I was listening to another commentator today in re: Rev 20 and it got me to thinking about something:
Revelation 20:1-3 Tells of Satan’s capture and imprisonment. From this, I assume John means Satan and his minions, not just Satan only. If Satan and company are locked up for the 1000 years, who administers punishment? I mean, as bad as Satan is, wouldn’t “hell” be about the equivalent of a bad boy being sent to his room?
Also, Satan is a created being, therefore limited to being in 1 place at 1 time. The amount of damage done over the years by Satan was caused in his name but performed by many demons as well as Satan. If all the demons are still locked up, and Satan is the only one let out, how can Satan spread his influence so widely single-handedly? Or if this is to mean that Satan and company are loosed, wouldn’t some of those demons turn “good” after spending 1000 years in the fire and realizing that they aren’t going to win and would do anything to keep from going back?
I don’t know if there’s an answer to this, but maybe you can lend some insight
All the pronouns referring to Satan’s capture in Rev. 20:1-3 are singular, so I don’t think it’s reasonable to include the demonic horde in his incarceration. But I do believe that they are all but powerless without his leadership. Being cast into the pit means he’s imprisoned at the center of the Earth. The fact that two different Greek words are used here means that Hades and the bottomless pit are not the same. And, it’s not about being punished, that’s for later. It’s about being prevented from acting to thwart God’s will.
The reference to his release in Rev. 20:7-9 also contains singular pronouns, When he’s freed, he’ll be able to take command of his forces again. And just like it is with humans, the hearts of demons can become so hardened that no repentance is possible, so they’ll apparently just take up where they had left off 1000 years previously.
Just as an aside, if you are going to assume that references to Satan being bound are plural and include his forces, consistency would require that you make the same assumption concerning his release.