Eschatology is the most debated aspect of Christianity. Furthermore, the millennium is the most debated aspect of eschatology. Indeed, the various views on the topic are often defined by how the “1,000 years” are interpreted. Common theories include premillennialism, postmilleniallism, and amillenialism/inmillenialism.
The debate goes back at least as far as the 3rd century, where you can find the “Father of Ecclesiastical History” arguing the millennium’s interpretation with the famous author of “Against Heresies.” Yes, Eusebius called Irenaeus and others “simpletons” for not catching the metaphoric use of the 1,000 years.
Today, most Christians fall into one of two camps regarding the length of the millenium. They either believe that it represents 1,000 literal years … or they believe it stretches to the expiration of time itself. I’d like to offer a different angle on the popular time period. Perhaps it was always intended to be both of the aforementioned. Perhaps it was never intended to be either of aforementioned. Stay with me as I share some important history.
Revelation was written to an audience in Asia Minor who found themselves entrenched in what would become known as “Middle Platonism.” The 1st-century Roman Empire experienced a major revival of Plato’s writings. In 375 BC, the philosopher had recorded that 1,000 years was the “cycle of the soul,” the time required for its migration from the place of the dead to its new deserved form.
In Greek mythology, constructed long before the 1st century, the supreme ruler of divine justice allows His son to loose the chains of a rebellious creature at the end of 1,000 years. This time coincides with the completion of the outpouring of the supreme ruler’s wrath.
In the Bible, the rebellious creature Satan is loosed from his chains for 3.5 years at the end of 1,000 years. This is right before Jesus, the inheritor of David’s throne, defeats him and initiates the migration of souls from Hades to their eternal state. This resurrection coincides with the pouring out of God’s bowls of wrath. It’s interesting to note that King David died in 970 BC.
The author of Revelation, intimately familiar with both Hebrew scripture and Hellenistic views, writes his apocalypse shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem. Inspired by Jesus, John leverages the existing knowledge and perspectives of his audience to present the victory of the Son of God and the soon-to-come realities of the true divine – the One who is sovereign over both the timeliness of the physical realm and the timelessness of the spiritual realm.
In 70 AD, exactly 1,000 years after David relinquished his throne, not one stone of Herod’s temple would be left upon another and the age would be consummated as stated in the famous Olivet Discourse. In Daniel chapter 12 of the Hebrew Scriptures, the prophet had written that the dead would be raised to either everlasting righteousness or everlasting contempt at the troublous “time, times, and half a time” – 3.5 years. Interestingly, in Matthew 24, Jesus gathers His elect “immediately” after the tribulation. The Lord confined these events to the 1st century when he declared to the Scribes and Pharisees that “all these things will come upon this generation” and that their house would be left desolate. He then walked out of the temple and said the same exact thing to his disciples, reiterating: “this generation will by no means pass away until all these things take place.”
It’s quite possible, dare I say probable, that the “1,000 years” in which the martyrs would reign alongside Christ, is complete. Remember, the Bible never confines Christ’s reign to anything less than forever. The end of the millenium only concludes the martyrs’ extra privilege. Afterall, Jesus had said, “you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.” According to Revelation, Satan would be bound during the millennium so the gospel could be proclaimed to the nations before the time of Jerusalem’s war. In the New Testament, Jesus tells us that He had already “bound the strong man of the house,” allowing Him to cast out the evil one’s inferior demons. The apostle Paul then writes his epistles between 50 and 66 AD, telling us that gospel had already gone out to 1) the society 2) the land 3) the nations 4) the cosmos, and 5) the creation. These are the English equivalents for his Greek words 1) oikumene 2) ge 3) ethnos 4) kosmos and 5) ktisis, respectively. This more than checked off the Olivet Discourse’s requirement for “the end” of the age to come – something the book of Matthew connected to desolation of the 2nd temple.
If Hades was destroyed at the end of the millenium during the judgment of Judea, we have reached the time where “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” The author of Hebrews mentioned this while he wrote in the “last days,” the late AD 60’s, about the “time of reformation” that was soon to occur. This term was no doubt synonymous with “consummation of the age” for the author’s audience who had “fled for refuge,” arriving at the New Jerusalem when leaving the old. Remember, all the events of Revelation were “at hand” when John wrote in the 1st century, and were to happen “soon” for the time was “near.” Especially encouraging for believers is the promise found therein, initiated at the destruction of harlot Jerusalem: “blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” Praise God, for we will rest from our labors in heaven.