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Text -- Revelation 20:1 (NET)

Strongs On/Off
Context
The Thousand Year Reign
20:1 Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain.
Parallel   Cross Reference (TSK)   ITL  

Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics

Dictionary Themes and Topics: Vision | Satan | REVELATION OF JOHN | Pit | Millennium | Milleium | Key | KEYS, POWER OF THE | Jesus, The Christ | ESCHATOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, VI-X | Deep, The | Chains | CHAIN; CHAINS | BOTTOMLESS, PIT | Angel | Abyss | more
Table of Contents

Word/Phrase Notes
Robertson , Vincent , Wesley , JFB , Clarke , Defender , TSK

Word/Phrase Notes
Barnes , Poole , PBC , Gill

Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes , Geneva Bible

Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis , MHCC , Matthew Henry , Barclay , Constable , College

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Robertson: Rev 20:1 - -- Coming down out of heaven ( katabainonta ek tou ouranou ). As in Rev 10:1; Rev 18:1.

Coming down out of heaven ( katabainonta ek tou ouranou ).

As in Rev 10:1; Rev 18:1.

Robertson: Rev 20:1 - -- The key of the abyss ( tēn klein tēs abussou ). As in Rev 9:1.

The key of the abyss ( tēn klein tēs abussou ).

As in Rev 9:1.

Robertson: Rev 20:1 - -- A great chain ( halusin megalēn ). Paul wore a halusis (alpha privative and luō , to loose) in Rome (2Ti 1:16, as did Peter in prison in Jerusa...

A great chain ( halusin megalēn ).

Paul wore a halusis (alpha privative and luō , to loose) in Rome (2Ti 1:16, as did Peter in prison in Jerusalem (Act 12:6).

Robertson: Rev 20:1 - -- In his hand ( epi tēn cheira autou ). "Upon his hand,"ready for use. See epi with the genitive in Rev 1:20.

In his hand ( epi tēn cheira autou ).

"Upon his hand,"ready for use. See epi with the genitive in Rev 1:20.

Vincent: Rev 20:1 - -- Of the bottomless pit See on Rev 9:1. This is to be distinguished from the lake of fire. Compare Rev 20:10.

Of the bottomless pit

See on Rev 9:1. This is to be distinguished from the lake of fire. Compare Rev 20:10.

Vincent: Rev 20:1 - -- Chain ( ἅλυσιν ) See on Mar 5:4. Only here in John's writings.

Chain ( ἅλυσιν )

See on Mar 5:4. Only here in John's writings.

Vincent: Rev 20:1 - -- In his hand ( ἐπί ) Lit., upon: resting on or hanging upon.

In his hand ( ἐπί )

Lit., upon: resting on or hanging upon.

Wesley: Rev 20:1 - -- Coming down with a commission from God. Jesus Christ himself overthrew the beast: the proud dragon shall be bound by an angel; even as he and his ange...

Coming down with a commission from God. Jesus Christ himself overthrew the beast: the proud dragon shall be bound by an angel; even as he and his angels were cast out of heaven by Michael and his angels.

Wesley: Rev 20:1 - -- Mentioned before, Rev 9:1.

Mentioned before, Rev 9:1.

Wesley: Rev 20:1 - -- The angel of the bottomless pit was shut up therein before the beginning of the first woe. But it is now first that Satan, after he had occasioned the...

The angel of the bottomless pit was shut up therein before the beginning of the first woe. But it is now first that Satan, after he had occasioned the third woe, is both chained and shut up.

JFB: Rev 20:1 - -- Now transferred from Satan's hands, who had heretofore been permitted by God to use it in letting loose plagues on the earth; he is now to be made to ...

Now transferred from Satan's hands, who had heretofore been permitted by God to use it in letting loose plagues on the earth; he is now to be made to feel himself the torment which he had inflicted on men, but his full torment is not until he is cast into "the lake of fire" (Rev 20:10).

Clarke: Rev 20:1 - -- An angel came down from heaven - One of the executors of the Divine justice, who receives criminals, and keeps them in prison, and delivers them up ...

An angel came down from heaven - One of the executors of the Divine justice, who receives criminals, and keeps them in prison, and delivers them up only to be tried and executed

The key of the prison and the chain show who he is; and as the chain was great, it shows that the culprit was impeached of no ordinary crimes.

Defender: Rev 20:1 - -- The angel may well be the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, since it is He who has the key to the bottomless pit (Rev 1:18), and it would be most appropriate...

The angel may well be the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, since it is He who has the key to the bottomless pit (Rev 1:18), and it would be most appropriate for the Son, on behalf of the Father, to personally dispatch the great rebel to his prison.

Defender: Rev 20:1 - -- The demons had dreaded the prospect of being sent by Christ to "the deep" (same Greek word, Luk 8:31), but the "time" for their "torment" (Mat 8:29) w...

The demons had dreaded the prospect of being sent by Christ to "the deep" (same Greek word, Luk 8:31), but the "time" for their "torment" (Mat 8:29) will finally have come as they will be corralled with their evil prince into the deep dungeon (on the bottomless pit, the Greek word abussos, see note on Rev 9:1).

Defender: Rev 20:1 - -- The "great chain," with which to "bind the strong man" (Mar 3:27) is a spiritual chain to restrain the spiritual being called Satan, but it will serve...

The "great chain," with which to "bind the strong man" (Mar 3:27) is a spiritual chain to restrain the spiritual being called Satan, but it will serve the purpose, whatever it is."

TSK: Rev 20:1 - -- I saw : Rev 10:1, Rev 18:1 having : Rev 1:18, Rev 9:1, Rev 9:2; Luk 8:31 a great : 2Pe 2:4; Jud 1:6

I saw : Rev 10:1, Rev 18:1

having : Rev 1:18, Rev 9:1, Rev 9:2; Luk 8:31

a great : 2Pe 2:4; Jud 1:6

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Rev 20:1 - -- And I saw an angel come down from heaven - Compare the notes on Rev 10:1. He does not say whether this angel had appeared to him before, but th...

And I saw an angel come down from heaven - Compare the notes on Rev 10:1. He does not say whether this angel had appeared to him before, but the impression is rather that it was a different one. The whole character of the composition of the book leads us to suppose that different angels were employed to make these communications to John, and that, in fact, in the progress of things disclosed in the book, he had contact with a considerable number of the heavenly inhabitants. The scene that is recorded here occurred after the destruction of the beast and the false prophet Rev 19:18-21, and therefore, according to the principles expressed in the explanation of the previous chapters, what is intended to be described here will take place after the final destruction of the papal and Muhammedan powers.

Having the key of the bottomless pit - See the notes on Rev 1:18; Rev 9:1. The fact that he has the key of that underworld is designed to denote here, that he can fasten it on Satan so that it shall become his prison.

And a great chain in his hand - With which to bind the dragon, Rev 20:2. It is called great because of the strength of him that was to be bound. The chain only appears to have been in his hand. Perhaps the key was suspended to his side.

Poole: Rev 20:1 - -- Rev 20:1-3 Satan bound for a thousand years. Rev 20:4-6 The first resurrection. Rev 20:7-9 Satan again let loose gathereth Gog and Magog to b...

Rev 20:1-3 Satan bound for a thousand years.

Rev 20:4-6 The first resurrection.

Rev 20:7-9 Satan again let loose gathereth Gog and Magog to

battle, who are devoured with fire.

Rev 20:10 The devil cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.

Rev 20:11-15 The general resurrection, and last judgment.

Chapter Introduction

We are now come to the darkest part of the whole revelation. What is meant by the thousand years, and the first and second resurrection, and by Gog and Magog, Rev 20:1-15 , or the new heavens and new earth, and the Jerusalem coming down from heaven, discoursed on, Rev 21:1-22:21 , is very hard to say, and possibly much more cannot with any probability be conjectured as to them than hath been already said. I shall only tell my reader that, leaving him to judge what is most probable, and leaving it to he Divine Providence to give us a certain and infallible exposition of what is contained in these last three chapters.

The description of this angel can agree to none but Christ, or one that exerciseth a power by delegation from him: for, Rev 1:18 , it is he who hath the power of hell and death; and it is he who alone is stronger than the devil, which must be supposed to him that binds him, or we must think the devil much tamer than he is.

PBC: Rev 20:1 - -- The angel that came down from heaven was Jesus Christ. He had "the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand." Re 20:1 The key denotes a...

The angel that came down from heaven was Jesus Christ. He had "the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand." Re 20:1 The key denotes authority. The bottomless pit is the everlasting/eternal separation from God’s presence. Bottomless indicates a place of endless duration. The great chain represents the power of Christ to restrain Satan.

475

Satan bound in the bottomless pit {Re 20:1-3}

Re 20:1-2 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

The main thought of these verses is the word bound. In the Greek the word translates deo, a primary verb meaning to bind (in various applications, literally or figuratively). Let us examine the following passages. " Then said the king to the servants, Bind [deo] him hand and foot." {Mt 22:13} " Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied [deo]," {Mt 21:2} " Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind [deo] on earth shall be bound in heaven." {Mt 18:18} In the verses under consideration the Scripture uses another powerful metaphor. We are approaching the highly descriptive language John uses to describe the Church.[1]  We must not lose this meaning of the binding of Satan. The binding angel was one with authority: he had the key to the bottomless pit. He comes with a great chain[2] in his hand. This bottomless pit does not mean the same as does the lake of fire and brimstone. This bottomless pit is not the place of eternal punishment. Satan is bound in the sense that he can do no more than God will allow him to do. This binding of Satan is for a period of time. The terminology, a thousand years, is expressed in metaphoric language. David uses this metaphor in Ps 90:4, " For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." Peter uses this same metaphor, " But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." {2Pe 3:8} Time is not the primary factor. Purpose has more to do with the actions of God than does a limited time. Let us examine the purpose for this binding of Satan.— Eld. Charles Taylor

Re 20:1-15 covers a vast period of time. It begins with the ministry of Jesus Christ on earth and goes to the end of time and into eternity. I don’t have all the answers to the complex issues in this portion of God’s word, but I do know according to 2Ti 3:16 this scripture should be profitable to us. I believe it is given for our encouragement as we face the devil during our pilgrimage on earth.

476

[1] Re 21:1-27 and Re 22:1-21.

[2] halusis, hal’-oo-sis; of uncertain derivation; a fetter or manacle.

Gill: Rev 20:1 - -- And I saw an angel come down from heaven,.... All Christ's enemies, and Satan's instruments being removed, the devil is left alone, and only stands in...

And I saw an angel come down from heaven,.... All Christ's enemies, and Satan's instruments being removed, the devil is left alone, and only stands in the way of Christ's kingdom; and what will be done to him, and how he will be in the issue disposed of, this vision gives an account: by the "angel" John saw, is not to be understood Constantine the great; for though he is the man child that was taken up to God, and his throne, being advanced to the empire, yet he cannot, with that propriety, be said to come down from heaven; and though he vanquished the Heathen emperors, in which the dragon presided, and cast Paganism out of the empire, by which the devil ruled in it, yet the binding of Satan is another kind of work, and seems too great for him; and besides, did not take place in his time, as will be seen hereafter: nor is an apostle, or a minister of the Gospel intended; such are indeed called angels in this book, and may be said to come down from heaven, because they have their commission from thence; and particularly the apostles had the keys of the kingdom of heaven, but not the key of the bottomless pit; and a chain and system of Gospel truths, which they made good use of for the establishing of Christ's kingdom, and weakening of Satan's, but not such a chain as is here meant; and they had the power of binding and loosing, or of declaring things lawful or unlawful, but not of binding and loosing of Satan; nor was he bound in the apostolic age: nor is one of the ministering spirits, or a deputation of angels designed; for though Christ will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, and will make use of them, both to gather together his elect, and to cast the wicked into the lake of fire, yet not to bind Satan; but the Lord Jesus Christ himself is this angel, who is the angel of God's presence, and of the covenant; and who is in this book called an angel, Rev 7:2 to whom all the characters here well agree, and to whom the work of binding Satan most properly belongs; for who so fit to do it, or so capable of it, as the seed of the woman, that has bruised serpent's head, or as the Son of God, who was manifested to destroy the works of the devil, yea, to destroy him himself; and who dispossessed multitudes of devils from the bodies of men, and is the strong man armed that dislodges Satan from the souls of men, and is the same with Michael, who drove him from heaven, and cast him out from thence before, Rev 12:7. And his coming down from heaven is not to be understood of his incarnation, or of his coming from thence by the assumption of human nature; for Satan was not bound by him then, as will be seen hereafter; but of his second coming, which will be from heaven, where he now is, and will be local, visible, and personal: of no other coming of his does this book speak, as seen by John, or as future; nor will the order of this vision, after the ruin of the beast and false prophet, admit of any other.

Having the key of the bottomless pit: the abyss or deep, the same out of which the beast ascended, Rev 11:7. And the key of this becomes no hand so well as his who has the keys of hell and death, Rev 1:18 who has all power in heaven and in earth, and has the power of hell, of opening and shutting it at his pleasure, which is signified by this phase; see Rev 9:1. The Ethiopic version reads, "the key of the sun", where some have thought hell to be; and yet the same version renders the word, the deep, in Rev 20:3.

And a great chain in his hand; the key in one hand, and the chain in another; by which last is meant, not any material chain, with which spirits cannot be bound, nor indeed sometimes bodies possessed by evil spirits, Mar 5:3 but the almighty power of Christ, which he will now display in binding Satan faster and closer than ever.

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Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Rev 20:1 The word “holding” is implied. The two clauses “having the key of the abyss” and “a huge chain in his hand” can be...

Geneva Bible: Rev 20:1 And ( 1 ) I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key ( 2 ) of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. ( 1 ) Now follows the third...

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Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Rev 20:1-15 - --1 Satan bound for a thousand years.6 The first resurrection; they blessed that have part therein.7 Satan let loose again.8 Gog and Magog.10 The devils...

MHCC: Rev 20:1-3 - --Here is a vision, showing by a figure the restraints laid on Satan himself. Christ, with Almighty power, will keep the devil from deceiving mankind as...

Matthew Henry: Rev 20:1-10 - -- We have here, I. A prophecy of the binding of Satan for a certain term of time, in which he should have much less power and the church much more p...

Barclay: Rev 20:1-3 - --The abyss was a vast subterranean cavern beneath the earth, sometimes the place where all the dead went, sometimes the place where special sinners w...

Constable: Rev 4:1--22:6 - --III. THE REVELATION OF THE FUTURE 4:1--22:5 John recorded the rest of this book to reveal those aspects of the f...

Constable: Rev 20:1-15 - --M. The millennial reign of Christ ch. 20 John recorded his vision of Jesus Christ's reign on the earth f...

Constable: Rev 20:1-3 - --1. The binding of Satan 20:1-3 20:1 The first word, "And," supports the idea of chronological sequence. It implies a continuation from what John just ...

College: Rev 20:1-15 - --REVELATION 20 i. Deliverance from Babylonian Captivity (20:1-22:6) Revelation 20:1-22:5 consists of a very beautiful and very elaborate network of s...

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Introduction / Outline

Robertson: Revelation (Book Introduction) THE REVELATION OF JOHN ABOUT a.d. 95 By Way of Introduction Difficulty in the Problem Perhaps no single book in the New Testament presents so ...

JFB: Revelation (Book Introduction) AUTHENTICITY.--The author calls himself John (Rev 1:1, Rev 1:4, Rev 1:9; Rev 2:8). JUSTIN MARTYR [Dialogue with Trypho, p. 308] (A.D. 139-161) quotes ...

JFB: Revelation (Outline) TITLE: SOURCE AND OBJECT OF THIS REVELATION: BLESSING ON THE READER AND KEEPER OF IT, AS THE TIME IS NEAR: INSCRIPTION TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES: APOSTOL...

TSK: Revelation (Book Introduction) The obscurity of this prophecy, which has been urged against its genuineness, necessarily results from the highly figurative and symbolical language i...

TSK: Revelation 20 (Chapter Introduction) Overview Rev 20:1, Satan bound for a thousand years; Rev 20:6, The first resurrection; they blessed that have part therein; Rev 20:7, Satan let lo...

Poole: Revelation 20 (Chapter Introduction) CHAPTER 20

MHCC: Revelation (Book Introduction) The Book of the Revelation of St. John consists of two principal divisions. 1. Relates to " the things which are," that is, the then present state of...

MHCC: Revelation 20 (Chapter Introduction) (Rev 20:1-3) Satan is bound for a thousand years. (Rev 20:4-6) The first resurrection; those are blessed that have part therein. (Rev 20:7-10) Satan...

Matthew Henry: Revelation (Book Introduction) An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Revelation of St. John the Divine It ought to be no prejudice to the credit and authority of this b...

Matthew Henry: Revelation 20 (Chapter Introduction) This chapter is thought by some to be the darkest part of all this prophecy: it is very probable that the things contained in it are not yet accomp...

Barclay: Revelation (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO THE REVELATION OF JOHN The Strange Book When a student of the New Testament embarks upon the study of the Revelation he feels him...

Barclay: Revelation 20 (Chapter Introduction) The Thousand Year Reign Of Christ And The Saints (Rev_20:1-15) Since the great importance of this chapter is that it is what might be called the fou...

Constable: Revelation (Book Introduction) Introduction Historical background The opening verses of the book state that "John" wr...

Constable: Revelation (Outline) Outline I. The preparation of the prophet ch. 1 A. The prologue of the book 1:1-8 ...

Constable: Revelation Revelation Bibliography Abbott-Smith, George. A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T. & ...

Haydock: Revelation (Book Introduction) THE APOCALYPSE OF ST. JOHN, THE APOSTLE. INTRODUCTION. Though some in the first ages [centuries] doubted whether this book was canonical, and ...

Gill: Revelation (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION That this book was written by the Apostle and Evangelist John, is clear not only from the express mention of his name, a...

Gill: Revelation 20 (Chapter Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 20 This chapter contains the binding of Satan, the saints' thousand years' reign with Christ, the loosing of Satan again...

College: Revelation (Book Introduction) PREFACE This commentary on the Revelation of John has been prepared for general readers of the Bible who desire to deepen their understanding of God'...

College: Revelation (Outline) OUTLINE I. PROLOGUE - 1:1-20 A. Introduction to the Prophecy - 1:1-3 B. Sender - 1:4a C. Recipients - 1:4b D. Prescript - 1:4c-5a E. ...

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