The Thousand Years

 

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. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:1-6 ESV).

 

Of all the aspects of the study of the last things, perhaps none is more controversial than the millennium, or “thousand year reign”. Even in an era when many people do not devote much effort to studying theology, much time is spent trying to figure out the teaching on the millennium in our reading today. The different millennial positions can be attributed in part to the highly symbolic nature of the language in Revelation. It can be difficult to know when to take the book figuratively and when to take it literally. Furthermore, these verses today are the only passage in Scripture that deals with the millennial reign of Christ explicitly. Because the data is limited, there is a greater propensity for divergence in interpretation because there is little else to directly confirm one’s view.

 

In the history of Christian theology, three major millennial views have been advocated. First is the premillennial view. This position holds that the one thousand years in Revelation should be read as an actual time designation, that when Christ returns He will reign over an earthly kingdom that will last for a literal one thousand years, after which the new heavens and earth will arrive. The amillennial interpretation of Revelation 20 affirms a figurative view of the millennium. The entire period between the ascension and return of Christ is the millennium, which means that it is much longer than an actual one thousand years. Christ is ruling now over a spiritual kingdom that will be immediately consummated at His return, and the new heavens and earth will then be in place. Finally, the postmillennial position agrees with amillennialism that the millennium will take place before the return of Jesus. However, postmillennialism holds that there will be a time of widespread peace and prosperity before Christ’s return that will result from the preaching of the gospel. Great numbers of people will be converted and society will be transformed, and then Jesus will return. This is different from amillennialism, which says things will mostly continue as they are until Christ returns, with the gospel spreading widely in some places and being resisted in others.

 

Good and godly Christians have differed over this matter, so it is difficult to hold any of these views too strongly. Whatever view one holds, what we must affirm is that Christ is ruling and reigning over the cosmos now. For He has been exalted to God’s right hand and must reign until all things are put under His feet (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:25). Given the disagreements over the millennium in church history, it is wise to hold our millennial views with humility. We should not divide with others who affirm the present reign of Christ over His kingdom if they differ with us on their millennial view. Instead, we should work together to proclaim the present reign of Christ and His command for all people to repent and bow to His lordship. And, gladly accept that while we do not know all the particulars of this prophecy, we DO know Jesus will reign and the devil will be chained and thrown into the lake of fire forever! That is the good news of the work of Christ!