
- AMILLENNIALISM
'eɪ.mɪ'lɛn.i.əl.ɪz.əm noun. Belief there will be no thousand-year reign of Christ Jesus and his saints on earth. - [Amillenarism
'eɪ.mɪ'lɛn.ər.ɪz.əm noun, amillennial'eɪ.mɪ'lɛn.i.əl adjective.]
All my life I’ve attended
And it just dumbfounds my fellow churchgoers when I tell ’em most Christians don’t believe this. Usually because every Christian they know is premillennial; they don’t know anybody who believes otherwise.
They actually do, but they’re not aware they do. I’ve found amillennials usually don’t talk about the End Times. They talk about heaven. ’Cause that’s what they think Jesus is gonna do when he returns: He’s gonna destroy the world, then take us to heaven. Earth doesn’t get an extra thousand years to straighten up; humanity doesn’t get an extra thousand years to
2 Peter 3.8-13 NRSVue 8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be destroyed with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness,12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and destroyed and the elements will melt with fire?13 But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.
Simon Peter’s description of the End does refer to a millennium—in verse 8 he says a millennium and a day are all the same to Jesus. Otherwise there’s nothing about a millennial reign. Jesus returns in the “day of the Lord,” and then boom, the heavens are gone, the elements burn up, and off we go with Jesus to New Heaven.
Like I said, most Christians believe this is how things’ll turn out. Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Ethiopians, most of
Whereas Peter wasn’t describing an apocalypse. He was telling his readers how things are definitely gonna unfold. Our Lord returns, boom, New Heaven.
What about Revelation 20?
When I describe amillennials’ view about Revelation—how it’s irresponsible to base doctrines on apocalyptic visions which are so easy for even earnest, humble Christians to misinterpret—people who are new to the idea will usually say, “So they don’t bother to look at Revelation at all?”
No, they do. You wouldn’t know about New Heaven, New Earth, and New Jerusalem without Revelation. Nor the final defeat and destruction of the devil and the wicked. Nor about the current heaven, and angels, and the Lamb of God, and lots of imagery which older churches love to use. They totally read Revelation.
And they do have an interpretation of Revelation 20, in which Jesus rules for a millennium. Which I’ll now quote:
Revelation 20.4-6 NRSVue 4 Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its brand on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years.
I once asked a Roman Catholic about
Where’d Catholics get the idea the saints are alive? From Revelation 20. Says right there in verse 4: The martyrs “came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years”—and since they figure the “thousand years” is just a metaphor for the Christian Era, i.e. ever since the Holy Spirit empowered the church
Other amillennial churches don’t pray to saints, but they do believe the “millennial reign of Christ” is the same thing as the Christian Era. Jesus is our King, after all. He reigns over us. Not so much the rest of the world, but that’s because they refuse to acknowledge him as their King too, and in the End they’ll get theirs.
Amillennial politics.
In
’Cause the emperors and senators professed Christianity. It had a favored status in the empire. Bishops were granted political clout, and even administrative rule over their districts. Laws were passed, and social programs were created, which reflected “Christian values.” And even after the Roman Empire fell in the west, the western European kings who took its place likewise professed Christianity, and paid homage to the church of Rome. So it was still sorta like Jesus reigned… even though the popes and the kings of Europe actually did.
Frankly, our End Times views tend to reflect our politics more often than not. Shouldn’t, but do. For amillennials, particularly the ones who live in countries which are officially Christian, Jesus does hold political sway over them—in name, at least. When Christians of their stripe get elected to office, and run the government, it kinda proves to them Jesus still rules their land at least. In countries like the United States, which aren’t officially Christian, they regularly plot to change the government till it becomes functionally Christian, if not officially; functionally is just as good. Then Jesus will kinda rule this country too. That’s the dream of
Thing is, does Jesus really rule the world?—or is this just something
And let’s not forget all the “Christian nations” who participated in World War 1, and barbarously slaughtered their fellow Christians with impugnity. That certainly proved Jesus didn’t reign in those lands as much as Christians told themselves. Plenty of our other sins prove it otherwise; one can argue Jesus barely rules Christians, much less the world. It’s not an effective reign!
It’s some of the reason many Evangelicals ditched amillennialism for postmillennialism, which I’ll get to in its own article.
Anyway, that sums up the amillennial End Times view. One which, I’ll be honest, amillennials make a strong case for. The only reason I’m still premillennial is because I don’t buy their spin on Revelation 20. I believe the passage, supported by other scriptures, points to a post-resurrection, post-second-coming reign. I admit I might be totally wrong; that when Jesus returns it is the end of the world. For this reason (and the fact we don’t always know
