Views of the Millennial Kingdom: The Millennial Kingdom describes the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ which is specifically mentioned in Revelation 20:1-10. “…And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:5b).

When it comes to discussing the different views of the Millennial Kingdom, we must realize that we are talking about the interpretation of the much debated passage in Revelation 20:1-10. In fact, our final interpretation of the thousand years in Revelation 20:5 depends more on our hermeneutic than any other factor in the passage of Scripture.

There are basically four views of the Millennial Kingdom. Each view is derived by its hermeneutic. If we take a literal view of the thousand years, then we will arrive at a different view of the Millennial Kingdom to those who take a symbolic or spiritual view of the thousand years.

The four views of the Millennial Kingdom are Dispensational Premillennialism, Historical Premillennialism, Postmillennialism and Amillennialism.

1. Dispensational Premillennialism

Dispensational Premillennialists state that Christ will return before the Millennium in two stages – the rapture of the saints and the Second Coming.

In the rapture believers will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Once the rapture takes place, there will be seven years of tribulation.

This is when God will pour out his divine wrath upon the earth and especially the nation of Israel. At the end of the seven year tribulation, believers will return with the Lord to the earth to publicly institute his visible millennial reign.

Satan will be bound during the thousand year reign of Christ. However, he will be loosed at the end of the thousand years in which he will deceive the nations and take up a battle against the Lord.

This battle ends in both the judgment of the wicked and Satan and the entrance of the righteous into the new heavens and new earth – the eternal state. This view is premillennialism because it states that Christ returns before the millennium. This view is also dispensational because of its dispensational distinctions.

These dispensational distinctions include a literal, grammatical historical hermeneutic, the distinction between Israel and the church (the church and Israel are two distinct identities with two individual redemptive plans), the pre-tribulation rapture and the inauguration of the Millennial Kingdom.

Views of the Millennial Kingdom Resources

These resources are for Dispensational Premillennialism!

The Millennial Kingdom: A Basic Text in Premillennial Theology by John F Walvoord

Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology by J Dwight Pentecost

Three Views of the Millennium and Beyond by Darrell L Bock Editor

Understanding and Applying the Bible by Robertson McQuilkin

2. Historical Premillennialism

Historical Premillennialists state that Christ will return before the thousand year reign of Christ on the earth but after a time of great apostasy and tribulation. The only similarity this view has with dispensational premillennialism is that Christ returns before the Millennial Kingdom.

Historical Premillennialism differs in significant ways to dispensational premillennialism in that it does not draw a distinction between Israel and the church.

This view states that the church is a fulfillment of Israel. This suggests that historical premillennialists do not use a literal, grammatical historical method of interpretation.

They drift between literal fulfillment and semi-symbolic or spiritual fulfillment. This view does not draw a distinction of the literal seven year tribulation period. This view sees it as a time of great apostasy and tribulation before the return of the Christ.

According to historical premillennialism, this is happening now in history rather than taking place in the future event of the great tribulation.

Views of the Millennial Kingdom Resources

These resources are for Historical Premillennialism!

The Blessed Hope: A Biblical Study of the Second Advent and the Rapture by George E Ladd

The Last Things: An Eschatology for Laymen by George E Ladd

3. Postmillennialism

Postmillennialists state that the millennium is a period of time (not a literal thousand years) in which Christ will reign over the earth by the advancement of the gospel and its power to change lives.

As lives are changed and the gospel proclaimed, this will usher in Christ’s return to judge the wicked and take the righteous into the eternal state. This view uses a hermeneutic that spiritualizes the Scriptures. There is no distinction between the church and Israel. The kingdom of God is spiritual not literal.

Views of the Millennial Kingdom Resources

The following resources are for Postmillennialism!

Three Views of the Millennium and Beyond by Darrell L Bock Editor

Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope by Keith A Mathison

4. Amillennialism

Amillenialists state that the thousand years of Revelation 20:5 is a figurative number that indicates an unknown period of time between the first coming of Jesus and his second coming.

Christ rules and reigns over the earth from heaven through the church thus bringing people into the kingdom of God through the preaching of the gospel.

The view states that the next great prophetic event will be the second coming of Christ whereby the wicked will be judged and the saints will be ushered into the eternal state.

Amillennialists usually use a grammatical historical hermeneutic. However, when it comes to prophecy, they general use a typological-spiritual hermeneutic.

For example, the church is a type of Israel (typological) and all the promises given to Israel are being fulfilled in the church (spiritual).