The Christ in Prophecy Journal

The Mighty Angels of Revelation 20

MP3: The Mighty Angels of Revelation 20
Hosts: Nathan Jones & Vic Batista

The Jailer Angel

Vic Batista: We are going to begin our study of Revelation 20 with the mighty angel who binds the Devil for a thousand years. It’ll be so exciting to see what the Holy Spirit is going to show us! Verses 1-3 read:

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

Nathan Jones: Revelation 20 is such a very important chapter in the Bible because it’s meant to give God’s faithful great hope. When reading this wonderful chapter, we have hope for today, hope for the future, and the Lord keeps that great hope going for all of eternity. Christians need to keep their eyes fixed on the big picture of Christ’s victory and not get so down by all the horrible little things that are going on around the world. We need to get excited about Jesus and what He is doing in the lives and hearts of His people. The Church continues to march on across the planet and people are getting saved, and that is what should be our duty, but as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ’s inevitable victory over Satan and evil.

Vic Batista: The only hope we have is in the Lord. Christians should keep busy with the service opportunities that we have been given by God as we hold back the forces of evil, but rest assured in knowing that there will be an end to the evil ruler of this world. Revelation 20 should excite the reader because it definitely provides an incredible hope.

Nathan Jones: So far in our study of Revelation, we have traveled through some awful times between Revelation 6 and 19. We’ve read about the Tribulation, which is seven years when God’s judgment is poured out on the world, resulting in most of the world’s population being destroyed and most of the ecology of the world left in shambles. Jesus passed down 21 judgments through His angelic messengers. We’re reading through the 72 different references to angels, as well as other references to the demons.

But, now, we are finally in Revelation 20, so let the good news begin!

The Enemy Angel

Vic Batista: Satan, who has plagued mankind since the Garden of Eden and has caused so much of the world’s problems, he and his demons will finally be put away.

Nathan Jones: Revelation 20:1-3 actually provides a picture of two different angels. First we have the angel who comes down from Heaven. What an angel he must be to take on the second angel in this story — Satan. This angel must be incredibly powerful, maybe even Michael the Archangel himself, though probably not because the Apostle John knows who Michael is and John isn’t identifying that he’s Michael the Archangel.

Whomever this angel is, he’s powerful enough to take on Satan. Satan is God’s supreme creation out of all the angelic realm. Satan is pictured by the prophets as an incredibly fierce dragon, beautiful and covered in jewels and light. Satan is also the most evil creature ever, twisted by his pride and ambition.

Maybe Jesus upon His return has weakened Satan. When Jesus came and defeated Satan’s armies, it could be that Satan was deprived of his power so that the angel could bind him. Or, this angel truly is one of the most mighty of angels. We can only speculate.

The Jailer Angel, as we’ll call him, actually takes a “great chain” and wraps it around Satan. He then uses his key to open the great bottomless pit, which we read about earlier back in Revelation 9. The Bottomless Pit was where all the demons had been held waiting for their time to conquer during the Trumpet Judgments.

Into that pit Satan will be sent, we’re told in this chapter, for a thousand years. Six times in Revelation 20 the amount of time Satan will be locked up is given: a thousand, a thousand, a thousand… So, for a thousand years, Satan will be locked up in the Pit where he can no longer deceive the nations. This is a major victory for every one of God’s faithful!

Vic Batista: How amazing that as Christians we have victory in Jesus! God is doing now and is going to achieve some incredible things. The Lord is going to put His foot down on the Enemy and he is going to be done with him for a thousand years.

I just love this passage because Satan’s prison sentence brings us hope. No matter what difficult times we all are going through due to satanic oppression, it will end. The persecution of Christians does have an end.

Nathan Jones: God loves to tell us how the story ends. Thirty-one percent of the Bible is prophecy. God is always telling people how the story is going to end. With Satan’s prison sentence foretold, we get to see God’s plans unfold.

With Satan's prison sentence foretold, we get to see God's plans unfold. #Revelation Click To Tweet

No matter how much Satan is grasping more and more control of the world right now, and the world becomes increasingly immoral and both spiritually and economically bankrupt in every way, his power will come to an end. Sure, today it seems like Satan’s kingdom is growing. Certainly during the Tribulation Satan through the Antichrist will be directly ruling over the entire world. And yet, Satan is only allowed that power for seven years until Jesus Christ returns. There are 500 verses in the Old Testament and one in every 25 in the New Testament that prophesies that Jesus Christ is coming back. When Jesus Christ comes back, it means the end of Satan’s hold over humanity for a thousand years.

Vic Batista: This concept may be a little difficult for some to understand, but in a way, because things are getting worse and worse, it really is bringing us closer to fulfilling our hope. This is because we know that the reign of Satan is coming to an end. Yeah!

Nathan Jones: At this point in human history, we are getting to that dark spot. When you wake up at four in the morning and everything seems really extra dark and miserable and you don’t want to be awake that early, it’s a terrible feeling, right? We are getting to that dark time in human history. We are approaching 11:59. Jesus Christ is coming back for the Church and He is going to rapture us up to Heaven. Then those dark hours in the night of human history will be coming upon this earth. But, once that horrific time is finally over, the dawn comes when Jesus Christ returns and Satan is finally imprisoned for a thousand years.

In the sixty-third segment of our series “The Mighty Angels of Revelation,” we will explore how we know that Jesus’ earthly kingdom will last a thousand years.

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Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

2 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • When Christ comes back for his 1,000 year rule, will it be over the same earth that has been basically destroyed or will the “new Heaven and Earth” be ushered in at this time? I know after the 1,000 year reign of Christ and the end of satan, we will have a new earth and heaven, just not sure during the 1,000 year reign of Christ.

    Thank you so much for your insight, very helpful. john

    • Jesus at His Second Coming will revitalize the current earth, cleaning it of the devastation of the Tribulation. The New Jerusalem coming down to the New Earth is post-Millennial Kingdom.

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