Revelation 20:3 kjv
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.
Revelation 20:3 nkjv
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.
Revelation 20:3 niv
He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
Revelation 20:3 esv
and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
Revelation 20:3 nlt
The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.
Revelation 20 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lk 8:31 | And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. | Demons dreading the abyss. |
| Jude 1:6 | And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day. | Angels in chains, similar confinement. |
| 2 Pet 2:4 | For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; | Fallen angels imprisoned in darkness. |
| Mk 3:27 | No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man... | Foreshadowing of binding a powerful adversary. |
| Gen 1:2 | The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. | The "deep" (tehom) in OT, parallel to abyss. |
| Rom 10:7 | Or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). | Abyss mentioned as a place associated with death/descent. |
| Rev 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. | Abyss has a key, signifying access/authority. |
| Rev 9:2 | And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. | Abyss as a source of unleashing evil. |
| Rev 11:7 | When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them... | Beast emerges from the abyss. |
| Rev 17:8 | The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. | Beast from the abyss, final destruction. |
| Dan 6:17 | A stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his lords, that the purpose concerning Daniel might not be changed. | Sealing as a sign of security and authority. |
| Mt 27:66 | So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. | Sealing a tomb for security. |
| Rev 5:1 | And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. | Sealing indicates authority, mystery, and divine purpose. |
| Rev 7:3 | saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” | Sealing for protection and ownership. |
| Rev 12:9 | So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. | Satan's prior deception and casting down. |
| Rev 13:14 | And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast... | False prophet's deception. |
| Rev 16:14 | For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. | Demonic deception of nations for war. |
| 2 Thess 2:9-10 | The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception... | Satan's power of deception. |
| Jn 8:44 | You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. | Satan as a liar and deceiver. |
| Rev 20:2 | He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; | Direct preceding context of binding. |
| Rev 20:7 | Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison. | Direct succeeding context of release. |
| Rev 20:8 | And will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. | Reinstatement of deception after release. |
| Rev 20:10 | 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. | Satan's ultimate and permanent doom. |
| Is 24:21-22 | It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish the host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on the earth. They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison... | Divine judgment and imprisonment of evil powers. |
Revelation 20 verses
Revelation 20 3 Meaning
This verse describes the action of the angel towards Satan, also referred to as the dragon or the serpent of old. It depicts Satan being forcefully cast into the bottomless pit, which serves as a temporary place of confinement. He is then secured there by being shut up and sealed, preventing his ability to deceive the nations for a period of one thousand years. The verse concludes by stating that, after this designated period, he is divinely ordained to be released for a short duration.
Revelation 20 3 Context
Revelation chapter 20 specifically focuses on the thousand-year reign (the "millennium") and events surrounding it. Verse 3 occurs immediately after an angel, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain, apprehends and binds Satan. This verse details the execution of that binding: Satan's imprisonment in the abyss, the sealing of his prison, and the explicit purpose for his confinement – to halt his global deception. It establishes a fixed period for this restraint, laying the groundwork for the subsequent events of Christ's millennial reign and Satan's brief final release. Historically, for John's original audience facing Roman imperial pressure and widespread idolatry, this depiction of Satan's absolute, though temporary, suppression would have offered profound assurance of divine control over evil. It speaks to God's sovereignty over the forces of darkness that seem overwhelming in the present age.
Revelation 20 3 Word analysis
- and cast him (καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτόν - kai ebalen auton): The verb ebalen (from ballō) means to throw, cast, or put. Here, it implies a decisive, forceful, and immediate action, showing complete divine authority over Satan. It is a definitive expulsion.
- into the bottomless pit (εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον - eis tēn abyssos): The Greek word abyssos literally means "without bottom," referring to an immeasurable depth. In biblical and ancient contexts, it is consistently portrayed as a dark, chaotic, and imprisoned realm, distinct from Hades (the realm of the dead) or Gehenna (the lake of fire, eternal judgment). It serves as a temporary, guarded prison for demonic entities, often seen as the source from which certain evils (like the Beast in Revelation) emerge before their final judgment. It symbolizes absolute confinement from human interaction.
- and shut him up (καὶ ἔκλεισεν - kai ekleisen): The verb ekleisen (from kleiō) means to lock, close, or confine. This reinforces the imagery of total incarceration. It suggests a complete securing of the prisoner, preventing escape or further influence.
- and set a seal on him (καὶ ἐσφράγισεν ἐπ’ αὐτόν - kai esphragisen ep’ auton): Esphragisen (from sphragizō) means to seal or to mark with a seal. A seal was used in ancient times to signify authenticity, ownership, security, and a binding decree. For example, sealing a tomb (Mt 27:66) meant it was secured by authority. Here, the seal signifies that the imprisonment of Satan is a definitive, divinely sanctioned act that cannot be broken by him or by human means, and it also demonstrates divine authority over him.
- so that he should not deceive the nations anymore (ἵνα μὴ πλανήσῃ ἔτι τὰ ἔθνη - hina mē planēsē eti ta ethnē): This phrase presents the clear, divine purpose (hina mē indicating negative purpose) of Satan's confinement. Planēsē (from planos) means to mislead, wander, or deceive. The target of his deception is "the nations" (ta ethnē), referring to the unregenerate world, or humankind in general, excluding God's chosen people. His characteristic work, deceiving humanity into idolatry, wickedness, and opposition to God, is brought to a definitive halt.
- till the thousand years were finished (ἄχρι τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη - achri telesthē ta chilia etē): Achri means "until," setting a clear temporal boundary. The "thousand years" (chilia etē) denotes a specific and substantial duration for his imprisonment. While literal versus symbolic interpretations exist (e.g., a long but finite period), its primary function here is to define the extent of the initial binding.
- After that he must be released for a little while (μετὰ ταῦτα δεῖ λυθῆναι αὐτὸν μικρὸν χρόνον - meta tauta dei luthēnai auton mikron chronon): Meta tauta means "after these things." Dei signifies divine necessity or what is fated and ordained; Satan's release is part of God's sovereign plan, not an oversight or a result of Satan's power. Luthēnai means to loosen or release. Mikron chronon translates to "a little while," emphasizing the brevity of this final period of release in stark contrast to the thousand years of confinement. This brief release precedes Satan's final judgment.
Revelation 20 3 Bonus section
The concept of the "bottomless pit" (the abyssos) found in Revelation draws on older biblical ideas of the chaotic deep (e.g., Gen 1:2) and realms of imprisonment for supernatural evil (e.g., Lk 8:31, 2 Pet 2:4). Its repeated appearance in Revelation 9:1-2, 11:7, and 17:8 signifies its role as a temporary holding place from which evil forces can emerge, distinct from the final Lake of Fire (Rev 20:10). The meticulous description of Satan's restraint — bound with a chain, cast into the abyss, shut in, and sealed — powerfully illustrates God's complete and total control over every aspect of the adversary's activity, even precluding any future claim by Satan that he was victorious or unstoppable during that specific period. This offers immense comfort and assurance regarding the eventual triumph of God's kingdom and the limitations of evil's power.
Revelation 20 3 Commentary
Revelation 20:3 provides crucial details about the temporary cessation of Satan's global deceptive influence. It showcases God's absolute sovereignty, not only over humanity but also over the arch-deceiver himself. The precise actions—casting, shutting, sealing—emphasize a divinely enforced, inescapable confinement. The location, the abyss, is specifically a prison for demonic entities, not a final place of torment. The core purpose of this millennium-long imprisonment is highly significant: to prevent Satan from deceiving the nations, thus allowing a period where human governance and allegiance to Christ can unfold without his direct, pervasive manipulative influence. However, the verse carefully notes that this restraint is not eternal; a future, brief release is necessary according to God's predetermined plan. This "little while" will culminate in the final gathering of opposition against God and Satan's ultimate eternal judgment, solidifying God's victory.