Part #1, The Millennium

Revelation 20 

Millennium is just one of those big words that often come up when there is a discussion of Bible prophecies.  Just as quickly as it comes up it is glossed over in a confusing manner and cast aside as one of those events that we are not to be concerned with as long as we are still here, go to church regularly and pay our Tithes.  If pursued it can be one of the most confusing subjects of Bible study.  This should not be the case because the word seems to be simple to understand and Revelation seems to tell what is to take place.  The confusion began when we attempt to place a beginning on the event.

One's interpretation of the thousand years from Revelation 20 depends on more upon certain factors related to a Christian's hermeneutic than the strict text of the ten much-debated verses. There are several ways in which orthodox Christians choose to interpret the Scripture and depending on which of these methods is used, one's understanding of eschatological issues — and a host of others as well — will experience changes both significant and trivial. In addition, since one interprets Scripture primarily through the filter of his understanding of other passages in the Word of God, one's millennial view have issues when the Bible speaks of a millennium; the problem arises as we said before when we attempt to establish a starting point. 

Eschatology is a Christian term that means the study of the end of history or the "end of the world" from a religious perspective. Probably, more obscure theological text, made up sermons and ludicrous statements have been written on this topic than on any other belief in Christendom and yet there is no conscious within the household of faith. 

For the sake of clarification according to Wikipedia, "a millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period equal to 1000 years, also called kiloyears. It derives from the Latin mille, thousand, and annum, year. It is often, but not always, related to a particular dating system.

If we were to begin with the birth of Christ using the Julian Calendar then the 1^st millennium would begin January 1^st 0001 and end December 3,1 1000.  From an eschatological perspective, the 1^st millennium could have begun at the birth of Christ, the death of Christ, at that point before the church became a corrupted and divided body, or any other point referenced in the Holy scripture.

From my perspective, it seems easy to select a starting point, if I use the Bible and the book of Revelation as a guide.  Using the Bible I must ascribe to the belief that the events portrayed in the Bible are in chronological order.  Jumping back and forward, here and there trying to prove a point merely present the Word of God in a polluted and confusing manner.  Common sense is the bases of the knowledge of God and not the knowledge of good and evil, or science.  The common sense approach tells me that Jesus spoke of the events that were to take place in the end time and Revelation gives us a timeline to follow.   We cannot know the day or the hour, but we can learn the time and the season.

Because of our vast knowledge and the devil's desire to sow seeds of confusion, eschatological belief systems emerge when we attempt to discuss or study the prophecies of the end time millennium.  We shall treat them as follows: Dispensational Premillennialism, historic Premillennialism, postmillennialism, and Amillennialism.  The attempt to study the different belief systems rendered the study of the millennium as referenced in the scripture more confusing that it should.  The confusion is centered around when do it began and what is the order of the event that occurs at the beginning and during this period.  

Some see the millennium as the time of a future earthly theocracy by which Christ will rule over the nations for a thousand years. Others see it as a time during which Christ will rule the earth from heaven through the life-changing power of the Gospel. Still, others look at it in another way, and the multitude of others holds a multitude of other interpretations.  Thus, the confusion of Christianity reigns supreme.

The Bible contains many prophecies about the future. The New Testament talks extensively about the return of Jesus Christ to this earth.  This return is usually called his "second coming," or "parousia." The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 24, is devoted to this topic, as is much of the book of Revelation, and 1^st Thessalonians 4:16-18. A literal interpretation of the Bible shows that four important events are predicted:

	The Millennium: Revelation describes an important interval lasting for 1000 years when Christ rules.  This is a golden era; a time of universal peace. The concept was first proposed by the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism.
	The Tribulation: This is a 7-year interval when a world religious-political leader called the Antichrist takes power.  This is not entirely scripture because the scripture does not refer to Antichrist as "The Antichrist."
	Armageddon is a terrible war provoked by the Antichrist. Most people on earth will die. God's anger, hatred, and wrath are poured out over mankind and the earth at this time. A series of violent events are predicted in Daniel 9, Matthew 24, and Revelation 4-19.
	The Rapture: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 describes a miraculous event when Christ will descend from the heavens towards the Earth. Many conservative Protestants believe that faithful "born again" Christians who have previously died will be resurrected, rise from their graves, and ascend to meet Jesus in the sky. Immediately afterward, "born again" Christians who had not died will also ascend into the air. They will abandon cars, airplanes, factory jobs, homes, families, friends etc. Since the vast majority of humans are not "born again," most people will remain behind on earth.

We will discuss each of these events in a separate segment, hopefully, we can shed some light on what has the making of a confusing subject. Unfortunately, this and various other Biblical passages predicting the future are ambiguous. The events themselves are open to many interpretations. There is no clear indication of either their timing or sequence. Some Christians believe that "millennium" does not mean a time interval of exactly 1,000 years. Rather it refers to a long interval of time. Some Christians interpret events mentioned in the Christian Scriptures as descriptions of real happenings in our future; others interpret them symbolically and/or as events that have already occurred millennia ago. 

This leaves the passages open to many conflicting beliefs about the end times. A lot of intra-denominational and inter-denominational strife has resulted from disagreements about end time prophecy. For example, the Roman Catholic Church and most mainline and liberal denominations do not have an expectation that the Rapture will occur in the way anticipated by many fundamentalists and other evangelical faith groups.

Because of the conflicting beliefs about the millennium, the Kingdom of God and other religious practices, the church has splintered into many different groups and organizations.  Speaking to Peter, Jesus had high hopes and expectations for the church.  Speaking to John, Jesus condemns the church.  When did the church become a divided body? Is there a message here that we are missing? The answer to these and other questions might help us realize the time and season that is at hand.  Join me in a six-part study of the millennium and the event that follows.

To be continued