The Millennium

Earlier this past week I was conversing with another here on X regarding the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ and by asking pertinent questions regarding their belief in this, I discovered that they held to an “Amillenialism” point of view regarding our future in God’s plan for the ages. I then decided to bring forth truth as it is written in God’s word for all to study.

Below, you will find information gleaned from the scriptures in proper exegesis context that points us to the promise of a “Brave new world…”

Millennium means “thousand years,” and it refers to the period of time referred to in Revelation 20:1–6 which describes the rule and reign of Christ on earth. For a thousand years, Christ will rule as king over all the earth from His capital, Jerusalem. The saints of God, (the Redeemed Church) who returned with Him for the Battle of Armageddon, rule with Christ during the Millennium. We rule from the New Jerusalem and help to oversee a thousand years of peace and righteousness on earth. Satan will be bound during that period so that peace may flourish and the knowledge of the Lord may fill the earth. Everyone entering the Millennium will be a believer, having believed in Christ during the Tribulation.

The city is laid out as a cube in dimensions so enormous it defies the imagination. The length, width, and height of the cube are each said to measure twelve thousand furlongs or approximately 1,500 miles (Revelation 21:16). That makes a base alone of 2.25 million square miles! The ground floor alone would provide enough living space for far more people than have ever lived in the history of the world.

The duration of the Millennium is mentioned six times in Scripture and is never described in such a way as to suggest it should be taken symbolically or allegorically. The text is simple and straightforward: this earthly kingdom will last for one thousand years (Revelation 20:2–3).

There will be no war. Kingdoms will be unified. Even the animal kingdom will be at peace (Micah 4:2–3; Isaiah 11:6–9). It will be a time of unrestrained prosperity. All want will be eliminated (Isaiah 35). Sin will be kept in check, and disobedience will be swiftly dealt with in this time of great purity. Christ’s kingdom will be a holy kingdom (Isaiah 11:9, 66:23; Zechariah 13:2). During this time Satan will be bound and sealed so that he cannot go out to deceive the nations. A man who dies at the age of one hundred will be thought accursed! There will be perpetual health. It appears that the extraordinary lifespan that characterized the race before the Flood will reappear (Isaiah 65:20). The Millennium will be an exhilarating era of happiness, contentment, and personal joy. It will be the answer to many ancient and anguished prayers (Isaiah 9:3–4; 12:3; 14:7–8; 25:8–9; 30:29; 42:1, 10–12).

During the Millennium, children will be born who will populate the earth. Some of these children will rebel against the righteous rule of God. Satan will be loosed for a time at the end of the Millennium as he stirs up a final rebellion on earth among those who haven’t believed during the thousand years.

(This final rebellious battle IS NOT the war of Gog/Magog as some espouse. The Gog/Magog war happens BEFORE Armageddon in the timeline of God’s plan for the ages.)

The final judgment of the world, the Great White Throne Judgment, concludes the Millennium and ushers in the New Heaven and Earth (Revelation 20:11–15, 21:1).

These are three competing views concerning the Millennium.

• Postmillennialism teaches that the Church itself will bring about the Millennium through the preaching of the Gospel. As more and more people across the globe are converted, the world will gradually be conquered for Christ, and Jesus will at last return to earth to take up the throne won for Him by His Church.

• Amillennialism teaches that there is no literal one thousand-year reign of Christ. Instead, the Church inherits the millennial blessing promised to Israel, and Christ reigns through the Church right now in an allegorized millennium. This view was developed and promoted by Augustine in the fourth century and remains a common view in many Reformed circles.

• Premillennialism is the oldest view of the three and holds that Christ will physically return to earth to put down His enemies and reign over the earth for a literal one thousand-year period. This view is found in the writings of the earliest church Fathers and remains the most common view among evangelicals.

“Because of the rule of a righteous King whose justice will keep life in balance around the world, many of the causes of heartache will be removed. The Millennium will be a time of unprecedented joy as a natural by-product of peace. Isaiah 14:7 says, “The whole earth is at rest and quiet; they break forth into singing.”

There are at least four reasons why Christ must come back to earth to reign personally over the kingdoms of the world.

• A literal Millennium is needed to reward the people of God. Scores of promises are scattered throughout both testaments guaranteeing that God’s people will receive bountiful rewards for faithful service.

• A literal Millennium is needed to respond to the disciples’ prayer recorded in Luke 11 and Matthew 6. When they prayed, “Your kingdom come,” they were requesting that the long-awaited kingdom would be established.

• A literal Millennium is needed to redeem creation. Genesis 3 describes the horrors of a world cursed by God because of sin, while Romans 8:19–22 describes a coming time when that curse will be lifted. The Millennium is the only period in history where such a lifting of the curse can be found.

• A literal Millennium is needed to reemphasize man’s depravity and the necessity of Christ’s death on the cross. The Millennium will answer once and for all the age-old question of whether man’s sin stems from environment or heritage. The Millennium will feature one thousand years of unbroken peace and prosperity, in which Christ will rule from Jerusalem with an iron rod. Yet at the end of that age of bliss, Satan will be loosed for a short time to demonstrate that the heart of man is indeed black with sin and that even in a perfect environment, unredeemed men will turn against God and rebel. The Millennium is proof positive that Christ’s death is essential for mankind’s salvation.

We are currently NOT living inside the Millennium today. But, as we march lockstep with Jesus on the highway to Heaven, you may rest assured the Millennium Reign will be spectacular beyond our wildest dreams. Even so, come Lord Jesus, come!