When will Satan be freed to cause rebellion…will this be after the Millennial period? If it’s after the Millennial period, with whom will he be working?
Let’s look at Revelation 20:1-8, “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, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And WHEN THE THOUSAND YEARS ARE EXPIRED, SATAN SHALL BE LOOSED OUT OF HIS PRISON, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.”
This chapter contains the binding of Satan, the saints’ thousand years reign with Christ (the Millennium), the loosing of Satan again, the defeat of Satan and the Gog and Magog army, and the last judgment. There is quite a bit that transpires in this chapter. By reading a few of the previous chapters, you can recognize that chapter 20 begins at the beginning of the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ on the earth, right after the seven-year Tribulation period.
The angel that is to bind Satan is described by his descent from heaven. He has the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand, and with them, he lays hold on Satan, binds him, and casts him into the bottomless pit. He then shuts it up and sets a seal on him. This will prevent Satan from deceiving the nations for the space of a thousand years, until he is loosed for a ‘little season’.
As soon as Satan is loosed from his prison in the Bottomless Pit, he will find a great multitude of people who are actually ready to believe his lie, to serve and obey him. He will gather them from all around the globe to battle with him against Christ. They will be in number as “the sand of the sea.”
We must keep in mind that no one is born saved. Even during the Millennial reign, people will still be born in sin. After one thousand years, the memory of the Lord’s coming in glory after the Tribulation Period may seem like just a fantasy to the generations born after that event. Many will be eager to join Satan in his attack on the Lord because they have never believed on Him as their savior. Even in an environment where there is so Satanic influence, men will still reject the Lord. Even after 1000 years in the presence of the King, and of universal peace and blessing, man still persists in rebelling against his Maker. How sad!
Let us draw this meditation to a close by mentioning what will happen to Satan’s rebellious army. Revelation 20:9-10 tells us, “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” After this will be the Great White Throne judgment where all the unsaved will be judged by God without mercy. I encourage you to read the rest of this chapter. (392.4)