PREMILLENNIALISM (1000 YEAR REIGN)

by Richard Bartholomew

The following discussion defines premillennialism, shows what the "Antichrist" is, discusses the "rapture," shows how premillennialism is inconsistent with scripture, and gives the true meaning of the 1000 year reign described in Revelation 20.

Premillennialism is the dangerous false doctrine which asserts that:

  1. When Jesus initially was sent to earth, His intent was to establish and rule over a physical kingdom.

  2. The Jews rejected Jesus and had Him crucified.

  3. God then came up with an alternative plan to establish a spiritual kingdom, the church.

  4. The church will last until the earthly kingdom is finally established.

  5. Sometime soon, Jesus will come back and secretly/silently raise the righteous dead and "rapture" the living saints from the earth.

  6. Seven years of tribulation, caused by the Antichrist, will be experienced on earth when Satan is loosed for a season.

  7. Jesus will return to earth, bringing His saints with Him.  A literal battle of Armageddon will be fought.  Satan will finally be defeated and Jesus will establish an earthly kingdom in Jerusalem and will reign for 1000 years.

  8. At the end of the 1000 years, the wicked dead will be raised and final judgment on all mankind will be rendered.

  9. The righteous will go to heaven and the wicked will go to hell.

The Antichrist -

The word "Antichrist" literally means "against Christ."  The word is never used in Revelation, but is used by John in four other passages - I John 2:18, 22; 4:3; II John 7.  There are other texts in the Bible that reference those who are "against Christ."

  1. Matthew 24:23-24 - Jesus talked about false Christs coming to deceive the elect.  He was talking about a time period after His death, but before the destruction of Jerusalem 70 AD.  Jesus described several signs that would occur when the Roman armies encompassed Jerusalem (Luke 21:20-22) and further said that these things would happen during the lifetime of many who heard Him speak (Matthew 24:34).

  2. Mark 13:14 - Jesus is speaking in this passage of the Roman armies (Abomination of Desolation) as standing where they didn't belong.  God used the Romans to punish the nation of Israel because they had rejected His Son, just as He had sent the Assyrians in the Old Testament (Isaiah 10:5-6).  But the Romans, like the Assyrians, gave no credit to God for their successes and both were Antichrists for their disdain for God, His commandments and His temple.

  3. I John 2:18, 22; 4:3; II John 2:7 - Antichrist is defined as "one who denies that Jesus is the Christ."  This teaching had already begun to spring up among the Gnostics and is the purpose for John's letters.  He was refuting these false teachers who were denying the divinity of Jesus, those who said He never came in the flesh, but was an illusion; that His sufferings on  the cross were apparent and not actual.  They refused to believe that a spiritual being could inhabit a material body since evil was an inherent characteristic of matter.  By taking this position, while convincing themselves and others they were Christians, Gnostics and others who bought into this doctrine, denied the full truth of the gospel. deceived many and caused division among the churches.

  4. II Thessalonians 2:3-10 - Paul says that the end cannot come until rebellion breaks out when the "man of sin" makes his appearance as the full expression of the "mystery of iniquity."  He says that lawlessness was already present and was working towards the day when this man of sin will elevate himself above every god, taking his seat in the temple of God, claiming to be a god himself.  These verses were written less than 10 years after the Roman emperor Caligula had attempted to have his own statue erected in the Holy of Holies in the temple of Jerusalem.  Nero further developed this spirit of deification and Domitian was the first Caesar who enforced the practice of emperor worship throughout the Roman Empire.  This idea of emperor worship as described in Revelation matches all of Paul's prophesies:

The spirit of Antichrist, those who oppose the true Christ, as described above, reference four different historical situations and show us that antichrists have arisen in virtually every generation to try to undermine God, the Bible, the Holy Spirit and Jesus.  Many think the pope and the papal system represent a very powerful Antichrist and fit the descriptions as given in II Thessalonians 2:3-10 and I Timothy 4:1-3.  In 1920, after World War I, T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia) wrote to Inspector Walter H. Thompson of Scotland Yard about Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, saying, "The Germans had so little expectation to be defeated that they built a castle outside Jerusalem to be used by the Kaiser at war's end for his residence when visiting his Eastern Empire.  On the Mount of Olives was a stone seat that had been carved for the Kaiser.  It was called the 'Chair of Imperial Contemplation.'"

Throughout time, men will try to usurp authority from Jesus and elevate themselves in opposition to the Christ.  In short, all false teachers are Antichrists.  If a person or group is opposed to the teachings of Christ, His church and His people, they are Antichrists and have the spirit of Antichrist within them.  The Antichrists discussed in the Bible are long gone, however, and we need not waste our time looking for a literal reincarnation of a person portrayed in scripture.

The "Rapture" - The "rapture," as premillennialist Salem Kirban wrote, "Refers to the time, prior to the start of the 7 year Tribulation Period, when believing Christians (both dead and alive) will "in the twinkling of an eye" rise up to meet Christ in the air (I Corinthians 15:22)."  Sometime in the near future, they believe, several MILLION people will suddenly disappear from this earth during this secret coming of the Lord in which Christ will remove His saints from this earth.  QUESTION:  How many times is the word "rapture" used in the Bible?  ANSWER: 0, None, Not Once, ZERO.  Yet this belief and teaching is an essential part of the doctrine of premillenialism.

How Premillenialism is inconsistent with scripture - 

  1. It teaches several resurrections from the dead.  Premillenialism teaches a resurrection of the righteous dead at the time of the "rapture," another after the tribulation period (7 years later) and another resurrection at the day of judgment 1000 years later.  But the Bible teaches only one final resurrection (John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15).  The events of the last day are: a) Resurrection will occur (John 11:24); b) Believers will be raised on the last day (John 6:39-40); c) Judgment will take place on that last day (John 12:48).  Hebrews 9:27-28 confirms that there is a day appointed for each person to die and after that comes judgment.

  2. It teaches several comings of the Lord.  This doctrine requires a quiet or secret coming for the "rapture," another when Jesus comes again with the saints to establish His earthly kingdom after 7 years and then another coming in judgment after the 1000 years are up.  But Revelation 1:7 says that every eye will see Him when He comes and II Peter 3:10 describes a noisy, violent end to all of creation at His only final coming.

  3. It teaches that faithful saints who have died and made it to paradise or the heavenly realm must return to the earth for 1000 years.  I can't find a Bible passage to support this, but this doctrine raises many questions.  Can these saints be guilty of sin during the 1000 years they are back on earth?  Can they, then, fall from salvation?  Unfortunately, most who believe premillennial doctrine also believe in the impossibility of apostasy.  The Bible clearly teaches that our appointed eternal destiny is set at the moment of physical death, but that wile alive we can fall from grace.  Nowhere does the Bible even remotely hint at saints being given physical bodies for a return to life on earth for any period of time.  The first death IS the separation of the physical body from the eternal soul.  The second death is the sentence of hell, permanent separation from God for the unfaithful and unsaved.

  4. It demands the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.  Hal Lindsay, in his book The Late Great Planet Earth, wrote, "There remains but one more event to completely set the stage for Israel's part in the last great act of her historical drama.  This is to rebuild the ancient temple of worship upon its old site.  The Israelis will then be permitted to reinstitute the sacrifice and offering aspects of the law of Moses.  This demands that the temple be rebuilt, because according to the law of Moses, sacrifices can be offered only in the temple at Jerusalem."  This teaching undermines and diminishes the all-sufficiency of the blood of Jesus to atone for the sins of all mankind.

Doctrinal teachings on the "rapture" are that both dead and living saints will be removed from the earth at a secret, quiet coming of Jesus.  I Thessalonians 4:13-18 is a "proof text" for this belief.   But notice that verse 16 says Jesus will come "with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God."  Also, these passages do not speak of two comings of the Lord separated by seven years of tribulation.  The difference spoken of is between the living and the dead when Christ comes back, not between the righteous living and dead and the wicked living and dead, as premillenialism teaches.  A reading of I Thessalonians 4:13-5:4 and other scriptures shows the following:

Belief in the "rapture" has these consequences (the scriptures show the belief to be in error):

  1. It makes Jesus a failure (John 18:37)

  2. It dethrones Christ when he was not dethroned (Matthew 28:18, I Timothy 6:15)

  3. It implies that God broke His promises to establish His kingdom in spite of man's efforts to stop it. (Psalm 2; Isaiah 53:3)

  4. It convicts the apostles of false teaching (Acts 13:33; Psalm 132:11; Acts 2:30-33)

  5. It removes Christ's priesthood. (Hebrews 4:14, 7:17; Zechariah 6:12-13) Jesus is priest on His throne.  If His throne is not yet established, neither is His priesthood.

  6. It denies that the last days began at Pentecost. (Acts 2:16-21)

  7. It changes the nature of Jesus' kingdom from a spiritual one to a physical one. (John 18:37)

  8. It blends Christianity with Judaism by its hope of rebuilding the temple and considering Jews as still being God's chosen people.

Belief in the "rapture" is not a harmless doctrine that can be allowed to go unchallenged.  It is part of the premillennial set of teachings that take men's eyes off the "one hope" and replaces it with a dream of a 1000 year reign of Christ on earth.  It is dangerous, non-scriptural and must be refuted.

Premillennial teaching is flawed in many respects, as it is not consistent with scripture.  The following is a list of false teachings associated with premillenialism for your consideration:

  1. Christ came to establish an earthly kingdom.  See the following passages:  Luke 17:20-21; John 3:3-5, 18:36-37; Romans 14:17 (Christ's kingdom is spiritual); Matthew 16:16-18 (Christ's kingdom is the church); Mark 9:1; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4, 47 (His kingdom was established at Pentecost); Acts 8:12, 28:23; Colossians 1:13-14; Hebrews 12:28; Revelation 1:9 (Jesus' kingdom has come, is here and has been here since Acts 2.)

  2. Jesus failed in the mission God sent Him to accomplish.  Psalm 2 says He will not fail in His mission.  In John 17:4 Jesus talks to the Father and says He accomplished the work He was sent to do, and on the cross in John 19:30, Jesus said, "It is finished." meaning that He had fulfilled His mission on earth.  If Jesus had failed the first time, why should we believe He would not fail a second time?  If Jesus can fail, then He is not God.

  3. Jesus is not presently reigning as king, since His kingdom is not yet established.  Zechariah 6:12-13 prophesies that Jesus will rule as both king and priest, with Hebrews 8:1 speaking of Him currently in that position.  Read Hebrews 1:3, 13, 10:10-13; I Corinthians 15:25-28; I Timothy 6:15, Acts 2:29-36, Revelation 3:21.  If there is no reigning king, how could there be a kingdom?  The Bible teaches that: 1) Jesus is reigning on the spiritual throne of David (Isaiah 9:6-7; Luke 1:32-33; Acts 2:29-31); 2) He has the key (authority) of David (Isaiah 22:22; Revelation 3:7); 3) He rules in the midst of His enemies.  His reign is not a total utopia (Psalm 110); Jesus has all authority NOW (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:19-22; Colossians 2:16)

  4. Jesus' death on the cross was not intended as the outcome and purpose of His coming to earth as a human.  Isaiah 53, Matthew 16:21, Luke 18:31-33, Acts 2:23, I Corinthians 15:17-22, Revelation 13:8 are some of the passages that prove that Jesus' death, burial and resurrection were all part of God's eternal plan of salvation and not an afterthought because His original plan failed.

  5. The church is an accident, a temporary substitute until the final coming and establishment of Jesus' physical kingdom.  See Matthew 16:16-18, Ephesians 3:8-11.

  6. Matthew 24 provides evidence for the final coming by giving signs as to worldly events that will signal the end.  The disciples asked three questions in Matthew 24:3:  1) When will the temple in Jerusalem fall?  2) What will be the signs of Jesus' judgment against Jerusalem?  3) What will be the signs of the end of the world?  The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 S.D. and Jesus answers questions 1 and 2 in verses 4-35.  There are signs (5-15, 23-31), people can run away (17-22), Christ will not be there (23-28), judgment will be on earth (15) and these events would occur while that current generation was still alive (34).  In regards to the third question, Jesus makes it clear that at the end of the world there will be no signs (36-39), people cannot escape (24:42, 25:31), and Jesus will personally be there (44), with the judgment at the end of time being described in 24:35-25:46.

  7. There will be several resurrections (rapture, after the tribulation period, after the millennium) with a second chance at salvation.  The Bible teaches only one final resurrection in John 5:28-29; II Thessalonians 1:6-9; Acts 24:15.  Resurrection and judgment are to occur on the last day, according to John 6:39-40, 11:24, 12:48.  The day of grace is over when Christ comes again, based on Matthew 25:6-10; Luke 17:26-30; Hebrews 9:27-28.

Again, the dangers of premillenialism are great.  This false doctrine does several things:

  1. Dethrones Christ

  2. Makes Jesus a failure

  3. Breaks the promises of God

  4. Accuses the apostles of being false interpreters of prophecy

  5. Removes Christ's priesthood

  6. Postpones the last days

  7. Provides for a long period of time after the last days

  8. Alters the nature of the kingdom from spiritual to physical

  9. Follows the same mistaken pattern of Judaism by looking for the Messiah to literally reign on earth in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem

  10. Nullifies salvation for the Gentiles by denying that the prophecy of Amos 9:11-12 was fulfilled as stated in Acts 15:14-17.  Premillennialists still believe that the Jews are God's chosen people.

While using Revelation20 as a primary basis for premillennial teaching, advocates of this doctrine fail to explain why none of the following are mentioned in this chapter:  1) Jerusalem; 2) The final coming of Christ; 3) A reign on earth; 4) A bodily resurrection; 5) "Us" in reference to living Christians; 6) Christ on earth; 7) A literal throne.

Premillenialism mandates that the 1000 years of Revelation be taken literally, yet agree that the following are okay to interpret figuratively or symbolically:  1) A white horse and rider (19:11); 2) Heavenly armies with horses going to war (19:14-15); 3) Sword out of Jesus' mouth (19:15  4) Jesus' eyes a flame of fire (19:12); 5) Jesus ruling with a rod of iron (19:15); 6) Jesus treading the winepress (19:15; 7) Birds eating the bodies of the slain (19:17-18); 8) The beast (19:19; 9) Mark of the beast (19:20); 10) Abyss (20:1); 11) Key to the pit (20:1); 12) The chain (20:1).  If one is going to interpret the 1000 year reign literally, we have to take a highly symbolic text and arbitrarily make it literal only in the passages that support our theory.  That is not sound exegesis and is not logical.  It is either figurative or literal, one or the other, but not a mixture of both.

The true meaning of the 1000 year reign described in Revelation 20 - So what is the true meaning of the 1000 year reign described in Revelation 20?  It is a symbolic description of the present reign of Christ from His throne in Heaven, covering the period of time from His ascension into heaven and the resulting establishment of the church (His body) until He comes again to end the world and execute final judgment upon the living and the dead.  It is the age of the church and is in perfect accordance with God's plan for man.  We are living in the 1000 year reign at this very moment and do not know the day, month or year that God will choose to end it all by bringing His Son back to earth to destroy it and judge all souls, both living and dead.  Are we ready?  We will not have a second chance.