Popular Views of the 1,000 Year Reign

A word used to label popular views of the thousand-year reign of Christ is the word “millennial,” which refers to the saints’ reign with Christ for a thousand years. Since the twentieth chapter of Revelation clearly refers to the thousand-year reign of Christ, we should not be opposed to the use of this term. Therefore, premillennial would reference the time before the millennial reign of Christ, and “postmillennial” would refer to the events after the millennial reign of Christ. Using John’s description, the events that precede that reign pertains to the bulk of his visions and were to “shortly come to pass” (Rev. 1:1) and preceded the millennial reign of Christ (Revelation 20:1-6). They include the work of Satan (Rev. 12:7-12), a war against Jerusalem (Rev. 16:12-16, 11:1-13), the binding of Satan (Rev. 20:1-3), a first resurrection (Rev. 20:4-6, cf. 11:11), and eternal judgment of the dead (Rev.11:18). Because they pertained to those then living, the information was not sealed but revealed (Rev. 5:3-8; 22:10). A few, however, pertain to events that would not be accomplished until after the thousand years are finished (Rev. 20:3, 5, 7-15). Thus, they are postmillennial prophecies. The loosing of Satan for a short period of deception, the nations gathered against Jerusalem (Rev. 20:7-9), another resurrection of the dead (“rest of the dead,” Rev. 20:5), and a second judgment of the dead (Rev. 20:11-15). An obvious parallel can be seen between the premillennial and postmillennial events. However, the premillennial and postmillennial events prophesied in John’s visions do not correlate to the popular eschatological views of our time