And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
All Commentaries on Revelation 20:1 Go To Revelation 20
Oecumenius
AD 990
As if in a sketch on a canvas, the evangelist perceives the spiritual actions of the Lord against the Devil. Since it was not possible for a human being such as John to see spiritual events, they are depicted for him in physical terms- an angel with a chain binding the Devil and throwing him into the bottomless pit. For this is how the book of Job, too, expressed in physical terms the Devil's venture and God's consent.
