Revelation chapter 20 today,
and I'm taking the title for the message from verse 2. And he laid hold on the dragon,
that is God Almighty, the Lord Jesus Christ, the angel that
came down from heaven, as it says in verse 1. And he laid
hold of, apprehended, apprehended the dragon. He lay hold upon
him and restrained him. The dragon, that old serpent,
which is the devil, which is Satan, and he bound him. He bound him. Bound him up. Chained him up for a thousand
years and cast him into the bottomless pit. Thanks be unto our great
almighty God, who has undertaken for us to destroy our enemy,
our adversary, and win the complete victory for us over sin. He put it away by the sacrifice
of himself. Over death, he said, I am he
that liveth and was dead, I'm alive forevermore. Over the law
of God that was against us and contrary to us, he took it out
of the way, nailing it to his cross. The Lord Jesus Christ
has given us the victory over sin, over death, over the devil,
over the law, over hell and the grave. Thanks be unto God who
has given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. And he
gives us this victory and he's won the victory for us by himself. When he had by himself purged
our sin, he sat down at the right hand of God. You remember in
Colossians chapter 2 verse 15, having spoiled principalities
and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them Himself. By Himself, with Himself. Remember
I told you one of the key verses to the Revelation study is found
in Revelation 6 verse 2 where it says, He went forth conquering
and to conquer. He has conquered every enemy
that we have, even Satan himself. That's the good news of the gospel. This whole book of Revelation
has the same message as the rest of the books of the Bible. The
Lord Jesus Christ is everything. The whole volume of Scripture
is a revelation of Jesus Christ. The whole volume of Scripture
is a revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, if you want to turn with
me, you can, but you don't need to. I'll read it to you. In Romans
chapter 16, When the book closes, verse 25, now to him that is
of power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching
of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery
which was kept secret since the world began but now is made manifest
by the Scriptures of the prophets according to the commandment
of the everlasting God made known unto all nations for the obedience
of faith to God only wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever."
And then he says, Amen. What is the Scripture about?
The Scripture is all about the Lord Jesus Christ. You remember
in Luke 24, when the risen Lord appeared to his disciples, he
said this, These are the words which I spake unto you while
I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which
are written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the
Psalms concerning me, the prophets, the Psalms, the law of Moses,
Then he opened their understanding that they might understand the
scriptures, Luke 24, 44. Both Old and New Testament, the
whole book of God is inspired by God the Holy Spirit and it's
all about the glorious person and the successful priestly redeeming
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember he said to those Jews
who were going about to establish their own Salvation by what they
did he said you search the scriptures, but they are they that testify
of me He said you won't come to me that you might have life
Peter when he's at the house of Cornelius said this To him
give all the prophets witness. Our Lord said had you believed
Moses you would have believed me Moses wrote about me there
is given in this book of Revelation a seven visions of the glorious
victories of the Lord Jesus Christ over all opposition, over all
enemies of the church. We are more than conquerors through
Him that loved us and washed us from our sin in His own blood.
Now, we finished last week in chapter 17, 18, and 19, the sixth
vision, which covers that whole gospel age, and today, In chapter
20, you start that seven and final vision that again covers
that time period from the first coming of the Lord to his second
coming. Each of the seven visions cover
the whole gospel age from the first coming of the Lord to the
second. Seven different pictures of the same gospel age. They do not represent different
ages or dispensations or prophetic events. They're all telling the
same story. Each vision, those seven visions,
cover the first coming of the Lord to the second coming of
the Lord. They tell us what the Lord has
done, is doing, and shall do for the salvation of His people
and the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the grand design
of redemption. What is it? What is the grand
design of redemption? The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's why Paul said, God forbid, I see glory. except in the Lord
Jesus Christ and Him crucified. In chapter 19, we're brought
to the end of the world and final judgment in that sixth vision. Now in chapter 20, we go back
to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And in chapter 20, 21,
22, that final vision we see in the end, the Lord comes back.
The seventh and final vision is given, John sees the vision
at the beginning of the gospel age, in the first coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ, to bind Satan and to put away our sin, and
to fulfill the law of God for us, to establish the righteousness
for us by his faithful obedience. So far we've seen the defeat
of Babylon, representing all false religions of this world.
Turn back to chapter 18, verse 21. And the mighty angel took
up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, thus
with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down and
shall be found no more." Now what does that city of Babylon
represent? All false religions. Included
in that is what I call false Christianity. False Christianity. We've also seen not only the
defeat of Babylon, we've seen the total defeat of the beast
out of the sea, the beast out of the sea representing those
ungodly civil governments of this world. We see the defeat
of the beast out of sea and the false prophet. Remember in chapter
19 verse 20, and the beast was taken with the false prophet
that brought miracle before him with which he deceived them that
had received the mark of the beast and them that worshiped
his image These both were cast alive into the lake of fire,
burning with brimstone." So the Lord has dealt in judgment with
false religion, with false prophets, and ungodly worldly governments. Now in this vision, we not only
see the binding of Satan, but here in chapter 20, we see his
final end. As Luther said in that song,
his doom is what? Sure. And that's found in Revelation
20, verse 10. And the devil that deceived them
was cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and the false
prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever
and ever. So there we see, just in those
few chapters, that every opposition to God's sovereign rule, He will
destroy. He will destroy. He wins. In the end, as I've said before,
we know the end of the story. We know who wins. God and Satan are not in the
competition to see who's going to win. It's not like a ball
game. Who's going to run up the score?
And at the end, we're going to see maybe the outcome will be
different. We've read the last chapter. We know who wins. The
Lord Jesus Christ wins every battle and has a complete victory. Now three things are clearly
set forth. Our Lord's first advent is followed
by a long period of a thousand years, or for thousands of years,
literally it reads, in which Satan is bound, restrained, with
a chain, as it says in verse one, I saw an angel come down.
Now this is not a created angel, this is the angel or messenger
of the covenant, the Lord Jesus Christ, who has the key and has
a great chain in his hand. His hand is the almighty hand
of God. Secondly, at the close of the
gospel age, that is when the Lord Jesus come back, at the
close of the gospel age in which Satan is loose for a little season,
as it says there in verse 3. After that, he must be loosed
for a little season. Now, it's debatable whether we're
in that little season right now. Sometimes I think that we're
in that little season right now because of all the wickedness
that's going on in this world. Thirdly, the loosing of Satan
is followed by the glorious second appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ
to make final and total judgment at the white throne judgment
when he will make all things new. Revelation 20 verse 11. And I saw a great white throne
and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and heaven fled
away and their place was found no more. He's going to destroy
this world. I told someone just recently,
I don't believe in global warming. And he said, yeah, I agree with
you. I don't believe in global warming. And then I shocked him. I said, I believe in global burning.
And he looked at me like, huh? He's going to make a new heaven
and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth are going
to pass away. They're going to pass away. Now
the thousand years in which Satan is bound is symbolic. Just as the chain spoken of here
is symbolic. It is obvious that the thousand
year period precedes the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It
does not follow the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other
words, we are right now living in that thousand year period
of what's known as the millennium. They don't begin at the second
coming of Christ, they end at his second coming. The Bible
does not teach what is called premillennialism. That is, that
the thousand years begin after the second coming of Christ.
And here's what those people who've invented that say. They
say that in the millennium, that the Lord will descend to this
earth. He'll set up a physical throne in Jerusalem. They'll
start slaughtering bulls and goats and calves again and reinstate
that Jewish order. That's pure nonsense. The Lord's
not coming back to establish Judaism again. The Lord's not
coming back to establish the law again. He made an end of
sin, and He put an end to the law by fulfilling it in His death. Those who say that when the Lord
comes back and then there's that thousand year reign when all
the Jews will be converted, animal sacrifices will begin again,
and Christ will sit on an earthly throne in Jerusalem, That's just
pure nonsense. That's nothing more than the
invention of men. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming
back after this gospel age and it is over. Game over! He's going to destroy this place.
He's going to take us to Himself. He's going to put an end and
destroy everything that's contrary to His glory. Now let's take
a careful look at verse 1, 2, and 3. The binding of Satan took
place with the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at
verse 1, and I saw an angel. Now this angel here is not a
created angel, it's the angel of the Lord, the Lord Jesus Christ
himself. And he came down from where?
Where did the Lord come from? The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. In the fullness of time, God
sent forth His Son, made of woman, made under the law to redeem
them that were under the law. The coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ to put away sin, to establish perfect righteousness for us,
and to defeat Satan. This was given by prophecy all
the way back in Genesis 3 verse 15. Remember what we read there? Don't turn, let me just read
it to you. Why don't misquote it. I will put enmity between
thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise thy heel. The Lord Jesus Christ
crushed Satan's dominion and his power. I want you to turn
with me to this scripture. Turn to Hebrews, the book of
Hebrews chapter 2. And this is one of the reasons
the Lord came, not only to put away our sin, not only to establish
righteousness for us, not only to honor the law of God that
he might be just and a justifier, but to destroy the devil who
introduced sin. Hebrews 2 verse 14, for as much
then as the children of a partaker of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same, that through death, Now that's
his substitutionary death. He might destroy him that had
power of death. Now what's the power of death?
Sin. When sin is finished, it brings forth death. That he might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil,
and deliver them. I like those two things. Underscore,
destroy him and deliver them. And that's what he did. He delivered
us. from the bondage of our sin,
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage." So that's why he came. Now here's one other reference.
Turn to 1 John chapter 3 verse... 1 John chapter 3 verse 8. He that committed sin is of the
devil. 1 John 3 verse 8. For the devil
sinneth from the beginning. We read that, didn't we? For
this purpose, the Son of God was manifested that he might
destroy the works of the devil. Destroy him. Destroy him. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
only one who has power and authority to bind Satan. To bind him. and a great chain in his hand. And again, now the key is symbolic
of his power. The chain is symbolic of his
restraining sovereign power. Now remember who has the key?
Turn back to chapter one, Revelation chapter one. It's prophesied about, in Isaiah
22, about the Lord Jesus Christ has the key of the house of David
I'll lay upon his shoulder, and he shall open, and none shall
shut, and he shall shut, and none shall open. You remember
this key here we read about in Revelation 1 verse 18? I'm he that liveth and was dead,
behold, I'm alive forevermore, amen, so be it, and have the
keys of hell and death. Now, the Lord Jesus Christ has
the key. That means he owns it. That means
it's his. That means he has authority and
power over all things. He has the key of hell and death.
In order for us to be redeemed and delivered from death, sin,
hell, the law, Satan, Satan had to be shackled. The prince of
the darkness of the air had to be restrained. And that's what
happens. When God saves a sinner, you
know we're born, turn to Ephesians chapter 2. We are born in this
kingdom of darkness. We are born in sin and iniquity. And we are born into this kingdom
of darkness and we're unable to get out of it. As a matter
of fact, it says we love it. We love darkness rather than
the light. So what has to happen is God must deliver us. Ephesians
chapter 2 verse 1. And you hath thee quickened who
were dead in trespasses and sin, where in time past ye walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the
children of disobedient, among whom also we all had our conversation
in time past, in the lust of the flesh, fulfilling desires
of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath,
even as others. But God, that's the difference. But God, who is rich in mercy
for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were
dead in sin, he hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace
are you saved, raised us up together, and made us sit together in the
heavenly places in Christ. You see, he has to translate
us out of the kingdom of darkness and put us in the kingdom of
God's dear Son. Satan, the prince of the power
of the air, he's called the God of this world, was cast out of
heaven into the earth, and the only way we are victorious over
him is through the blood atonement of Christ. Now remember back
in Revelation chapter 12, turn over there. Revelation chapter
12, verse 9, It says, the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent called the devil. Satan was to seed the whole world.
He was cast out into the earth. And his angels were cast out
with him. And I heard the voice saying, in heaven now has come
salvation, strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power
of his Christ. For the accuser, the brethren,
is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night,
and they overcame Him by the blood of the Lamb, by the word
of their testimony, that's the gospel, and they loved not their
lives unto death." Thank God, He has the key, the
ownership, He has the power to restrain, and notice it's in
His hand. Revelation 20 verse 1. It's in
His hand. Do you remember what the Scriptures
teach us about the hand of the Lord? No one can stay His hand,
or restrain His hand, or stop His hand. Now verse 2 and 3. And He lay
hold of that dragon, that old serpent, the devil, Satan, and
bound him for thousands of years, from his first coming to his
second coming. That's symbolic of those years. And cast him into the bottomless
pit, that is the kingdom of darkness, and shut him up, and set a seal
upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the
thousands, thousands of years be fulfilled. God's purpose is
fulfilled. And after that, he's going to
be loosed. He's going to be loosed for a little season. Now, we're
not waiting the day when Satan shall be bound and Christ will
be King. He is King of Kings and Lord
of Lords right now. This binding and restraining
of Satan during this thousand year millennial time is not his
total destruction till we see the coming of the Lord in verse
10. And when he's cast into the lake of fire. But unto that time
in this gospel age, Satan is restrained. His influence is
extremely curtailed. He's unable to change God's purpose. He cannot deceive the elective
God. But others are still blinded
by this one who is called the God of this world. Hold your
place there and let's find 2 Corinthians 11, excuse me, 2 Corinthians
4, 2 Corinthians 4 verse 1, 2 Corinthians 4 verse 1, seeing, therefore
seeing we have this ministry as we've received mercy, we faint
not, but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty. not walking
in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but
by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every
man's conscience in the sight of God. Verse three, if our gospel
be hid, it's hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of
this world, the God of this world, notice small g, hath blinded
the mind of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto
them. For we preach not ourselves,
but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for His
sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of the
darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Aren't you glad
the gospel is the power of God unto salvation? Satan has been put on a chain.
He is limited by the sovereign restraints of God. He can only
affect that which includes God's sovereign will and purpose. Did
you get that? He can only do, only affect that which includes
God's sovereign will and purpose. He worked all things at the counsel
of his own will. If you read Job chapter one,
Satan could not touch Job without God's will being done. As Martin
Luther said, I quoted earlier, and here it is in my note, and
I didn't forget it or look over it. The devil is God's devil. Now, I know religious people
say, well, God's in a competition with the devil. No, he's not.
It's not a competition to see who's going to win. They're not
competitors. God is God, and the devil is nothing in the sight
of God. Now, he's too much for us, but
not too much for him. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
only one who can overcome him, render him helpless, bind him
until the purpose of God is served, then he let loose for a short
season before the Lord's second coming. It may be that we're
in that short season. It could be that we're in that
short season. We know this, the gates of hell
shall not prevail against God's church. God's church must, shall,
and will endure all the attacks of Satan. They do not win. Christ wins. Now notice these four names that
are given here. He's called the dragon, and we
know he's called the great red dragon in chapter 12. And that
means he's a ferocious beast. He's an instigator of rebellion
against God in heaven and upon the earth. Remember, he said,
I will be like the Most High God. I will ascend to the stars
of God. I will be like God. And God said,
no, you won't. You'll be cast down. You'll be
cast down to the bottomless pit. He's called the Old Serpent.
He's been around a long time. The Old Serpent, all the way
back to the garden, since the beginning of human history. It
was the serpent who first deceived Eve and then Adam. It was the
same serpent who deceives sinners today with the same lie of pride
and false doctrine of self-righteousness. It's the same serpent that tries
to take advantage of our own wicked nature. He finds much
in us that's akin to him. But when he came to tempt the
Lord Jesus Christ, the devil, the scripture said, found nothing
in him. Now when He comes to assault
us and attack us, He finds much in us, because we have that sinful
nature. But in the Lord Jesus Christ,
He found no ally, He found no sin, because the Lord had no
sin, knew no sin, and did no sin. Our Lord said in John 14,
Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the Prince of this
world has come, and He's found nothing in me, and nothing in
Him. He is called the old serpent,
he's called the devil, which means deceiver or slanderer or
liar. He perverts the truth of God
and turns it into a lie. He's a father of lies. John 8,
44, our Lord said, you are of your father the devil. And he
said that to the most religious people of the day, the Pharisees. You are of your father the devil,
and the lust of your father will you do. He was a murderer from
the beginning. He abode not in the truth, because there's no
truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own,
for he's a liar. He's a liar. And he's the father
of it. And then he's called Satan. Satan. He's a vicious lion, seeking
whom he may devour. He opposed God in the beginning.
And the Lord Jesus Christ, when He came, He came to bind him
up." Don't turn. Let me just read this to you
about Satan, how he attacks God's people, God's church. Over here in 1 Peter. Chapter 5, it says, Humble yourselves,
therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you
in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for
you. Be sober, be vigilant, because
your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about
seeking whom he may devour, whom resists steadfast in the faith,
knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren
that are in the world, but the God of all grace, who has called
us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you
have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen,
settle you, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Amen. So he is an adversary,
but he's under the total control of God. He's the accuser of the
brethren. He's a vicious lion seeking whom
he may devour. He's too great an enemy for us
to deal with. But not too great an enemy for
the Lord to bind up and destroy forever. Now, let's look at verse
3 for just a minute. I've got just a few minutes left.
Verse 3, "...and cast him, he cast him, he bound him, He bound
him and cast him into the bottomless pit, shut him up, set a seal
upon him that he should not deceive the nation no more till these
thousand years be fulfilled and then he's going to be let loose.
Now who's going to let him loose? Who's in control of this? God
is in control of all of this. The Lord cast him into the bottomless
pit. He's locked up until the Lord
is pleased to release him just before the second coming for
a short season and then final judgment. Two scriptures I'll
read along with that, 2 Peter 2.4, for God, God spared not
the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered
them into chains of darkness to be reserved under judgment.
And then the book of Jude talks about the angel which kept not
their first estate, but left their own habitation to be reserved
in everlasting chain under darkness until the judgment of God. When and how did this binding
take place? It was when the Lord Jesus Christ
as a God-man mediator came. The Pharisees accused the Lord
when he healed that poor blind man and crippled man of casting
out demons by the power of Satan. And our Lord said this, how can
one enter in into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except
he first bind the strong man, and then spoil his house." Now
that's what the Lord did. He bound him. He bound him. When did this binding of Satan
take place? Well, let me give you several
things to think about. In the temptation in the wilderness,
remember the Lord was tempted 40 days of Satan, 40 nights. He tempted him, and tempted him,
and tempted him, and every time the Lord rebuked him with the
Word of God. That was the binding of Satan. In the garden, when
the Lord Jesus Christ, when our sin was revealed to Him and made
known to Him, He prayed, O Father, if it be possible, let this cup
pass from Me, nevertheless not My will, but Thy will be done.
O my Father, He said, if this cup may not pass from Me, except
I drink it, Thy will be done. He started binding Satan up.
By taking our sin unto Himself. And then by His triumph at Calvary.
Let's read this one. Turn to John chapter 12. John
chapter 12. We've looked at this before,
but it bears repeating. John chapter 12. I'll let you read back verse
23. He's talking about his death,
except the corn of wheat falls to the ground and dies, and the
bodice alone, but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. Now
look down to verse 30. And the Lord answers, said, this
voice came not because of me, but for your sake. Now is the
judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this
world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all unto me. He said, signifying what
death he should die. How is it that the Son of Man
should be lifted up? So he bound Satan by his death
at Calvary's tree. And then the last thing, Satan
was bound when the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to glory. When
he ascended up on high, Ephesians 4 verse 8, when he ascended up
on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men." Every
text of scripture in reference to Satan being bound is reference
to the Lord's first coming, not his second. In his second coming,
Satan will be forever destroyed. Satan's influence is still in
this world, but he's bound and unable to prevent the spread
of the gospel. He's bound and unable to withstand
the calling out of the elect of God with the preaching of
the gospel. He's bound and unable to hinder the growth of the church.
The Lord said, I'll build my church in the gates of hell,
shall not prevail against it. Satan is not bound in reference
to all men. There are many who are deceived,
but toward the elect of God, He is bound. He cannot harm us. We're more than conquerors through
Him that loved us. He cannot successfully accuse
us who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect. He
cannot bring us into condemnation. There is therefore now no condemnation
to those who are in Christ. He cannot prevent the success
of the gospel concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. He will soon
bruise Satan under our feet. That's what it says in Romans
16. Romans 16, verse 20. The God of peace shall bruise
Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you. He'll bruise Satan under our
feet shortly. This is a glorious, comforting
truth to the elect of God. Jesus Christ is the sovereign
king. Satan is the defeated foe. We
win in Christ. The battle is ours, we are victors
through the captain of our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan
and all his demons lose because the Lord Jesus Christ is a mighty
God, King of Kings. We read he's King of Kings and
he's Lord of Lords. Hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent
reigneth. Let us be glad and let us rejoice. Let us rejoice.