Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Revelation 20:1-3
1. The binding of Satan 20:1-3 read more
Revelation 20:1-3 Web
Thomas Constable
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Revelation 20:2
Four titles make the identity of the bound creature certain. The dragon is his most frequent name in Revelation (Revelation 12:3-4; Revelation 12:7; Revelation 12:13; Revelation 12:16-17; Revelation 13:2; Revelation 13:4; Revelation 13:11; Revelation 16:13). This title alludes to the serpent of old (cf. Genesis 3). This is an anacoluthon or parenthetical reference (cf. Revelation 1:5; et al.) [Note: Robertson, 6:257.] The Devil (Revelation 20:10; Revelation 2:10; Revelation 12:9; Revelation... read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Revelation 20:3
The angel will throw Satan into the abyss and then shut and seal the opening to it to guarantee that he will not escape (cf. Daniel 6:17; Matthew 27:66). This action assures his confinement, but it does not specify that he will suffer otherwise. Satan will not have access to the earth but abide in the abyss (bottomless pit, Revelation 9:1-2; Revelation 11:7; Revelation 13:4; Revelation 13:7; Revelation 17:8) throughout the Millennium. His confinement will preclude his deceiving the nations,... read more
John Darby
Darby's Synopsis of the New Testament - Revelation 20:2
20:2 Satan, (c-16) Lit. 'the Satan.' The adversary. see ch. 12.9. read more
John Dummelow
John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 20:1-15
Satan conquered. The Last JudgmentIn this chapter the visions of the overthrow of Christ’s enemies are continued. The devil is bound for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-3); the martyrs reign with Christ for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4-6). It is foretold that, at the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be loosed, and will make a last assault against the saints, after which he is cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10). A vision of the Last Judgment follows (Revelation 20:11-15).The binding... read more
Charles John Ellicott
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Revelation 20:1
THE BINDING OF SATAN.(1) And I saw an angel come down . . .—Rather, And I saw an angel descending out of the heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain on (not merely in his hand, but hanging from it as it would do when on) his hand. It is needless to settle who is represented by this angel. It is enough that in the vision he manifests by the key and the chain which he carries that there is power in Him, who has the keys of death and of Hades (Revelation 1:18), to bind, as He has... read more
Charles John Ellicott
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Revelation 20:2
(2) And he laid hold on the dragon . . .—Or, And he laid hold of the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. The four words are thus used to describe the archenemy; they are the same as those used for the same purpose in Revelation 12:9. Over the world he has exercised in every quarter his power as prince of this world, and he has been found fierce as the dragon, subtle as the serpent, the slanderer of God and His people, and the adversary of all... read more
Charles John Ellicott
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Revelation 20:3
(3) And cast him into the bottomless pit . . .—Rather, and cast him into the abyss (same word as in Revelation 20:1), and locked and sealed (the door or mouth) above him, that he may not deceive the nations any more until the thousand years shall have been finished; after these things he must be loosed for a little time. The sealing reminds us of the sealing employed when the wicked one had power through man’s agency to imprison God’s messengers. (Comp. Daniel 6:17, and Matthew 27:66.) Of the... read more
William Nicoll
Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Revelation 20:1-15
The Thousand Years' Reign of Christ Revelation 20:4 I. First we shall show that the literal interpretation of the passage before us is altogether wrong and untenable. (1) The first proof of this is a very obvious one. We are dealing with a symbolic book. From the glorious description of the Saviour in the first chapter to the last picture of the Holy Jerusalem the book is one great series of panoramic displays of symbolic pictures. It is not intended to narrate literal events, whether... read more
Subscribe
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Most Searched
Group of Brands
© 2025 Bibleportal.com All rights reserved.
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Revelation 20:1
The first word, "And," supports the idea of chronological sequence. It implies a continuation from what John just revealed (cf. Revelation 19:11; Revelation 19:17; Revelation 19:19; Revelation 20:4; Revelation 20:11-12; Revelation 21:1-2; Revelation 21:22). Amillennial interpreters disagree. [Note: Beale, pp. 974-83.] "John says nothing to place this chapter in the time sequence." [Note: Morris, p. 235. Jack Deere answered this objection very effectively in "Premillennialism in Revelation... read more