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The article examines a widespread misconception held by the modern Church: that
the devil is supposedly bound for a thousand years, that he is cast into the bottomless pit.
It is shown, using examples taken from the Holy Scriptures, that he is
“on the earth and in the sea”
(Rev 12:12).
Moreover, he is
“the god of this world”
(2 Cor 4:4),
“and no marvel;
for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light”
(2 Cor 11:14).
This means that
the millennium
(Rev 20:4),
which is
the first resurrection
(Rev 20:5),
has not yet begun. Quotes are given from the book of the righteous John of Kronstadt (Sergiev)
My Life in Christ,
showing that Satan is not at all bound, but is waging a fierce battle against us.
7
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;
and the dragon fought and his angels,
Dan 10:13.
Dan 12:1.
8
And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9
And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Luke 10:18.
…
12
Therefore rejoice,
ye
heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Isa 49:13.
1
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Luke 8:31.
Rev 1:18.
2
And he laid hold on
the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan,
and
bound him a thousand years,
2 Peter 2:4.
Jude 1:6.
Rev 12:9.
3
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.
4
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.
Dan 7:9,22.
Dan 8:17.
Matt 19:28.
1 Cor 6:2.
2 Tim 2:12.
Rev 6:11.
5
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
This
is
the first resurrection.
6
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.
Isa 61:6.
Rev 1:6.
Rev 21:7.
7
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Eze 38:2.
Eze 39:1.
Rev 16:14.
8
Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Job 1:7.
Job 2:2.
Luke 22:31.
9
Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
Acts 14:22.
10
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle
you.
2 Cor 4:17.
11
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil.
Rom 13:12.
1 Thess 5:8.
12
For we
wrestle
not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high
places.
John 12:31.
John 14:30.
Eph 2:2.
18
Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again;
but
Satan hindered us.
3
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
1 Cor 1:18.
4
In whom
the god of this world
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
John 14:9.
Col 1:15.
Heb 1:3.
13
For such
are
false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
Acts 15:24.
14
And no marvel;
for
Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15
Therefore
it is
no great thing if
his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;
whose end shall be according to their works.
Matt 7:15.
13
And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil:
(ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ)
…
Referring to Mat 6:13:
"Although the KJV renders this 'deliver us from evil,' the presence of the article indicates not evil in general, but the evil one himself.[**]
If the devil is bound,
really bound
[“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“
(Rev 20:2-3)], then why does Jesus Christ suggest that we ask the Father:
“deliver us from the evil one”
(Matt 6:13)?
This means that the devil is
NOT
yet
bound
(Rev 20:2-3)
and
the millennium
(Rev 20:4)
has
NOT
yet begun.
Faith in the coming resurrection is destroyed
Apostle Paul warns that the assertion
that the resurrection is past already
(2 Tim 2:18)
destroys the faith in the
coming resurrection.
Now no one believes in the
coming resurrection.
Everyone longs for the
Last Judgment,
which will fall upon the unrecovered (practically defeated by Satan)
Church.
16
But shun profane
and
vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
1 Tim 4:7.
1 Tim 6:20.
Tit 1:14.
Tit 3:9.
17
And
their word will eat as doth a canker:
of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
1 Tim 1:20.
18
Who concerning the truth have erred,
saying that the resurrection is past already;
and overthrow the faith of some.
Satan is not bound on land or sea
7
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon;
and the dragon fought and his angels,
Dan 10:13.
Dan 12:1.
8
And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9
And
the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Luke 10:18.
…
12
Therefore rejoice,
ye
heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Isa 49:13.
18
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
The devil is indeed
cast out of heaven
and is
on earth and sea.
Next we will experience the time when
the Angel will come down from heaven
and
imprison him in the abyss.
1
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Luke 8:31.
Rev 1:18.
2
And he laid hold on
the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
2 Peter 2:4.
Jude 1:6.
Rev 12:9.
3
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.
Prayers
… But let the Fiery Coal of Thy Most Pure Body and Thy Most Precious Blood bring me …
protection against every action of the devil,
…
“… bring me …
protection against every action of the devil,
…” we ask before receiving the Holy Mysteries. This means that
any devilish influence
is present even before Communion. This means that the devil is
NOT
yet
bound
(Rev 20:2-3)
and
the millennium
(Rev 20:4)
has
NOT
yet begun.
… Bury in me
the evil devices of the devil
with good thoughts, and destroy
the spirits of evil!
…
“Bury in me
the evil devices of the devil
… and destroy
the spirits of evil!” we pray before receiving the Holy Mysteries. This means that
the evil devices of the devil
are present even before Communion. And also means that
attacks by evil spirits
are present even before Communion. This means that the devil is
NOT
yet
bound
(Rev 20:2-3)
and
the millennium
(Rev 20:4)
has
NOT
yet begun.
… let Thy Holy Things be for my purification and healing, for enlightenment and protection,
for the repulsion of every tempting thought and action of the devil which works spiritually in my fleshly members.
…
“Let Thy Holy Things be
for the repulsion of every … action of the devil
we ask before receiving the Holy Mysteries. This means that
actions of the devil
are present even before Communion. This means that the devil is
NOT
yet
bound
(Rev 20:2-3)
and
the millennium
(Rev 20:4)
has
NOT
yet begun.
Conclusion
The millennium is a period of time on earth that has not yet happened, and then
the devil will be bound
(Rev 20:2)
and will not
as roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour
(1 Peter 5:8). In this time of grace, we will not need to wrestle
against spiritual wickedness in high places
(Eph 6:12),
since
the devil will be truly bound. But there has never been such a time in the history of the Church.
From the book of the St. John of Kronstadt
Below are quotes from the book of the righteous John of Kronstadt (Sergiev)
My Life in Christ,
showing that Satan is not at all bound, but is waging a fierce battle against us.
45. … Ah!
Satan often enters into us after we have unworthily communicated of the Divine Mysteries,
and in every way tries to instill his lie into our hearts—that is, unbelief, for unbelief is the same thing as a lie. The destroyer of men now, as of old,
tries in every way to destroy men by his lying,
and by various thoughts and desires, and having stolen into the heart in the form of unbelief or any passion, he manifests himself in a manner worthy of him, mostly by impatience and malice, and you see that
he is in you;
but you will not often at once rid yourself of him,
because he usually takes care to close every outlet in your heart by unbelief, obduracy, and others of his brood. …
91. … It is He, the All-Holy, that is so sensitive in me to the slightest impurity of heart;
it is He Who incites me to drive away from my soul the very germ of sin in the heart. But, alas!
Satan is also there, ready to devour me at every step, and contest me from God.
110. Sometimes in the lives of pious Christians there are hours when God seems to have entirely abandoned them--hours of the power of darkness;
and then the man from the depths of his heart cries unto God: «Why have You turned Your face from me, You everlasting Light?
For
a strange darkness has covered me, the darkness of the accursed evil Satan, and has obscured all my soul. It is very grievous for the soul to be in his torturing darkness, which gives a presentiment of the torments and darkness of hell.
Turn me, O Savior, to the light of Your commandments and make straight my spiritual way, I fervently pray to You.»
142. … it is foolish to waver and be disturbed, and still more so to become fainthearted and fall into despondency, when during prayer, or at any other time, doubting, unbelieving, blasphemous thoughts occur to you. They are all only
enticements of Satan.
171. … «Lord, teach meekness and humility to Your servant,
who has fallen into Satan's pride,
and
drive from his heart the darkness and burden of the evil onés pride.»
…
467. … I wish to be humble, but
Satan's pride has already found ample room in my heart;
…
540. … O,
thrice accursed Satan, who has precipitated us, and still precipitates us, through food, into thousands of evils!
… Thousands of Satan's deceits, by means of food, dress, and money, disclose themselves to our spiritual vision, and yet
we still continue to be allured by his enticements
as though by something real, useful to us, while in fact we are caring for neither more nor less than destructive illusions, and for that which is most pernicious both spiritually and bodily to our own selves. …
826. Pride is of the demon;
malice is of the same demon;
envy of the same demon;
the abomination of fornication is of the same demon;
enforced blasphemy, of the same demon;
enforced doubt in the truth, of the same demon;
despondency, of the same demon;
the passions are various, but the same Satan acts in all of them;
the passions are various, but they are, all together–the barking of the same Satan, only in different tunes;
and the man, when subjected to them, is one and the same spirit with Satan. When you are subjected to the malicious and furious violence of the passions, and to the harassments of the Devil, during the fulfillment of various works for God, accept these sufferings as sufferings for the name of Christ, and rejoice in your sufferings, thanking God;
for the Devil is preparing for you, without knowing it himself, the most shining crowns from the Lord!
Amen.
We must absolutely resist the Devil.
903. … for Yours is the kingdom
[acknowledge the one King, God, and serve Him alone], the power
[trust in His almighty power]
and the glory
[be zealous for His glory with all your might and during all your life], for ever
[He is the eternal King, while
Satan's kingdom shall soon pass away, being rapacious and false]. …
920. … Judging by Satan's malicious actions in the world,
by their number and power,
we can guess how powerful a spirit was Satan, the fallen angel. …
1159. How sharply are distinguished in us, on one side, the good spirit, the spirit of peace, of tranquility, joy, light, the life-giving spirit;
and, on the other side, the evil spirit, the spirit of strait-ness, weariness, despondency, darkness, the spirit that destroys our soul. The first is the
Spirit of God,
by which we live, spiritually breathe, move, and exist;
the second is the
evil spirit, Satan.
1192. The passions spur us on like cruel drivers,
daily urging us,
through our love for earthly things, to act in opposition to the Lord and to our own true welfare, and
to do that which is pleasing to the flatterer, Satan.
1393. … If we approach the Holy Cup without sincere repentance for sin, and with doubt, then
Satan enters into us, and dwells in us,
destroying our soul, and this, too, is most perceptible.
1455. When you are very young, or leading the life of the sinful world, then you only know by name both Christ the Savior, and the enemy of God and mankind, the most evil Satan, and you think that Christ is very far away from you in heaven, and that there is a Devil somewhere, but not in any way near and around you, and though you hear that he is evil, you think his wickedness does not concern you;
but when you grow older and enter upon the devout life, when you serve God with a pure conscience,
then you will experience in your heart the difference between the easy yoke of the Savior and the heavy burden of Satan, who pitilessly injures us.
1732. The more the outward prosperity of a pious man increases
the more furiously Satan rages against him,
and fights against him by temptations (wiles), as he did against Job. Therefore,
you who love God, when the prosperity of your house increases you must expect to meet with violent attacks from Satan;
he will fall upon one or the other member of your family and torment him.
1773. «We would have come unto you once and again, but Satan hindered us»
(1 Thess 2:18).
From this we see that it is Satan who sometimes hinders our seeing each other or writing to our relations, friends, or acquaintances.
How weak is man by himself!
How limited he is!
It is not only God Who does not allow him to do what he wishes, but
even Satan forbids him.
Suddenly, contradicting everything said above, the righteous John of Kronstadt says that the Lord
“bound Satan.”
Amazing.
715. What has the Lord of our life done for us insignificant, ungrateful, and evil-natured creatures?
He came down from heaven, He assumed our flesh, worked many and various miracles;
He suffered, shed all His blood, died, descended into hell,
bound Satan,
destroyed hell, freed the prisoners bound in hell, and brought them up to heaven. He rose from the dead in order to raise us also with Him. …
Thank God, Father John in 1904 came to the correct conclusion:
“Satan and his kingdom are not bound, but act in the world”
(Rev 20:2-3).
At the same time, the following perplexity occurred to me.
Why does the beginningless, almighty God, infinitely wise and righteous,
Who could in one moment consign to eternal torment the proud, most wicked and evil apostate Satan, deprive him of all power to harm people, and thus deliver the human race, seduced and seduced by him incessantly, from his pernicious nets –
why does He still allow him to tempt and seduce people, and to destroy them
and produce in the world countless disasters with the universal death of the human race, and sometimes throw nature itself into confusion?
And what is most astonishing of all, this same beginningless and omnipotent Creator,
instead of punishing the villain completely,
was pleased, in order to save man from the snares of the enemy, to humble Himself extremely, to take the form of a slave and to be a man, remaining God, to suffer and die the most shameful, painful death according to human nature, in order to redeem us from sin, from the devil, the curse and death by His sufferings for us!
What an immeasurable price for a ransom!
And so
why did the Lord allow the enemy to have freedom – to tempt and destroy people;
why is he not finally bound,
and continues to greatly harm the human race, and towards the end of the visible world will receive such power and strength that almost the whole earth will serve Satan in the person of the Antichrist, so that when Christ comes, will He find faith on earth?
(Luke 18:8).
In allowing the enemy to act temptingly in the world until the second coming of Christ lies wisdom, long-suffering – the truth and mercy of God.
Satan and his kingdom are not bound, but act in the world
to a certain extent so that people, believers and faithful, struggling with sin and with enemies and being in the furnace of temptations and troubles, through this are purified and strengthened in faith, patience, hope and love and complete devotion to God and are worthy of His holiness and receive the greater bliss in the future life, the more they were tempted and suffered here, and strengthened in love for God;
it is known that a person who has not been tested in the furnace of troubles and misfortunes is weak in faith and love, unreliable and fickle, but one who has passed through this furnace is hard as an anvil. On the other hand, evil spirits are allowed to tempt unbelieving, proud, money-loving, lustful, lazy people and to entice them into various vices so that these people receive righteous retribution for their deceit, unbelief, for their pride, passion for vanity, greed and laziness, and for neglect of their souls and God's care for their salvation.
He who is unjust, let him be unjust still;
and he who is filthy, let him be filthy still. But he who does righteousness, let him do righteousness still;
and he who is holy, let him be holy still. Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to his works
(Rev 22:11–12),
saith the Lord.
Satan himself is transformed into
an angel of light
Satan cannot be
cast into the bottomless pit, sealed and bound,
and at the same time
take the form of an angel of light.
This means that he
has
NOT
yet been cast into the bottomless pit,
NOT
locked, and a seal has
NOT
been placed upon him.
This means
the millennium has
NOT
yet begun.
1
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Luke 8:31.
Rev 1:18.
2
And
he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
2 Peter 2:4.
Jude 1:6.
Rev 12:9.
3
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.
13
For such
are
false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
Acts 15:24.
14
And no marvel;
for
Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15
Therefore
it is
no great thing if
his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;
whose end shall be according to their works.
Matt 7:15.
Question:
What should we do when the devil transforms himself into an angel of light (cf
2 Cor. 11:14)
and tries to seduce us?
Answer:
You need great discrimination in order
to distinguish between good and evil.
So do not readily or lightly put your trust in appearances, but weigh things well, and after testing everything carefully cleave to what is good and reject what is evil (cf.
1 Thess. 5:21-22). You must test and discriminate before you give credence to anything. You must also be aware that the effects of grace are self-evident, and that even if the devil does transform himself he cannot produce these effects:
he cannot induce you to be gentle, or forbearing, or humble, or joyful, or serene, or stable in your thoughts;
he cannot make you hate what is worldly, or cut off sensual indulgence and the working of the passions,
as grace does. He produces
vanity, haughtiness, cowardice and every kind of evil.
Thus you can tell from its effects whether the light shining in your soul is from God or from Satan. The lettuce is similar in appearance to the endive, and vinegar, to wine;
but when you taste them the palate discerns and recognizes the differences between each. In the same way the soul, if it possesses the power of discrimination,
can distinguish with its noetic sense between the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the illusions of Satan.
Published:
February 19, 2025
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