people do not realize it. His power to tempt and deceive keeps increasing until it is taken away at his binding. Since his fall he has not been stupid and careless but has been learning, growing more artful and laying deeper plans covered with a religious garment to hide their deformity, and his power is now ten times greater than in the days of the apostles. His wrath and hatred grow stronger as his time to work draws near its close.
As the old serpent, the devil and Satan and archdeceiver, he is the one who bites people with sin. Those who need healing and life are called to look to the Saviour lifted up on the cross and live, and that message brings hope, courage, faith, pardon, and life. He tempts people by suggesting doubts, and listening to and reasoning with those doubts instead of rejecting them leaves people caught in his snare and can lead them toward unbelief. His binding frees angels, redeemed saints, and the inhabitants of other worlds from his presence and temptations, so they are no more annoyed and tempted by the Devil. Angels and saints answer that deliverance with shouts of triumph sounding like ten thousand musical instruments.
The dragon, the old serpent, the Devil and Satan are one being who started rebellion against heaven, and he is seized and held for a thousand years after Christ returns, His mediatorial work ends, and the wicked are destroyed. His binding is no literal chain, but confinement to this earth made a dark, broken desolation with no one left to deceive, tempt or harm, so he is wholly cut off from his work of ruin and cannot range to other worlds. There he wanders the ruin through the thousand years, suffering deeply as he sees the results of his rebellion against God's law and government and looks forward in trembling terror to punishment for all the evil he has done and led others to commit. After Christ's sanctuary work the sins of the truly penitent that he caused are placed upon him as originator of sin, as pictured by the scapegoat bearing sins to an uninhabited land, and banished to the desolate earth he at last bears their guilt and suffers sin's full penalty until he is blotted from existence. There is no earthly millennium of peace and world conversion before Christ comes, for wickedness will increase until He descends visibly in glory; before that binding Satan is now seeking control of minds with ever-growing, more artful deceptive power, and those bitten by sin are called to reject his suggested doubts and look to the Saviour lifted on the cross for pardon and life.
Binding's Meaning and Setting
The dragon, the old serpent, the Devil, and Satan are one and the same being, the instigator of rebellion against heaven. His binding for a thousand years follows Christ's second coming and the close of Christ's mediatorial work, when the wicked have been destroyed. In order, the beast and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire, then Satan is bound for a thousand years, then come the resurrection of the wicked, the final destruction of Satan and the wicked, and Christ's triumph and reign on earth.
The binding is not a literal chain holding him where people remain; confined to the earth with no one left to deceive, tempt, or harm, he is wholly cut off from his work of deception and ruin. The bottomless pit is the earth reduced to confusion, darkness, and desolation like before creation, with cities overthrown, mountains moved, rocks scattered, and trees uprooted, where Satan and his evil angels remain as in a home and prison. Limited to the desolate earth alone, he is deprived of his power and has no privilege to range to other planets or to tempt and annoy unfallen worlds.
Through the thousand years he wanders the ruin and suffers extremely, reflecting on his rebellion against God's law and government since his fall, seeing its results and the curse he caused, and looking forward with trembling terror to the dreadful future when he must suffer for all the evil he has done and be punished for all the sins he has caused to be committed. His confinement executes fully at the beginning of the millennium the sentence incurred when he led Adam and Eve into sin, which was implemented partially at the crucifixion. After Christ completes His work in the heavenly sanctuary, the sins of the truly penitent that Satan caused are placed upon him as originator and instigator of sin, pictured by the scapegoat bearing Israel's sins to an uninhabited land.
Banished forever from God and His people to the desolate, uninhabited earth, he bears their guilt, afterward suffers sin's full penalty in the fire that destroys the wicked, and is blotted from existence with sin and sinners, marking sin's final eradication and the deliverance of those who renounce evil. When the wicked dead are raised his restraint ends, and he gathers them under his leadership for a final attempt to seize the New Jerusalem.
Counterfeit Millennium Exposed
The thousand years were still future and had not already occurred in the past, and the claim that they had occurred before the meeting was an error. There is no temporal millennium of spiritual peace, prosperity, and world conversion before Christ comes. That teaching is a deceptive error that lulls people into spiritual danger. Wickedness will increase as the end approaches, while Satan works through deception to retain his power over the world, and Christ will instead descend visibly to earth in the clouds in His Father's glory.
The expected earthly millennium before Christ's coming is a deception, not the true ushering in of that thousand-year period. The supposed conversion of the world through a union of professing Christians, spiritualism, and worldly people will not bring it in. When the millennium was expected to occur on earth before Jesus returned, the announcement of His coming in 1843 challenged that expectation. Preaching the doctrine of the millennium in a way that soothes rather than calls to turn from sin lulls sinners who do not want to stop sinning into spiritual sleep.
In contrast to that error stands the true hope that when Jesus comes sin will end and there will be no devil to tempt and lead people astray. Then God's people will enjoy sanctification forever. One looked forward to this period as a time when the earth would be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, while another longed for Jesus to return, end sin and temptation, and take His people home. The thousand years provide no temporal millennium in which to postpone warning the world. The work of warning must be done now, before the opportunity to labor ends, before God's forbearance ends and His dealings with sinful people suddenly change.
Mesmerism comes from the Devil and the bottomless pit, and mesmerism and those who continue in it and continue to use it will soon go there.
Present Warning and Future Hope
Before his binding Satan is actively using his power to gain control of human minds. He is working to secure the world and the wicked and to place his stamp wherever he can, and his work can be so subtle that people do not realize it. His power to tempt and deceive keeps increasing until it is taken away at his binding. Since his fall he has not been stupid and careless but has been learning, growing more artful and laying deeper plans covered with a religious garment to hide their deformity, and his power is now ten times greater than in the days of the apostles. His wrath and hatred grow stronger as his time to work draws near its close.
As the old serpent, the devil and Satan and archdeceiver, he is the one who bites people with sin. Those who need healing and life are called to look to the Saviour lifted up on the cross and live, and that message brings hope, courage, faith, pardon, and life. He tempts people by suggesting doubts, and listening to and reasoning with those doubts instead of rejecting them leaves people caught in his snare and can lead them toward unbelief. His binding frees angels, redeemed saints, and the inhabitants of other worlds from his presence and temptations, so they are no more annoyed and tempted by the Devil. Angels and saints answer that deliverance with shouts of triumph sounding like ten thousand musical instruments.