Are We Living in Satan’s Little Season?
A Bold, Bible-Rooted, Historically Informed Explanation
There’s a growing fear among believers today:
“Is all this chaos proof that we’re in Satan’s ‘little season’?”
It’s understandable.
The world feels dark. Confusing. Even overwhelming.
But Scripture, church history, and the theological clarity of Charles Spurgeon all point in one direction:
We are not in Satan’s little season — not even close.
Let’s walk through Revelation 20 with confidence, clarity, and the boldness that comes from knowing Christ rules history.
1. What Revelation 20 Actually Says
Revelation 20 doesn’t hide the timeline — it lays it out plainly:
Satan is bound so he cannot deceive the nations.
Christ reigns for 1,000 years with His resurrected saints.
When the thousand years are complete, Satan is released “for a little season.”
He deceives the nations globally — a final united rebellion.
God destroys the rebellion instantly with fire from heaven.
Final judgment follows.
Roger Ellsworth captures the gravity:
“He will be allowed to do what he could not do previously—deceive the nations and silence the gospel.”¹
The “little season” is:
global,
catastrophic,
post-millennial,
and unmistakable.
Nothing happening today fits that description.
2. Why People Think We’re in the Little Season
Two misunderstandings fuel the confusion.
A. “If Satan is bound, why is there so much evil?”
Because bound does not mean inactive.
M. Robert Mulholland puts it this way:
“The cross itself is the initial binding of Satan… marking the beginning of a new era in God’s redemptive purpose.”²
Bound = Satan cannot stop the gospel from reaching the nations.
Not bound = global deception and gospel silence.
Which do we see today?
The gospel is expanding.
Every single day.
B. “The world feels chaotic — this must be it.”
No — this is spiritual tension, not global rebellion.
James Inglis said it well:
“A conflict of interests on earth… through the instrumentality of truth and living Christians.”³
This is warfare, not the final war.
3. What Spurgeon Actually Believed
Spurgeon is often misquoted in eschatology debates. But your research shows a far clearer picture.
He held convictions that align strongly with historic premillennialism:
A. Spurgeon believed in a future, earthly reign of Christ
He taught that Christ returns, raises the dead, and then reigns.
Which means:
The little season cannot happen until after the millennium.
B. Spurgeon affirmed the future restoration of Israel
This places key end-time events squarely in the future — not the present.
C. Spurgeon rejected the idea that Satan is unbound today
For Spurgeon, we’re living in the era of:
gospel expansion,
Christ’s authority,
Satan’s restraint.
D. Spurgeon saw the little season as brief, future, and divinely contained
And he captured its hope in one unforgettable line:
“Evil has its hour; the Lord will have His day.”
The “hour” Spurgeon spoke of is not now.
It is still ahead — and it is short.
4. What Every Major View Agrees On
Despite their disagreements, every major eschatological view says the same thing about the little season:
We are not in it.
Amillennialism
Millennium = church age
Little season = future
Not now
Postmillennialism
Millennium = future gospel triumph
Little season = future
Not now
Dispensational Premillennialism
Millennium = after Christ’s return
Little season = after millennium
Not now
Historic Premillennialism
Christ returns → reigns → little season → judgment
Not now
If all four traditions agree… the issue is settled.
5. Why the Historic Premillennial Reading Makes the Most Sense
A. It follows the text’s actual order
No rearranging.
No forcing symbols.
Just Revelation 19–21 as written.
B. It matches the earliest Christian interpretation
Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Papias, Tertullian —
they all read it literally and chronologically.
C. It aligns with Spurgeon’s pastoral theology
He preached:
a real return,
a real resurrection,
a real kingdom,
a real rebellion,
a real victory.
D. It avoids fear-based eschatology
No sensational headlines.
No reading chaos as prophecy.
No panic.
E. It explains today’s evil in a level-headed way
Satan is active — yes.
He is unbound — no.
His ability to deceive the nations fully — restrained.
This is not his final moment.
This is the church’s moment.
6. So Where Are We Right Now?
We are not in Satan’s little season.
We are in:
The Gospel Age
The nations cannot be kept from hearing the good news.
The Mission Age
The church is advancing in every region on earth.
The Age of Tension
Spiritual warfare is real — but temporary.
The Age of Hope
We await:
Christ’s return
the resurrection
the millennial reign
Satan’s brief release
final judgment
the new heavens and new earth
That brief “little season”?
It is future.
It is short.
And it ends with Satan’s eternal defeat under the feet of King Jesus.
This is not Satan’s hour.
This is the age of Christ’s unstoppable gospel.
Footnotes
Roger Ellsworth, Opening Up Revelation (Leominster: Day One, 2013), 134–135.
M. Robert Mulholland Jr., “Revelation,” in Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: James, 1–2 Peter, Jude, Revelation, ed. Philip W. Comfort (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2011), 580–581.
James Inglis, “Preface to the Fourth Edition,” in Christ’s Second Coming: Will It Be Premillennial? (Edinburgh; London: Johnstone & Hunter; Groombridge & Sons, 1856), 393–394.