Millennium
Millennium
The word “millennium” comes from Latin and simply means “one thousand years.”
“Millennialism” (or “millenarianism”) envisions one thousand years of Christ’s reign on earth
In this passage John, the seer, sees a vision of Satan bound and locked away in the abyss for a thousand years to keep him from deceiving the nations. The same vision depicts Christian martyrs resurrecting to life to reign together with Christ for a thousand years. This vision portrays the millennial period as a time of justice, peace, and human flourishing in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.
Postmillennialists view
It was
Postmillennialism played a significant role in
Postmillennialism and amillennialism have much in common:
1. Christ will not physically return before a
the church (not the Second Coming) will inaugurate the Millennium.
The preaching and teaching of the Christian message throughout the world will increasingly Christianize it; the Millennium will be a thousand years of peace and prosperity preceding Christ’s physical return.
The primary characteristic of postmillennialism is that it is very optimistic about the power of the gospel to change lives and bring about much good in the world.
Belief in postmillennialism tends to increase in times when the church is experiencing great revival, when there is an absence of war and international conflict, and when it appears that great progress is being made in overcoming the evil and suffering in the world.
The following are some of the main postmillennial arguments:
(1) The Bible promises universal gospel proclamation (
Postmillennialism is characterized by the following views:
• Christ comes after the millennial period finishes.
• The Millennium is a distinct time period inaugurated by the Church, which encompasses both spiritual and physical characteristics (Boettner, Millennium, 14).
• The body of Christ will influence the entire world culturally, politically, and economically so that Christ will have dominion through the Church (Grenz, Millennial Maze, 66). This will bring great physical prosperity to the world.
• The Church will have great effectiveness in evangelism and deep spiritual maturity.
• The hegemony of the Church will last a long time period, but not necessarily 1,000 years. Following this, a rebellion will ensue and Christ will return to earth to judge and create a new heaven and earth (Boettner, Millennium, 64; see
1. The Great Commission leads us to expect that the gospel will go forth in power and eventually result in a largely Christian world: Jesus explicitly said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (
2. Parables of the gradual growth of the kingdom indicate that it eventually will fill the earth with its influence. Here postmillennialists point to the following:
Another parable he put before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (
3. Postmillennialists will also argue that the world is becoming more Christian. The church is growing and spreading throughout the world, and even when it is persecuted and oppressed it grows remarkably by the power of God.
While premillennialists talk about a renewed earth with Jesus Christ physically present and reigning as King, together with glorified believers in resurrection bodies, postmillennialists are simply talking about an earth with many, many Christians influencing society.
They do not envisage a millennium consisting of a renewed earth or glorified saints or Christ present in bodily form to reign (for they think that these things will only occur after Christ returns to inaugurate the eternal state).
