“And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,”
My Notes
What Does Revelation 20:2 Mean?
An angel lays hold on the dragon — identified as that old serpent, the Devil, and Satan — and binds him for a thousand years. The most powerful evil being in the universe is seized and restrained.
Four names are used: dragon (fearsome power), old serpent (connecting to Eden's deception), Devil (the slanderer), Satan (the adversary). Every dimension of the enemy's identity is named — and every dimension is bound.
"Bound him a thousand years" — the binding is for a defined period. The enemy is not destroyed (that comes later, in 20:10). He is restrained — removed from activity, prevented from deceiving the nations.
The binding demonstrates divine authority over the enemy: one angel is sufficient. No army was needed. No prolonged battle. The dragon was laid hold on and bound. The power differential between God's angels and Satan is not a contest.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does one angel binding the dragon reveal about the actual power differential between God and Satan?
- 2.How do the four names — dragon, serpent, Devil, Satan — describe different aspects of the enemy?
- 3.How does the ease of the binding change your fear of spiritual opposition?
- 4.What does the thousand-year binding mean for the enemy's ultimate powerlessness?
Devotional
He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan. Four names. One being. And one angel was enough to seize him. The most feared spiritual enemy in the universe — grabbed and bound by a single angelic messenger.
Bound him a thousand years. Bound. Restrained. Removed from action. The deceiver who had been active since Eden is chained. The one who deceived nations, tempted individuals, and opposed God's purposes for millennia — silenced.
The power differential is the point. One angel. Against the dragon. And the dragon is bound without resistance. The battle that seemed so cosmic, so terrifying, so overwhelming through the ages — settled by a single angelic act.
Whatever fear the enemy has produced in you — whatever sense that the spiritual opposition is too powerful, too entrenched, too overwhelming — Revelation 20 says: one angel. That is all it takes. The dragon that terrifies you is seized and bound by a single messenger of the God you serve.
The binding is not yet permanent (the final destruction comes in v.10). But it demonstrates what has always been true: the enemy's power is no match for God's authority. The contest was never close. And the binding — when it comes — is effortless.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
By whom is meant not Paganism, for that was destroyed in the Roman empire under the sixth seal, and was the consequence…
And he laid hold on - Seized him by violence - ἐκράτησεν ekratēsen. The word denotes “the employment of strength” or…
The dragon - See the notes on Rev 12:9.
That old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan - He who is called the old…
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…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture