Hitting the Pause Button

At the turn of the millennium, software that helped run maximum security prisons in Australia could have failed catastrophically on January 1, 2000. Although major problems were averted, some technical support workers explained that much of their success was because problems were rooted out early enough.

God has a fail-proof plan for preventing Satan from influencing people during the thousand years after the second coming of Christ. When Jesus comes, all unsaved humans are destroyed by the brightness of His coming. This means that Satan cannot tempt them into more sin, and those who are living have been resurrected and taken to heaven: “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:5, 6). Here, John is explaining the millennium by jumping back and forth on the timeline.

John then lists only one explanation for the meaning of the binding of Satan to the destroyed earth: “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” (Revelation 20:3). Heaven’s strategy for dealing with Satan was unveiled so that everyone would know God’s thorough plan to abolish evil in the universe.

Apply It:

Encourage someone who is fearful or losing hope in God.

Dig Deeper:

Revelation 20:1; Revelation 19:11–21; Revelation 16:13

Key Bible Texts

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (Revelation 20:2 KJV)