After the second coming of Christ, we read in Revelation 20 that an angel comes to bind Satan for a thousand years. This is known as the millennium, which literally means a thousand years. "He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years" (Rev. 20:2). During the millennium, Satan cannot deceive the nations.
Satan is a fallen angel, who leads all fallen angels. They are also referred to as demons or unclean spirits. Four words are used to describe their leader: Satan, Devil, dragon and serpent. The word Satan means adversary or enemy. Devil means slanderer or accuser. The word dragon refers to Satan's cruelty and desire to destroy. Serpent is a word that describes Satan's deception of our first parents, Adam and Eve (Genesis 3).
While Satan is bound for a thousand years, Christ has come to rule and reign on planet earth for a thousand years. He rules and reigns with peace and justice. He taught us to pray to God our Father, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). That prayer is fulfilled in the millennial reign of Christ on earth.
There are two major views on the millennium. The Premillennial view teaches that Christ literally rules for a thousand years on earth, before the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). The Amillennial view teaches no literal reign of Christ on earth. The thousand years are interpreted as a symbolic number representing the time between the first and second coming of Christ.
