The Angel has Chained the Dragon
Revelation 20:1-6 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven. He had the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, bound him for a thousand years, 3threw him into the abyss, locked it, and set a seal on it, so that he could no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years come to an end. After this he must be released for a short time. 4Then I saw thrones, and those who were sitting on them were given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast and his image, and they did not receive his mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5(The rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years came to an end.) This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is the one who has a share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them. Instead they will be priests of God and of Christ. And they will reign with him for a thousand years.
Jesus promised he is the stronger man tying up the strong man of Satan, “No one can enter a strong man’s house to steal his possessions unless he ties up the strong man first” (Mark 3:27). Amen.
The dragon is ticked! There was a war in the heavens – in sky and space. The archangel Michael and his legions of angels cast the seven-headed red dragon of the devil and his demonic horde down to the earth (Revelation 12:7-9).
The dragon attempted to come after Christ. But Christ ascended into heaven, out of the reach of the dragon (Revelation 12:5). So, the dragon turned his fury upon Christ’s followers.
Jesus Christ is the Angel in John’s vision in Revelation 20. “Angel” means “messenger.” The Lord said in the Old Testament, “Look! I am sending my messenger! He will prepare the way before me” (Malachi 3:1). Jesus is the Angel of the Lord who appeared throughout the Old Testament. Now Jesus appears in John’s vision chaining the dragon of the devil. John writes, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven. He had the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, bound him for a thousand years, threw him into the abyss, locked it, and set a seal on it, so that he could no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years come to an end. After this he must be released for a short time” (Revelation 20:1-3).
Because the devil is a spirit, Jesus cannot bind the devil with an iron or steel chain. This chain is the gospel of Christ. John writes that St. Michael and the angels “conquered [the dragon] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11). This defeat of the devil happened at Christ’s crucifixion. That’s when the seed of Eve and the only-begotten Son of God stepped down with his bloody heel and crushed the Ancient Serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15). That’s when Jesus said he saw Satan fall like lightening from the sky (Luke 10:18).
Jesus bound Satan for a symbolic 1000 years. The number 10 in Revelation symbolizes completeness. Multiply 10x10x10 and you have 1000 years – the complete time of the New Testament from Christ’s ascension to his glorious return on the Last Day.
Satan is ticked! He’s like a mean dog on a chain. He will snap and snarl and attack. But Jesus can yank on the dragon’s chain whenever he wants. Just like he did numerous times with Job. The less the true gospel of Christ is preached, the longer the dragon’s chain seems to get. The more Satan prowls looking to devour Christ’s saints (1 Peter 5:8).
You can see recent examples of Satan’s prowling attacks through the persecution of Christians. The Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker, Harrison Butker is a conservative Christian. He said conservative Christian things in his commencement speech at a conservative Christian college. For that, people tried getting him fired from the Chiefs.
In his graduation speech, Micah Price encouraged his classmates to find God and said that Jesus is the only way, truth, and life. For that, his Campbell Co. high school withheld his diploma for a week.
Our federal government is prosecuting Christians for protesting and praying outside of abortion mills. That same federal government funds the murder of unborn infants with our tax money.
Mothers, fathers, and military veterans get a day to celebrate their godly vocations. Yet, we must tolerate an entire month set aside for the celebration of ungodly and abhorrent sexual deviations. These are lies and doctrines of the devil that are spewing forth from the pits of hell.
I told the Shoreland seniors in their graduation sermon that when their grandparents were their age, Christianity was promoted. When their parents were their age, Christianity was tolerated. Today, our culture is antagonistic toward our Christian faith. This world hates us, hates what we believe, and hates who we believe in.
There is a growing movement in America working to push Christianity into irrelevancy. Hollywood, media, social media, and the government are altogether intolerant of Christianity and the followers of Christ. Their intolerant voices are getting louder and meaner. Their bullying of Christians is fiercer than in previous decades. Christians are canceled, doxed, silenced, fired, and called all kinds of horrific names. All because they will not go along with the unchristian ways of the world.
The devil is a bully. Like any bully, the devil intimidates and insults. Like any bully, the devil has a gang that assists him in his dirty work. The devil wants to make sure you cower in fear. Curl up in the fetal position, sucking your thumb. Shut your mouth and be quiet. Cancel yourself before the culture cancels you. Ignore the filth of the world. Accept the lies of the devil. Forsake the truths of Scripture. Go off in the corner and hope that the bully and his gang leave you alone.
When we see Christians being persecuted like this, it can drive us to a lot of things. Fear. Silence. Feeling alone. Feeling despair, distracted, disheartened, defeated.
As we see all the evil in the world, the proliferation of Satan’s lies, and the worship of the human body, it may even feel like Satan has defeated Christ. Like the ideas of the flesh that were practically born yesterday are more prevalent than God’s eternal truth. Like it is wrong for Christians to be assertive in the face of absurdity. Like we should compromise on God’s uncompromising Scriptures and abandon 2000 years of rich Christian tradition.
John was writing the Book of Revelation to Christians who were uncompromising in their faith in Christ. John writes, “Then I saw thrones, and those who were sitting on them were given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast and his image, and they did not receive his mark on their forehead and on their hand. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4). The Christians to whom John was writing refused to worship the beast out of the sea – the governments of the world when they serve the dragon. The early Christians did not burn incense to the Roman Ceasar as a god or worship the Roman gods or participate in their pagan, adulterous lifestyles. For that refusal, the
dragon had his beast create ingenious ways to kill Christians by throwing them to the lions, forcing them into gladiatorial games, burning, crucifying, and beheading them.
Yet these Christian saints were not afraid! They became “devil-proof”. They may have been excluded from society because they did not have the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:16-18). This was a symbolic mark that showed they worshiped the beast of the government and its master the dragon of Satan. The Christians were fine with not having the mark of the beast because they bore a much better mark – the seal of the Spirit on their foreheads (Revelation 14:1). By God’s grace, this is the same seal you were given at the baptismal font. You were baptized with water and the Word. You had the sign of the cross placed on your head to your heart, marking you as a redeemed child of Christ. You – like the early Christians before you – were taken from spiritual death to spiritual life. This is the first resurrection. John writes, “(The rest of the dead did not live until the thousand years came to an end.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them. Instead they will be priests of God and of Christ. And they will reign with him for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:5-6).
The second death of dying physically and suffering eternally in the abyss of hell no longer has any power of you. You, too, have become “devil-proof.” This is what I mean by “devil-proof.” When the beast threatens to take away your stuff, you’re OK with that because your lasting treasures are stored in heaven. When the beast threatens to take away your house, you’re OK with that because you have mansions waiting for you in paradise. When the beast threatens your ability to provide food for your family, you’re OK with that because you have a banquet feast prepared for you in heaven. When the beast threatens your family, you’re not OK with that and you will fight for them, but you know you’ll see your Christian family again as saints around Christ’s heavenly throne. When the beast threatens your life, you’re calmly OK with that because you desire to depart and be with Christ.
Imagine the frustration of the devil! He wants to make you suffer, but you rejoice in suffering in Christ’s name. He wants to persecute you, but you consider it an honor to carry Christ’s cross in persecution. He wants you dead, but you are looking forward to death. Satan gives you suffering, you praise God. He gives you good, you praise God. He gives you evil, you praise God. He ends your life, you praise God eternally with your fellow saints. You become “devil-proof.” This is exactly what we pray in the seventh petition of the Lord’s Prayer for God to “deliver us from evil” (or the Evil One).
So, instead of fear, you have zeal. You are energized to fight for what’s right. You are excited to stand up to the bully of the devil.
The dragon is chained by the gospel. The Angel of the Lord tightens the chain when you share Christ’s good news. It gets tighter when you receive Christ’s absolution in worship. Tighter when you remember the seal placed on your forehead in baptism. Tighter when you apply the Scriptures and sermon to your life. Tighter when you receive the Sacrament of the Supper. Tighter when you attend Bible study with your family. Tighter when you bring a friend to worship with you. Tighter when you sit down to pray with a co-worker who is hurting. Tighter when you stand up for God’s truth in the public square.
The world considers you crazy for believing in Jesus. But that’s OK. You’re in good company. Jesus’ own family thought he was crazy.
When you feel powerless, remember you are a priest serving Jesus with prayer and sacrifice now and serving him eternally around his altar in heaven. When you feel defeated, remember you are
kings and queens reigning with Christ now and reigning with him around his throne forever. When you feel abandoned, remember that Christ considers you his very own brothers and sisters (Mark 3:35).
You may see churches shrinking and closing. By God’s grace, you see Water of Life growing. In addition to people with white hair, you see more children, teens, and adults than in many other WELS churches. That means Jesus is using us to chain up the dragon with the gospel.
The dragon is ticked! He will be coming at all of us hard! Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t feel defeated. The Seed of Eve and the Son of God has crushed the Ancient Serpent’s head. The stronger man of Jesus has tied up the strong man of Satan (Mark 3:27). Satan fell out of the sky when Christ was crucified. The devil was defeated once and for all when Christ rose from the dead.
The Angel of the Lord has already chained the dragon. Amen.
God promised the Ancient Serpent, “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel” (Genesis 3:15). Amen.