Revelation 20:1-10
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‘Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.’
Revelation 20:1-6
The Millennial Kingdom is a 1000-year period in which Jesus will reign on earth as King of kings from Jerusalem on David’s throne. Israel will be the top nation among all nations. Fulfilling the Abrahamic covenant, Jesus made Himself with Abraham in Genesis 12. During the thousand-year reign of Christ, Satan will be bound and unable to deceive the nations. But at the end of the 1000 years, Satan will be set free and will lead one last rebellion against God. This rebellion will end in the Battle of Armageddon, where the Lord Jesus, the King of kings, will destroy and crush Satan’s armies. Satan will be tossed into the lake of fire where the antichrist and the false prophet have been for 1000 years.
The One Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ Mentioned in the Old and New Testament
The prophet Isaiah provides us some insight into this period in Isaiah 65:20-25. Here, he mentions that during God’s reign, human lifespans will be notably lengthened, reminiscent of the ages before the Great Flood. It’s a time when people will bear children, construct houses, and cultivate crops. Interestingly, physical death will still be present, suggesting that this kingdom endures a considerable period in human terms. However, the Old Testament doesn’t specify its exact duration.
The book of Revelation 20:2-7 sheds light on this mystery, revealing that this kingdom will prevail for a thousand years. To emphasize the thousand-year reign of Christ, the book of Revelation mentions one thousand years six times. Following this epoch, the existing heaven and earth will face destruction, the last judgments will transpire, and a new heaven and earth will be created.
Amillennialists, those who believe the millennium is a symbolic period, often cite 2 Peter 3:10 to argue that the earth will be annihilated immediately after the rapture within a single day. The verse reads, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” However, this interpretation seems to overlook the context of the passage.
Just two verses earlier, Peter clarifies: “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). This statement suggests that what we perceive as a ‘day’ could actually signify a thousand years. Therefore, Peter’s writing doesn’t contradict the depictions of the millennial kingdom in Revelation or the prophecies in Isaiah.
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