In theological circles, there are three main views of the millennium. That is, three way, or beliefs, about when the events of the 1000-year reign of Christ will occur. These views are the Premillennial, the Postmillennial, and the Amellinnial.
The Dictionary of Biblical Terms defines these three beliefs as;
Premillennialism: The belief that Christ’s second coming* will occur before the millennium* and that he will then reign for 1,000 years on the earth.[1]
Postmillennialism: The belief that Christ’s second coming* will be preceded by the Millennium, a golden age of gospel blessing upon the ministry of the church.[2]
Amillennialism: 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.[3]
It should be obvious that there is a vast difference in the beliefs held by different denominations. I say denominations because that is usually the separating factor. The view that one takes is a direct reflection of their denominational church and it comes from how that denomination interprets Scripture. In this case Revelation 20. I could include this passage, but it will be a great deal more educational if you look it up. This way you can look a little ahead (or a bunch, I hope) and a little after, to see this chapter in context.
The truth is, the average church goer does not give the millennium much thought. If we were honest with ourselves, we take it for granted and are happy enough to take the preachers word for whatever he is preaching. We should never be afraid to ask questions, especially of our pastors. This helps us understand what he is preaching, and it keeps him honest.
I acknowledge that I was very late posting my view this week but beginning Monday we will look at these three views in more detail. We are going to take one view a week for the next three weeks. Please ask questions, it helps us answer these topics more thoroughly. Read Revelation 20 praying beforehand asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate this passage to help you interpret and understand it more clearly.
Thank you for taking the time to read this week’s post and I look forward to your thoughts and questions.
In Christ,
James
[1] Alan Cairns, Dictionary of Theological Terms (Belfast; Greenville, SC: Ambassador Emerald International, 2002), 336.
[2] Alan Cairns, Dictionary of Theological Terms (Belfast; Greenville, SC: Ambassador Emerald International, 2002), 334.
[3] Alan Cairns, Dictionary of Theological Terms (Belfast; Greenville, SC: Ambassador Emerald International, 2002), 16.