The Millennium

By Craig von Buseck
CBN.com Contributing Writer

Question: When Jesus returns, He will establish His kingdom on earth for ________.

Answer: 1000 years

Between the return of Christ (Revelation 19:11-21) and the Final Judgement (Revelation 20:11-15), the Apostle John gives us the description of the thousand year reign of Christ.

Satan is bound for a thousand years:
"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time" (Revelation 20:1-3 NASB).

Jesus Christ reigns on the earth during this time:
"Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and 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 completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4-6 NASB).

Then after a thousand years, the final battle is fought:
"When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:7-10 NASB).

Most Christians agree on certain basic tenets regarding the last days:

Jesus Christ will return.
"And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven'" (Acts 1:9-11).
Upon His return, Jesus will judge the living and the dead.
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds" (Revelation 20:11-12 NASB).
There will be a new heaven and a new earth after Christ's return.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them…" (Revelation 21:1-3 NASB).
There will be a resurrection for those who have died in Christ.
"For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 NASB).

There is not universal agreement on the interpretation of the concept of the millennium. Theologians fall into three camps on this subject -- premillennialism, postmillennialism, or amillennialism. The apocalyptic phrase used by the Apostle John is "a thousand years." This period can be viewed symbolically or literally.

The common theme in premillennialism and postmillennialism is that the Millennium is a future period on the earth.

In the premillennialism view, Jesus will return to earth before the Millennium and will rule during a period of peace while Satan is bound for a thousand years. This will be a future time of blessing on the earth. This view states that after the Second Coming of Christ, He will reign for a thousand years over the earth before the final consummation of God's redemptive purpose in the new heaven and new earth in the Age to Come.

In the postmillennialism view, Christ will return following the Millennium. One key proponent of this view was A. H. Strong, who wrote at the end of the nineteenth century, "Through the preaching of the gospel in all the world, the kingdom of Christ is steadily to enlarge its boundaries, until Jews and Gentiles alike become possessed of its blessings, and a millennial period is introduced in which Christianity generally prevails throughout the earth." In his view, the return of Christ will take place after this occurs.

After the widespread death, destruction and violence that occurred during the Twentieth Century, the postmillennialism view has greatly decreased in popularity.

In his classic book, The City of God, Augustine promoted a nonfuturist view of the Millennium -- that the era the Bible refers to as the Millennium is actually the present, ongoing rule of Christ in the church with the saints. This view prevailed through most of the Middle Ages and through the Reformation. Some call this view "amillennialism."

There are many theologians in recent years who have once again adopted Augustine's position. Among them is Dr. J. Rodman Williams of Regent Univeristy. In his book, Renewal Theology, he writes, "I prefer to speak of a present and historical millennium on earth and not in heaven. To be sure, it is a heavenly existence while yet on this earth, for truly we are blessed "in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places" (Eph. 1:3). Even now we "reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17). Throughout the whole Christian era, whatever their lot, the saints live and reign "with Christ a thousand years." A present millennium is totally other than "no millennium": it is the reality of the present kingdom of God."

Regardless of when the thousand year rule of Christ occurs, we can rejoice that He is coming soon and declare with all the saints, "Maranatha -- even so, come Lord Jesus."

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