Satan Is Bound
Revelation 20:1-3
Our Lord Jesus has
always ruled satan, as he has ruled all things, by
virtue of his total sovereignty as God. But now he has, as the God-man, our
Mediator, taken away satan's power to deceive the
world, so that he might gather his elect out of every nation in the world. Our
great adversary is under the total rule and control of our dear Savior. He
cannot harm us! He is still our adversary, our accuser, our enemy, the
deceiver, a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. The devil's nature is not
changed. But his power is bound. His ability to execute his malicious will
against God's elect is effectually restrained by Christ. Learn this and
rejoice: Satan is bound! He tempts us. But his temptations are sovereignly
ruled and controlled by Christ. He assaults us. But the assailant has no power
to hurt us. He roars against us. But he has no power to devour us. The lion of
hell has been conquered by the Lion of Judah! He is held in restraint by
Christ. Insofar as God's elect are concerned this lion has neither fangs, nor
claws, nor power.
This binding of satan is not his destruction. That comes at our Lord's
second advent. This binding is the restraint of satan's
power to deceive the nations. Satan's influence in the world is not destroyed,
but curtailed, so that he is unable to prevent, or even hinder, the spread of
the gospel, the salvation of God's elect, and the increase of Christ's kingdom
in the nations of the world. Satan cannot prevent, or withstand, the increase
and completion of Christ's Church (Matt.
Don Fortner