25. Satan Imprisoned By The Returning King

Chapter 25 Satan Imprisoned By The Returning King The Wedding Dress Of The Bride Of Christ We read earlier that just before the tribulation, at the rapture, the church will be...

“...caught up together ... in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18).

Yes, we believers should be very encouraged by these promises, because it is this same “Jesus who rescues us from the coming wrath”—as it says in 1 Thessalonians 1:10. So, while the world is suffering wrath and being oppressed by Satan and the antichrist during the tribulation, the church will be enjoying wonderful new fellowship in heaven—face to face with the Lord Jesus. At that time, Christ will judge and give rewards to the raptured believers in heaven for their service for him (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). It will also be a time when the church, “the bride” of Christ, will receive her special “wedding clothes” like a bride preparing for her wedding day. It will be a time of great rejoicing for the church.

Revelation 19:7-8 says: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)” The bride’s clothing is described as “fine linen, bright and clean.” This is the new “heavenly clothing” for the church—something that we will wear forever. It will always be in style and never wear out or get dirty. And somehow it will reveal the “righteous acts” of God’s people too. This is hard for us to understand. Maybe these clothes will be physical or maybe they will be some kind of spiritual clothes. We don’t really know. But somehow the righteous acts of God’s people will be visible for others to see and admire (Revelation 3:4-5; Revelation 18), like decorations on a beautiful wedding dress put on by a bride in preparation for her wedding day. Of course, any righteous acts that are done by us believers come as a result of Christ himself working in us through his Spirit. That’s why it says the clothes were “givento her to wear.” This clothing will reflect the glorious image or character of Christ himself, the Righteous One, and we will give glory to God for his gracious work in our lives. He will receive praise for his work in the church, but somehow by his grace, he has also chosen to share that glory with us, his bride (Romans 8:17)! Truly Amazing Grace!

Christ And The Church Are Ready For A Very Important Event In History: The Kingdom When the tribulation on earth is almost over, the church will be “ready” and waiting in heaven (Revelation 19:7) for the wedding feast of the Lamb. The announcement of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb and his bride marks the time when Christ will return and claim his kingdom on the earth. Christ will return to the earth along with his bride, the church, and finally set up his own government on this earth. The coming King and his kingdom will be one of the most important moments in the history of the earth. It is extremely important to God because this is what he has been planning for mankind since he created Adam and Eve in the beginning!

Matthew 25:34 refers to it as: “…thekingdomprepared for yousince the creation of the world.”

Since this kingdom will be such a big event in the history of all mankind, there will be much rejoicing and praise going on in heaven as everyone there will be looking forward to it! So we had better practice up on our Hallelujahs because we’ll be part of this!

Revelation 19:1-6 says: “… I heard what sounded like the loud voice of a vast throng in heaven, saying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God…"Hallelujah!" …The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures threw themselves to the ground and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne, saying: "Amen! Hallelujah!" … Then I heard what sounded like the voice of a vast throng, like the roar of many waters and like loud crashes of thunder. They were shouting: "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the All-Powerful, reigns!”(NET) Christ Is Already King But He Is Waiting To Claim His Kingdom On Earth The verse above says that the Lord “reigns,” but keep in mind that this is even before he returns to earth to claim his kingdom. It’s important to understand that the Lord has always been King (Daniel 4:3; 2 Peter 1:11). And as we stated before, he is the King over everything:

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 says: “Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, foreverything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all ... you are the ruler of all things...” (Psalms 24:1; 2 Chronicles 20:6)

Yes, the Lord is King over everything. But he also gave the earth to man to rule over it as a king under him. Man’s kingdom was to be a sub-kingdom under the Kingdom of God.

Psalms 115:16 says: “The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but theearth he has given to mankind.” (also Psalms 8:6)

Genesis 1:26 “...God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,so that they may rule...”

Man was created in God’s image so that he also would be a king over the earth. But he was still under the King of kings. When man submitted to Satan he became a slave to Satan and put himself under Satan’s rule, therefore now Satan is the ruler over the earth (1 John 5:19; John 12:31). But when Christ became a man and then died and rose again in that physical human body, he defeated Satan’s power—as a representative of the human race.

Therefore, other humans no longer have to be slaves and submit to Satan anymore. Christ also gave the Holy Spirit to believers in Jesus so that we would have the power to resist and defeat Satan. After Christ arose from the grave and had defeated Satan, he went to heaven and sat down on his throne at the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:33). The Absent King Will Return To Claim His Throne

Yes, even now as we speak today, Jesus is already King and he has all authority from the Father (Matthew 28:18), and he is seated on his throne in heaven. But he has not yet claimed his throne on earth. He has not yet taken the Throne of David in Jerusalem as promised (Is. 9:7; Luke 1:32). So, he is an absent king—waiting for his earthly kingdom to be established. That’s what Jesus was talking about in Luke 19:11-12. The people thought Jesus would immediately set up his kingdom in Jerusalem, but he told a parable of a man who would go into a “distant country” to be appointed king first and then return later. In the same way, Jesus went to heaven and was appointed king, but he is waiting to return as King over the earth. He is also like the bridegroom in the parable in Matthew 25:5 who is delayed in coming back but will return soon with his bride for the marriage feast of the Lamb. God the Father has said that the enemies of Jesus will first be defeated, and then Jesus will claim his kingdom on earth.

“’The Lord said..."Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ” (Acts 2:34-35)

Yes, his enemies will be defeated before he claims his throne in Israel and his new kingdom on earth. But let’s look at his return first. When King Jesus Returns, It Will Be As An All-Powerful King And Judge The first time Jesus came to earth, he came as a tiny weak little baby. But the second time Jesus comes, he will come as the All-Powerful King over all kings. The first time Jesus came to earth, he was judged like a criminal and condemned by wicked judges. But the second time he comes to earth, he will come as the Righteous Judge over those people who falsely accused him! When Jesus returns to earth, he will come with great power and authority and his enemies will be all be defeated and judged (Revelation 19:11-16). No one will be able to stand against him.

Jesus’ Second Coming Will Be Very Visible For All To See

Remember when Jesus left the disciples and went back up to heaven? They were all standing on the Mt. of Olives watching him go up into the clouds and up to heaven. Then two angels spoke to them and said,

“…Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come backin the same way you saw him gointo heaven." (Acts 1:11) (NET) So these angels told them that Jesus will return in the same way that he left—which means visibly, and in plain sight. People were watching him as he left the earth and went up through the clouds into heaven, so later people will also see him leave heaven and watch him come back down to earth in the same way as he left the first time (Revelation 1:7). And some scholars believe that he will even land in the very same place as he left—on the Mt. of Olives in Israel (Zechariah 14:4). The Second Coming Is Different Than The Rapture In the Bible, it appears that Christ’s second coming is quite different than the rapture, so we should be careful not to confuse them. At the rapture, the Lord Jesus comes to get the believers—to take them away—but at the Second Coming he will come with the believers as his army (Revelation 19:14), along with his angels. At the rapture, Christ won’t actually come down to the earth, but rather we will meet him in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Also, the rapture will happen suddenly “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52), so that other people won’t see Christ at that time. But the second coming of Christ will be a worldwide event. He will come in such a way that he is very visible for all people on earth to see him.

Revelation 1:7 says: "Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him" (Matthew 24:29-30). The reason these people will mourn when he comes this second time is because he will come to judge the wicked and rebellious people who have followed the antichrist, so they will fear him and mourn. And even some Jews will mourn. They are the nation who rejected their King and who “pierced him” (with nails on the cross). So Christ will judge all the unbelievers that are still alive at the end of the tribulation—before he begins his 1000-year kingdom here on earth. Finally the earth will have a righteous and just King! The King Of Kings Returns To Earth Here’s a quick overview of the details in Revelation 19:11-16 :

• The Man sitting on the white horse and coming down from heaven is Christ. (A white horse symbolizes victory and a conqueror—someone who has won the battle).

• His eyes are like blazing fire: This symbolizes a perfect Judge. Fire was used for light and also to purify things. Fire provides light to see in dark places. Jesus sees everything clearly, even the hidden dark secrets of men, so he judges people truthfully. Fire is also a symbol of testing, refinement and judgment. Fire is used to refine and test metals for purity. It burns off the impurities and leaves the pure metals. Jesus will judge sin like fire removing the dross. Nothing will be able to hide from his judgment.

• Blood on his clothes (Revelation 19:21): Some scholars think this is a symbol of the blood he shed to redeem us. But probably this comes from Isaiah 63:2-3 where it is a symbol of the blood of God’s enemies when Christ defeats them at his second coming (Revelation 19:15).

• Word of God: This is another name for Christ (John 1:1). Jesus is the voice, the expression, the very best possible way to communicate to mankind who God is.

• The army of heaven that rides on white horses and follows Christ: These are the believers that have received white robes that are clean and pure (Revelation 19:8). It may also be his angels.

• The sharp sword coming out of Christ’s mouth: this represents Christ’s words. All people will be judged by his Word and his Word will defeat all his enemies like a sharp sword (Revelation 1:16; Revelation 2:16, Isaiah 11:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:8).

• The Name “King of kings and Lord of lords” is Christ’s glorious name.

Christ’s Kingdom Will Overthrow And Remove Satan’s Kingdom The Antichrist Will Gather A Huge Army

Revelation 19:19-21 tells us how Christ will win the battle over his enemies. The Beast (or antichrist) is the man Satan will use to rule everyone on earth during the tribulation. Then finally, he will gather an army of kings along with their armies from around the world and they will come and fight against Jesus and the armies of heaven (16:12-16). It looks like the armies from the east will also come against Israel to fight (Revelation 16:12; Revelation 9:14), and all of them will meet at a place called Armageddon (16:16). These huge armies will cover the whole land of Israel and a huge war will break out. God will use Satan and the antichrist to bring all these rebellious people together, and then at just the right time, Jesus will come down with his army of angels and Christians from heaven. It looks like we will come down with Jesus to the Mt. of Olives (Revelation 19:15; Revelation 19:19-21; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Zechariah 14:1-4; Acts 1:9-12).

Christ Will Fight And Defeat Antichrist’s Army No matter how many soldiers come that day, they won’t be able to defeat Christ. All the armies of every nation can’t frighten Christ. Even if they bring huge guns or bombs or fighter jets, none of these can defeat Christ. Christ has all power, and he will completely defeat the antichrist and the false prophet and their whole vast army. His enemies will all be defeated simply by Christ speaking words from his mouth (Joel 3:2; Zechariah 12:1-9; Isaiah 33:1 to Isaiah 34:17; Isaiah 63:1-6; Isaiah 66:15-16; Jeremiah 25:27-33; Revelation 20:7-10).

Christ Will Send The Antichrist And False Prophet Directly To The Lake Of Fire At that time, God will not waste any time waiting to judge the antichrist (beast) and the false prophet. While they are still alive, Jesus will throw them directly down into the lake of fire where they will be tormented day and night forever. This place is called hell or the second death.

They will remain in the lake of fire forever and will never be able to leave again, so they will no longer be able to deceive people on the earth. The other rebellious people who die at that time will be judged later. But no matter if they are kings or presidents or generals of armies or very rich, influential people, their bodies will still become food for the birds of prey on the battleground (Revelation 19:17-18).

Satan Is Bound (Imprisoned) God Alone Is Able To Imprison Satan

Okay, we have seen how God will send the antichrist and his false prophet into the lake of fire (hell) at the return of Christ. But God will not send Satan there right away. Instead, the Bible says that he will imprison (bind) Satan for 1000 years during the kingdom (Revelation 20:1-3). Some people think that they can “bind” Satan through prayer even now. But only God is able to bind him and he will do that when it is the right time during the end times. Until then the Bible says that Satan is still roaming free on the earth today, so we are instructed to “resist” him (1 Peter 5:8-9). During the Kingdom, Satan will be bound for 1000 years, and during that time he will be in a spiritual prison and will not be able to deceive people on earth. The Place Satan Will Be Bound Is Different Than Hell

Satan will be bound in a place called the Abyss or bottomless pit. It’s not the same as hell. Hell is an eternal punishment, so those who are sent to hell (or the lake of fire) can never come out again. But God uses a similar place called the Abyss (or Tartarus, 2 Peter 2:4) which may even be connected to the lake of fire—but it is a temporary prison for some demons and Satan where they are “reserved for judgment.” The lake of fire is for after their judgment.

We already looked at Revelation 9:1-3 which talks about the time when God will open the Abyss and let some of the demons out to punish people on earth. And then again, during the 1000-year kingdom, this is where Satan will be bound—in the Abyss. And when the 1000 years are finished, God will let him loose for a short time. After that God will throw him into hell (the lake of fire) forever (Revelation 20:7-10).

Two Types Of Resurrections In the chart above, you will notice a few different resurrections mentioned which could be summarized into two main groups: Believers and Unbelievers—or Resurrection of the “Living” and Resurrection of the “Dead.” Here’s a quick look at their order.

The Resurrection And Satan

It is not our purpose to go into all the details of these events here, but why is the resurrection so important in the story about Satan? As we have seen earlier, the death and resurrection of Jesus was a huge victory over sin and death, so the resurrection of believers to eternal life is also a huge victory for Christ over Satan.

Hebrews 2:14-15 says: “…by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death--that is,the devil--and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” So when Satan was defeated by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, he no longer had the power of death over us who have believed in Christ. We are freed from Satan’s kingdom, and death has been conquered too. We no longer have to fear death. In fact, the resurrection is our hope of a new perfect resurrected body which is no longer bothered by sin or death. The “sting of death” is gone!

1 Corinthians 15:54-55 : “…"Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

-------- The Millennium—Kingdom —1000 Years Without Satan— The Meaning Of The Kingdom

After the return of Christ and the resurrection of Old Testament believers and tribulation believers, there will also be those people who did not die during the tribulation and are still alive when Christ returns. What will happen to them? They too will be judged: both the Jews and Gentiles. Those who have believed in Christ will enter the Kingdom. But before we talk about those people, let’s review the meaning of the word “kingdom.” The Old and New Testament both mention the kingdom many times. It was something the Jews had been waiting for—for hundreds of years before Jesus came. John the Baptist, the apostles, and of course, Jesus, taught about the coming “Kingdom of heaven” or the “Kingdom of God.” These names both basically mean the same thing. They mean that “the government of God” or “the government of heaven” will be ruling over all people on the earth. We know that God has always been above all other governments and that he is the King of kings. Nevertheless we also know that God created Adam like a son (Luke 3:38) and he put Adam and his descendants in charge of the earth to rule over it as kings. But since Adam submitted to Satan, he allowed Satan to take over as the ruler of the earth. So later, God sent the “second Adam” (Christ) to take Adam’s place and take back the earth from Satan, and remake the earth into a proper kingdom of God again—a kingdom that is not ruled by fallen angels or rebellious men. So Christ had to become a real human being in order to represent mankind, and then, as a human, he overcame Satan on the cross for mankind.

Why Hasn’t Jesus Yet Established The Kingdom In Israel?

Long ago, God promised King David that a King would come from within his family and that he would be the King of everyone on earth (2 Samuel 7:8-17). We now know that he was talking about Christ. Christ is the one who will sit on David’s throne in Jerusalem, and he will rule over Israel and all mankind, just like God promised (Acts 2:30). He will not just be the King of Israel, but he will be the King over all kings and Lord over all lords. So why hasn’t Jesus yet claimed his kingdom in Israel? Jesus indeed did come from the lineage of David (Matthew 1:6-17) as God promised, and he did live among the Israelites and constantly talked to them about the kingdom that was coming. But Satan deceived the leaders of Israel so they didn’t believe Jesus was the promised king. So the leaders and most people in Israel rejected Jesus as their king (Matthew 23:37-39; Mark 15:12-13) because they didn’t want to repent. So Jesus didn’t establish his kingdom in Israel at that time because they weren’t ready to repent and accept Jesus as their King.

Israel’s Rebellion Has Opened A Door For Gentiles To Enter The Kingdom

Israel chose to be the enemy of Jesus their king (Luke 19:10-28; Luke 19:41-44) and they had him killed on a cross. God said that their rejection of Christ opened the door for Gentiles to repent and become believers (Romans 10, 11).

Christians Are Citizens Of God’s Kingdom Already

Ever since Jesus rose again and went to heaven, many people, including Gentiles and some Jews, have believed in him and accepted him as their Savior, so those people have made Christ King of their hearts and lives. So, in a sense, the kingdom of God is already inside them, because the King lives and rules there and they are his citizens.

Colossians 1:13 says “...he has rescued us from thedominionof darkness and brought us into thekingdomof the Son he loves...” This verse talks about those of us who have been rescued from the “dominion” of darkness. This word dominion means the “authority or control” that Satan and sin have over people. So anyone who believes in Christ as their Savior is no longer under the authority or government of Satan. Satan is not our king or authority any more. We are under a new dominion—a new government—the Kingdom of God and Christ. We who are believers in Christ are already citizens of the Kingdom of God (the Kingdom of heaven).

Php 3:20 says “...ourcitizenshipis in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ...”

Yes, we Christians are citizens of the Kingdom of heaven already, but we are still waiting for the king to return to set up his earthly Kingdom in Israel as he promised. It will be a time when Satan does not have dominion over Israel or the rest of the world. A new King will be in charge: the God-Man, Jesus.

Satan Always Fights Against Israel But He Will Not Win

Satan has always hated Israel more than other nations because Israel was chosen by God to bring the new King who would defeat Satan (Revelation 12). Satan has always turned Israel against God as their true king, but God will not let Satan win in this battle over Israel. God has chosen them and he will defeat Satan and win their hearts back to God (Romans 11:25-28). This will happen during the “time of Jacob’s trouble”—the tribulation.

Jeremiah 30:7 says: “How awful that day will be! No other will be like it. It will be atime of trouble for Jacob(Israel), but he will be saved out of it.”

Israel Will Finally Repent In The End Times And Many Will Enter The Kingdom The Bible says that during the tribulation many Israelites will finally repent and turn to God, and he will fulfill his promise to them and save them from total destruction by the antichrist. Then he will finally establish his kingdom in Israel. The apostle Peter and also Paul reminded people that this restoration of Israel was still coming in the future:

Acts 3:19-21 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.” (Acts 2:34-35)

Acts 15:16 says: “After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it...”

Christ Will Remove Satan And His Followers Before The Kingdom When Christ returns to establish his kingdom, he will first throw the antichrist and false prophet into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20). After that, Satan will be bound for 1000 years in the Abyss during the Kingdom. The Christians will also help Christ judge the earth and remove all rebellious people that are still alive at the end of the tribulation (Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:4). It won’t matter if they are leaders of powerful nations or armies or if they are rich and famous, Christ will remove all the rebellious unbelievers before he sets up his kingdom. Satan and his followers will have no power at all over Christ and his kingdom. No one can stand against him. Christ will overcome all rebellious people on the earth and only believers will be allowed to enter his kingdom (Ephesians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21). The Kingdom Will Be The Most Wonderful Time On The Earth

What will this final kingdom be like? The prophet Daniel often spoke about the things that would lead up to this time. Others gave us a few details. But there’s no doubt it will be the most amazing time on earth since the garden of Eden. Satan will no longer be in charge of the earth. He will be bound—imprisoned for 1000 years—and Christ will be the King—the most wonderful King who ever ruled on the earth. Believers who live through the tribulation will go into the Kingdom with Christ and they will honor and obey him as their Lord and King. They will finally be able to live in peace at last, since Satan and his kingdom will no longer be able to hurt them.

Peace, Security And Health

Imagine this new world without Satan. Peace and security will be the normal experience in life for those who live in the kingdom of Christ. The Bible says that Christ will “rule with a rod of iron,” which means that there will always be law and order, and crime will not be a problem. Hatred and jealousy will not be tolerated. People will not need to lock their doors or fear walking at night. There will be no wars. Under Christ, even the wild animals will live peacefully with mankind. Parents will not worry about their children playing with snakes or lions or bears or other wild animals (Is. 11:6-9). People will bear many children and repopulate the earth again, and they will live much longer. 100 years will be considered young, so they will probably live much longer—maybe like those who lived in the days of Adam and Noah (Is. 65:20-23). They will exist peacefully under Christ’s kind-hearted reign until the 1000 years are over.

Kingdom of Righteousness 1 Corinthians 6:9 says: “…do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” At the beginning of the kingdom, only the “righteous”—the believers—will be allowed to enter (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:21; Ephesians 5:5). (There will be some children born to them who will not believe in Christ, and will rebel, and we’ll talk about them later.) Without Satan and his followers, the kingdom of this earth will be such a different place than what we see today. It will be a time of righteousness—without wars, persecution, or slavery. It will be a society without need for armies or police—with crime eliminated. A time when the righteous people under Christ will live in harmony. Everyone will know Christ the King (Jeremiah 31:33-34) and he will be honored and exalted by everyone. His government will function perfectly, and the people will gladly submit to their gracious King. This again is just another way that Jesus will display his power over Satan. Compared to Satan’s earthly kingdom, Christ’s kingdom will be like paradise because it will be ruled by a Good King. In the next chapter we’ll read about who will help Jesus rule this kingdom and what you yourself might be doing during that time.