Understanding The Millennium (1000 Years Reign) Part 1
By: William Bell, Jr.
The Most Controversial Point
The greatest point of contention regarding the millennium is the question of whether it is a literal or figurative 1000 years.
There are myriads of references to a thousand (or multiple thereof) used in the Bible. Check out Numbers 1:27-46. There is no question about the literal use of 1,000.
However, there are also figurative uses of the word. For example, God keeps mercy to a thousand generations, Exodus 34:7. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, Psalms 50:10. His covenant extends to a thousand generations.
There is no limit to the extent of God’s mercy. He will have mercy upon all who call upon him, (Romans 8:32) To limit it to a literal thousand generations would limit the power of God to save.
Secondly, the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, (Psalms 24:1; 1 Corinthians 10:26, 28). God owns not only the cattle on a thousand hills. He owns all the hills, mountains, valleys and all in between, above and beneath. This is a figurative expression and poetic way of God saying that he owns all.
Third, he explains a thousand generations to mean of everlasting duration speaking of his covenant he made with Abraham, 1 Chronicles 16:15-17. Thus Paul writes, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages world without end amen, (Ephesians 3:21). Again, there is no limit to the generations of which God extends his mercy.
Revelation Chapter 20
The millennium is mentioned in one of the most apocalyptic and symbolical books of the Bible and perhaps one of the most symbolical of all chapters. We have mention of a “key” a “bottomless pit” and a “great chain” with which the “dragon” Satan is bound and “shut up by a seal” in the “bottomless pit” for a “millennium” i.e. a thousand years. Are we to believe that Satan was literally sealed up a literal bottomless pit with a chain? Such stretches the imagination as incredulous.
However, the key message and theme of the text is to show that the angel (messenger from heaven) probably Christ, had the “key” (authority) to bind Satan with his “chain” (the word or power of God) and with the seal indicated that he could only be loosed by one having authority to do so, thus a divine being. Why then conclude that the thousand years are literal?
The Time
What makes the a literal 1,000 years binding of Satan which also runs concurrent with the 1,000 years reign with Christ (Revelation 20:4, 6) less likely are the time limitations found in the beginning, middle and end of the book.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to him to show his servants things which must shortly come to pass and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John….Blessed is he who reads and keeps the words of this prophecy for the time is near. (Revelation 1:1,3). Thus, God says these events would and must “shortly come to pass” and at the time of writing, (pre-A.D. 70) were at hand or imminent.
The same statements are found in the middle of the book where God says there would be no delay of the endtime events, (Revelation 10:6) and thus even Satan knew that he had but a short time (Revelation 12:10) before he would be cast into the lake of fire. John reiterates this imminence at the end of the book with the warning from the angel that he was “not to seal the book” for the time was at hand for those things to shortly be done, (22:6)
Copyright (c) 2006 by William Bell, Jr. All rights reserved.
William Bell, Jr. is the author of the Re-Examination a study of Christ second coming. His websites: http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com and http://www.rapture-rap.com