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The thousand-year period mentioned in connection with the description of Christ's coming to reign with His saints over the earth <Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-9>. Many Old Testament passages refer to the millennium <Is. 11:4; Jer. 3:17; Zech. 14:9>.
These and many other Old Testament passages are often taken to refer only to the thousand-year period itself. However, it is often difficult in these passages to see a clear dividing line between the earthly period of the millennium and the eternal state of new heavens and earth. Therefore, it is best to let one's teaching about the millennium be drawn specifically from the words in <Revelation 20>. The other great promises to Israel, while they have a temporary fulfillment in the thousand years, still await the fulness of the new heavens and new earth and the unhindered presence of Israel's king and the church's husband-- Jesus Christ our Lord.
During that thousand-year period, Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit so he will not deceive the nations until his short period of release <Rev. 20:3,7-8>. The faithful martyrs who have died for the cause of Christ will be resurrected before the millennium. They will rule with Christ and will be priests of God and Christ <Rev. 5:10; 20:4>. The unbelieving dead will wait for the second resurrection <Rev. 20:5>. After the thousand years, Satan will be released and will resume his work of deceit <Rev. 20:7-8>.
The most important aspect of the millennium is the reign of Christ. Peter taught that Christ now rules from the right hand of God <Acts 2:33-36>. That rule will last until His enemies are made His footstool <Ps. 110:1>. The apostle Paul also understood Christ to be presently reigning in a period designed to bring all of God's enemies underfoot <1 Cor. 15:25-27>. Thus the impact of Christ's present rule over the earth from God's right hand must not be seen as unrelated to His future reign during the millennium.
The millennium is viewed by interpreters in several different ways. One position holds that the millennium only refers to Christ's spiritual rule today from heaven. This symbolic view is known as the amillennial interpretation. Another position views Christ's spiritual rule as working through preaching and teaching to bring gradual world improvement leading up to Christ's return. This is the postmillennial view.
The position that holds to an actual thousandyear period in the future is known as the premillennial view. This interpretation does not diminish the power of Christ's present rule from heaven or limit that rule to the church only. That position sees the need for a thousand-year place in history for an earthly fulfillment of Israel's promises of land and blessing. It stresses that the one thousand years in <Revelation 20> are actual years and are not symbolic.
(from Nelson's Illustrated
Bible Dictionary)
(Copyright (C) 1986,
Thomas Nelson Publishers)
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