The Literal Millennium

What do the Scriptures say about the millennium?

Scripture clearly and sufficiently teaches the millennium to be a rule and reign of Jesus Christ as King, on the earth, visibly present with His people, after His second coming, for a period of time.

Christ will come to rule and reign on the earth for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6) It will be a literal, earthly kingdom. Satan will be bound during the entire millennial kingdom. (Revelation 20:2) Following the thousand years, Satan will be loosed for a short period of time. He will mount one last opposition but will be defeated and cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10). This is the premillennial view, to which Millard Erickson states, “we note here that there are no biblical passages with which premillennialism cannot cope, or which it cannot adequately explain” (Christian Theology pg. 1223).

When we understand Scripture to speak to the truth of Premillennialism, many other passages besides Revelation 20:1-11, teach this reality. Isaiah 65:20 speaks about a future rule of Jesus. Isaiah 11:6-11 is another future prophetic message of a future time period when the reign and rule of God, on the earth, literally, will change the way the earth exists. Psalms 72 is another Old Testament passage, that must be understood to go beyond the rule of Solomon and speak to a future time when the true King in the line of David will literally sit upon His throne in Jerusalem. And the final clear Old Testament passage speaking about Christ’s physical millennial reign is in Zechariah 14:5-17. All of these texts, which point to a unified picture from Scripture, speak about Jesus’ literal, physical, earthly reign from His throne in Jerusalem, at a future period of time, which will be His millennial reign upon this earth.