20:1 Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a huge chain. 20:2 He seized the dragon—the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan—and tied him up for a thousand years. 20:3 The angel then threw him into the abyss and locked and sealed it so that he could not deceive the nations until the one thousand years were finished. (After these things he must be released for a brief period of time.)

This is the only passage where a time period of 1,000 years is mentioned.

From this passage the idea of the ‘millennium’ has entered Christian thought and speech.

Christians have puzzled over a number of questions:

(a) Are we to understand this as a literal period of 1,000 years, lying as yet in the future?  Or is this one of John’s many symbolic descriptions?

(b) What is the relationship between the millennium and Christ’s Second Coming?  Does it come before, or after?

(c) What other Bible passages (e.g. the Old Testament prophets) are relevant to the subject of the millennium?  What, if any, light do they shed on it?  Can any chronology of the end times be inferred?

1. Premillennialism

According to this view, the millennium will take place after Christ’s return and before the creation of the New Heavens and the New Earth (described in the next chapter).

At this time:

• Satan will be bound, Rev 20:2
• evil will exist on the earth, but in a severely limited way, Isa 65:20; Zech 13:3; Rev 20:7–15
• God’s kingdom is established on earth, Psa 72
• Israel will return to her land, Gen 12:7; 15:18–21; Ezek 39:25–29; 47:13–23.  This will comprise, for the first time, all the land that God promised to Abraham, Gen 15:18-21
• Christ will rule over Israel from Jerusalem, 2 Sam 7:12–16; Ps 89:3–4, 28–29
• Christ will fulfil all aspects – spiritual and physical – of the new covenant with Israel, Jer 31:31–34; Ezek 36:24–38
• Christ will, indeed, rule over the entire world, which will be unusually fruitful, in a way similar to its pre-fall condition, Isa 11:6–9; 27:6; 35:1-7; 65:20; Hos 2:21–23; Amos 9:13)
• people will live long lives, Isa 65:20
• believers will reign with Christ, 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 3:21; 20:4, and will judge the world, Rev 20:3
• the lion will lay down with the lamb, Isa 11:6-8
• the tribulation saints will be raised to reign with Christ (the ‘first resurrection’, Rev 20:5f).

The millennium is, accordingly, both a spiritual and a physical reality.

At the end of this period of 1,000 year, there will be a rebellion, and God will judge the wicked, Rev 20:11.

(a) According to historic (Classical) Premillennialism, the present Church Age will conclude with a period of Tribulation, followed by the return of Christ and the ‘catching up’ (‘rapture’) of believers who will reign with him on earth for 1,000 years.  At the beginning of this period Satan will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit.  At the end of this period, Satan will be loosed from the pit and will join forces with rebellious people to battle against Christ, but they will be decisively defeated.  Then will follow the resurrection of all unbelievers who have died throughout history, and they will be judged by Christ.  After this, believers will enter into their final state.

Grudem (Systematic Theology , 2nd ed.) makes out a case from the present chapter:

a. ‘The binding and imprisonment of Satan in the bottomless pit (vv. 2–3) imply a far greater restriction of his activity than anything we know in this present age.’
b. ‘The statement that those who were faithful “came to life” (v. 4) is best taken as referring to a bodily resurrection, for the next verse says, “This is the first resurrection.”….’
c. ‘On a premillennial interpretation, the reigning with Christ (in Rev. 20:4) is something that is still future, not something that is occurring now (as amillennialists claim).’  (See also Lk 19:17, 19; 1 Cor 6:3; Rev 2:26–27; 3:21)

Premillennialism was held by a number of Church Fathers, including Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus and Tertullian.  It was also taught by Increase and Cotton Mather, John Gill, C.H. Spurgeon, George Eldon Ladd, Francis Schaeffer, J. Barton Payne, Carl. F.H. Henry, D.A. Carson, John Piper, Albert Mohler and Wayne Grudem.

(b) According to Dispensational Premillenialism, Christ’s return will be pretributational.  It will, in fact, be two-fold: a secret (and largely unexpected) return to ‘catch up’ (‘rapture’) believers to be with Christ for 7 years (1 Thess 4:16f); and then a public return of Christ with his people to reign on earth in the Millennium.  Then will follow a great rebellion, the final defeat of Satan and his forces, the resurrection of unbelievers, the judgement, and the new heavens and new earth, and finally will be ushered in the final state.

Advocates include: J.N. Darby, C.I. Scofield, L.S. Chafer, J. Dwight Pentecost, John Walvoord, C.C. Ryrie, Erwin Lutzer, and John McArthur.

During the Great Tribulation, many of the signs spoken of as preceding Christ’s return will take place.  There will be a great turning of the Jewish people as, in the midst of suffering, they trust Jesus their Messiah.

One feature of this form of Millennialism is a rather sharp distinction between the church and the Jewish people.  OT prophecies concering the Jewish people are not, according to this view, to be ‘spiritualised’ to refer to the church.

This approach relies on a somewhat literal interpretation of the present passage, especially in relation to the period of time mentioned (1,000 years).  However, adherents believe that the present text reflects many OT passages which speak of God overcoming the Serpent, his enabling of Israel to reign, and a reversal of the curse ( Isa 2:1–4; 11:1–16; Amos 9:13–14).

This literal approach sits ill with our understanding of the book of Revelation as a whole.  It is a symbolical book, and it is wrong to substitute the symbol for the reality.  Morris points out that 1000, being the cube of 10, is symbolic of completeness, and the significance would then be that Satan is bound for the full period determined by God.

2. Postmillennialism

A period (not necessarily a literal 1,000 years) of spiritual and material prosperity will be inaugurated through the Church and will precede Christ’s return.

Among those claimed as advocates: Jonathan Edwards, B.B. Warfield, R.C. Sproul, and Iain Murray.

This period will generally be one of progressive gowth, as taught in parables such as the Mustard Seed (Mt 13:31f).

After this, a rebellion will occur, and then Christ will return in judgement and to create the new heaven and earth.

The Church stands in Israel’s former place as a kingdom of priests in the world (1 Pet 2:9f).  Israel’s mission, as set out in the OT, is now the Church’s mission.  The promises for Israel to bless the nations now apply to the Church.

Some postmillennialists understand the present passage to have been fulfilled in AD 70.  This is known as ‘preterism’.

According to others, Revelation presents a more figurative presentation of God’s victory.  The Millennium represents a theological idea rather than a definite epoch in history.

Postmillennialism is optimistic about the power of the gospel to improve all aspects of human life, and to usher in a ‘millennial age’ of peace and righteousness.  The experience of periodic revivals has led some to hope and pray for a great, final, revival of the work of the gospel.

Warfield suggests that these verses are about the intermediate state. Chapter 19 has depicted the church militant striving and conquering here on earth; the beginning of chapter 20 tells of the church expectant – not only waiting, but living and reigning with Christ, free from strife and safe from assault. These two – the church militant and the church expectant – constitute the church of Christ, and together pass through the great trial (latter part of chapter 20) to inherit the new heavens and new earth, chapter 21. This expresses in symbolic form what Paul says more directly when he says that, whether we wake or sleep, we shall all live together with Christ in the last great day, 1 Thess 4:15; 5:10; 1 Cor 15:39-40. (See Warfield, Selected Shorter Writings I, 348ff)

3. Amillennialism

According to this view, the period of 1,000 years is interpreted metaphorically.  It is a lengthy, but indefinite (to human understanding) period of time that refers to the present interval between Christ’s first and second comings, when Satan is unable to prevent the church’s evangelisation of the nations.  We might refer to it, then, as the ‘Church age’, or the ‘Gospel age’.  This would accord quite well with v3, and with the thought that Satan was ‘bound’ at the time of our Lord’s atoning death.

During this period, Christ reigns in heaven, and his people reign with him as the submit their lives to him and win the nations for him.

Christ’s rule during this time is principally spiritual, not physical.

Just as the present passage is interpreted figuratively, rather than literally, so such an approach is also applied to the OT passages that are appealed to in support of Premillenialism.

Amillennialism avoids problems such as multiple resurrections, the presence of evil on the earth during Christ’s reign, and so on.

Origen, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin and others have all adopted this interpretation.

The following have also been claimed as advocates: O.T. Allis, Louis Berkhof, John Murray, Geerhardus Vos, Kim Riddlebarger, Sam Storms, Anthony Hoekema, J.I. Packer, Greg Beale and Vern Poythress.

Amillennialism sits well with a ‘recapitulation’ reading of Revelation: Rev 20:1-6 corresponds to Rev 17-19, which describes God’s judgement of evil in the present age.

For amillennialists, the binding of Satan in v1f took place during Jesus’ earthly ministry, Mt 12:28f; Lk 10:18.  The purpose is given in v3 – ‘so that he could not deceive the nations…’.  This speaks of the universal offer of the gospel.

In summary, amillennialism presents a simple plan, whereby the present gospel age (symbolised by the Millennium of Rev 20) is concluded by a cluster of events precipitated by Christ’s return: the general resurrection, the final judgement, and the inauguration of the new heaven and the new earth.

Beasley-Murray (NBC) summarises the view of Hendriksen, who:

‘identifies the binding of Satan (Rev 20:1–3) with his ejection from heaven (Rev 12:9), the thousand years of the church’s power (Rev 20:4–6) with its time of triumphant witness (Rev 11:2–6; 12:14–15), the onset of the armies of Gog and Magog (Rev 20:7–9) with the persecution of the church by the antichrist (Rev 11:7–10; 13:7–8), the ensuing destruction of those armies (Rev 20:9) with Armageddon (Rev 19:19–21), and the last judgment (Rev 20:11–15) with the Messianic judgment (Rev 14:14–20).’

Beasley-Murray finds ‘insuperable difficulties’ with this interpretation:

‘In Rev 12:9 Satan is cast out of heaven, where he may no longer accuse the saints before God, to earth, where his war against the church intensifies, because his time is short; in Rev 20:1–3 he is taken from earth and imprisoned in the Abyss, that he may no longer corrupt humanity. The judgment of Rev 14:14–20 is aligned with the Messianic judgments of the last times, above all that which happens at Christ’s coming (Rev 19:19–21); whereas the last judgment of Rev 20:11–15 is of all generations of humankind. The conquest of the evil powers is described in the indivisible passage Rev 19:19–21:3, and that takes place at Christ’s advent in glory, which is followed by his thousand years’ reign. Add to that the impossibility of reconciling the assumption of John, shared by the prophets generally, that the Lord may come soon (Rev 1:3; 22:20) with the notion that the thousand years’ kingdom will precede his coming, one has difficulty in attributing this scheme of interpretation to him.’

Critics of this view urge that the idea of Satan being ‘bound’ at the present time seems to fit ill with Eph 6:10ff and Rev 2:13.

Michael Gilbertson (The Meaning of the Millennium) identifies problems with each of the above approaches, and offers an alternative (or complementary) interpretation, which focuses on the ‘why?’, rather than the ‘where’ or ‘when’.  He writes:

‘I want to affirm strongly the Christian expecta-tion that Christ will return and that God will act to transform this world and to vindicate his people-and that this will actually happen in the future. My argument is that the symbol of the millennium tells us important truths about this event, rather than itself expressing literally what will happen.’

These truths concern:

1. The triumph of God
2. The Lordship of Christ
3. God’s vindication of his people
4. God’s commitment to transform this earth

Conclusion

With the possible exception of dispensational premillennialism, the three views are perhaps not so insulated from one another as might at first appear.

I believe, however, that the teaching of Scripture is best represented by amillennialism.