The Binding of Satan

Sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover. For instance Hal Lindsay's most famous paperback, entitled "The Late Great Planet Earth", captures his pessimistic outlook with succinct precision. Perhaps his second most popular work, "Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth", is an even clearer summary of its contents. Unfortunately, the clarity is uncalled for.

Lindsay's premillennialism places the binding of satan at the end of the current age. Scripture places it at the beginning. When Jesus came 2000 years ago He didn't say satan would be driven out at the end of the world. He said "now the prince of this world will be driven out." He admitted Satan's strength, but used the present tense to say He (Jesus) "ties up the strong man."

The Apostles understood that Satan had been bound by Christ's 1st Coming. Paul pointed out that Jesus "disarmed the powers and authorities...by the cross." The author of Hebrews agrees by declaring that the very purpose of the 1st Coming was to "destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil." And John confirms this by stating "the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work."

When we come to the 20th chapter of John's Apocalyptic work and find him describing an 'angel' with a 'key' and a ' chain' seizing a 'dragon' that is a 'serpent' and binding him for a thousand years, very few interpret these nouns in a wooden literal sense. The key represents authority. The chain symbolizes limited freedom. The dragon & serpent simultaneously depict Satan. Binding, then, implies restraint, not ropes. And a 'thousand' years is simply a long duration of time.

So what 'binding' is John referring to? He's probably referring to the binding Jesus had taught him about and that he'd written about. When was this accomplished? At the 1st Coming of Christ and, specifically, at the cross. This places us in the midst of the 'thousand years' and leaves satan a 'dead man walking'. Revelation 20 directly mentions the devil's limitation, during this time, in regards to his work of "deceiving the nations." And history evidences his inabilities. Up until the 1st century the truth was mostly contained in one tiny nation, but from that point on it went to the ends of the earth.

Scripturally, the devil is severely limited in power during the church age. Maybe that is why the New Testament speaks of Jesus & His followers having so much 'authority'. Satan has not yet been "thrown into the lake of burning sulfur", but he has been thrown a curve ball that he just can't hit (especially with his anthropomorphic arms symbolically tied behind his anthropomorphic back). His power is limited to those who accept slavery. He has no authority over anyone in Christ. He may prowl around like a "roaring lion", but he can't take control of anyone that keeps some distance from his den. He's a caged animal now and the Holy Spirit is a trustworthy zookeeper.

Some day in the future, satan will be loosed to deceive the nations one last time. But Paul says Jesus will defeat him "with the breath of his mouth". Peter says "that day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat." John notes that fire will come "down from heaven" and devour the devil and his children. "This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire" at the 2nd Coming. Satan will be lobbed into the lake and every human knee will bow before Jesus Christ. At that moment many of us will realize we gave satan way to much credit when we were living on the late great planet earth.

Footnotes:
John 12:31
Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.

Who: Satan
What: Driven Out
When: Now (At Jesus' 1st Coming)

Mark 3:27
In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.

Who: Satan
What: Tied up
When: Was presently happening (At Jesus' 1st Coming)

Colossians 2:15
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Who: All powers and authorities (including satan)
What: Disarmed
When: By the cross (At Jesus' 1st Coming)

Hebrews 2:14
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil

Who: The devil
What: Destroyed
When: By Jesus' death (At Jesus' 1st Coming)

1 John 3:8
He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

Who: Devil
What: His Works Destroyed
When: When the Son of God appeared (At Jesus' 1st Coming)