The meaning of the Millennium

It is curious that we get more excited about the supposed events leading up to Jesus' 2d coming than we do nigh what that coming itself will bring. It is a bit similar existence more excited almost the fixtures and fittings on a train than where the train is actually going to take you.

My previous mail service addressed the confusions that ascend from misreading the 'little apocalypse' in Matthew 24, and I have posted elsewhere about Mark 13 and about the doctrine of 'the rapture', as well as some of Jesus' teaching well-nigh judgement. I am posting hither a cursory overview I wrote some years ago of approaches to the millennium in Rev 20.1–half-dozen. The content is posted below, and the original handout is attached equally a document.

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Pre-millennialism
What does it say?
That Christ will come (pre the millennium) (xix.xi), Satan is jump (20.2), and then the saints will dominion on globe with Christ for g actual years (20.half-dozen), after which Satan is released (20.7), sentence takes identify (twenty.xi), and there is an stop to death (20.14).

Who believes this?
This was the dominant view of the early on church and commentators on Revelation until Augustine. Information technology still has adherents (such equally One thousand E Ladd).

What is proficient about it?
It takes the guild of Rev 19 and twenty at face value, and takes seriously the earthly dimension of Christ'due south return.

What are its disadvantages?
Information technology takes the millennium literally alone of all the numbers in Revelation. Information technology does not pay attention to the complexities of the passages. It is hard to reconcile the thought of an acting kingdom of God on earth with what the rest of the NT says.

Dispensational Premillennialism
What does it say?
Additionally that prior to Christ'due south render, there volition be a 'rapture' of the saints, who will escape the subsequent 'tribulation' of three-and-a-half years (a half-week of years, Dan 9.27).

Who believes this?
This is widespread in Northward America. Hal Lindsey's Late Great Planet Globe. It was first proposed by J N Darby, one of the founders of the Brethren motility, and published in the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909.

What is good near it?
It urges on people the demand to make a positive decision to follow Christ.

What are its disadvantages?
It assembles texts all over the NT into a chronological jigsaw, disregarding their original meanings: Matt 24.xl, 1 Thess 4.thirteen–18, Rev 3.ten, Ps 90.4/2 Peter 3.8. The word 'tribulation' just means 'suffering'. The clear message of Rev and the gospels (eg Matt 24.29) is that Jesus will render for his own afterward the period of suffering—Christians are not exempt.

Amillennialism
What does information technology say?
That there will be no literal or future 100 years. The term refers to the in-between time from Jesus' resurrection to his second coming.

Who believes this?
It was commencement proposed past Augustine in the early fifth century in City of God, and is a widely-held view today.

What is skilful almost it?
It avoids a materialistic view of the future and literalism. Makes Revelation easier to chronicle to what the residual of the NT says almost Jesus' return, and the millennium relevant to Christians now, every bit nosotros are in it!

What are its disadvantages?
It supposes that Rev twenty.1 steps back in fourth dimension to Jesus' time, when in Revelation it appears notwithstanding to be future. The first resurrection (xx.5) is simply the presence of the martyrs with Christ in heaven, which is unlikely. 1000 is non foursquare or rectangular, so does non relate to 1260 days or 42 months.

Postmillennialism
What does information technology say?
That Rev 20.one is a step back, but to some point in history subsequently Jesus' resurrection. Thus there is a golden historic period of the Spirit on globe earlier Christ returns.

Who believes this?
Joachim of Fiore proposed this in the twelfth century, and it was popular during the social optimism of the 18th and 19th centuries among people like Wilberforce. No-ane actually holds to it since the trauma of the First World State of war.

What is good about it?
Information technology motivates social reform and involvement.

What are its disadvantages?
It is hard to square with the details of the text, and in that location is little prove of a new millennial historic period in the world at large.

You lot can download the document as a tabular array here: 4 views of Millennium

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In fact, none of these schemes is satisfactory, since they treat the millennium chronologically rather than theologically—they think that it is one effect in a sequence, rather than being one mode of explaining Jesus' return set amongst other ways of understanding it. Rev 19–21 actually contains seven unnumbered visions, each of which starts with the phrase 'And I saw…' at Rev 19.11, 19.17, 19.19, twenty.one, 20.4, 20.eleven, 21.1. As with other series in Revelation, we demand to read them concurrently rather than sequentially, as giving a range of different insights into the meaning of Jesus' return. Since Jesus was, is and volition be the reply to all God'south promises in Scripture, it is perhaps no surprise that each of these dimensions has its roots in the Onetime Testament. This is my summary of the cardinal themes we observe in these chapters:

• Justice will conquer (19.11)
• The Word will prevail (19.15)
• Deception volition die (xix.20, twenty.x)
• The saints are vindicated (20.4)
• Heavens and earth will be remade (20.11, 21.ane)
• Expiry will be no more (20.14, 21.4)
• God is nowadays with his people (21.three, 21.sixteen)

Some years ago Mike Gilbertson wrote a really helpful Grove booklet on this,The Pregnant of the Millennium. He summarises the theological significance of the millennium under the following headings:

• The victory of God
• The lordship of Christ
• The vindication of the saints
• The renewal of the earth

Mike concludes:

In this booklet, I have argued that the millennium of Revelation 20 is a rich and powerful symbol with important implications for our agreement of God's human relationship with the world. I take likewise suggested that the long-established debates between the various traditional approaches to the text (premillennialism, postmillennialism, amillennialism) tend sometimes to obscure the theological significance of the passage. The approach I accept adopted is to run into the millennium neither as the prediction of a literal future state, nor as a fourth dimension- less abstraction. Rather, I have interpreted it equally a symbol which conveys key truths virtually God's plan to execute his justice and renew the world. The symbol is situated in the future, only has profound implications for how nosotros alive at present…

The biblical vision of the triumph of God, the lordship of Christ, God's vindication of his people, and his commitment to transform the earth, provides the church building with compelling resources to speak prophetically and relevantly in this gimmicky context. The symbol of the millennium helps united states to affirm profound hope for the present and the futurity in the light of the ultimate power of God'southward love and justice.

It is well worth a read—information technology is really time nosotros got more excited nigh where the railroad train is taking us!

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