The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

If the abyss is a real but temporary place in which Satan is bound, we might also ask whether the thousand-year period of his imprisonment should be understood literally or figuratively. The thousand years, or millennium, of Revelation 20 is a much-debated period of time. There are at least four major views:

Historic premillennialists believe the church will endure a period of tribulation before Christ returns to resurrect his church and reign on earth for a thousand years. This view is called “historic” because some early church fathers, such as Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, embraced it. For our purposes, it’s important to note that Satan is seen as bound at the beginning of the millennium and released for a short time at the end of it, before being cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:7-10). So, Satan’s binding is future.

Dispensationalists also argue for a thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. Before this occurs, however, Christ resurrects and snatches away his church in an event known as the rapture. This sets off seven years of tribulation on earth, with Satan working through his primary human agents, the antichrist and false prophet, to foment great persecution of Jews and Gentiles who come to faith in Christ. At the end of the tribulation, Christ returns and binds Satan for a thousand years, releasing him briefly at the end before casting him into the lake of fire. As in historic premillennialism, Satan’s binding is future.