Revelation 20:3 He Should Deceive the Nations No More

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 purpose of the confinement comes in the words – that he should deceive the nations no more. He will have been busy doing this before this confinement (Revelation 13:14; 16:13-14) and will review his deceptive tactics after his release (Revelation 20:8) (Lee).

Revelation 13:14 (KJV)  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 

Revelation 16:13-14 (KJV)  And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, whichgo forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 

Revelation 20:8 (KJV)  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. 

In the intervening thousand years, nations on earth will be quiet and willing subjects of the warrior-Ling, but upon his release (v7) they will allow his sly trickery to lead them in rebellion against God (Alford).

Revelation 20:7 (KJV)  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 

Probing the origin and identity of these nations has provoked several answers. One has been that only the beast and his demonic armies meet their end in the battle of Revelation 19:19-21, but this violates the clear indiction that those armies are composed of human fighters (Johnson). Another answer has been that not all people of the earth joined the beast in the conflict of Revelation 19:19-21, thus leaving the unaffected people alive on earth to enter the Millennium and eventually defect under the leadership of the dragon (Moffatt, Ladd). This explanation, however, questions the worldwide extent of the earlier kingdom of the beast (Revelation 13:3, 7, 8) that rebelled and was eventually defeated by Christ.

Revelation 19:19-21 (KJV)  And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. 

Revelation 13:3 (KJV)  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 

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. 

Revelation 13:8 (KJV)  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 

The suggestion that only the men of war fell during the battle of Revelation 19:19-21 (Mounce) places undue restrictions on the exhaustive categorisations of humanity upon which the birds of prey were to feast in Revelation 19:18. None but the protected faithful remnant will survive the conflict. An attempt to limit the battle of Revelation 19:19-21 to political power without affecting the nations themselves is also futile, because it gives inadequate attention to the military language of the battle passage.

The only viable alternative is to allow that the battle of Revelation 19:19-21 result in death for all those not faithful to the Messiah. However, the redeemed but nonglorified population on earth survives the battle, enters the Millennium (Revelation 11:13; 12:13-17), and produces offspring some of whom do not become saved as they mature. These unredeemed will comprise Satan’s rebellious army at the Millennium’s end. The children of saints who survive the beast’s persecution will far outnumber their parents and will quickly fill the planet. The rate of population growth during this period will be far higher than ever before because physical death will be the exception rather than the rule throughout this ideal period (Isaiah 65:20).

Isaiah 65:20 (KJV)  There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. 

So a new set of nations will come to exist on earth in a relatively short period. They will remain undeceived from external sources until the thousand years have been completed.

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 410-411]