Alejandro Medina Villareal
The devil’s captivity is presented in a segment that extends from Revelation 17:1 to 21:8. In this section, we can see the fall of the different enemies of God, including Babylon, the beast, the false prophet, and, of course, the dragon, that is, Satan himself.1 In this section, God carries out His judgment over the powers of evil at the end of history.
Thus, Satan is the only one left. All of his henchmen are annihilated. But why imprison the devil? Why not destroy him along with the rest of his allies? Is God trying to send us a message through this part of the Bible?
In fact, behind the devil’s captivity, there are several spiritual implications that deserve our consideration.
The first time the Scriptures mention that the devil is confined to a space is in the book of Genesis, when it is said that he was found in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, located at the center of the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-4). Hence, Adam and Eve received the order not to approach that area or eat the fruit of the forbidden tree (Gen. 2:16-17).
In the end of the Scriptures, this idea of confinement of the devil appears once again. “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while” (Rev. 20:1-3).
The biblical description shows an angel that comes down with the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. According to Revelation 1:18, Jesus is the only one that has “the keys of Hades and of Death.” Therefore it is evident that this Angel is fundamentally significant in Christ’s operation.2
Inside the same book of Revelation are allusions to certain terms used by the apostle John. This is the case with the “key to the bottomless pit,” which appears in Revelation 9:1: “Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.” Likewise, Satan’s defeat which appears in this section presents a parallelism with Revelation 12:7-9, where in verse 9, the same series of names mentioned in 20:2 (the dragon, the serpent of old, the Devil and Satan) appear.3
According to the Bible, the bottomless pit is a place of chaos, due to the absence of order that God had established in Creation. It is described as a gloomy prison where demonic forces are contained (Luke 8:31; 2 Pet. 2:4). In the context of Revelation 20, some of the classic characteristics of the pit are applied to this planet, which gets to a condition of complete chaos, desolation, and is unfit for living (Jer. 4:23-26). The seven plagues have devastated this world, whose condition is now similar to the disorder present before the Creation week (Gen. 1:2).4
Satan’s forced confinement in the pit has an apparent parallelism with pagan accounts of ancient battles fought between deities.5 There are also references to this event in the Book of Enoch.6 David Aune comments that the only passage from the Old Testament that seems to find its fulfillment in the devil’s captivity is Isaiah 24:21-22:7 “It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth. They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison; after many days they will be punished.” These verses describe the way captured kings were treated.
Ellen G. White says that the “the expression ‘bottomless pit’ represents the earth in a state of confusion and darkness.”8 Concerning the devil’s captivity, she affirms that, “limited to the earth, he will not have access to other worlds to tempt and annoy those who have never fallen. It is in this sense that he is bound: there are none remaining, upon whom he can exercise his power. He is wholly cut off from the work of deception and ruin which for so many centuries has been his sole delight.”9
Ellen G. White recollects the biblical description of Satan’s work: “Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?” (Isa. 14:12-17). Hence, she claims that the satanic prison, namely the grave, has locked up many human beings: “For six thousand years his prison house [the grave] has received God’s people, and he would have held them captive forever; but Christ has broken his bonds and set the prisoners free.”10 However, the satanic power of imprisoning human beings will no longer exist. Ellen G. White says that “even the wicked are now placed beyond the power of Satan, and alone with his evil angels he remains to realize the effect of the curse which sin has brought.”11 So, during his captivity, Satan does a mental exercise and evaluates his rebellion and its consequences.
For a thousand years, Satan will wander to and fro in the desolate earth to behold the results of his rebellion against the law of God. During this time his sufferings are intense. Since his fall his life of unceasing activity has banished reflection; but he is now deprived of his power and left to contemplate the part which he has acted since first he rebelled against the government of heaven, and to look forward with trembling and terror to the dreadful future when he must suffer for all the evil that he has done and be punished for the sins that he has caused to be committed. To God’s people the captivity of Satan will bring gladness and rejoicing. Says the prophet: “It shall come to pass in the day that Jehovah shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy trouble, and from the hard service wherein thou wast made to serve, that thou shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon [here representing Satan], and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! … Jehovah hath broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers; that smote the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, that ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained” (vv. 3-6).12
When Lucifer was thrown out of heaven, he was not allowed to go back, and, “as he could not gain admission within the gates of heaven, he would wait just at the entrance, to taunt the angels and seek contention with them as they went in and out.”13 So, it seems like Satan had limited access to other worlds because White comments that, on occasion of his captivity, “he will not have the privilege of ranging to other planets, to tempt and annoy those who have not fallen.”14
The devil’s imprisonment takes place at the end of the Second Coming of Christ and the beginning of the millennium. Then Jesus takes the saints with Him to live in the heavenly kingdom; the first resurrection occurs, where the saints that were dead before the coming of Jesus are raised to be transformed and taken with Him along with the redeemed that were alive for His second coming; the wicked that are alive die; and the Earth is left desolate (Rev. 19:11-21; 20:6; 1 Thess. 4:16; John 14:2-3; Matt. 24:37-39; Rev. 19:21; Jer. 4:23).
During the devil’s captivity, Christ lives in heaven with the redeemed; the saints reign with Christ; the judgment’s second phase takes place, that is, the millennial judgment, which judges the wicked (Rev. 2:26; 15:3; 20:4; John 14:2; Dan. 7:27; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6:1; 1 Cor. 6:2-3). It should be clarified that this judgment does not decide the salvation of any person; instead, it clarifies any doubts as to why the wicked ones were not saved.
At the end of the devil’s confinement, the wicked come back to life in the second resurrection; Jesus Christ comes down with the saints and the city; the attack on the city takes place; the judgment with the great white throne, implementation of the last judgment phase (Rev. 20:5, 7-8; John 5:28-29; Zech. 14:9; Luke 13:28; Rom. 14:10; Isa. 45:22-23). Finally, Satan and sinners are destroyed.
At the end of his existence, Satan receives a marked display of divine authority. “During this period Satan must reside there as it was a prison for him, since he will have no one to deceive. He will remain tied down to a chain of circumstances. Alone with his angels and nearly defeated, he now witnesses the terrible effects of his rebellion against God.”15 Satan’s actions have limits. Throughout his life he was able to move just to the point where God allowed him to. But his time for deception has come to an end.
It is interesting that Ellen G. White reveals an unusual image of Satan by describing him “with trembling and terror” during this confinement.16 In another of her writings, she says that at the beginning of the rebellion in heaven, Lucifer “shuddered, and feared to face the future and to contemplate the end of these things”;17 “trembled as he viewed his work”;18 and a little ahead, when he had been thrown out from heaven, “he shuddered at the thought of plunging the holy, happy pair into the misery and remorse he was himself enduring.”19
This moment of loneliness, vulnerability and helplessness results in extreme suffering for Satan.20 He feels “miserable and dejected.”21 Why? Ellen G. White provides an answer.
Since his fall his evil traits have been in constant exercise. But he is then to be deprived of his power, and left to reflect upon the part which he has acted since his fall, and to look forward with trembling and terror to the dreadful future, when he must suffer for all the evil that he has done and be punished for all the sins that he has caused to be committed.22
Since his expulsion from heaven, as well as his later victory in the Garden of Eden over Adam and Eve, Satan has pretended to be the prince of this world (John 12:31; 14:40; 16:11). This is what he shows in the arrogant way of presenting himself in the presence of God, described in the book of Job (1:6-12). The truth is that the destiny of this world is in God’s hands. Jesus is the only one who has “the keys of Hades and of Death” (Rev. 1:18). For this reason, Satan is subject to divine authority.
This part of the Bible is a prelude to the final destruction of Satan. In reality, his annihilation is so important that it has two themes to describe it instead of one, namely, his imprisonment and his fall.23
Despite his confinement and time for reflection, Satan’s character does not change. For this reason, once the period of a thousand years is over and, seeing that the wicked resurrect, “his hopes revive, and he determines not to yield the great controversy.”24 And so he gets back on track trying to take over the New Jerusalem through his last deceit: he pretends to be a redeemer who, by his immense power, has brought them out of the tombs and “is about to rescue them from the most cruel tyranny.”25 He even performs some miracles to convince the wicked,26 who are persuaded of his power and therefore follow his instructions.
Satan and his followers march towards the New Jerusalem to attack it. But then the final coronation of the Son of God takes place27 and the last phase of judgment. During these moments, “Satan sees that his voluntary rebellion has unfitted him for heaven… . And now Satan bows down and confesses the justice of his sentence.”28 However, despite recognizing this divine justice and bowing down to Jesus’ supremacy, “his character remains unchanged. The spirit of rebellion, like a mighty torrent, again bursts forth.”29 The biblical description of what happens next is very brief: “They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:9-10).
The biblical reference that the devil is thrown in a lake of fire and brimstone is very significant. In one occasion, I had the opportunity to visit an authentic sulfuric acid (brimstone) lake in a place called Los Azufres, Michoacán, in Mexico. I was amazed at the sight of that natural wonder. The most interesting thing is that around this lake there is no trash or dirt because the sulfuric acid destroys it all. You can put your hands, feet, or entire body in this lake of very hot water to experience a very special sensation: your impurities disappear. What an extraordinary illustration about the end of Satan and sinners!
Sin will be completely eradicated from the whole universe. Not even signs will be left to prove that wickedness one day existed in our world. Everything will be purified for the well-being of the saved and the whole universe. And what does it mean that the beast, the dragon, and the false prophet will be thrown in the lake of brimstone? That sin will no longer exist because, as it happens in a sulfur lake, at the moment an impurity touches the surface, it disappears.
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1 G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, Cumbria: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1999), 972.
2 J. P. Lange et al, A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Revelation (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2008), 349.
3 David E. Aune, Word Biblical Commentary: Revelation 17–22, Vol. 52C (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 1078.
4 Ranko Stefanovic, Revelation of Jesus Christ. Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Berrien Springs: Andrews University Press, 2002), 564.
5 Aune, Word Biblical Commentary: Revelation 17–22, 1078.
6 “And I asked the angel of peace who went with me, saying: ‘For whom are these chains being prepared?’ And he said unto me: ‘These are being prepared for the hosts of Azazel, so that they may take them and cast them into the abyss of complete condemnation, and they shall cover their jaws with rough stones as the Lord of Spirits commanded (Rev. 20:1-3). And Michael, and Gabriel, and Raphael, and Phanuel shall take hold of them on that great day, and cast them on that day into the burning furnace, that the Lord of Spirits may take vengeance on them for their unrighteousness in becoming subject to Satan and leading astray those who dwell on the earth’” (1 Enoch 54:4-5).
7 Aune, Word Biblical Commentary: Revelation 17–22, 1078.
8 Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, 658.
9 Ibid., 659.
10 Ibid.
11 Ibid., 660.
12 Ibid.
13 Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption, 27.
14 Ellen G. White, Early Writings, 290.
15 Alejandro Medina, Secretos revelados (Madrid: Safeliz, 2019), 256. [Translated from the original Spanish version].
16 White, The Great Controversy, 660.
17 White, The Story of Redemption, 24.
18 Ibid., 26.
19 Ibid., 28.
20 White, Early Writings, 290.
21 White, The Great Controversy, 663.
22 White, Early Writings, 290.
23 J. M. Ford, Revelation: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary, Vol. 38, (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 330.
24 White, The Great Controversy, 663.
25 Ibid.
26 Ibid.
27 Ibid., 666.
28 Ibid., 670.
29 Ibid., 671.