With Antichrist possibly about to be revealed . . . the Church is still on earth.
What Is the Millennium?
- by Rhett Totten, MDiv - (c) 2020
The word "millennium" comes from the Latin, meaning: thousand (mille) years (annum). The only place in the Bible that specifically speaks of a thousand-year period, is in Revelation 20:1-8, where it says that believers "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" (v.4-5.)
Comparitive Importance
Although some feel this area of doctrine is quite important, actually, one's view on the timing and nature of the millennium does not greatly affect anyone's salvation (compared to something like the deity of Christ), nor does it heavily impact how Christians should live their lives. People are saved and serve God very well without any particular view of the millennium. Intelligent Christians who hold a high view of scripture, hold each view, therefore, millennial views should not divide Christians. --We all agree that the gospel should and will go out to the whole world (Mat. 24:14), Christ himself will return physically and in person (Acts 1:11), the devil will be vanquished, the final judgment will occur, and God will rule over all and be glorified in a new heavens and new earth. So we evaluate the millennium concept with things in perspective.
There are three main views on the timing of the millennium:
THREE VIEWS
Down through the history of Christianity, three main views of the millennium have been held, with "Premillennialism" being the earliest and generally most predominate view ---followed by "Amillennialism" of secondary influence, and distantly trailed by "Postmillennialism" having comparatively minor and temporary force.
1.) The Premillennial View holds that at Christ's 2nd coming, believers will be resurrected right before the millennium --which will be an approximate 1000-year period-- and they will rule with Christ during those 1000 years ...as Rev. 20:1-8 states.
2. The Postmillennial View holds that Christ's 2nd coming is right after the millennium --in which we are living right now-- with the spread of the gospel Christianizing societies and increasing world peace in a golden age, leading up to the Second Coming.
3.) The Amillennial View (or nonmillennial view) basically holds that there isno future millennium distinct from the current time we now live in, but rather, the 1000 years of Rev.20:1-8 is being fulfilled in the church age right now, as we are looking forward to the Second Coming of Christ.
The "postmillennial" and "amillennial" views are fairly similar views --both having a figurative or "spiritual" millennium with Christ ruling from heaven now (not on earth), leading up to the 2nd coming-- except postmils think human societies and peace will improve (via the gospel) up until the 2nd Coming, while amils think things will get worse until then. So, this article only compares the premillennial and amillennial views, which are the two most popular views (since postmil widely fell into disfavor after many centuries with many wars, including two worldwars). --This article holds the premillennial view.
The Main Differences. In reading Rev. 20:1-8, the chief differences in these views concern: Figurative Language In Revelation; the Appearance of Antichrist; No Millennium Yet; the Resurrections; the Binding and Imprisonment of Satan; and Christ's Reign With Belivers.
1. Figurative Language in Revelation - Some say that much of Revelation cannot be clearly understood because there is so much figurative language. However, the whole Bible is sprinkled with figurative, metaphorical and symbolic language: Jesus calls his people "sheep" (Jn. 10:14) and the "salt of the earth" (Mat. 5:13). Jesus is called "the Lamb," and the church is called his "Bride" (Rev.19:7). Believers are together called Christ's "body" (1 Cor. 12:27), God's "temple" (1 Cor. 3:16), and individually living "stones" in God's house (1 Pet. 2:5). Adult believers are called "children" (1Jn. 2:1). The devil is called a "dragon" and a "serpent" (Rev. 12:9).
More such instances could be listed by the dozens, but the point of figurative language --even in our everyday speech-- is not to be totally obscure, but to illustrate and commuicate meaning. We call a person a "pawn" to communicate that the person is being used like a tool by a more powerful person to accomplish his purposes. We call a person a "social butterfly," not to say they are a colorful flying insect.
It is noted that there is a lot of figurative and symbolic language in the Revelation (which is "apocalyptic literature"), but to a great extent, we can basically figure out what it communicates. We may not be sure what the total point is, but a broader study of the terms in the Bible's contexts should give us a fairly good idea of the meaning of a symbolic figure.
Figurative Language in Revelation 20:1-8 - In this passage, some suppose that the "thousand years" must be exactly 1000 years, but others say it might be figurative, meaning a long period of time, so who knows? But this is not a very consequential point, since the Bible sometimes uses number approximations. For example, in Numbers 25:9 it states that 24,000 died by the plague, while Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:8 that 23,000 died. Both are probably approximations or rounded, so neither one may be the exact historical number, but both suffice to make the point, and do not constitute error in what the Bible is teaching. Thus, it is fairly immaterial exactly how long the 1000 years is in Rev. 20. It could be exact, but may be approximately 1000 years; or it could be sort of "figurative," meaning a longer period of time. It doesn't matter that much. This objection may simply be a smokescreen to use this lack of precision to say we can't understand this passage, which is false. So we proceed.
There are other figurative or symbolic terms in Revelation 20:1-8. In vs. 1, John mentions an angel with the "key" to the "Abyss" and holding a great "chain." All three of these seem to be figurative descriptions of spiritual realities, but none of these designations are very unclear, as the angel has a spiritual thing ("key") which can open or lock a spiritual confinement space (the "Abyss"), and he also has a spiritual thing which can effectively bind, restrict, and hold Satan (the "chain"). (For that matter, an "angel" is sort of a symbolic term meaning "messenger," indicating a spiritual being who serves God, though we don't know the exact nature of these beings either.) Still, this binding/imprisoning method of "key," "chain," and "Abyss" communicates effectively, and we don't need to grasp the exact nature of these spiritual things in order to make sense of this situation: The devil will be effectively bound, and totally restricted and imprisoned for a "thousand years," whatever time-length that exactly is. But the salient point is: he will be kept from deceiving the nations "anymore" until the end of that time-period.
In Revelation 20:2,3 we read of Satan who is described by the figurative or symbolic names of the "dragon" and the "ancient serpent." The meaning is not at all unclear, though obviously none of us fully grasp the exact nature and power of the devil, who is an evil spiritual being.
About symbols: When you see a symbol on paper or on a road sign --like for a slippery road--, what is more real, dangerous and consequential: the symbol or the actual thing? The actual thing is more real and dangerous than the mere symbol. It's the same with the Bible. The "chain," "key" and "Abyss" in Rev. 20:1 are spiritual realities (named figuratively) which are more powerful and effective at holding and restricting the devil than man-made things.
2. The Appearance of Antichrist (Rev. 20:4) - One key difference in these views is found in the fact that the souls whom John saw in v.4 are people who had been executed ("beheaded") because of their testimony for Jesus during the time of the "beast" who made people worship him or his image, and made them take his mark on their hands or foreheads. --And who is this beast in Rev. 20? This is a clear reference to the "beast" of Revelation 13 (called "the Antichrist" in 1Jn. 2:18, who will be preceeded in history by lesser "antichrists," as "types" or pre-figures) whom the world will worship (13:8) during the tribulation period, and who will wage war against the saints (Christians) (Rev.13:7), and people will be killed who refuse to worship the beast (Antichrist) (13:12) or his image (13:15), and many people will be forced to receive his "mark" on their hands or foreheads (13:16). So, we note that Revelation chapters 13 and 20 share several identifying earmarks of the same "beast," the Antichrist.
In addition, this "beast" of Revelation 13 and 20 (the Antichrist) is also referred to by Paul as "the man of lawlessness" (or "lawless one") in 2 Thess. 2:1-10, who "proclaims himself to be God" (v.4). Many Bible scholars --including the influential R.C. Sproul (in YouTube videos)-- agree that the "beast," and "man of lawlessness," and the final "Antichrist" are all the same person. --Importantly, we see that Paul writes that "the day" of Christ's 2nd Coming will not come, "unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction" (2 Thess. 2:3). So, here Paul informs us that the Antichrist must first be revealed (he appears in history) before Christ's 2nd coming.
Not only that, but then Paul describes what will ultimately happen to the Antichrist: "...the lawless one [Antichrist] will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming" (2 Thess. 2:8). So, the Antichrist will be killed and destroyed by the splendor and power of Christ at his glorious 2nd coming to earth.
Now, various despotic tyrants (including Nero and a number of Popes) in history (who have persecuted and murdered many Christians) have been thought at the time to quite possibly be the Antichrist, however --as terrible as many of them were-- none of them were killed and destroyed by Christ at his glorious 2nd Coming, as the ultimate Antichrist will be. This is obviously the case, because Christ's 2nd coming has not yet occurred; it is yet future. Therefore, the Antichrist has not yet come... (unless he is in the world right now, and his satanic reign is about to begin. But even at that, he has not yet been clearly "revealed" to the world.) But even if Antichrist is soon to be revealed, he is yet to be destroyed and killed by Christ at his glorious 2nd Coming.
About Preterism
Preterism is a theory of interpreting Bible prophecy, which some say figures into millennial issues. The word "preterite" means "past," and Preterism teaches that Jesus' description of "the end times" in Matthew 24:2-35 --along with the parallel passages in Mark 13 and Luke 21-- have already taken place (in the "past") around 70 AD when General Titus of Rome overthrew Jerusalem, and killed many Jews, and also tore down the Jewish temple. In addition, some also say that a brutal Roman Emperor back then (Nero) was the final Antichrist; or possibly, (as R.C. Sproul says, in "partial" Preterism) Nero was perhaps a "type" or pre-figure of the Antichrist. And in addition, those who consider themselves to be "full" preterists even think the 2nd coming of Christ (Mat. 24:30) also happened somehow at that time, such that some even suppose that, therefore, we are now in the millennium --which pertains to this article.
Actually, in these three gospels, Jesus' description of "the end" must be considered in sections to gain a more complete picture of what he's saying. --It starts with the disciples asking Jesus "what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" (Mt.24:3). So, the "end" being spoken of here, is Christ's 2nd coming. Jesus starts his answer by saying there will be false Christs, and wars and rumors of wars, but then he says "but the end is still to come," and in fact, in Luke he says, "but the end will not come right away" (Lk.21:9). So Jesus is declaring that after these events, there will still follow a period of time of unknown length, which will pass before the "end," which is the 2nd coming. Then he adds that additional things will happen before the end: there will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences... fearful events and great signs from heaven" (Lk.21:11).
Then Jesus changes the time-frame in the other direction, when he says, "But beforeall this [which he described first], they will lay hands on you and persecute you, etc. ..." (Lk.21:12-18) as Jesus proceeds to predict history which is very similar to --and probably is-- what is described in the Book of Acts. This "Acts" section is also described in Mk. 13:9-13, and very briefly in Mat.24:9.
But then, in Luke 21:20-24, Jesus describes something which is not included in either Matthew or Mark: The military overthrow and desolation of "Jerusalem" and Israel, and the dispersion of the Jews into all the nations --which actually did happen in the "past" (Preterism) in 70 AD, as carried out by General Titus of Rome. This remarkably fulfilled portion of scripture seems to have encouraged some preterists to assume that even more of Jesus' words in these three chapters also pertains to the period around 70 AD. --However, this seems to be a wrong assumption, because Luke 21:24b says that "Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." And what is the "times of the Gentiles"? --Paul tells us that "Israel has experienced a hardening in part (toward Christ and the gospel) until the full number of the Gentiles has come in" (Ro.11:25); meaning that the final last Gentiles come in to God's people by faith in Christ, and are saved. Then right when this happens to the last Gentiles, Paul says "all Israel will be saved" (Ro.11:26). So, at this point in the future described by Paul, every single living Jew will come to Christ, and this is when "the deliverer will come from Zion" (v.26), which is Christ's 2nd coming from heaven (Zion) to earth. --However, neither of these things have yet happened: The final last Gentiles have not yet come to salvation, and the 2nd coming has not occurred. So these two events associated with Lk. 21:24b do not figure into Preterism at all.
So, in Lk.21:24b, Jesus "telescopes" the time-frame out, spanning the time of Jerusalem being "trampled on by the Gentiles," and thus departs from the 70 AD narrative, moving rapidly forward about 2000 years, to the 2nd coming (assuming Jesus comes fairly soon). From then until now is how long "the times of the Gentiles" has lasted so far. And then he continues describing the 2nd coming, saying "the heavenly bodies will be shaken" (Lk.21:26), and men "will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" (Lk.21:28), which is the "end" Jesus is talking about (Mt.24:3; Lk.21:9). --But, again, Christ's 2nd coming in glory has not occurred. So, Luke 21:24a (the scattering of the Jews) seems to end the description of Preterism in Luke 21, and the other gospels.
Similarly, we see in Mark 13, that immediately after the "Book of Acts" section (v.9-12), Jesus "telescopes" the time-frame instantly forward to 2nd coming in vs. 13, where he mentions the "end." Then Jesus describes end times/Second Coming events similar to Matthew 24. --So, there seems to be no "preterist section" in either Mark 13 or Matthew 24. -- Thus, Lk. 21:20-24 appears to be the only preterist section in the gospels.
Then when Jesus says (in Mk. 13:14) "you" (believers) will see " 'the abomination that causes desolation,' standing where it does not belong," which Mat.24:15 says is "the holy place," (temple) and that all this is "spoken of through the prophet Daniel." --This prophecy is widely thought to have its "primal" or initial fulfillment in 168 BC when Antiochus Epiphanes erected a pagan idol of Jupiter in the Jerusalem temple, and also slaughtered a swine on the altar: an abominable act of desecration. Jesus surely knew of this act of "abomination," and he is most likely refering to something very analogous which will be done by a man in the future, as he notes what Daniel predicted in the repulsive act of A. Epiphanes (Dan.9:27; 11:31). Since Jesus brings this up, and he quotes Daniel's prohetic phrase as a prediction of a future event, this tells us that A. Epiphanes is a historical "type" or pre-figure of some future man who will repeat a similar abomination, only worse. --And, indeed, we do read that Paul predicts such a man, called "the man of lawlessness" who will come in the world right before the 2nd coming (2Thess.2:3). This "lawless one" (v.8) will "oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God" (2Thess. 2:4). This man is "the" Antichrist (1Jn. 2:18), described by John as "the beast" (Rev.13:1-8) who conquers Christians and is worshiped by all people on earth (Rev. 13:8). This "man of lawlessness," (the Antichrist) will --in the end-- be one "whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor ("epiphany") of his coming," (2 Thess. 2:8) which is the glorious 2nd coming of Christ. All of this has not yet occurred, and is far outside the scope of Preterism and the years around 70 AD.
A huge problem with Preterism, is that if the preterist is consistent in applying the theory all the way to Luke 21:28 and Matthew 24:35, then it seems the preterist must say that even the 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ also took place in 70 AD. And a few do say this. --However, such "full" Preterism is surely an unscriptural error, since Acts 1:11 says, "this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven" (Christ himself will personally and bodily descend to the earth). Similarly, Matt. 24:30 says that "all the nations" of the earth "will see the Son of Man (Jesus) coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory," being visible like lightning "from the east is visible even in the west" (v.27). --But the 2nd coming (as so described in scripture) did not happen in 70 AD. In addition, Paul says that God will give relief to believers from their earthly suffering, and "this will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels" (2Thess. 1:7), when he comes in his great 2nd coming glory. This didn't happen. And Paul also declares that at the 2nd coming, the "man of lawlessness" (Antichrist) "the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming" (2Thess.2:8). But this did not happen in 70 AD. No horrible "Antichrist" was destroyed by the power of Christ at his glorious 2nd coming. So clearly, Emperor Nero was not the final Antichrist; nor anyone else in the past. Nero committed suicide.
And finally, Paul tells us that "the Lord Jesus himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command... and the dead in Christ will rise" (1Thess.4:16). This is the time when Christians will be resurrected from the dead (confirmed by 1Cor. 15:22-23). But Christians have not been resurrected and raptured (1 Thess. 4:15-17) at the 2nd coming --which did not happen in 70 AD. --Obviously, the Lord's glorious, world-wide 2nd coming (including Christians' resurrection along with the killing of Antichrist) has not yet happened. --Still, as mentioned above, R.C. Sproul opines that Nero might be viewed as a "type" of Antichrist --which might be acceptable... along with Antiochus Epiphanes also as a "type" or pre-figure of the prediction of Daniel 11:31 (see NIV notes).
R.C. Sproul also cited some historical evidence (from Josephus) for a "spiritual" sort of "coming" of Christ witnessed in a localized "judgment" against Jerusalem/Israel in 70 AD, which is possibly a fulfillment of Luke 21:20-24, which perhaps brought and end to a "Jewish Age" (though Luke doesn't directly say that), and this starting possibly an "age" or "times of the Gentiles" (v.24). --This might conceivably align with the fact that a "Gentile Age" will also come to an end at the 2nd coming, as Paul teaches. --However, the "spiritual" coming of Christ to judge Jerusalem/Israel in 70 AD is obviously not the glorious 2nd coming of the New Testament, and doesn't fit with the 2nd coming descriptions in these gospels either.
End of The Ages - As mentioned above, in this Preterism section, Jesus' description specifically connects Christ's "coming and the end of the age" (Mt. 24:3), which is probably the "age" we are in right now. And as explained in the above paragraph, it is thought by some that a localized "judgment" by Christ in 70 AD brought an end to a "Jewish" age (though such an "age" isn't specified in the Bible), but even if a Jewish age continues (in some sense), it is possible that the "times of the Gentiles" might be an age or ages we are in right now, which will come to an end at Christ's glorious 2nd coming (see Rom.11:25-26). --Some things the Bible does specify, is that the devil is "the god of this age" right now (2 Cor. 4:4), and it is an "evil age" from which Christ rescues us (Gal. 1:4), there is a "harvest" or judgment at the end of the present age (Mt.13:39,40), and there will be "an age to come" (Mt. 12:32). --But, (as an overall summation) the writer of Hebrews tells us that Christ "has appeared once for all at the end [consumation] of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 9:26). Therefore (whatever ages there have been in history past) because Christ has appeared and dealt with sin, we are now living in the end --or consumation-- of all the ages that have ever been. The present "evil age" will end, and Christ will rule in the "age to come" (Mt.12:32), which will be the age in which people have "eternal life" (Mk. 10:30).
Since all of this is quite evidently the case, then --except for Luke 21:20-24 which clearly points to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and the dispersion of the Jews throughout the world-- this limited theory of Preterism does not have a justifiably wide enough application in these end-times chapters to cause us to think that the actual glorious 2nd coming has occurred (including the final Antichrist's destruction), nor that we are now in the millennium of Rev.20, in the sense that Scripture describes either time period.
3. No Millennium Yet - The fact that the 2nd coming has not yet occurred, disqualifies all despotic tyrants in previous history as being the final Antichrist, making us realize that the revealing of Antichrist is also still future. This, in turn, forces us to recognize that the martyred souls whom John "saw" in Rev. 20:4 have not yet been killed under the persecution of that final Antichrist. Therefore, it is also necessarily true that the "1000 years" (during which those yet-to-be-killed and then resurrected martyrs will "reign with Christ") has also not begun. So, clearly, the millennium is not possibly happening now. It is yet future. --These things are unavoidably the case, since the 2nd coming --which destroys the final Antichrist-- has not yet occurred. --This accords with the pre-millennial view.
4. The Resurrections (Rev. 20:4-6.) - As noted above, Paul teaches that the glorious 2nd coming of Christ is the event through which the final Antichrist is killed (2 Thess. 2:8). Along with this, another important event also happens at the 2nd coming: the resurrection of believers. Paul describes it this way: "According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the [2nd] coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever" (1 Thess. 4:15-17). So, while the Lord is descending from heaven at his second coming, he will give a loud command ...and the dead in Christ will be resurrected from the dead at that time, and all believers who have ever lived will be caught up to meet Christ in the air. This is confirmed again by Paul, when he says: "as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him" (1 Cor. 15:22,23; Ro. 8:11). The resurrection of all Christians is part of the second coming.
This picture is in harmony with the description in Revelation 20:4, because John describes the martyrdom of believers during the tyranny of Antichrist, and then John follows this up by mentioning the resurrection of these martyred believers, saying that they "came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Rev. 20:4). This is in harmony with Paul's teaching, because Christ's second coming (which destroys Antichrist) is also the event which includes the resurrection of all dead believers. This agrees with pre-millennialism.
But the amillennialist says: "The Bible teaches that Christians --who belong to Christ and are "in Christ" (2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 1:4)-- live in union with Christ, and are therefore participants in his death, burial and resurrection (Col. 2:12) --so, therefore, we have spiritually "come to life" in Christ. So, isn't this what Rev. 20:4 is talking about?"
In Answer: Of course it is true that every real believer is positionally "in Christ" (spiritually) and lives in union with him, which means that God thinks of us as being "buried" with Christ, and also regards us as "raised" with him and "alive to God," (Ro. 6:3,11; Col.2:12), and God even considers believers as though they are already "glorified" (Ro. 8:30) and "seated with Christ in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 2:6). It is because of this wonderful spiritual "position" in Christ, that Paul says we should be empowered and working to "walk in newness of life" (Ro. 6:4).
--However, the context and flow of thought of Rev. 20:4 does not seem to be talking about this spiritual "position" of Christians, for the reason that it is instead talking about tribulation believers who --because of their faithful testimony to Christ-- will actually (not spiritually) be put to death physically under the tyranical rule of the final Antichrist (Rev. 13:7,10,15). The Antichrist will be a real, physical person who is in the world right before the 2nd coming, and the tribulational martyrdom of believers will be a physical reality in future history. And then, along with the destruction of the Antichrist (which happens as part of Christ's 2nd coming, 2Thess. 2:8) the resurrection of these tribulation martyrs is also included, which is precisely what John seems to be talking about at the end of Rev. 20:4, when John says "they came to life." Rev. 20:4 isn't speaking about new believers of today who have been born again, but it's addressing faithful witnesses for Jesus who will refuse to submit to and to worship Antichrist, who will be killed for it. That is who "came to life" --and we know that all other Christians will be included with them in this resurrection event at the 2nd Coming.
And then later --after the millennium-- there is a different group which will be raised. After the Antichrist-martyred believers are raised (along with all believers) and rule with Christ for a thousand years, John then adds: "The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended" (Rev. 20:5). Since the first resurrected group were all of "the dead in Christ" (1 Thess. 4:16; 1 Cor. 15:22,23) who were raised at the 2nd Coming (at Antichrist's destruction, and right before the millennium), the "rest of the dead" would be non-believers who are raised when "the thousand years were ended" (Rev. 20:5). This agrees with the way Jesus describes it when he declares that he will raise the dead, saying, "a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out --those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned" (Jn. 5:28,29). Likewise, the same thing is taught when Paul says, "there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked" (Ac. 24:15). So, taking these verses all together, there will be a resurrection of the righteous (believers) at the second coming right before the millennium, and then a resurrection of the wicked (non-believers) after the 1000 years.
(Note: For some who think that Acts 24:15 is teaching that we should say there will be one single resurrection of both groups together (the righteous and the wicked) at the very same time, this does not necessrily follow from that verse. --It can be just like the statement: "There will be a 100-meter race for both the women and the men at the olympics." This does not mean that the men and women will race against each other in the very same race, but that the same event will occur for the two groups separately. Besides this, Revelation 20:4-5 tells us specifically and directly that the two groups will be raised separately, with the thousand years inbetween. It would seem to take some nerve to contradict such a clear and direct statement in scripture.)
5. The Binding and Imprisonment of Satan - In Revelation 20:1-3 we read that Satan is "bound for a thousand years" and is also thrown "into the Abyss," which is also "locked and sealed over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended."
The amillennial view holds that we are basically now in the millennium, so the devil has been "bound" because he is a defeated foe as a result of the victory of Christ in his death for our sin and resurrection from the dead, and the Holy Spirit has been given to empower the church (Acts 2). Amillennialists also note that Jesus spoke of "binding the strong man" (referring to Satan) in order to plunder his house (Mat. 12:29). So, the amillennial view says this binding of Satan allows the church to minister and share the gospel to go throughout the world to free people from the devil's hold.
This view sounds acceptable right at first --because it is mostly correct-- until we realize that the description in Rev. 20:1-3 goes much further than the idea of Satan just being somewhat hampered so that the church can love and serve God, and do its evangelistic work. In Rev. 20, John says that as a result of being bound and then locked in the Abyss, the devil is then prevented from "deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years are ended" (v.3). This seems to describe a virtually total restriction of the devil, which goes much further than what the New Testament describes for Christians now, along with the situations we encounter today, with a very active and potent devil --although, ultimately a defeated foe.
A picture of Satan's relative freedom and power in our lives today, agrees with what we read about the devil elsewhere in the New Testament. We note that Peter writes that "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). So we are told to "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (Jas. 4:7). We are told not to "give the devil a foothold" (Eph. 4:27). Christians are told to instruct people, hoping "that God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will" (2 Tim. 2:25,26).
These and other N.T. scriptures describe an active and powerful devil in the world, who is actually "the god of this age" who has "blinded the minds of unbelievers" (2 Cor. 4:4), and John even writes that "the whole world is in the power of the evil one" (1 Jn. 5:19). So Satan does not seem very "bound," and he is definitely not "locked" in the Abyss. Clearly, the devil has not yet been kept from "deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand yeas are ended." Satan's deceptive power is extremely active during our time.
In light of what we have established above (in point 2 through 4), we are clearly not now in the 1000-year period of Rev. 20:1-6, therefore, the millennial binding, imprisoning and total restriction of Satan also cannot possibly have occurred yet. In addition, the freedom, power and influence which Satan still has, is obviously because the millennium has not yet come. So it seems quite clear that the millennial situation is different from today, and this accords with the fact that we are not now in the millennium anyway. All of this agrees with the pre-millennial view. Thus, the scriptures seem to indicate again that the pre-millennial view is preferable.
6. Christ's Reign With Believers - Revelation 20:4 speaks of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus, and had not worshiped the beast nor received his mark; "they came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
The amillennial view says that this "reign" refers to the fact that the kingdom of God arrived with Jesus (Mat. 12:28) and that now he is the divine King seated on his heavenly throne ruling heaven and earth (Heb. 1:3; 1 Pet. 3:22) through the Holy Spirit.
Although the current heavenly rule or "session" of Christ over all things is clearly a scriptural teaching, this does not seem to be what John describes in Rev. 20:4,6. Instead, John speaks of a reign of Christ which includes the believers who were martyred (beheaded) because they testified about Jesus and refused to worship the Antichrist (the "beast" in Rev. 13 & 20) and refused to take his mark. Then these martyrs "came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (20:4). This resurrection includes all believers who have ever died, and in addition, these tribulation martyrs must be included. As explained above, since it is true that the destruction of Antichrist and the resurrection of believers occurs during the 2nd Coming, John must be talking about a particular 1000-year period in which Christ reigns, which follows the time of Antichrist's destruction at the 2nd Coming. When Jesus comes again, he will descend from heaven and the dead in Christ will be raised (1 Thess. 4:16), and then Christ himself will physically and bodily land on the earth at the Mount of Olives (Ac. 1:11; Zech. 14:4,5), and he will begin his reign --in person-- over all the earth (Zech. 14:9; Rev. 20:4). At that time, when Christians are resurrected and are given immortal, glorified bodies (1 Cor. 15:3-50), that is when believers will reign and "judge" with Christ over the earth (1 Cor. 6:2; Rev. 2:26,27; 3:21). They will have bodies which are like Christ's resurrection body (Php. 3:21; 1 Jn. 3:2). These things occur only during and after the 2nd coming. Nowhere else does scripture say that Christians of today are now reigning with Christ. Obviously, this post-Antichrist, post-2nd-coming reign of Christ is not possibly happening today.
This picture of a post-2nd-coming reign of Christ on earth has raised some questions. People wonder: "It doesn't sound possible for a glorified Christ along with his glorified saints to rule over a world of unsaved, un-glorified, mortal sinners." -- But why not? After his resurrection and ascension into heaven, Jesus came back to earth in his glorified body and appeared and talked to un-glorified people (maybe some sinners) by the hundreds for a period of forty days (Ac. 1:2,3). This same Jesus --with his same body-- is the one who will come back to earth again in his 2nd coming (Ac. 1:11), so clearly it should not sound impossible to consider that he will come in the same body in similar manner to reign on earth --and we will be like him (Php. 3:21) as we rule with him.
People also ask: "What could possibly be the purpose for having a glorified Christ rule over a world of unsaved and rebellious sinners?" -- Of course, we surely can't come up with a complete answer to this, but here are some possibilities: The millennium will show that even experiencing Christ the God-man in person does not necessarily cause people to repent and surrender to Christ as Lord. The millennium will show that the presence of the devil is not the only effective cause of evil in the world. It will show that even having a perfectly just and wise government will not reform the human heart to righteousness; the human "heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jer. 17:9). It will show that having all the right and true information clearly displayed will not reform and convert the human heart (I see no evidence that anyone will be saved during the millennium ...since the resurrection of all believers is at the 2nd coming). --These points serve to name a few.
Conclusion: It seems quite clear from the evidence of scripture that a straight-forward reading of Revelation 20:1-8 does teach that the devil will be imprisoned for a thousand years and totally unable to deceive people anymore throughout that time. It was also revealed to John that (before the millennium) the Antichrist "beast" will have believers killed (beheaded) "because of their testimony for Jesus and the Word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands" (Rev. 20:4a). That is why and how these tribulation Christians will die.
But then we learn from Paul, that the death and destruction of the Antichrist will happen by the glory and power of Christ's 2nd coming (2 Thess. 2:8). This fact indicates that --because the 2nd coming is yet future-- no tyranical figure in history was the final Antichrist. Then John writes that precisely these tribulation believers, who were martyred by Antichrist, "came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Rev. 20:4). So then, this truth also clearly establishes that the thousand-year-reign of Christ is not now happening.
So --putting it all together-- we find that the millennium comes after Christ's 2nd coming (which includes the resurrection of believers, and the destruction of Antichrist), contrary to a couple of theories which have supposed that the millennium is now happening (in a spiritual way) in our day. --But no. Though Christ is reigning now, spiritually, through the power of the Holy Sprit, the millennium --with his personal and physical reign over all mankind on earth-- and all it entails, is yet future.
So our task and joy as Christian's is to love God and each other, and do his will, until Jesus returns. --So come Lord Jesus!
