Revelation 20:3; And Cast Him Into the Bottomless Pit

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. 

The angel’s next action is to transfer the dragon to his place of confinement – 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. 

Besides being bound, the dragon must remain in the place of confinement that was at one point the prison of the demonic horde released under the fifth trumpet judgment (Revelation 9:1) and the beast (Revelation 11:7; 17:8) before his endowment with power from the dragon (Revelation 13:4, 7) (Lee).

Revelation 9:1 (KJV)  And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 

Revelation 11:7 (KJV)  And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 

Revelation 17:8 (KJV)  The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 

Revelation 13:4 (KJV)  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 

Revelation 13:7 (KJV)  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. 

The angel “shut” and “seal” the opening of the bottomless pit above the dragon.

The latter action was for purposes of special security as with Daniel in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:17) and the tomb of Christ before His resurrection (Matthew 27:66).

Daniel 6:17 (KJV)  And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. 

Matthew 27:66 (KJV)  So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. 

In normal cases, sealing prevented any attempted escape (Swete). The threefold means of incarceration – chaining, imprisoning and sealing – is a forcible guarantee that the dragon will be helpless to deceive the nations during the thousand years. this phase of his punishment entails no specific suffering, such as will come later (Swete, Beckwith).

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 409-410]