A Literal Millennium
Introduction
Introduction
As I begin this study on the Millennium, it is important to understand, first and foremost, that this is a brief study, and is in no way designed to be an in-depth study of this subject. Clearly, I understand that this study is basic rather than exhaustive. There is no way in this brief study to answer every question concerning the Millennium, to examine every passage of scripture dealing with the Millennium, or to establish myself as an expert on this massive subject. In this study, it is my desire to present the basics of this vital Bible doctrine.
The Primary Passage – Revelation 20:1-6
The twentieth chapter of Revelation is perhaps the easiest understood chapter of the book of Revelation. In spite of the simplicity of its language, many Bible readers still choke at its clarity. Let us look at the passage which I will be examining throughout this study.
Revelation 20:1-6 – “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”
It would be good for the reader to understand that the word, “millennium” is found neither in the above passage, nor anywhere else in the Bible. Some have chosen not to believe in a literal Millennium because the word, “millennium” is not found in the Bible. Though the word itself may not be in the Bible, its exact meaning is found in the Bible, and we see it clearly in the above passage.
The word “millennium” comes from two Latin words. The first, “mille,” means “thousand;” and the second, “annus,” means “years.” So, the Latin word “millennium” is the exact equivalent to our English phrase “thousand years.”
Five times in the above passage we find the phrase “thousand years.” First, in verses 2 and 3, we are told that an angel took the devil, bound him, and cast him into the bottomless pit to remain for a thousand years. In these two verses, the phrase “thousand years” is found twice. So, we who believe in a literal millennium believe that during the millennium, the devil will be bound for A THOUSAND YEARS! In verse 4, I am told that those who were martyred during the tribulation LIVED and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. In verse 5, I am told that the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. In verse 6, I am told that those who escape the second death will reign with Christ for a thousand years.
So, the Millennium is a Bible doctrine that is preached by Bible-believing preachers, proclaiming that those who escape the second death, especially those who suffer for the gospel, will live and reign with Jesus Christ upon this present, literal earth for 1,000 years of peace.
The Binding of Satan
In the aforementioned passage of scripture, Revelation 20:1-6, John informs me that, at the beginning of the Millennium, the devil himself is bound with a chain and confined to the bottomless pit for 1,000 years. Praise God for this truth! The devil, who caused so much trouble through the centuries for both Israel and the church, is bound! Satan, the god of this world who blinded the minds of them who refuse to believe Christ, is in confinement! Perhaps one of the greatest aspects of this passage is the fact that it only takes one angel to bind that old serpent. When Jesus Christ was arrested, the Romans sent a band of soldiers, each soldier possessing a torch and a sword. When Peter was arrested and placed in jail he was guarded a band of soldiers. But when God binds the devil, he does not send heaven’s armies! He does not send the artilleries of heaven’s forces! He does not empty heaven’s fort of its officials! Jesus Christ, the commander-in-chief of the heavenly realm, simply sends one officer – just one angel – and Satan’s freedom to deceive the nations is a thing of the past!
TO BE CONTINUED…
