No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
All Commentaries on Mark 3:27 Go To Mark 3
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
The “strong man” in this passage means the devil who was able to hold the human race in bondage. By his “goods,” which Christ was coming to plunder, the devil was keeping for himself those who would in time become faithful, but had remained in the clutches of ungodliness and various sins. It was for the purpose of binding up this strong man that John, in the Apocalypse, saw “an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” The angel checked and repressed his power to seduce and possess those destined to be set free.
