Understanding The Millennium (1000 Years Reign) Part 3

By: William Bell, Jr.
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:24:37
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The Return of Christ

Another problem with the millennium or 1000 years reign stems from the doctrine of a yet future return of Christ. However, Jesus’ return occurred in connection with Jerusalem’s fall in A.D. 70. (See Matthew 24:30, 34).

Further complications are from the idea of the removal of the wicked from the world during an alleged future millennium. However, Jesus refuted such a claim when he spoke the parable of the tares to his disciples. They wanted to prematurely remove the wicked, i.e. rapture them from the field or world before Christ’s coming.

First, there would be no need for this if they had anticipated the rapture as modern misguided prophets allege. If the righteous were removed prior to the harvest, it defeats the purpose of the harvest. Why harvest the wicked or the chaff only to burn it up? It makes a mockery of the parable and of the teachings of Christ.

To the contrary, Jesus reply was no, for fear that they root up the tares also. Rather they were to let both wheat and tares grow together until the harvest at which time God would cast in the sickle and destroy his enemies. So, no Rapture would occur prior to the end of the age harvest.

The End of the Age

This brings us to another problem with a literal future millennium. It would occur prior to harvest, which event occurs at the end of the age. However, for Paul, the end of the ages had come upon those in his day. “Now these things happened unto them as examples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

For Paul, harvest (resurrection of the dead) was very near. In fact, he wrote that it would occur before some of those yet living would die (1 Corinthians 15:51). The end of the age refers to the Jewish age, a fact confirmed by Jesus’ own death in the end of that age, Hebrews 9:26. It was his death, which destroyed the power of Satan and initiated Him into his reign at the right hand of God, thus the beginning of the millennium, (Hebrews 2:14; Acts 2:31-34).

In summary, the millennium or 1000 years reign is not a literal 1,000 years. Thousand, in addition to being used literally, is also justifiably used in a figurative sense. Such is the case with the millennium.

Secondly, the time statements in Revelation demand an imminent versus a protracted fulfillment of its contents, hence it is now a past event.

Third, God prophesied Satan’s demise in the Old Covenant, thus his defeat and destruction occurs with its fulfillment, a time which Jesus marked as within his own generation in A.D. 70 at Jerusalem’s fall.

Fourth, if Satan’s demise occurs with the fulfillment of the Old Covenant as shown then the fulfillment of the Old Covenant is also the end of the millennium or the 1,000 years reign.

Fifth, the millennium cannot therefore be a literal time frame, but figurative, representing the complete and perfect destruction of Jesus’ enemies during his pre-Parousia reign. As in the passages mentioned in Exodus 34:7; 1 Chronicles 16:15-17 and Psalms 50:10, “thousand” does not represent a numerical value, but quality and nature.

Sixth, the millennium precedes the harvest, or resurrection, which occurred before some living in the first century died, 1 Corinthians 15:51.

Finally, the millennium culminates prior to the end of the age harvest, a time which Jesus called “this age” referring to the last days of the Old Covenant and in which he was put to death on the cross running their course at the Roman invasion of Judea in A.D 70.

Copyright (c) 2006 by William Bell, Jr. All Rights Reserved.

William Bell, Jr. is the author of the Re-Examination, a study of the Lord's Second Coming. Visit websites: http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com and http://www.rapture-rap.com

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