Again, the definition of Amillennialism is defined in the Dictionary of Theological Terms as; “The theory that there will be no thousand-year period of great spiritual blessing before the Lord Jesus returns, and no thousand-year reign of Christ on earth after His return.”[1]
I think to begin with we should also define, for those of us who might not know, the word millennium. Dictionary.com defines millennium as; “a period of 1000 years”. I know this seems trivial, but I want to make sure we are all on the same page. When an “a” is added to the beginning of a word, like theist, we get the word atheist. So the “a” makes the word the opposite of its normal meaning. So, a millennialist believes there will be a 1000-year event (we will get into the pre and post part later), but an amillennialist believes there will be no 1000-year event at all.
If we are going to talk about amillennialism we must ask if those who hold to the thought that there will be no 1000-year event believe Scripture at all. If they do not believe Scripture the argument is mute anyway. Why do I make this statement? Because a 1000-year event, the millennium, is talked about in Scripture. Specifically, as mentioned in the last post, Revelation chapter 20. I hope you took the time to read this chapter and maybe a little before and a little after. If you did, you should understand right away why, if someone believes the Bible to be the inerrant word of God, there can be no amillennialism.
For the sake of argument, I will at least include an excerpt from chapter 20. Revelation 20 verse 4 says; “4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. “[2] I have added the emphasis to the end of this verse because it plainly says there will be a 1000-year reign of Christ.
One of the things I believe in is “the literal grammatical” interpretation of Scripture. In other words, Scripture means exactly what it says, and we cannot change that meaning. Scripture should be taken literally unless it tells us we shouldn’t (in the case of the parables for example). Therefore, there is no way to rid ourselves of a millennial event, namely the 1000-year reign of Christ.
It should be obvious by now that I am not a believer in amillennialism. I know without a shadow of doubt that my Savior will return seven years after the tribulation to reign. Therefore, I, by definition, must be either a premillennialist or a post millennialist. Given my stance on the literal interpretation of Scripture, you should be able to tell where I come down on the subject. For now, I think we can put to rest the notion that there will be no millennial event.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read my post. Please stay in the Scriptures, be obedient to God. If you haven’t, I pray that you will give your life to Christ. Allow Him to govern your life. If you ever decide to make this choice, please share with someone so they can rejoice with you. I look forward to next week.
In Christ,
James
[1] Alan Cairns, Dictionary of Theological Terms (Belfast; Greenville, SC: Ambassador Emerald International, 2002), 16.
[2] The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Re 20:4.