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Why Couldn't Satan be Literally Imprisoned Now?

Posted: Thu May 19, 2016 10:34 pm
by Singalphile
This question makes most sense from the amill view, but it's for anyone:

What reasons are there for saying that Satan was not literally imprisoned around the time of the writing of Revelation in the first century?

His "angels", aka, demons, would still be free, though perhaps leaderless and disorganized, but he himself would have been completely detained and inactive for about 1,950 years now. Any objection to that thought?

Note: I was wondering about this while listening to the 5/18/2016 TNP 1-hour show, a "best of" show (here around 38:40+). I haven't had time to think about it or look into it, so I'm open to anything.

Also, I have no position on the millennium. None of the views make much sense to me.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts. I may not have time to reply for a while, but I read posts all the time.

Re: Why Couldn't Satan be Literally Imprisoned Now?

Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 5:04 pm
by Paidion
What reasons are there for saying that Satan was not literally imprisoned around the time of the writing of Revelation in the first century?
Well, if Satan was imprisoned, that imprisonment must have occurred after Peter wrote his letter (dated 60-65 A.D.)

For Peter wrote:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
(1 Peter 5:8)


Also, I don't see that people after the writing of Revelation were any less evil than prior to that writing. Indeed, during our present time, murders, rapes, tortures, abortions, hate crimes, disrespect for authority, and much else, seem much more prevalent than ever before. If the devil is imprisoned, it doesn't seem to have diminished the atrocities of our day.

Re: Why Couldn't Satan be Literally Imprisoned Now?

Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 9:51 pm
by morbo3000
Paidion wrote:
Also, I don't see that people after the writing of Revelation were any less evil than prior to that writing. Indeed, during our present time, murders, rapes, tortures, abortions, hate crimes, disrespect for authority, and much else, seem much more prevalent than ever before. If the devil is imprisoned, it doesn't seem to have diminished the atrocities of our day.
All the Devils and demons could be imprisoned and there would be no less evil on the earth.

We have met the enemy, and he is us.
- Pogo

Re: Why Couldn't Satan be Literally Imprisoned Now?

Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 2:53 am
by Singalphile
Paidion wrote:Well, if Satan was imprisoned, that imprisonment must have occurred after Peter wrote his letter (dated 60-65 A.D.)
For Peter wrote: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
(1 Peter 5:8)
I agree. The sort of lock down that best suits the symbolic imagery of Rev 20 (imo) would have to have been after 1 Peter. I suppose it's possible that the final complete detention of Satan occurred 35-50 years or so after the cross, after the plundering, war, exposing, disarming, and casting out.
Paidion wrote: Also, I don't see that people after the writing of Revelation were any less evil than prior to that writing. Indeed, during our present time, murders, rapes, tortures, abortions, hate crimes, disrespect for authority, and much else, seem much more prevalent than ever before. If the devil is imprisoned, it doesn't seem to have diminished the atrocities of our day.
Perhaps, but can't say for sure, and if evil angels/demons are still about ....

Kind of interesting. I never thought of myself as being on the devil's radar anyway. If nothing else, the premise could make for some entertaining novels!

Re: Why Couldn't Satan be Literally Imprisoned Now?

Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 10:53 am
by steve7150
I suppose it's possible that the final complete detention of Satan occurred 35-50 years or so after the cross, after the plundering, war, exposing, disarming, and casting out.







IMHO it was Satan who spoke to Muhammed around 625AD to establish Islam which to a large extent is an attempted direct refutation of Christ himself. So if true he was not bound at that point.
My eschatology is unsettled except that I am' not a Full Preterist so it seems to me todays times are the craziest I have ever seen or read about. I know other times have had great fear and evil but today the evil is done in the name of God on a regular basis and perversion today is glorified as virtue like no other time in history. Something is different today, the enemy is not just us.

Re: Why Couldn't Satan be Literally Imprisoned Now?

Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 2:03 pm
by willowtree
steve7150 wrote:
My eschatology is unsettled except that I am' not a Full Preterist so it seems to me todays times are the craziest I have ever seen or read about. I know other times have had great fear and evil but today the evil is done in the name of God on a regular basis and perversion today is glorified as virtue like no other time in history. Something is different today, the enemy is not just us.
As I read the Rev. 20 passage, I note that John qualifies the binding of Satan in respect to a particular restriction - to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore. Perhaps it has something to do with my upbringing in a culture that respects the Judeo-Christian ethic. .Murder, lying, cheating, day of rest each week are all values, good or bad, that our governments recognize in the formulation of their laws. We enjoy these 'benefits' and for the most part take them for granted.

At the same time, we acknowledge that Satan is the prince of this world, walking around as a roaring lion. There is a disconnect here that makes me think that one day things are going to get a whole lot worse than they are now - like Paul mentions to the Thessalonians (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).

I read the restriction that John writes about as being on governments and ruling authorities, and shudder to think how things will/may become if we individually were cut off from benefits by evil legislation that had no respect at all for values we considered sacred. I fear it is already starting to happen.

Graeme

Re: Why Couldn't Satan be Literally Imprisoned Now?

Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 2:31 pm
by steve7150
I read the restriction that John writes about as being on governments and ruling authorities, and shudder to think how things will/may become if we individually were cut off from benefits by evil legislation that had no respect at all for values we considered sacred. I fear it is already starting to happen.






But are not many governments (nations) being deceived today with Islam as their religion and law through Sharia Law. It dominates more today then ever and obviously is on the ascension in Africa, Asia and in a generation or two dominate Europe. Seems to me this is a deception of the nations.

Re: Why Couldn't Satan be Literally Imprisoned Now?

Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 7:07 pm
by Singalphile
steve7150 wrote:IMHO it was Satan who spoke to Muhammed around 625AD to establish Islam which to a large extent is an attempted direct refutation of Christ himself. So if true he was not bound at that point.
That's true. Why couldn't it have been some other demon and not Satan himself? I'm not very familiar with historicism.
willowtree wrote:At the same time, we acknowledge that Satan is the prince of this world, walking around as a roaring lion.
Why? Perhaps he was in the first century, perhaps for a short while after being cast out of heaven, and then he was completely locked up and detained shortly after the writing of Revelation. I am wondering if there's any scripture that rules out that possibility. If not, then it seems to me to be as good a theory as any I've heard.

Re: Why Couldn't Satan be Literally Imprisoned Now?

Posted: Sun May 22, 2016 1:52 am
by jaydam
steve7150 wrote:I read the restriction that John writes about as being on governments and ruling authorities, and shudder to think how things will/may become if we individually were cut off from benefits by evil legislation that had no respect at all for values we considered sacred. I fear it is already starting to happen.






But are not many governments (nations) being deceived today with Islam as their religion and law through Sharia Law. It dominates more today then ever and obviously is on the ascension in Africa, Asia and in a generation or two dominate Europe. Seems to me this is a deception of the nations.
But the difference I see is that no nation is "safe" from the gospel. Until the church era, God's people never influenced outwardly, but were always under the influence of surrounding nations. There is no significant time in Israel's history where they reached the nations for God in any significant sense.

I believe the binding of Satan relates to a spiritual hold he had on all the Gentile nations. For the first time, with the church, God's people actually penetrated the other nations. And I would see Satan's binding being related to the spread of the gospel, and the continued spread for over 2k years, as even the tightest regimes have failed to keep Christianity at bay. From the old USSR to modern North Korea, no matter how oppressive, God's people have been successful at having feet in all the nations, no matter how small in number.

However, I've been reading about how the church is on the verge of extinction in Syria, and the churches in Yemen and Iraq could fall shortly after. I wonder if the possible success of ISIS to eradicate God's people, and thus God's light, from entire nations marks the unleashing of Satan to again hold entire nations under spiritual sway. It has yet to be seen if ISIS will truly succeed, but it does seem probable that they will.

Re: Why Couldn't Satan be Literally Imprisoned Now?

Posted: Sun May 22, 2016 8:12 am
by crgfstr1
willowtree wrote: I read the restriction that John writes about as being on governments and ruling authorities, and shudder to think how things will/may become if we individually were cut off from benefits by evil legislation that had no respect at all for values we considered sacred. I fear it is already starting to happen.
Graeme
I haven't figured out the timeline of things as the idea that we are amillennial is somewhat new to me. If we are amillennial, would the next thing we should be looking for is the devil is loosed for a season? If so then the evil legislation of nations would probably mean that he is being loosed and that would fit with the rest of what you described as the limitation of this binding.