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December 2, 2024

Q & A: The Millennial Reign?

by Jason Neill

Scripture reading: Revelation 20:1-7

This week we continue our Q & A blog.

Question: What is the millennial reign?

Answer: Eschatology is a theological term that means the study of last things or end times, especially as it pertains to the return of Jesus Christ. It shouldn’t surprise you that Christians disagree on how the world will end. That doesn’t mean they disagree on everything. Christians do agree that Jesus will literally, physically return and put an end to suffering, pain, death and judge the living and the dead. Following Jesus’ return, we will forever be with Him which marks the beginning of eternity. All Christians agree on those ideas.

The concept of the millennial reign is derived from a passage in the book of Revelation (see Revelation 20:1-7). The word “millennial” or “millennium” means 1,000.  The word “thousand” appears in Revelation 20:1-7 six times. You can see the idea comes from the Bible; however, Biblical scholars interpret this passage differently which is why there are different views on end time events. Specifically, there are three main views when it comes to Revelation 20:1-7 (i.e., Premillennialism, Amillennialism, and Postmillennialism). I will try my best to make these ideas as clear as possible while fairly representing each position.

Premillennialism is the view that Christ will return and establish His reign before the 1,000 years of peace begins. The prefix “Pre” means “before.” So, Christ will return before the 1,000 years. This view is based on a natural or literal reading of the text in Revelation. In other words, 1,000 years literally means Christ physically descends from Heaven to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem and will rule this world for 1,000 years as King from there. In addition to a literal reading of the Revelation 20, those within this school of thought adhere to this position because they affirm the unconditional promises God made to Israel regarding the land of Israel; that it is their land forever (see Genesis 13:14-18) and He will make good on His promise by giving them the land at the beginning of the 1,000-year reign. Also, the unconditional promise God made to King David and his descendants that someone from his family would rule on a literal throne in Jerusalem will literally be fulfilled by Jesus (see 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 72; Zechariah 14:3-17; Luke 1:31-33; Revelation 20:1-7).

Amillennialism is the view that when Christ returns, He will set up His rule thus initiating eternity. There will not be a literal 1,000-year reign because those that hold this view interpret the passage in Revelation 20:1-7 spiritually. In other words, they do not take the passage literally. The prefix “a” means “no.” For example a theist is someone who believes in God, but an atheist is someone who doesn’t believe God exists. The “a” in front of the word makes all the difference in the world. So, someone who holds to amillennialism does not believe in a literal 1,000-year reign of Christ. The number 1,000 is meant to be taken metaphorically. Those within this camp think the promises God made to Israel (see Genesis 13:14-18) and King David (see 2 Samual 7:12-16) were conditional; that is to say, conditioned on their obedience. Abraham and King David were not obedient in carrying out their part of the covenant, therefore, those covenants were abrogated. This view sees the Church (big C – universal Church) as now “spiritually” fulfilling the promises given to Israel.

 Postmillennialism is the view that Christ will return after the earth has experienced a long period of peace as a result of the Church (big C - universal Church) sharing the gospel and Christianizing the world (see Matthew 28:18-20). The world will progressively get better and better morally, socially, and spiritually. Similarly to amillennialism, postmillennialism interprets Revelation 20:1-7 metaphorically not literally.

The two most popular views today among Biblical scholars are the first two (i.e., Premillennialism & Amillennialism). Postmillennialism was a popular viewpoint prior to World War I and World War II; however, those wars dashed the hope that society was getting better and better.

The key reason why people hold different views comes down to how a person interprets the Bible (i.e. hermeneutics). If a person interprets the Bible in a consistent literal fashion, then he/she will hold to premillennialism. Amillennialists interpret the Bible literally for the most part (i.e., they affirm doctrines such as The Trinity, the sinfulness of humanity, the deity and humanity of Jesus, Jesus physically, literally rose from the dead, etc.); however, when it comes to Bible prophecy, they tend to interpret it metaphorically or symbolically. Please keep in mind that all three views are within the boundaries of orthodox Christianity. I would not break fellowship with someone who held a different view than I hold.

If you want to know my view, I hold to premillennialism because I think a literal reading of scripture across all genres of scripture (i.e., history, poetry, wisdom literature, gospels, letters, etc.), including Bible prophecy, is the best method. For instance, the predictions/prophecies of the Messiah (Jesus) made in the Old Testament were literally fulfilled in the New Testament (see Genesis 3:15 (He would be from the seed of a woman); Genesis 49:10 (He would be from the tribe of Judah); Jeremiah 23:5-6 (He would be the son (a descendent) of David); He would be the sacrificial offering for our sins (Isaiah 53); He would be resurrected from the dead (Psalm 2; 16)).

I hope this brief explanation is helpful. If you want to read more on this, I recommend the following resource: The Complete Reference Guide to Bible Prophecy by Ron Rhodes.