The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

end of the thousand years, they cannot be the governing or ruling authorities, but are
those "in the four quarters of the earth" (Rev. 20:8)--those that come from earth's distant
corners. The dragon phase of Satan's power will forever cease when the confederated
kings, etc., meet their final end at the close of Armageddon.
The name given to Satan--"Serpent of Old," is evidently an allusion to the temptation in
Eden, and designed to identify him with the one who tempted Eve and caused the fall of
our first parents. The name serpent is also designed to refer to his subtlety, his character as
a deceiver of mankind. It was in the form of a serpent that he deceived and beguiled Eve.
It has been by the exercise of these same evil propensities that he has deceived the whole
world, introduced his false doctrines, and corrupted the Church. Since the temptation and
fall in Eden and onward to the glorious Apocalypse of Christ and His saints, Satan fulfills
the character designation of the "serpent."
The word devil (Greek: diabolos) is found about thirty-five times in the New Testament, and
means an accuser or slanderer, a calumniator or malignant falsifier. These have also been
prominent characteristics or traits of Satan from the very beginning of human history. "He
was a murderer [murderous liar] from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, for he is
a liar, and the father of it," are the words of our Savior concerning him. (John 8:44.) It is his
lie to Eve, "Thou shalt not surely die," that has corrupted the Scripture teaching concerning
the future life, and more than anything else has caused God's character to be maligned and
misrepresented amongst the nations and peoples of the earth, as also the ecclesiastical
systems.
The word satan means an adversary, an opposing spirit. It is a Hebrew word and is
transferred into the New Testament. It is used in this sense very often in the Scriptures,
and represents that characteristic of the chief of the fallen angels, who is described as the
great adversary of both God and men.
The one possessing all these particular characteristics is represented in this vision as being
bound and cast into the abyss by a mighty angel. Who or what is represented by this angel
is not stated. There have been several different interpretations given by expositors; but
that by Mr. Russell given many years ago appeals to us as being the correct one, and his
latest utterances prove that he continued to hold to this interpretation up to the time of his
death:
"The word angel signifies messenger, and this picture [Rev. 20:1] shows us that God will
send some messengers with authority and power to subdue Evil--the adversary of truth
and right. In this work of binding, many agencies will doubtless take a part--an increase of
knowledge probably being one of the strongest. Yet all of these agents are typified by the
one messenger [angel]. There is that about this figure which seems to indicate that Christ
Jesus and His Body, the Church of the First-Born, is the one in whose hand is the power of
authority to bind and control Evil--'To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with
fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgments written--this honor have all His
saints.'--Psa. 149:8,9. . . .