Spring Warrior Church of Christ

7432 S. Red Padgett Road

Perry, FL 32348
584-5176

Prove All Things Vol. 1 No. 43

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21

Premillennialism: When Is the 1000 Year Reign of Christ?

By Scott Mixon, rsmixon@perry.gulfnet.com [11/28/01]

According to the theory of Premillennialism, the Lord will return to the

earth after seven years of tribulation to fight the battle of Armageddon against the
devil and his army. Christ and His army will be victorious and He will execute
judgment upon the ungodly. The Lord will then usher in His Kingdom on earth
that will last for 1,000 years. Specific beliefs vary between religious groups, but
that is the basic theory.

The battle of Armageddon, as taught in Premillennialism, is based on a

misinterpretation of Revelation 19. In Revelation 19:11-19, the King of kings
comes forth to do battle with the beast and the false prophet. The beast and the
false prophet are seized and defeated in Revelation 19:20-21.

The context of Revelation 19 should be interpreted figuratively. The book

of Revelation was written to assure Christians in the first century of victory over
evil and to keep them from giving into emperor worship during the existence of
the Roman Empire. Christians who refused to worship the emperor as Lord were
being persecuted, some to death. When the Roman Empire fell and false
emperor worship ended, the battle of Armageddon was over. The beast and the
false prophet were defeated (Revelation 19:20-21). Therefore, Armageddon is a
symbol for the battleground where the army of God clashes with Satan and
overcomes.

Armageddon means “hill of Megiddo,” a real place that existed in the

Valley of Jezreel where a number of famous battles were fought. At Megiddo,
Barack and Deborah defeated the kings of Canaan in Judges 5:19. In Judges
6:33, Gideon defeated the Midianites. Saul was defeated by the Philistines at the
hill of Megiddo in 1 Samuel 31:8.

The term “Armageddon” is only mentioned once in Revelation 16:16, and

should be interpreted figuratively. If “Armageddon” is to be interpreted as a
literal place, then we would have to be consistent and interpret everything else in

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the book of Revelation literally. For example, the generals in verse 13 who fight
for the devil would all look like frogs. There would need to be a space that would
hold 200 million horsemen, Revelation 9:16. There would also be a great river of
blood 200 miles long, Revelations 14:20.

The 1000 year reign of Christ, as taught in Premillennialism, is based on a

misinterpretation of Revelation 20. Revelation 20 was written after the cross and
during the Roman persecution of the church. Like the battle of Armageddon, the
context should be interpreted figuratively.

The book of Revelation is unlike any other book in the New Testament
because it is written in signs and symbols. The number 10 was used as a symbol
for fullness and completeness. The number 1000 is a multiple of 10, meaning a
reign with Christ that is unbroken and complete.

Revelation 20:4 states "they” sat on thrones and reigned with Christ a
thousand years. The “they,” not us, in verse 4 are the souls of martyrs who had
been slain for refusing to worship the beast. Again, Revelation was written
during a time when it seemed like the cause of Christ would be crushed by
Roman persecution. Earlier in Revelation 6:9-11, these Christians were under an
altar crying for vengeance. In Revelation 20:4, the martyrs are on now on
thrones. Despite the fact these martyrs were murdered for the cause of Christ,
Christianity flourished. Christianity did not falter under persecution. Instead,
the cause of persecution, emperor worship and the Roman Empire was defeated.
The “first resurrection” mentioned in Revelations 20:6 is therefore the cause of
Christ emerging out of certain defeat.

The 1000 Year reign of Christ is now being fulfilled. According to Hebrews
2:14-15, Christ bound Satan and limited his power over sin and death when Jesus
was crucified and arose from the grave. Through Christ, we can resist and be
delivered from the power of Satan (1 Peter 5:8-9; James 4:7). Christ reigns from
resurrection to the second coming (1 Corinthians 15:22-28). Therefore, the 1000
year reign of Christ in Revelation 20 is not an "earthly" reign of the Lord, but a
spiritual reign with victorious saints (Revelation 20:4).

In the next and final article, we will address the Premillennial teachings
concerning the Nation of Israel.

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