The word "thousand" is used quite liberally in Scripture. The biggest battleground regarding the word occurs at the very end of Scripture, in Revelation 20. I will endeavor to show that this word, although it certainly is the word for a specific number, is not always used to signify that exact number, especially in Revelation 20.
The first example I will give is from the Ten Commandments. The finale of the first commandment reads as such:
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. -Exodus 20:4-6 (ESV)
The ESV gets the gist here. Other translations render Exodus 20:6 as such:
"...but showing love to a thousand generations to those who love me and keep my commandments." -NIV
"...And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." -KJV
"...but showing favor to thousands, to those who love me and keep my commandments." -NASB
The point here is quite simple. God says that he will show love, mercy, or favor unto thousands or unto a thousand generations (NIV). This means, quite simply, that God's love, mercy, and favor are complete and endless. It does not mean that after these generations are past his love stops. It is eternal and endless. Here we see, quite clearly, that the term thousand is used in order to signify totality or completeness or perfection.
Deuteronomy 7:9 says much of the same: Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God that keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations. (ESV)
God's covenant and steadfast love are eternal, complete, and total. What happens to the 1001st generation? See the point? Scripture is not using the word thousand in a rigid manner here, much like Exodus 20.
Psalm 50:10 is another good example, saying:
For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. (ESV)
I mean, surely there are more than 1000 hills with cattle. What about the rest? Are they not God's?
This brings us to Revelation chapter 20.
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. -Revelation 20:1-3 (ESV)
There are, of course, various ideas regarding this passage. I think there are some very good reasons to see this as a usage of the word thousand that is not rigidly literal.
First of all, it is Christianity 101 to confess that Christ defeated and disarmed Satan by his death and resurrection. Colossians 2:15 is an example of this.
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (ESV)
Second, the power of sin is the law (1Cor 15:56), and Satan stands and accuses all believers before God day and night (Rev 12:10). But thanks be to God, for Christ has taken the law's curse upon himself, rendering Satan helpless in this regard (Gal 3:13). So much so that Satan cannot bring a charge against us (Rom 8:33).
Third, as we have endeavored to show, the term thousand can and is used in Scripture to mean a completeness or totality.
Fourth, the book of Revelation is apocalyptic in genre. It is not a literal timeline or book.
The picture Scripture gives us in Revelation 20 is of a chain. Certainly Satan is not on a literal chain. Yet he definitely is bound and hindered. The image of a chain is very apropos. Don't get near him! Christ defeated him and has already won! Why return to filth?
Hence, the best interpretation of Revelation 20 is simply this, that Christ defeated Satan at Calvary and Satan is now bound for the completeness of time until Christ returns. He has no power over the believer because Jesus already won. He is bound but not gone. He is corralled and beaten but not dead. Stay away from him!
Rest in Christ, God Incarnate who has decisively beaten him.
+Pax+
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