Revelation 20

The only reference to a millennium in the scripture is in Revelation 20. Before looking at this we need to see what the Revelation is about. It is about Jesus Christ, who is the spirit or theme of prophecy (Rev 19:10). Jesus Christ is the fulfilment of the millennium in Revelation 20. The first verse of the Revelation tells us how the book is to be interpreted:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him, to show to His servants things which must shortly come to pass and He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John. (Rev 1:1).

“Signified” interpreted from the Greek means symbolize. Jesus said that God the Father gave Him the Revelation and that He then gave it to John by means of symbolism. Different books of the Bible are written in different forms, or genre. Genre refers to the kind of literature. Some scripture is narrative, other parts are poetic. Each genre has its own principles of interpretation.

Scripture’s Genre

We know that poetry has distinct guidelines in interpretation. The Revelation is a particular kind of genre known as apocalyptic. This means it is symbolic prophetic scripture. Portions of Daniel are the same and portions of Ezekiel, for example, where wheels and other images are used to portray ideas.

Historical narratives are written in literal form. It would be wrong to interpret them symbolically. The miracles of Jesus in the Gospels are historical narrative. They actually happened in history. There are poetic devices used in the Psalms and the prophets. These are not literal. They use images such as fire, storms and the earth passing away, as images to portray judgement or destruction.

There are also idioms used in various places that are not literal. We use them in English today, such as, “He would have bent over backwards to help me.”. This means that he would do anything to help. It does not mean that he literally bent over backwards. This shows that we may read statements in the Bible without being aware of their idiomatic purpose in early Hebrew thought.

We are supposed to interpret scripture by its plain intention. If the intention of the genre is that we interpret it literally, then that is what we must do. If it is the intention of the genre that we interpret it symbolically, then it would be wrong to interpret it literally.

Apocalyptic

Revelation is the apocalyptic genre. It uses images to relay meaning. Images of beasts portray meaning about the nature of fallen man. Numbers are used to portray meaning. The 12 elders signify completion. The 144,000 portrays the completion of the elect, the church of Jesus Christ. Every image in Revelation has theological significance in relation to Jesus Christ and His victory and kingdom.

When we come to the 1,000 year reign of Christ in Revelation 20 the principle is the same. We do not suddenly change the clear stated intention of the symbolism in Revelation when we get to chapter 20. The number 1,000 is a symbol that represents the totality of Christ’s reign.

In the Old Testament the number 1,000 is employed the same way. “One shall put a thousand to flight.” This is not a literal number. It simply means many. Literalism is a fault of Dispensationalism. Literalism means interpreting texts literally when that is not the plain intention of the passage. Literalism is also a Western thinking fault. It is not the intention of the Hebrew mindset.

The Old Testament says that, “God owns the cattle on a thousand hills.” (Ps 50:10). This is not a literal number. The statement shows the Lord’s ownership of all the earth. It is the same as saying, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness (contents) thereof.”. When the Bible states how many died in a battle or how many were saved on the Day of Pentecost then those numbers are literal, because they are historical statements.

Millennium is Now

The millennium in Revelation 20 signifies the reign of Christ. The 1,000 years is a symbol for the totality of His reign, power and sovereignty. The Revelation depicts a doctrine that had already been taught in the epistles. His reign is now, not when He returns at the end this world. Paul described the reign of Christ:

Then comes 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 (Father) has put all enemies under His (Christ) feet. (1 Cor 15:24-25).

Dispensationalism says that the rapture is to occur before Christ comes to reign in Jerusalem. This means that the resurrection is before the reign of Jesus. But 1 Cor 15:24-25 shows the opposite. Paul said that Christ reigns before the resurrection. Jesus reigns until death is placed under His feet.

The resurrection occurs at the Second Coming of Jesus. Therefore, Paul said that Christ reigns in heaven before the Second Coming, not on earth after His Second Coming. The millennium is symbolic of Christ’s current reign. It is not a literal number of years. We do not know when it will end. We do not know when Jesus will come. That is in the hands of the Father.