Little Season (1) - Satan was Bound

The season ushered by the Man of Lawlessness is called the "little season" or "short Time" The passage that describes this season is not well understood.

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time (Rev 20:1-3).

The binding of the devil is not a future event as most Christians assume, because the Devil was totally defeated by Jesus’ victory on the cross.

Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Col 2:15).

Jesus has already done everything that has to be done to destroy the Devil’s power He proved this by casting out demons wherever he went (Matt 12:29). However, since he ascended into heaven, Jesus can only work on earth through his body. He won a major judicial victory on the cross, but it must be enforced on earth by the Holy Spirit working through the church. Jesus challenged his disciples to exercise this authority as long as they remained on earth.

Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Matt 18:18).

Jesus repeated this statement to stress that its importance (Matt 16:9). The devil works in the spiritual realm, but God’s people on earth have authority to bind everything every evil power in that realm.

During the Times of the Gentiles, the church does not use this authority very effectively, so the devil continues to operate as though he had never been bound. As Christians suffer for the gospel during the Times of Distress, they will get a new revelation of the defeat of the devil and their power to bind him. The Kingdom of God will come to fulfilment when the Church gets to grips with this authority and binds him completely. Throughout the Times of the Kingdom, the church will be on the top of its game and ensure that he is bound and powerless.

John said that the devil is bound for a thousand years (Rev 20:3). This is not a literal thousand years. A thousand equals ten to the power of three. Ten represents completeness and three is perfection, so a thousand equals perfect completeness. The thousand years describes the season when the Kingdom of God has perfect fulfilment. The time may last for much longer than a thousand of years, but throughout that time, the Devil is totally bound.

Antithesis 8 - Binding Satan

The Binding of Satan is not a future event, because he was destroyed by the cross. The reason Satan still seems to be so active is that the church has failed to realise the full extent of what Christ has achieved. The church has the police power to enforce Jesus judicial victory over Satan, so he will continue to act up until the church forces him to recognise the sentence that was passed against him. He will not be bound in some future event, but when the church begins using the authority that Jesus has given us.

False Ideas (5) - Binding Satan

A popular idea is that Satan is bound at the Second Coming.

However, the Bible teaches very clearly that we do not have to wait for Satan to be bound in the future. He was defeated by Jesus’ victory on the cross. Jesus disarmed Satan and all his powers, by making a public spectacle of them, when he triumphed on the cross (Col 2:15). He has already done everything that needs to be done to secure Satan’s downfall.

The reason Satan still seems to be so active is that the church has failed to realise the full extent of what Christ has achieved. In binding Satan, Jesus works through the church. He has placed the chain that binds Satan in the hands of his people. They must restrain Satan’s power over the nations.

Jesus won a judicial victory on the cross. When a decision is made in a court of law it does not become a fact until the police enforce it. The church has the police power to enforce Jesus judicial victory. Satan will not be fully bound until the church forces him to recognise the sentence that was passed against him at the cross.

The church has the power to bind Satan, but is not using the authority that has been given to it. Satan will not be bound in some future event. He will be bound when the church becomes aware of the binding power that it already has, and begins to exercise that authority in Jesus’ name.

More here.

Satan is Bound

While we are getting rid of one-word doctrines, we should get rid of the doctrine that Satan will not be bound until the second coming of Jesus. This belief has caused Christians to allow Satan much greater authority on earth than he deserves. It is based on a misunderstanding of Revelation 20:1-3, which makes the binding of Satan a future event.

The Bible teaches very clearly that we do not have to wait for Satan to be bound in the future. He was defeated by Jesus’ victory on the cross. Jesus disarmed Satan and all his powers, by making a public spectacle of them, when he triumphed on the cross (Col 2:15). He has already done everything that needs to be done to secure Satan’s downfall.

The reason Satan still seems to be so active is that the church has failed to realise the full extent of what Christ has achieved. In binding Satan, Jesus works through the church. He has placed the chain that binds Satan in the hands of his people. They must restrain Satan’s power over the nations. Jesus won a judicial victory on the cross. When a decision is made in a court of law it does not become a fact until the police enforce it. The church has the police power to enforce Jesus judicial victory. Satan will only be fully bound until the church forces him to recognise the sentence that was passed against him at the cross.

The crucial question is this: when was Satan bound? The Bible teaches that he was bound at the cross. One last example is Matthew 12:29. Here, Jesus taught that Satan is bound. He was able to cast out evil spirits because the strongman had already been bound.

How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man?

The fact that the early church was able to continue this deliverance ministry is proof that Satan was bound at the cross. We must accept the verdict of the Bible. Jesus does not have to return to bind Satan. He has already done everything necessary to restrain him. We just have to do our part.

Read more....