The Binding of Satan

The Binding of Satan - Article 2

I believe that the binding of Satan had a direct relational aspect to the effectiveness of the Kingdom of God. I don't know if any of you believe that a future 1000 year reign of Christ is thought to be the actual manifestation of the Kingdom of God, but that definition is, in the truest sense, the idea behind dispensationalism. To be a true pre-tribber you must believe that Christ has not in fact set up His kingdom and that only during the 1000 year reign can this be. The throne of David is taken literal instead of being taken as an image of power and authority, thus Christ must return ahead of His second coming and physically sit Himself on a literal throne in a literal temple, in a literal city. This idea though, as I see it, is not supported in Scripture.

The main idea from the Bible as I see it is that the Kingdom of God was established By Christ Jesus and that it is an ongoing and growing part of the plan of God. There are a view illustrations from the Bible that were given to show that it is a kingdom that starts out small but then grows into a large and functional entity. I think its in Daniel chapter 2 where it is first spoken of the Kingdom of God having a small start but then becomes something powerful:

34 You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.”

Jesus compared the kingdom of God with a mustard seed that is to grow into a great tree and provide shelter for the birds of the air and other creatures. The Kingdom was small, was going to grow and eventually have a glorious end. Likwise His parable about leaven and that a small leaven leavens the whole - this through a process of time.

Both parables suggest a gradual growth of the Kingdom of God from its humble origin to being a great considerable entity.

In Daniel 2 the Kingdom of God is seen as a stone which struck a great image in the feet. The image representing 4 empires of Babylon, Mede/Persia, the Greeks and Rome and this stone when it was established grew to be a great mountain to fill the earth. An image not too different of that of the mustard seed that Jesus used.

So Daniel and Jesus present the Kingdom of God that starts out not so impressively but continues to grow and expands its influence until it eventually fills the whole earth.

That Jesus in some sense bound Satan during His ministry is affirmed by Christ Himself. Jesus describes His ministry as analogous to the plundering of a strong man's house by an invader (Matthew 12:29). Here the strong man, which otherwise would not allow his house to be pillaged. The implication is that Jesus' casting out of demons provides proof that He had already "bound" Satan.

The Parallel account in Luke replaces the metaphor of binding the strong man with that of stripping the strong man of his armor and weapons (Luke 11:22). So, according to Jesus' own teaching the imagery of "binding Satan" conveys the fact that Satan has been rendered incapable of successfully resisting the forward advance of God's Kingdom. On the otherhand, some say that the 1000 year reign is a literal 1000 years and will not take place until sometime in the future. But I believe if we read the Bible correctly on this paticular subject, we can see that the Kingdom of God is not some distant future time (over 2000 years away as the 1st century church would have been concerned) but had its beginning early on and is in a continual growth.

This too is why I am optimistic concerning our days. I read over and over that our world is getting worse and worse in terms of sin and self-destruction, but I see that the Gospel of Christ in these days is reaching more souls than ever before. No other time in history have there been as many come to the Lord as we see today. Likewise though, we see a great persecution of the church in various places around the world. But this only proves the constant struggle between good and evil in the hearts and minds of people.