Millennialism¶
Millennialism is a modern belief in a future utopia, usually a thousand year period (a literal millennium). We've seen echoes of millennialism through history, from the supposed "Thousand-year Reich" in Nazi Germany to various new age and transcendental utopian movements (e.g., the age of Aquarius). And it has recently become a popular view amongst protestant Christian denominations.
To be clear, these are not ancient views although there were traces of millennialism in the ancient world (condemned by the early church).
χίλια ἔτη (chilia etē)¶
Millennialism originated in the western scholastic period from interpretations of Revelation 20:1-10 (Apokalypsis in Greek). You'll find τὰ χίλια ἔτη (ta chilia etē) several times in the original Apokalypsis 20:1-10 (Revelation 20:1-10).
Chilia etē literally translates as thousand years, hence millennialism is also known as chiliasm (pronounced kĭl′ē-ăz″əm) from the Greek "chilia" (thousand).
Ἀποκάλυψις (Apokalypsis) 20:1-10
Καὶ εἶδον ἄγγελον καταβαίνοντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἔχοντα τὴν κλεῖν τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ ἅλυσιν μεγάλην ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐκράτησε τὸν δράκοντα, τὸν ὄφιν τὸν ἀρχαῖον, ὅς ἐστι Διάβολος καὶ ὁ Σατανᾶς ὁ πλανῶν οἰκουμένην, καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν χίλια ἔτη, καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον, καὶ ἔκλεισε καὶ ἐσφράγισε ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ πλανᾷ ἔτι τὰ ἔθνη, ἄχρι τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη· μετὰ ταῦτα δεῖ αὐτὸν λυθῆναι μικρὸν χρόνον.
Καὶ εἶδον θρόνους, καὶ ἐκάθισαν ἐπ’ αὐτούς, καὶ κρῖμα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν πεπελεκισμένων διὰ τὴν μαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οἵτινες οὐ προσεκύνησαν τὸ θηρίον οὔτε τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔλαβον τὸ χάραγμα ἐπὶ τὸ μέτωπον αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτῶν· καὶ ἔζησαν καὶ ἐβασίλευσαν μετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χίλια ἔτη· καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν νεκρῶν οὐκ ἔζησαν ἕως τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη. αὕτη ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡ πρώτη. μακάριος καὶ ἅγιος ὁ ἔχων μέρος ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τῇ πρώτῃ· ἐπὶ τούτων ὁ δεύτερος θάνατος οὐκ ἔχει ἐξουσίαν, ἀλλ’ ἔσονται ἱερεῖς Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσουσι μετ’ αὐτοῦ χίλια ἔτη.
Καὶ ὅταν τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη, λυθήσεται ὁ Σατανᾶς ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξελεύσεται πλανῆσαι τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ἐν ταῖς τέσσαρσι γωνίαις τῆς γῆς, τὸν Γὼγ καὶ Μαγώγ, συναγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον, ὧν ὁ ἀριθμὸς αὐτῶν ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς θαλάσσης.
τὰ χίλια ἔτη (ta chilia etē) is translated literally as the thousand years in English,
Revelation 20:1-10
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.
And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
This relatively short passage has spawned countless chiliastic ideologies, social movements, and (false) predictions, including an entire genre of modern fantasy writing. This is all despite explicit warnings in that same Book of Revelation not to add or remove anything, which is a clear warning against modern eisegesis,
Revelation 22:18-19
I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: If anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and the holy city, which are described in this book.
Modern Eisegesis¶
While it's not surprising that non-Christians would ignore the warning from Revelation 22:18, it is unfortunate that many Christians dispense with this warning and add to the words of the Book of Revelation with moderm eisegesis, that is, interpreting the prophecy using modern concepts that simply did not exist in the ancient world (from when Apokalypsis/Revelation was written).
For example, the notion of a precise 1,000 years did not exist in the original text. Zero as a number and a placeholder did not exist. And perhaps coincidentally, when zero was finally adopted in the west, that was about the same time that chiliasm emerged (during the early scholastic period).
Prior to that, and through all of church history, chilia etē was understood symbolically as an age or an era. The same way we say "back in the day" to refer to a period of time and not a literal 1 day, ta chilia etē was referring to an age, specifically the messianic age.
The interesting part of this passage was not the thousand years, but rather the references to old testament messianic prophecies (such as from the Book of Daniel) -- which would have been common knowledge to the people in the early church. To the early Christians, this era known as ta chilia etē was the messianic age, the penultimate age before final judgment, the time between the first and second coming of Christ.
Contrast this with modern millennialist views which do not reference the messianic age at all, because they need a separate name to refer to our current age. In practice they'll refer to our current age as the "church age", which is separate from the future millennium -- effectively inventing a new age to match their eisegesis.
The earliest form of modern millennialism is probably the utopian views of the Joachimites which arose in the thirteenth century, proposing a new "age of the Holy Spirit" heralded by Francis of Assisi such that in the year 1260 the Christian age would end and a utopian era would arrive. While condemned by the church this view influenced and continues to influence modern culture, e.g., we see this clearly in the modern new age movement, such as the so-called Age of Aquarius. However, the most prevalent form of millennialism arose in the 19th century, both from the Bible Student movement, a precursor to the Jehovah's Witnesses, as well as protestant dispensationalist views promoting what is known as a pre-tribulation rapture.
These modern chiliastic views have increased in popularity and are typically categorized based on when Christ would return. Note how these all presume some knowledge of when Christ's return might occur, e.g.,
premillennium¶
Christ would return before a literal 1,000 year period. There would be no rapture, both believers and non-believers would suffer during a period of tribulation. Believers would be resurrected into immortal glorified bodies, and they would rule alongside Christ. This would be a physical kingdom ruling over mortal non-believers.
At the end of the 1,000 years there would be a final rebellion followed by a final judgment, and a second resurrection (for the believers born during the millennium).
eisegesis
While not necessarily heretical, this view takes an eisegetic interpretation of Revelation 20:1-10, and assumes that the "throne" and the references to "the beast" are not from the Old Testament prophecies, and instead the millennium age will be a worldly kingdom of immortal Christians ruling over mortal non-Christians.
pre-tribulation rapture¶
Christ would return before a literal 1,000 year period AND before the tribulation. Believers would be caught up (raptured) leaving behind non-believers to suffer seven years of tribulation.
This is the dispensationalist view that holds that Christ would return and rule over Israel for a literal 1,000 years. This involves two "second comings" of Christ and multiple resurrections; one at the rapture, another for believers after tribulation, another for Jews who accept Christ during the dispensation of Israel, and still another resurrection of non-believers at a final judgment.
eisegesis
This chiliastic view diverges from scripture; not only taking an eisegetic interpretation of Revelation 20:1-10, but adding to scripture in order to assert a rapture and a worldly Jewish kingdom ruled by Christ.
postmillennium¶
Christ would return after the millennium, which would not necessarily be a literal 1,000 years. In fact, we might be in the millennium now. This view differs from the amillennium position only in the assertion of a millennium age and a separate a church age.
From a worldly perspective there wouldn't be a cosmological difference between the church age and the millennium. There would be no rapture, and only one resurrection of believers and non-believers. During the millennium age, human history would necessarily improve as earth is gradually transformed by Christ's heavenly reign.
eisegesis
While not necessarily heretical, this view takes an eisegetic interpretation of Revelation 20:1-10, and assumes that the "throne" and the references to "the beast" are not from the Old Testament prophecies, and instead the millennium age will somehow be different from the church age.
amillennium¶
Christ returns when he returns, and no one but the father knows when.
Matthew 24:36
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 24:42-44
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
As St. Paul would remind us,
1 Thessalonians 5:1-2
Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
The "amillennium" view is by definition not millennial. And perhaps we shouldn't dignify millennialism as a theological category. E.g., we don't call Calvinists aarminians, nor do we refer to Augustine as apelagian, and we never refer to Orthodox Christian doctrine as anestorian or aarian?.
A not millennial view should perhaps just be called the "biblical view" or the "orthodox view" as it requires no eisegesis and can be understood exegetically.
Orthodox Exegesis¶
Despite the prevalence of millennialism today, historically these views were infrequent and were universally condemned. In many cases, supposed chiliastic views from church fathers (such as Irenaeus) were in fact reactions to gnosticism and not arguments in favor of a millennial kingdom prior to the final judgment.
If not chiliastic, then how exactly was Apokalypsis 20:1-10 understood by early Christians and throughout church history?
Importantly, these passages were understood exegetically through the Old Testament prophecies, the ground from which Apokalypsis/Revelation emerges. Prior to the coming of Christ, man was in exile, in a fallen depraved state with no dominion or power over creation. We were subordinate to the powers and principalities governing the world as it was, which points all the way back to "that old serpent".
Dominion of Satan¶
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him
We are told in Revelation 20:2 that Satan, the adversary, the Devil, was sealed in the bottomless pit. His dominion was no more, "that he should deceive the nations no more".
This is the same serpent, "that old serpent", from the garden in Genesis 3. And note God's promise that the seed of Eve shall bruise the head of the serpent.
Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Let's be clear, Satan had earthly dominion, the nations were his to deceive. The age before Christ was the dominion of Satan. This changed first in Israel, in the age of the Mosaic law, where it was foretold that God would inherit all nations (ending the dominion of Satan).
Psalm 82
God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.
The Beast¶
worshipped the beast
Chiliastic views often fixate on the beast in Revelation, ignoring that this is a direct reference to the Old Testament prophecies, specifically the fourth beast in the vision of Daniel,
Daniel 7:7
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
And rather than interpret the beast and its mark through chiliastic eisegesis, recognize that Daniel 7 provides an exegetic interpretation,
Daniel 7:15-18
I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
As such, the early church understood that the beast in Revelation would be a king of the earth, the lawless one, the antichrist. This beast would be the final worldly manifestion of the dominion of Satan.
Daniel 7:11-12
I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
Look what happens to the "rest of the beasts",
they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
Let's be clear, the beasts, worldly nations, the seeds of the serpent, were not bound with Satan. Their lives were prolonged into the messianic age. This is key to understanding our current age. That is, how is Satan bound and yet we still struggle amidst evil?
The orthodox answer is clear: Christ will rule amidst his enemies in the messianic age (our current age).
Psalm 110:2
The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
And as St. Paul explains,
1 Corinthians 15:25
For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
Note the subtle reference to Genesis 3:15, for Christ is the promised seed of Eve that will bruise the head of the serpent's seed.
These beasts, the seeds of the serpent, are counted amongst the enemies of Christ. The beasts once had dominion, but their wordly dominion was taken away. And now in the messianic age they have no power over Christianity. Instead they tempt and deceive. They are no longer worldly powers. They are but powers of darkness, the absence of light and truth.
Dominion of the Saints¶
priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him
With Christ, the serpent lost his dominion. He was bound, and his house (the nations of his dominion) was plundered,
Matthew 12:29
how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
This is the messianic age, our current age, where Christ rules in the midst of his enemies, and seated next to Christ are the saints, intercessors. Consider the power Christ displayed over evil spirits, and that prior to His resurrection the devils knew their time of dominion would soon be over.
Matthew 8:28-29
And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
And as St. Paul would remind us, it is only in Christ that the beasts (seeds of the serpent) have no hold on us, otherwise the adversary's influence is still upon the world (rulers of the darkness),
Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
For if we turn away from Christ, then the powers and principalities of the beasts will be upon us. It is only through Christ that we overcome,
Daniel 7:27
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
Matthew 18:18
Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Thrones¶
And I saw thrones
Revelation 20:4
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.
This passage, perhaps more than any other passage, has motivated chiliastic ideology. In part because it's referencing the mark of the beast, and it declares that the saints "reigned with Christ a thousand years".
However, these thrones are once again a reference to Daniel 7,
Daniel 7:9-10
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
This is the context in which we can fully understand Revelation 20. We can understand it exactly as it was understood by early Christians, as it is meant to be understood -- that it is not about a millenium, but it is about the final judgment; a prophecy of the final moments of our messianic age leading into the final judgment,
Revelation 20:11-15
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Son of man¶
The very same prophecy in Daniel 7 which is key to understand Revelation 20, is also the very same prophecy Christ fulfilled when declaring that he is the Son of man.
Daniel 7:13-14
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
John 5:26-27
For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
because he is the Son of man
And there it is, Revelation/Apokalypsis is not a mere worldly battle of Christ vs antichrist, or a chiliastic rapture story, but rather a complete cosmological reordering, restoring mankind to the exalted purpose for which we were created.
Mankind, who was created in the image and likeness of God, fell from grace. And after being scattered across the earth, man lost all dominion over the earth. Man was put under the submission of the serpent and his principalities and powers.
And it was Christ, the son of man, who redeemed creation. Christ bound the serpent. Christ crushed the heads of the serpent's seeds, the nations of the earth, the beasts. And at this moment now, in our messianic age, we look forward to His glorious return, and to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
Messianic Age¶
Psalm 110
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.
Note the imagery that calls back to Genesis 3:15,
he shall wound the heads over many countries
There are actual effects today and clear evidence that we are -- right now -- living in the messianic age. Who doesn't know the name Christ Jesus? Or is unfamiliar with the story of the monotheistic God who spoke the world into being, and who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son?
Even openly anti-Christian atheists use a Christian ethic to judge and criticize Christianity. Our entire notion of universal human rights and dignity is based entirely on Christianity and its universality. Perhaps the difficulty in accepting that we are living in the messianic age is that the evil we see around us is not due to Satan, but due to our sin, turning away from the true Lord.
Is Christ ruling in the midst of His enemies, or not? Are we waiting for the second coming of Christ? Or are we waiting for the start of a future millenium?
1 Corinthians 15:20-28
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
Heretical or Apocryphal?¶
While millennialism was consistently condemned by the early church, it is not a Christological error and thus not directly heretical.
E.g., denying the Trinity, denying the divinity of Christ -- these are heresies and are anathema to orthodox Christianity.
By itself, Chiliasm is an eschatological error. In other words, it may be fine to speculate on the end times, but making important life decisions based on a millennial belief may lead you away from Christ, away from truth, and into heresy. E.g., choosing not to have children or worrying about what happens if you are raptured and your children are not, or insisting that the existing government must become "Christian" in order to prepare for a postmillenium return of Christ.
In the traditional classification of canonical, apocryphal, and heretical -- it is important to note that some chiliastic texts would be classified as apocyphal, such that it may be fruitful to read and research privately, but these views were not (and arguably are never) appropriate for public liturgy and church service.