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Satan's role in Revelations

Revelations 20:2 is the only place where Satan is mentioned; but what I read in the NKJV does not match what I remember.

In other post I have seen people claim the antiChrist is Satan; and I've seen so many post where my fellow forum members have given Satan "god-like" status. But as far as I can tell; no where in the Bible does it state that Satan was ever God's equal.

What I remember is this: Satan will be brought forth onto the earth with a "shackle and chain" around his right foot. The shackle and chain are a visible representation of him being "Bound"; although what really holds him is "something of the mind". The purpose in him being brought here again is so those who are "lost but still redeemable" can reside in his belly, within the lake of fire; for a thousand years of punishment. At the end of that thousand years, Satan will be brought forth from the lake of fire; so that those within his belly can be given one last opportunity to return to Father (God).

I am wondering if anyone knows of any other versions of the Bible where it speaks of "residing in the belly of the beast" as punishment? Or can anyone point me to any version of the Bible where Satan is in fact God's equal?
 
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Enlightenedtruth said:
I am wondering if anyone knows of any other versions of the Bible where it speaks of "residing in the belly of the beast" as punishment?
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Never heard of that and I did a search and found nothing :shrug .
Enlightenedtruth said:
Or can anyone point me to any version of the Bible where Satan is in fact God's equal?
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I do not know a Christian that thinks Satan (a created being ) is God's equal .
 
hawkman said:
Never heard of that and I did a search and found nothing :shrug .

I do not know a Christian that thinks Satan (a created being ) is God's equal .
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TY, I did a variety of searches myself (different wording and such); trying to find any other reference. To reside in the belly of the beast; a void where all you hear is the screams of the other lost souls, which are almost drowned out by the souls (individual persons) own screams.

This was not just something those old hillbillies told me there in Kentucky; I recall it being a topic of conversation (sermon) in other Churches in southern Illinois between the ages of 6-11; to reside in the belly of the beast as a punishment.

I know, and accept; that my first Teachings about God, the Heaven and earth are different from most everyone else. I just can't understand why some of these things I know are soooo different from the mainstream "Christian Teachings"; how was so much knowledge lost?

As I read Revelations today in the NKJV; and just Satan's role (as the OP), I just can't reconcile any of it. Unless Father (God) is allowing Christ, Michael and Satan to "play a game of chess" with the lives of mortal men here on the earth; which I absolutely do not believe. I'm sure you may recall my other post about the origin of mankind; which leads me to a different conclusion.
 
Enlightenedtruth said:
This was not just something those old hillbillies told me there in Kentucky; I recall it being a topic of conversation (sermon) in other Churches in southern Illinois between the ages of 6-11; to reside in the belly of the beast as a punishment.
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In the book of Jonah .
Jonah 2​
1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,
2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
 
hawkman said:
In the book of Jonah .
Jonah 2​
1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,
2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
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TY again, but the story of Jonah doesn't quite describe what I remember. Between the ages of 6-11, I can recall 3 different Churches were a sermon was given about the "dangers of Sin", with the result of residing in the belly of Satan (the beast) as punishment. Those were not "hillbilly Churches"; as best I can recall they were each some form of Baptist Church.

Revelations 20:1-3 (NKJV)

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

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.

If Hell and the bottomless pit are the same thing; and Satan is the "king" there already; how can the Angel cast him into a place where he already resides? It was another reference from "BibleGateway" were the Angel who came down with the chain was identified as Michael, the Arch-Angel.
If Satan is not a "god-like" creature; how can he lead men (or demons) here on the earth without God's permission?

I do apologize if any other is offended by my interest in understanding how others interpret Revelations. The subject is of keen interest to me, because I came specifically for this.
 
Enlightenedtruth said:
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
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Actually as I continue my research, and think on this subject more; a "key" would indicate a "lock". If there is a lock on the bottomless pit, why open it to let "Satan and his demons out" in the first place?
 
Enlightenedtruth said:
Revelations 20:2 is the only place where Satan is mentioned; but what I read in the NKJV does not match what I remember.

In other post I have seen people claim the antiChrist is Satan; and I've seen so many post where my fellow forum members have given Satan "god-like" status. But as far as I can tell; no where in the Bible does it state that Satan was ever God's equal.

What I remember is this: Satan will be brought forth onto the earth with a "shackle and chain" around his right foot.
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Satan is given temporary reign over the earth as it is today .
He is not on a chain as much as he is on a long leash.
He gets chained later on.
You will notice that when Satan offered Jesus Christ the earth and all the kingdoms of it if He would bow down to him , Jesus never challenged Satan's ownership & ability to cede the earth to Him.

Mat 4:9
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Satan's downfall was wanting to be like God, and before his ultimate end God will give him the chance to play that role to a world that has rejected His dearly beloved Son.
A marriage made for hell, God being the matchmaker.
 
Enlightenedtruth said:
I know, and accept; that my first Teachings about God, the Heaven and earth are different from most everyone else. I just can't understand why some of these things I know are soooo different from the mainstream "Christian Teachings"; how was so much knowledge lost?
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There is knowledge you need from the Old Testament and the New Testament , those are a translation of God's words to us as Christians . If you do not accept all the bible as God's words you will be spinning your wheels trying to understand Revelation . A lot of the "keys" to unlocking Revelation are in the previous books of the bible .
Enlightenedtruth said:
As I read Revelations today in the NKJV; and just Satan's role (as the OP), I just can't reconcile any of it.
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hawkman said:
If you do not accept all the bible as God's words you will be spinning your wheels trying to understand Revelation
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I'll not debate the "Word" in this thread. I already have my own understanding of Revelations; am just trying to reconcile that with "mainstream Christian beliefs".
 
The Thousand Years
Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3 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.
Rev 20:4 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.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 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.

The Defeat of Satan
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

I believe a 1000 years in Rev 20 is not literal years, but only symbolic of a certain period of time as nowhere else in scripture other than Rev 20 does it mention a literal 1000 year reign of Christ here on earth, but symbolic as in Deuteronomy 7:9; 1Chronicles 16:15; Psalms 50:10; 90:4; 105:8 Ecc 6:6; 7:28; Daniel 5:1; 2Peter 3:8.

Rev 20:4-15 during this time of Satan being bound comes the resurrection of all, (as all means saints and those who are not of faith in God), who are asleep in the ground will hear the voice of Christ calling them to come forth as some will be resurrected to eternal life with the Father and others to damnation, John 5:28,29, 1Corinthians 15:51-58; 1Thessalonians 1:1-10; 4:13-18. When we are given our new glorified bodies Jesus will gather us to Him like a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings for protection, Matthew 23:34-39. Satan will be loosed for a short time to go out and deceive the nations by gathering all those who are his own and then sends them to attack the camp of the saints, but God sends fire down from heaven and to devour them. Satan is then cast into the lake of fire followed by those who stand in Gods Great White Throne judgment and as their names are not written in the book of life will then be cast into the lake of fire and remembered no more.
 
Consecrated Life said:
You will notice that when Satan offered Jesus Christ the earth and all the kingdoms of it if He would bow down to him , Jesus never challenged Satan's ownership & ability to cede the earth to Him.
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That's interesting; why would God create the earth, give it to Satan; then turn around and take it away from him in Revelations?
 
Forgot to add that the belly of the beast just means being in the middle of a very bad situation or a dangerous place.
 
hawkman said:
As I thought I will leave you to "your own understanding " .
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Well I do appreciate your effort.

Getting feedback from others; getting their understanding, is important. If anyone can provide any perspective that makes more sense; I could then clarify my "own understanding".

For Satan's role in Revelations; how can he be everything? The antiChrist, the beast with 7 heads and 10 horns and the "dragon" that beast worships? For God's Word, the Holy Bible; do you believe God would want to confuse or mislead humanity? God did create man in his own image (Genesis 1:27). I believe there are too many "beast" or "dragons" throughout Revelations to ever make sense of "who is who".

I did find an interesting website in my most recent research:

www.bibleref.com

What does Revelation 12:9 mean? | BibleRef.com

And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. - What is the meaning of Revelation 12:9?
www.bibleref.com

It does list the wording of various Bibles which I believe are the most common in the various doctrines. While the "basic gist" of each "text" is similar; about Satan being "thrown down", the words are different. Words matter, the rhythm of the words matter more, but it is the intent behind the words that matter the most. It was never Father's (God's) intent to mislead any of us!
 
Enlightenedtruth said:
That's interesting; why would God create the earth, give it to Satan; then turn around and take it away from him in Revelations?
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Well as I mentioned previously , once God takes the leash off Satan He will have full reign to do as he pleases .
This is the period on earth Jesus spoke of that will be more horrific for people on earth than anything that has ever happened prior to that point or will ever happen after.
It is the judgement of God on a world rejecting the sacrifice of His Son.
Once the judgement is complete it is God's choice to do what He will with what He created.
 
hawkman said:
In the book of Jonah .
Jonah 2​
1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,
2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
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Hello hawkman.
Jonahs' whale is the tomb Jesus was sealed in,

For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Mt.12:40 KJV

Anyway my friend,
To me the "bottomless pit" is a love of greed, lust, power that is never satisfied.
That's what chains people.
 
Consecrated Life said:
Well as I mentioned previously , once God takes the leash off Satan He will have full reign to do as he pleases .
This is the period on earth Jesus spoke of that will be more horrific for people on earth than anything that has ever happened prior to that point or will ever happen after.
It is the judgement of God on a world rejecting the sacrifice of His Son.
Once the judgement is complete it is God's choice to do what He will with what He created.
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But the only mention of Satan in Revelations; his role is to be "thrown down". I've not found any version of the Bible where Satan is "unleashed" onto the earth to make all humanity suffer.
And more to the OP, what about the other "beast" described in Revelations? Are they "all-powerful god-like beings" who serve Satan; or do they all stand as Satan himself? And it says the beast with 7 heads will worship the "dragon", which will give it's power unto that beast. If that "dragon" is just Satan; why doesn't the Bible clearly state that?

As our moderator said, you must take the whole "Word" to make sense of Revelations; and you did reference Matthew 4:9 in your first post. Christ did not "refute" Satan's claim to be able to offer the "kingdoms" of the earth if he would but bow down and worship him (Satan). If Satan did "own the earth"; why? Why would God allow Satan to have "influence" over the earth for almost 6,000 years; then take it away for 1,000 years in Revelations, then turn him loose for a season after that time onto the earth again?

Two plus two will always equal four; that makes sense. But so much of Revelations, as it is written; simply does not "add up". And yes I already know, we must never "question God" or the "Holy Bible". But why would God give us a mind and the "ability to reason" if we are not supposed to use it? I am of the opinion that any ordinary man with plain old "common sense" should be able to read that Bible and get a basic understanding of every part of it. I thought the Bible was a "guidebook" to lead us all to the "path of righteousness"; but in so many threads I have read in these forums, I just don't understand how people can come to some of the conclusions that they seem to (even beyond the Book of Revelations).
 
hawkman said:
A lot of the "keys" to unlocking Revelation are in the previous books of the bible .
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The "key" (singular) I made reference to was the one identified in Revelations; the key to the bottomless pit. While the Prophecy of end times written throughout the Bible might "relate"; the Book of Revelations is a "Book in and of itself", with different information.
 
Enlightenedtruth said:
For Satan's role in Revelations; how can he be everything? The antiChrist, the beast with 7 heads and 10 horns and the "dragon" that beast worships? For God's Word, the Holy Bible; do you believe God would want to confuse or mislead humanity? God did create man in his own image (Genesis 1:27). I believe there are too many "beast" or "dragons" throughout Revelations to ever make sense of "who is who".
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Simple answer is because Satan is a spirit, not flesh and blood, and has to work his deception through others being the son of perdition, 2Thessalonians 2, and the beast out of the sea and the beast out of the earth, Rev 13. Just as the Holy Spirit is spirit and works good through those that are God's own, Satan does the complete opposite of good as he works his evil through those who are not God's own.
 
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