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Essay / The Nature of the Millennium: Revelation 20:1-6
IntroductionThe term millennium does not appear anywhere in Scripture. The idea was born from a millennial period which characterizes the reign of the Messiah. In fact, the phrase "a thousand years" is spoken six times in Revelation 20. There are three main schools of thought based on the view of Christ's thousand-year reign. These views are: Amillennial, Postmillennial and Premillennial. Over the centuries, these prophetic differences have caused conflict within the body of Christ and are still the subject of much debate today. Instead of the book of Revelation being the basis of comfort (1 Thess. 4:18), it has become a bone of contention among Christians. However, this controversy should not deter followers of Christ from receiving the blessings that Revelation has to offer (Revelation 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14) . Rather, prophecy must be studied under the guidance of the Spirit and the data provided within the full context of the Word, evaluating each perspective to determine the correct motivations and assumptions. Therefore, this article will examine the nature, timing, and duration of the millennium as well as the occupants of the millennial kingdom and the relationship of Israel and the Church to the millennial kingdom. The purpose of this article is to deal with “the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the things which must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1, ESV). The Nature of the Millennium The millennium is a period of time in the book of Revelation consisting of a thousand years. During this period, Christ's earthly reign was accomplished according to the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament describes the kingdom of God on earth and the Son of Man and the saints of ...... middle of paper ......k the ending will eliminate all but one possibility. Works Cited Blaising, Craig A., Kenneth L. Gentry, and Robert B. Strimple. Three perspectives on the millennium and beyond. Counterpoints. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999. Boyd, Gregory A., and Paul R. Eddy. Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2009. Hanko, Ronald. “Amillennialism”. Hudsonville Protestant Reformed Church. Accessed May 6, 2014. http://www.prca.org/current/Doctrine/Volume%208/news-01.htm#Amillennialism. LaHaye, Tim F. and Edward E. Hindson. The People's Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2004. Pentecost, J Dwight. Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology. Grand Rapids, MI: Academy Books, 1964. Towns, Elmer L. Theology Today. 3rd ed. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008.