"And he cast him into the abyss and shut him up and set a seal on him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be fulfilled. And after that he must be loosed a little time." (Revelation 20:3). "And set a seal upon him" - Or, rather, “upon it”. The seal was placed upon the “door” or “gate” of the prison, not because this would fasten the gate or door of itself, and make it secure, for this was secured by the key, but because it prevented intrusion, or any secret opening of it without its being known. The idea here is, that every precaution was taken for absolute security. "That he should deceive the nations no more" - That is, during the thousand years. "Until the thousand years should be fulfilled" - That is, during that period there will be a state of things upon the earth as if Satan should be withdrawn from the world, and confined in the great prison where he is ultimately to dwell forever. "set a seal upon him" — Greek, “over him,” that is, sealed up the door of the abyss over his head. A surer seal to keep him from getting out than his seal over Jesus in the tomb of Joseph, which was burst on the Resurrection morn. Satan’s binding at’ this juncture is not arbitrary, but is the necessary consequence of the events (Rev. 19:20); just as Satan’s being cast out of heaven, where he had previously been the accuser of the brethren, was the legitimate judgment which passed on him through the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ (Rev. 12:7-10). Satan imagined that he had overcome Christ on Golgotha, and that his power was secure for ever, but the Lord in death overcame him, and by His ascension as our Righteous Advocate cast out Satan, the accuser from heaven. Time was given on earth to make the beast and harlot powerful, and then to concentrate all his power in Antichrist. The Antichristian kingdom, his last effort, being utterly destroyed by Christ’s mere appearing, his power on earth is at an end. He had thought to destroy God’s people on earth by Antichristian persecutions (just as he had thought previously to destroy Christ); but the Church is not destroyed from the earth but is raised to rule over it, and Satan himself is shut up for a thousand years in the “abyss” (Greek for “bottomless pit”), the preparatory prison to the “lake of fire,” his final doom. "And after that he must be loosed a little time" -That is, a state of things will then exist, for a brief period, as if he were again released from his prison-house, and suffered to go abroad upon the earth. The phrase “a little time” - denotes properly that this would be brief as compared with the thousand years.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:08:50 +0000
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