Is the 1000 year reign literal?

Verses 1-6 of Chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation are among the most challenging passages. The only correct and now almost universally accepted interpretation among Catholic exegetes sees the entire earthly life of the Church in the thousand-year reign of Christ and His saints, which essentially means the same as the forty-two months, one thousand two hundred and sixty days, and three and a half years mentioned in other visions (11:2; 12:6, 14). Satan's power received a fatal wound with his casting out from heaven and even more so by the redemptive death of Jesus Christ, which "bound" the devil in a certain sense, although it did not completely nullify his power on earth. At the end of the world, Satan will regain his power for a short time (11:9, 11: three and a half days), during which he will make a final assault on the Church of Christ with all his might. This struggle will end with the ultimate fall of the devil.

In the early centuries of the Church, mainly some heretics and even some Christians believed that Revelation 20:1-6 should be understood literally, referring to a thousand-year earthly reign of Christ and His saints (chiliasm, from the Greek word "chilios" meaning thousand). In the Middle Ages, and even today, some interpreters have revived this interpretation, or attributed this view to the author of the Book of Revelation. However, this explanation fails to see that St. John speaks of a purely spiritual kingdom, completely misinterprets the basic ideas of the Book of Revelation, and leads to impossibilities.

"1 And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain."

The bottomless pit is hell (verse 3; cf. 9:1); the key represents the angel's authority over hell to open it, and the great chain (a symbol) serves to bind Satan. Therefore, an angel descended from heaven to bind Satan, and many recognize the archangel Michael in this angel. According to the Judaism of Jesus' time, the Abyss is the temporary prison for the rebellious spirits, where they await the final judgment (cf. 2 Pet 2:4). This realm is under God's control, as indicated by the fact that the key to the prison is in the angel's hand.

"2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while."

The prophet calls Satan the ancient serpent based on Genesis 3:1. The binding represents the limitation of Satan's power; the thousand years signify the entire earthly life of the Church. The binding lasts for a thousand years, during which Christ's faithful reign with Him. This thousand-year co-reigning has been the source of much debate. Those who took it literally fell into heresy. The concept of the thousand years may derive from Jewish thought: corresponding to the seven-day creation, the world would last for 7000 years, of which the last thousand years would be the thousand-year reign of Christ, and the subsequent eighth thousand years would signify eternity. St. Augustine and Jerome calculate the thousand years from the incarnation of Jesus. The sealing serves to confirm the (relative) binding of the evil spirit. After the redemptive death of the Savior, the evil spirit — according to St. Augustine — is like a chained rabid dog, which can only harm those who recklessly or carelessly approach it. Satan can tempt people throughout the entire earthly life of the Church, but he cannot force anyone to sin.

"For a short time," in proportion to the Church's long earthly life. When the Roman paganism is destroyed, Satan's power is taken away for an indefinite long period so that he may not deceive the nations as he did during the Roman paganism. But as soon as this long period ends, he regains his former power, but only for a short time. When the Roman paganism is destroyed; because the present vision directly follows the previous one, which speaks of the destruction of Roman paganism. But opinions differ regarding the timing of the destruction. Some understand the year AD 313, in which the rule of idolatry was broken due to Constantine's conversion; others place the fall of paganism even earlier. Since paganism did not end suddenly, this date cannot be strictly determined. After this date, "Satan's power is taken away so that he may not deceive the nations as before"; because the "binding, shutting, sealing" do not mean the complete restriction of Satan's tempting power, just as the "releasing" does not mean unlimited power. These expressions, therefore, only refer to Satan's power over paganism, symbolically stating that his power was taken away only in relation to the Roman paganism. History also justifies this interpretation. After the fall of paganism, Christianity was never persecuted again on a broad scale, no ruler attempted to eradicate it where it had taken strong root, idolatry was not restored, and the associated abominations did not return. However, Satan was not entirely powerless. Here and there, Christianity suffered harm and persecution even among Christians, was distorted by heresies, its peace was disrupted by wars, and a more refined idolatry replaced image worship.

The limitation of Satan's power lasts for an indefinite period. The text does say a thousand years, but since this is only a round number, it is evident that the final time, which follows those thousand years, is unknown to anyone (Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32, Acts 1:7). According to Augustine and the best interpreters, this period is understood as the time from the fall of paganism to the final period. In the final era, Satan's former power will be returned for a short time. This will be discussed in verse 7.

The binding does not signify a final, destructive judgment but a significant limitation of the rebellious spirits' and Satan's power. Although the evil spirits, whose power is now restricted, can still rise from the abyss to tempt and threaten the world of humans (cf. Rev 11:7; 17:8), cause conflicts, suffering, and earthly death, they no longer have the power to cast people into eternal damnation against their will due to Christ's atoning sacrifice. The thousand years represent the entirety of the Messianic era, thus equating to the final week mentioned by the prophet Daniel. The symbolic numerical value likely stems from the contemporary Jewish concept that the world's history spans seven thousand years, corresponding to the seven days of creation—each day being a thousand years in God's eyes (cf. Ps 90:4; 2 Pet 3:8)—and the last thousand years (as the seventh day of creation) represent the era brought by the Messiah (cf. Epistle of Barnabas 15, 2-8). The author of the Book of Revelation does not envision this period as some earthly paradise or undisturbed state of rest, but as the complete history of the Church, wherein the followers of the Messiah still struggle against satanic forces but are strengthened by the knowledge that Christ has defeated the world dominated by Satan. The members of the Church can experience the unfolding of God's kingdom and are blessed (cf. Rev 14:13), knowing that their eternal life has already begun on earth (cf. Jn 6:47).

The Satan "bound" by Christ (cf. Mt 12:29; Mk 3:27; Lk 11:21) and "released for a short time" can still influence people, cause harm, instigate persecutions, and deliver the followers of the Messiah to death, but cannot take away those whom God intends to save. Christ's reign and the release of the bound Satan are concurrent, parallel processes that together constitute the history of the Church. Therefore, the phrase does not mean that after the thousand years, in the last phase of history, Satan gets another chance to thwart God's plan. By using the seemingly chronological term "after" and the term "must," the seer actually expresses that God's plan is of a higher order than earthly events: Satan's release follows the preceding divine plan and, in this sense, occurs "after" in the divine scheme as an act of God's will in history. The term "short time" (cf. Rev 12:12) in this case does not denote a duration but symbolizes Satan's weakness: he operates with only "half strength" and cannot thwart God's saving plan.

"4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."

(cf. Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30; 1 Corinthians 6:3) The description recalls Daniel's vision: the Ancient of Days judges and reigns with the Son of Man. According to the vision, the saints also partake in judgment and reigning (cf. Dan 7:9-28). In John's Revelation, these saints are the "souls" who have been given judicial authority and partake in the divine rule, which the seer believes has already begun in the world with Christ's sacrifice (cf. Rev 12:10-11). The martyrs and all those who resist Satan throughout history participate in Christ's reign by their actions that promote the unfolding of God's kingdom. Their judicial authority lies in presenting a witness of martyrdom or through acts of repentance, mercy, love, and forgiveness, providing an example by which even those distant from Christ can judge themselves.

Those seated on the judgment thrones are the followers of the Lord Jesus, the already glorified martyrs (whose souls the prophet sees), and the other righteous (who did not worship the beast, etc.), whether they are still living on earth or already enjoying the happiness of heaven. The sanctifying grace also makes the righteous living on earth adopted children of God, heirs of heaven, and thus, in a certain sense, co-rulers with Jesus Christ. After Satan was chained and paganism fell, the reign of Christianity began. The glorified saints, especially the holy martyrs, reigned and judged with Christ during those thousand years. The seated ones generally represent the saved Christians; because reigning with Christ is promised to every true Christian (1 Thessalonians 2:12). The holy martyrs are specifically mentioned because they sacrificed their lives for Christ. The rule and judgment occur in heaven; because only souls, not bodies risen in the flesh, exercise it. The rule signifies participation in Christ's reign. Since Christ governs, guides, and protects His Holy Church, the saints share in this governance, and if we ask for their intercession for our salvation, their prayers can have great power because they reign with Christ. The rule of the souls lasts until the final era when, after the ultimate victory over the final struggle, the general judgment and the resurrection of the body will occur, so the judgment will be carried out not only by souls but by souls clothed in glorified bodies.

"5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection."

The "first resurrection" refers to the spiritual resurrection through baptism (or repentance) to the life of sanctifying grace; the rest of the dead are those who died without sanctifying grace. The rest of the dead, the ungodly deceased who sided with the beast, do not live during those thousand years, do not live and do not reign with Christ spiritually in heaven, but as their bodies, so their souls are dead, cast away from the sight of Jesus, excluded from heaven, consigned to damnation. These words "do not live, do not come to life" are in contrast with the previous verse's "they lived." Just as this indicates the blessed spiritual life of the righteous, so the ungodly's not living indicates their unhappy spiritual death. Note: the phrase "do not come to life until" does not mean that these dead will begin to live spiritually after the thousand years, but as the phrase "until" in Scripture generally does not continue the action beyond the specified time, it merely expresses negation, so here the happy spiritual life is altogether denied to these dead.

Thus this happy spiritual life is the "first resurrection," the resurrection of the soul, preceding the "second" one, when at the judgment the body will also rise and unite with the soul. All those who partake in Christ's reign live a renewed life, which the seer calls the "first resurrection," anticipating the bodily (second) resurrection (cf. Eph 2:6; Jn 5:24-25). Those who share in the "first resurrection," that is, the faithful followers of the Messiah, need not fear judgment or the second death, meaning they will not be condemned to damnation after departing from earthly life. They constitute God's holy people, a royal priesthood (cf. Rev 1:6; 5:10; 1 Pet 2:9), that is, the Church. Those who show no sign of the "first resurrection," appearing not to belong to the Church, are called "dead" by the seer. They are those who, according to Jesus' parable, are outside the witnessing community, "on the roads and hedges," yet are still invited to the great feast of God's kingdom (cf. Lk 14:21-23; Mt 22:10).

"6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years."

This is the prophet's enthusiastic exclamation. The second death is eternal damnation (verse 14). All true Christians in a broader sense are priests of God and Christ because their lives are a constant sweet-smelling sacrifice before God (cf. 1:6; 5:10; 7:15; 1 Peter 2:9). Blessed and holy is one whose soul, after the body's death, reaches Christ in heaven to live, reign, and judge with Him. Those souls who live in God's grace on earth and die in that grace will reach heaven; therefore, the Lord calls this life of grace on earth a resurrection (John 5:25), as does the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 5:14). The first death is the death of the body, the second is the spiritual death, eternal damnation (Revelation 21:8). Those who live in Christ here and continue this life in Him when they die from this world, such people die the first death in body but do not die the spiritual death, the death of eternal damnation, but instead... serve God in heaven as priests, taking part in Christ's reign spiritually until the final time, when they will also rise bodily and live and reign in perfect glory forever. Satan lost his power with Jesus' redemption, and Christians have indeed become "kings and priests" through grace.

Besides, John speaks of the first and second death and the first and second resurrection. John understood the second death as eternal damnation, so the first resurrection must be understood as a spiritual resurrection when one abandons sin and lives a life of grace. Thus, the members of Christ's thousand-year kingdom are Christians living in a state of grace, that is, those who have risen from sin through baptism. The thousand years thus last from Christ's birth until His second coming.

"7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea."

The description of the great battle has a striking dramatic brevity. The sentence might suggest that Satan will have another opportunity to destroy the Church at the end of history. However, this is not the case. We must consider that the author of Revelation uses symbolic time references in a unique way. Previously, the three-and-a-half-year or one thousand two hundred and sixty-day periods expressed the limitation of Satan's power. The phrase "when the thousand years are ended" symbolizes a hierarchy: it indicates that Satan's release is logically "preceded" by the divine plan for Christ's thousand-year reign, which can already be considered fulfilled with the historical manifestation of redemption. St. Augustine († 430) also interpreted this biblical verse as indicating that Satan's release begins during the thousand-year reign (cf. De Civitate Dei 20.8.2). The release symbolizes, in the language of symbols, that even during Christ's thousand-year reign, the tangle of original sin persists in history, though it can no longer have fatal effects on those who accept Christ's redeeming gift. The attempt to mislead signifies an attempt to deceive, meaning that during the thousand-year reign, the forces of evil repeatedly try to destroy the Church, which represents Christ.

The struggle of the devil and his allies essentially coincides with the continuous attacks of the Antichrist (the two beasts) against the kingdom of God (19:11-21); but the prophet separately describes the fall and punishment of the main enemies of God's kingdom (the pagan Roman Empire symbolically in the two beasts, the Antichrist, and the evil spirit).

When the "thousand years" are ended: in the last period of the Church's earthly life. The release of Satan means that the evil spirit (with God's permission) will launch an even more intense final attack against the Church. The four corners of the earth represent all the regions of the world. Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38 and 39 are the final great enemies of God's kingdom. According to Genesis 10:2, Magog is a people descended from Japheth, who lived around the Caspian Sea; Gog is also a people or the king of Magog. Here, Gog and Magog represent all the enemies of the Church. When, according to God's decree, the final period comes, God will allow Satan to gain a vast following among the nations to defeat Christianity and achieve triumph. For more on the thousand years and the release, see verse 3.

The nations at "the four corners of the earth", not just those living at the farthest edges, but generally all the nations under the sky, represented by the four corners. Satan will find a huge following even among Christians; because Christ Himself says that in those days, when He returns, moral corruption will be almost universal (Luke 17:26–28), and He will hardly find faith (Luke 18:8). Gog and Magog were northern peoples, where the Greeks' Scythia was, the most savage barbarians (Ezekiel 38). They are not named here as those who will oppress God's Holy Church in the last days, but as symbolic names for the groups persecuting Christianity. These will gather for battle against God's Holy Church, working together to eradicate Christianity from the earth. According to apostolic teaching, the Antichrist will appear in the last days (2 Thessalonians 2), and he will be their leader or work with them. At the end of the world, Satan will fully attack the Church, but only for a short time, three and a half days (cf. Revelation 11:9). Gog and Magog symbolize all anti-church powers and cruelties. Ezekiel 38-39 describes Gog and his land, Magog. Gog was otherwise the king of Lydia.

"9 and they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."."

The "beloved city" is Jerusalem, as a type of the Church. The prophet describes God's punitive judgment, like many Old Testament prophets, as a great battle. The outcome of the great battle: Satan is ultimately cast into hell with his followers. This battle coincides with the struggle described in 19:21-17, but while the prophet mainly focused on the punishment of the two beasts there, here he primarily describes Satan's final fate. The lake of fire and sulfur is hell. Verse 10 again teaches the eternal nature of hell's punishments.

The "thousand-year" reign of Christ and His saints is the entire earthly life of the Church, which was represented by the "42 months" and "1260 days" in other visions (Revelation 11:2; 12:6-14). The binding of Satan signifies the limitation of his power throughout church history. At the end of the world, Satan will regain his power for a relatively short time (Revelation 11:9-11: three and a half days) and launch a full-scale attack on the Church. Those seated on the judgment thrones are the already glorified martyrs and saints. The first resurrection refers to the spiritual resurrection, the divine sonship of sanctifying grace. The second death is eternal damnation (verse 14). Priests of God and Christ: see Revelation 1:6; 5:10; 7:15, 1 Peter 2:9. The final assault of the devil and his allies against the Church, and their ultimate downfall.

Gog and Magog in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 are the ultimate great enemies of God's kingdom. Here they represent all the enemies of the Church.

The "camp of the saints," besieged by the enemies of Christianity, represents God's Holy Church on earth. What this battle will be like, whether it is purely spiritual or actual physical combat, whether the beloved city is a real city where the small flock of believers will be gathered, or if it symbolizes only the Holy Church; what the fire represents, whether it will be literal or symbolic... all these questions must be left to the future to reveal; because the prophecy will only be fully understood when the future event it discusses has come to pass. A Christian's duty is to stay vigilant, carefully observe the signs of the times, and always be prepared for the Lord's coming (see Matthew 24). One thing is certain about this final period, that before the Last Judgment, the Jewish people will enter the Church (Romans 11). Here follows the concluding vision of the book and the prophecy, that is, the Holy Church's transition into and merging with the heavenly kingdom.

As a result of Christ's redemptive activity, the forces of evil no longer have the opportunity to consign humanity to eternal damnation. The seer expresses Satan's weakening and the decline of his power with references to the brevity of time and the imagery of binding. The "thousand years", as a symbolic numerical value, refer to the complete history of the Church and Christ's spiritual reign: it denotes the process in which people accept the values of God's kingdom through repentance, forgiveness, mercy, and love. The members of the Church also partake in this reign, whose renewed life in Christ the seer calls the first resurrection. It is foreign to the author of Revelation to interpret the thousand-year reign of Christ as a worldly kingdom realized through political and economic successes. The millenarianism, or chiliasm, named after the Latin "mille" (thousand) and the Greek "khilias" (thousand), interprets the vision literally and teaches that the last judgment will be immediately preceded by a thousand-year kingdom, some earthly Paradise, where the righteous will reign with Christ, and Satan will have no power.

* * *

The Heresy of the Earthly Messianic Kingdom Lasting a Thousand Years (Millenarism, Chiliasm - Millennium, Chilion = 1000) arises from a misunderstanding of the message and symbolism of the Book of Revelation (Revelation 20), as well as a failure to recognize its genre. The core of this belief is that after the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, He will establish a thousand-year earthly kingdom where He provides earthly happiness to His chosen ones. After this period, Satan will regain his power for a short time (three and a half days), which will be broken by the Last Judgment, and only then will God's final reign come. This misunderstanding, however, is deliberate, as its historical roots extend further back. The belief that the Messiah will establish an earthly kingdom in which the Jews will rule, and the pagan nations, especially the enemies, will serve, already existed as a compromise between the narrow-minded nationalist Pharisaism influenced by Parsism and the universal, blissful fulfillment of humanity. Among the Jews at the time of the incarnation of the Lord Christ, possibly under the influence of Parsism, there was a belief that served as a compromise between the narrow-minded nationalist Pharisaism and the universal eschatology that embraced humanity (cf. 4 Ezra 7:38). This belief held that the coming Messiah would establish an earthly kingdom in which He would rule together with the chosen people over paganism and specifically over all the enemies of the Jews. The pagan oppressors would become the oppressed, upon whom the Jews, having become rulers, would exact cruel revenge. They interpreted the curse psalms and similar passages (e.g., Isa 25:6; Mal 4:1-8) literally to apply to this time and condition. For the chosen, they promised all kinds of earthly, even sensual, and sinful pleasures, again through a crude literal interpretation of certain prophetic passages (e.g., Joel 3:14; Isa 11:8, 66:18, etc.). Some of these ideas were carried into early Christianity, where certain New Testament passages were interpreted literally for that time (cf. Mt 13:12; 25:28; Lk 14:16; 16:19; 19:11-7; Rev 6; 10; 19).

It is no wonder that millenarism first emerged among Judeo-Christian sects (e.g., the Ebionites), who found the powerful symbolism of the Book of Revelation convenient, which they half-intentionally, half-ignorantly misinterpreted. Chiliasm so strongly permeated the Christian spiritual periphery that it haunted certain fervent Protestant sects through ancient church writers (e.g., Tertullian), some Church Fathers (e.g., St. Irenaeus), the medieval Joachim of Fiore, and the Hussites. This heresy can fundamentally be divided into two groups:

Crude Chiliasm: In its rawest form, it was represented by the so-called Judaizing heretics (i.e., those reverting to the Jewish religion), who combined Jewish ritualism and exclusive particularism (i.e., the consciousness of being chosen) with the error of interpreting Christian freedom as libertinism. Thus, they filled the thousand-year earthly paradise with all kinds of earthly pleasures (often to the point of immorality). However, this standpoint inherently carries its judgment ("For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" /Romans 14:17/). Its psychological root is correctly exposed by Eusebius when he writes of Cerinthus: "As he himself burned with desires, like any sensual man, so he dreamed of the kingdom of God in such terms."
Moderate Chiliasm: This does not restrict itself to sensual pleasures and does not hold great horizons. Its source is the overestimation of the categories of this present world, practical disdain for the afterlife, and limited interpretation of Scripture. Its ultimate offshoot is the modern world-dominating aspirations of Bolshevism, infiltrated with the old Jewish political messianism's dark fanaticism and the Sadducees' this-worldliness.

The leading idea of all chiliast errors is that heaven can be brought into this world and into a particular phase of history. However, there is strong resistance among the majority of Church Fathers. The Eastern and Alexandrian churches even questioned the apostolic origin of the Book of Revelation for a long time due to its potential for misunderstanding. (Although the Eastern Church now accepts the Book of Revelation, it still does not read it in public liturgy.) St. Jerome and St. Augustine also used their vast intellects in the service of combating this error.

Despite appearances to the contrary (Revelation 20), millenarism has no scriptural basis. It primarily ignores that biblical prophecies reveal the supernatural connections of various moments in salvation history and are not meant to teach a preempted history. The texts of the prophetic books (especially those containing numerical data) should not be interpreted literally as descriptions but as deeply meaningful symbols. It is incompatible with the spirit of Scripture to use it against the purpose for which it was written, i.e., to interpret an inspired book about the divine origin and destiny of the Church against the Church and its interpretation. The constant interpretation of the Church aligns with St. Augustine's explanation (Augustine, De Civitate Dei XX.7), which holds that the thousand-year kingdom represents the spread of Christ's Church on earth and the glorification of the Church's saints in heaven. Satan is bound for a thousand years precisely because of the Church's historical triumph, and he will be released in the last times (for three and a half days, which is negligible compared to the thousand years) to attack the Church with all his might. This is confirmed by the clear scriptural evidence that the resurrection is so closely followed by the judgment that there is no room between them for a thousand-year earthly kingdom.

It is the doctrine that God's kingdom will be realized visibly, materially, and physically here on earth, under God's personal reign, for a thousand years. Its essence is that the privileged ones—naturally, the millenarists—numbering 144,000, will rise again, each returning to their home, family, and pre-death occupation. This is the "material" version of millenarism. However, there is also a so-called "mitigated millenarism," which holds that Jesus will return visibly to earth to reign for a thousand years before the Last Judgment—whether preceded by the resurrection of the righteous or not. The difference between the two is that mitigated millenarism does not insist on the material nature of the thousand-year life and the spirit of anticipated vengeance. The source of millenarism is the first seven verses of the 20th chapter of the Book of Revelation.

The scriptural passage in the previous paragraph, taken literally, would suggest that a thousand years will pass between the resurrection and the Last Judgment. In contrast: "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned" (John 5:28).

Or: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 'An enemy did this,' he replied. The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'" (...) "Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. (...) Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, 'Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.' He answered, 'The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.'" (Matthew 13:25).

Therefore, as soon as humanity is ripe for judgment, the judgment begins immediately. Similarly:

"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:47).

"For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done." (Matthew 16:27).

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left." (Matthew 25:31).

"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:51).

Thus despite appearances to the contrary, chiliasm has no root in Scripture. Above all, it disregards that prophecy reveals the supernatural connections of various moments in salvation history, follows divine pragmatism, and is not intended to be a preemptive history. It goes against the spirit of Scripture to classify apocalyptic and prophetic descriptions of the future as literal descriptions and not see them as symbols of God's abundant grace and power.

This particularly applies to Revelation 20:1-10, which St. Augustine interpreted (Augustine, De Civitate Dei XX.7) to mean that the thousand-year kingdom is the spread of Christ's Church on earth and the glorification of the Church's saints and martyrs in heaven. We might get closer to understanding this difficult passage and positively appreciate the core truth that chiliasm holds with surprising tenacity within the atmosphere of revelation if we distinguish two phases in the history of the Church as the world representative of the gospel. The first phase is characterized by struggle along the entire line against anti-Christian directions and factors, with the militant King David as a prefigurement. Currently, we are still in this phase. The second phase is characterized by the Church's triumph over pagans and godless powers and the peaceful enjoyment of its spiritual and moral superiority, during which Satan is bound precisely because of the historical triumph of the gospel. This period of peace, prefigured by Solomon, the prince of peace, will see the full development of the gospel as contained in the ideal program of the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount (abolition of the death penalty, cessation of war, at least among Christians, great simplicity, willingness to make sacrifices, intensive service to Christ, etc.). This is the legitimate element in the hopes of the spiritualists. But it is nothing more. We should not expect a new revelation and a new mission of the Spirit, but rather the full development of the gospel seed under the maturing effect of the history of the world. After this comes the great battle of the Antichrist and the second coming of the Savior. Regardless of how this unfolds, it is clear from Scripture (cf. Mt 5:10-21; 13:15-50; 16:27; 25:31-46; Jn 5:28; 1 Cor 15:31) that a chiliastic interpretation of Revelation 20 is impossible. According to the clear teaching of Scripture, the resurrection is so closely followed by the judgment that there is no room for a thousand-year earthly paradise.

Is the 1000 year reign literal?

gavindlt

stan livedeath

Ron.W.

no-zombie

dropoffyourkeylee

gavindlt

Acluetofindtheuser

slimboyfat

Simon

aqwsed12345

Share this