The Narrow Path Ministries

Sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover. For instance Hal Lindsay's most famous paperback, entitled "The Late Great Planet Earth", captures his pessimistic outlook with succinct precision. Perhaps his second most popular work, "Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth", is an even clearer summary of its contents. Unfortunately, the clarity is uncalled for.

Lindsay's premillennialism places the binding of satan at the end of the current age. Scripture places it at the beginning. When Jesus came 2000 years ago He didn't say satan would be driven out at the end of the world. He said "now the prince of this world will be driven out." He admitted Satan's strength, but used the present tense to say He (Jesus) "ties up the strong man."

The Apostles understood that Satan had been bound by Christ's 1st Coming. Paul pointed out that Jesus "disarmed the powers and authorities...by the cross." The author of Hebrews agrees by declaring that the very purpose of the 1st Coming was to "destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil." And John confirms this by stating "the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work."

When we come to the 20th chapter of John's Apocalyptic work and find him describing an 'angel' with a 'key' and a ' chain' seizing a 'dragon' that is a 'serpent' and binding him for a thousand years, very few interpret these nouns in a wooden literal sense. The key represents authority. The chain symbolizes limited freedom. The dragon & serpent simultaneously depict Satan. Binding, then, implies restraint, not ropes. And a 'thousand' years is simply a long duration of time.

So what 'binding' is John referring to? He's probably referring to the binding Jesus had taught him about and that he'd written about. When was this accomplished? At the 1st Coming of Christ and, specifically, at the cross. This places us in the midst of the 'thousand years' and leaves satan a 'dead man walking'. Revelation 20 directly mentions the devil's limitation, during this time, in regards to his work of "deceiving the nations." And history evidences his inabilities. Up until the 1st century the truth was mostly contained in one tiny nation, but from that point on it went to the ends of the earth.

Scripturally, the devil is severely limited in power during the church age. Maybe that is why the New Testament speaks of Jesus & His followers having so much 'authority'. Satan has not yet been "thrown into the lake of burning sulfur", but he has been thrown a curve ball that he just can't hit (especially with his anthropomorphic arms symbolically tied behind his anthropomorphic back). His power is limited to those who accept slavery. He has no authority over anyone in Christ. He may prowl around like a "roaring lion", but he can't take control of anyone that keeps some distance from his den. He's a caged animal now and the Holy Spirit is a trustworthy zookeeper.

Some day in the future, satan will be loosed to deceive the nations one last time. But Paul says Jesus will defeat him "with the breath of his mouth". Peter says "that day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat." John notes that fire will come "down from heaven" and the devil and his children. "This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire" at the 2nd Coming. Satan will be lobbed into the lake and every human knee will bow before Jesus Christ. At that moment many of us will realize we gave satan way to much credit when we were living on the late great planet earth.

Great essay Matt!

Thanks for writing this, Matt. Good work!

Very well written, Matt

You reminded me of the finished work of Christ and how it was stated in Rev. 12:10,11

10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,...

thanks guys and thanks for sharing that verse Allyn. It hadn't come to mind last night while writing.

Very well stated.

If anyone is interested in reading a dialoge between a premil team and an Amil team, follow this link: http://p072.ezboard.com/fendtimeforumfrm46

Sometimes it's interesting to read how a (I think in this case a Historic) premilinarian answers points made by the Amil camp. There hasn't been a lot of debate like this here so I figured I'd share.

I don't mean to junk up your thread, but what you posted reminded me of that discussion.

Thanks Mattrose...very edifying

A well-written essay, Matt!

Of course, as a "historic pre-millenialist" (I think that's the way you would label me), I cannot agree that Satan has now been bound, and is not deceiving the nations. I think the truth of that fact is made pretty obvious by just observing world events.

I think the scriptures to which you referred in Hebrews and in John give the purpose for which Christ came ----- that is not to say that this purpose has yet been fully realized.

However, I do not intend to debate the matter. Until I was in my early twenties, I was a staunch "pre-tribber". At that time I constantly shared my charts of future events which I considered to be "the last word". I finally saw the foolishness of that position.

I find that prophecies regarding the future are not laid out in such a clear way that their interpretation is obvious to all. Indeed, the terms of prophecy are not inevitable. Where ill is prophesied, and the people repent, God will not bring that ill upon them. A good example is God's prophetic word through Jonah that in 40 days, Ninevah would be destroyed. When God saw that the Ninevites repented, He did not carry out His intention.

This is an old topic judging from the dates posted but I just found it while ambling around tonight. I think Paidion's statement about Satan not being bound and still deceiving the nations is a very good point. It seems on the face of things that we may be headed for a worldwide conflict. I have a very good friend who is a Preterist but it looks like a world headed for some unfinished business to me.

Mine is also a late addition to this thread. A question for Padion, or others: Could the deception of the nations which we currently see be related to the "little while" that Satan is loosed near the end of the millenium? (although I would hasten to add that the spread of the gospel in other places of the world is a sight more spectacular than we tend to see in North America and Western Europe)

IN Him,

Jess