Revelation 20:1-10 is the most disputed text in Revelation. It speaks of a thousand year reign of Christ. Historically, Christians have divided over the exact nature and timing of this one thousand years.

In this article, I will begin by laying out the three dominant views of the so-called millennium. Next, I will explain my preferred position. And finally, I will discuss the importance of this doctrine.

Postmillennialism

Postmillennialist’s maintain that Christ will return, only after a long period of gospel growth on the earth. In this way, the millennium does not refer to a literal thousand year period, but an undisclosed, lengthy period of time. Some postmillennialists argue that the millennium refers to the time-span between Christ’s first and second comings. Others suggest that it refers to a type of “golden age” when the earth will be sufficiently “Christianized” because of gospel advances. Either way, Christ will return after the millennium, hence “postmillennialism.”

Postmillennialists argue that the Great Commission will ultimately be successful since Satan is bound for this time period (Rev. 20:2). They also point to texts such as the kingdom parables that suggest that, like a mustard seed, the kingdom will advance in such a way that it will pervade the entire earth (Matt. 13:31-32). In short, this position argues that, over time, the gospel will influence the entire world so that prior to Christ’s return, the nations will already be his heritage (Ps. 2:7-9). When Christ returns, the final resurrection and judgment will take place. Immediately thereafter, Christ will usher in the eternal state.

Amillennialism

Amillennialism literally means “no millennium.” This label, however, is a bit of a misnomer. “Realized millennialism” might be a better term since amillennialists suggest that we are currently living in the millennium—the time period between Christ’s first and second comings. Similar to the postmillennialism, this position interprets the thousand years figuratively.

A couple of differences, however, exist between the two positions. First, amillennialists are less optimistic about the future direction of the world prior to Christ’s arrival. While postmillennialism sees a future Christianized world prior to Christ’s return, amillennialists see a mixed bag of gospel growth and strong resistance to Christianity. In other words, the church will continue to flourish, but the world’s resistance to it will never waver.

Second, amillennialists maintain that the millennium emphasizes the heavenly reign of deceased believers as they await their bodily resurrection. In other words, the reign of believers doesn’t take place on the earth, but in heaven.

Similar to postmillennialists, this position argues that Satan is bound during this period, and therefore, the gospel can reach the nations, unlike the OT era (Matt. 28:18-20). When Christ returns, the final resurrection and judgment will take place. Immediately thereafter, Christ will usher in the eternal state.

Premillennialism

Premillennialists maintain that Christ will return to earth before his millennial reign, hence the term premillennial. Christ will then set up his earthly kingdom for a thousand years on earth before the final judgment and eternal state.

Premillennialists fall into two camps. Dispensational premillennialists maintain that God will rapture the church out of the world prior to a seven year tribulation on the earth. At the conclusion of the tribulation, Christ will return to earth with the glorified saints and set up his millennial reign. This view traces its roots to John Nelson Darby in the nineteenth century and was popularized by the Scofield Study Bible.

Historic premillennialists argue that the church will not be raptured prior to the tribulation. Rather, the church will endure tribulation leading up to Christ’s return and millennial reign. Though many premillennialists hold to a literal thousand year millennial reign, such a view is not necessary for this position. This particular view is termed “historic premillennialism” because it traces its root to figures within the early church.

Premillennialists argue that the bodily resurrection of the saints will take place when Christ returns to set up the millennial kingdom. These resurrected saints will reign on the earth with Christ during the thousand years. During this time period, Satan is bound in the pit and will exert no influence over the world. At the conclusion of the millennium, Satan is released from the pit and wages war against God with an army but is swiftly put down. At the end of the millennium, unbelievers are raised and judged prior to the eternal state.

Why Amillennialism?

I prefer the Amillennialist for seven reasons (an appropriate number given our study of Revelation).

This Age and the Age to Come

Revelation 20:1-10 is the only passage in the Bible that alludes to a millennial period. While, on principle, I’m not against believing something that the Bible only mentions once, I am more hesitant when that one mention comes from a highly disputed text from a highly symbolic book like Revelation.

Moreover, it seems to me that if there was a future one thousand year reign of Christ on the earth, the rest of the New Testament wouldn’t be silent about it. Yet, what we find is the insistence that only two ages exist in history—this age and the age to come (Matt. 12:32; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; 20:34; Eph. 1:21; Gal. 1:4; 1 Cor. 1:20; 2:6; 2 Cor. 4:4). There is never a mention of a middle age anywhere.

Christ Will Judge When He Returns

Another reason to affirm the amillennialist position is that the New Testament repeatedly packages Christ’s second coming, the final resurrection, the final judgment, and the arrival of the new creation all together (Rev. 22:12; Matt. 16:27; 25:31-32; Jude 14-15; 2 Thess. 1:7-10). That is to say, all these events will occur at the same time. The premillennialist, however, maintains that the final judgment won’t take place until after the millennium—one thousand years after Christ’s return!

Moreover, the premillennialist maintains two separate resurrections. The saved are raised before the millennium, and the unsaved are raised a thousand years later. Yet, the NT never portrays two separate bodily resurrections. Rather, it repeatedly states they will experience resurrections at the same time (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15; Matt 25:31-46).

The Binding of Satan

Perhaps the greatest obstacle for many when it comes to amillennialism is the notion that Satan is somehow currently bound during this era. After all, when we look at the world around us, it looks to us as if he is actively on the prowl. Furthermore, there are repeated exhortations to “resist the devil.” If he’s bound in a pit (Rev 20:2-3), why these exhortations?

When we look at Revelation 20, however, we find that Satan being bound is not a reference to his inactivity during this current age. Rather, he is bound “so that he might not deceive the nations any longer” (Rev. 20:3). Amillennialists maintain that Christ actually “bound the strong man” during his first coming (Matt. 12:29). Furthermore, when the disciples returned from their earthly mission, Jesus proclaimed, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:17-18).

Similarly, Jesus remarks in John 12:31-32, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of the world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” “Casting out,” “binding the strong man,” and “Satan falling from heaven like lightning” all seem to convey the same meaning. Jesus dealt a crushing blow to Satan’s activities through his earthly ministry, death, and resurrection.

Prior to Christ, Satan had blinded the nations. In fact, Paul says that during the OT era, the Gentile nations were in a state of “ignorance” (Acts 17:30). But now that Christ has come, that ignorance has been lifted. To put it another way, now that Christ has “bound” Satan through his earthly ministry, death, and resurrection, the gospel can go forth to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:18-20).

Amillennialists are very clear that Satan’s “binding” is for the expressed purpose, “so that he might not deceive the nations any longer” (Rev. 20:3), not “so that he might not operate at all.”

Heavenly Souls

Another reason I affirm amillennialism is that Revelation 20:4-6 speaks of “souls” reigning on “thrones” during the thousand year period. In Revelation, thrones are always located in heaven. These souls, then, cannot be referring to people on the earth. These are people who “had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads and hands” (Rev. 20:4). In other words, these are Christians reigning in heaven with Christ awaiting his return and their bodily resurrections. There is no indication in this text that believers will reign “on the earth” for the thousand year period.

John says that “they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” And then he calls this “the first resurrection” (Rev. 20:5), implying that a second resurrection awaits.

How does amillennialism understand these resurrections? It understands the first resurrection to be the time the soul departs its physical body upon death and goes to heaven (Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:8). The second resurrection is the bodily resurrection at the end of this age.

John continues in verse 5 to say that “the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.” The phrase “come to life” must mean what it meant in verse 4. Therefore, verse 5 indicates that the unsaved souls are not raised to heaven to reign with Christ. While believers will reign with Christ in heaven prior to his return, unbelievers will experience no such thing.

John goes on to say that those who don’t share in the first resurrection, will experience the second death—eternal damnation in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

Things Getting Better or Worse?

So far, I have spent time critiquing a premillennial position and haven’t said much about postmillennialism. The reason for that is two-fold. First, postmillennialism’s popularity has waned since the dawn of the twentieth century. I don’t have a specific breakdown, but there are far more premillennialists today than postmillennialists. Second, postmillennialists interpret the millennium similarly to amillennialists. That is, they understand the thousand years figuratively.

The difference, however, is in how one sees the rest of this current age playing out. As I mentioned previously, postmillennialists believe the world will become Christianized prior to Christ’s return. Amillennialists maintain that strong opposition to Christianity will continue until the end of this age.

I’m skeptical of a Christianized world. Paul notes in 1 Timothy 4:1 that “the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings and demons.”

Furthermore, he notes that “in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, etc.” (2 Tim. 3:1-2). If the world is going to become Christianized, Paul seems to have missed the memo, and so did the twentieth century—the bloodiest century in history.

OT Prophecy

Premillennialists maintain that certain OT prophecies like Isaiah 60 and Ezekiel 40-48 must be referring to a millennial reign because they speak of a better environment than what we currently live in, but not quite as good as it will be in the New Creation. Yet, Revelation 20 never makes mention of either of these passages. That said, Revelation 21-22—texts referring to the New Heavens and New Earth—reference these OT texts multiple times. In other words, the so-called “millennium” texts are fulfilled in the New Creation!

One clear example comes from Isaiah 65:20. It reads, “No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old.” The premillennialist says this can’t be referring to the New Creation because the person still dies!

Amillennialists maintain that one shouldn’t press the text too far. In fact, the context of Isaiah 65 speaks about the New Creation. Verse 17 explicitly states, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered.” Verse 20 goes on to describe what life in the New Creation will look like: not a place where people literally die at old ages, but a place where people experience abundant life!

Unbelievers in the Millennium

Certainly, a difficulty arises for the premillennialist who maintains that at the end of the millennium, Satan will rise up with his army of unbelievers and wage war against Christ. Where exactly did these unbelievers come from? After all, on a premillennialists’ reading, Revelation 19:11-21 describes the complete destruction of the wicked prior to the millennial kingdom.

Most premillennialists, therefore, argue that believers will have unbelieving children during this era when Christ is ruling physically on the earth. Yet, this seems incredibly unlikely. After all, Jesus says there won’t be any marriage, and by extension child-bearing, in heaven (Matt. 22:23-33). Why would he allow for this during the millennium?

Moreover, if people are already glorified, how will they produce unbelieving children who aren’t glorified? And are we to assume that this era will have a mixture of glorified and unglorified people side-by-side? What will happen if a glorified person and an unglorified person both get into a car crash? Will one get hurt and the other not? Will people continue to die after Christ’s return? How so, since Paul indicates that when Christ returns, “the last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:25)? These are questions the premillennialist must answer.

The Importance of This Doctrine

So, how important is one’s millennial view? It’s important, but not THAT important. In other words, it’s worth studying deeply and coming to an informed opinion. But it’s not worth dividing over. At our church, we implement what’s often called a Theological Triage. This tool helps us place doctrines in categories based on their importance.

Doctrines that are essential to the Christian faith we place in the first category (e.g., the Trinity, deity of Christ, inspiration of Scripture). Doctrines that are essential for joining our church but not for being a Christian we place in the second category (e.g., believer’s baptism and male-only elders). In the third category, we place doctrines that we believe are less clear and not necessary for godly fellowship (e.g., Calvinism, Age of the Earth, Millennial views). Note, that we place one’s view of the millennium in the third tier. That is to say, our church allows for liberty of conscience when it comes to millennial views. In fact, I’m certain that I hold a minority position within my own church!

What this means is that we must be charitable towards others who hold differing views. Throughout church history, the likes of Jonathan Edwards (postmillennialist), John Calvin (amillennialist), and Irenaeus (premillennialist) all held differing positions. Yet, these were faithful brothers who loved the Lord and the Bible. If that’s the case, shouldn’t we practice humility when it comes to this doctrine?

At our church, no one has ever rebuked me for my position. And I have never rebuked others for theirs. We might playfully jab each other over our different views, but we have never called into question each other’s commitment to the Scriptures. And that’s the way it should be with a third-tier issue like the millennium.