Millennialism – three different understandings of what John is talking about in Revelation 20
1) Pre-Millennialism – this is an interpretation of Revelation 20:4-6 that posits that the Parousia (return of Jesus to earth) will occur before a literal thousand year reign of Christ. This is the position of those in the Darbyist tradition (I'll explain Darbyism a little later), which includes the Rapture, the Great Tribulation, the battle of Armageddon and that all of these things will happen before the 1,000 year reign of Christ. Here's how this plays out in the world: there is no hope for humanity as it relates to moral improvement - the world is not going to get better (in fact, John Nelson Darby believed that the established Church was a failure and was complicit in the moral degradation of humanity); concern for the environment is pointless - if God is simply going to destroy the world in the "end times", there is no need for caring for the earth. That may be a slightly unfair caricature, but if you truly believe that the world is fundamentally evil and that God will soon destroy it, where is the motivation for the care of the earth? For the pre-mil Darbyist, the Christian's chief concerns are: (1) not being left behind when the Rapture comes; (2) preaching salvation to the lost before it's too late; (3) leaving this evil world behind; (4) discerning the "signs of the times" - meaning, understanding how current events might be interpreted through the lens of "Biblical prophecy". There are all kinds of problems with this as it relates to appropriate Biblical interpretation and how we understand the nature of apocalypse and prophecy.
2) Post-Millennialism – this is an interpretation of Rev. 20:4-6 that posits that the Parousia and the last judgment will occur after a thousand year reign of Christ through the Church. Post-mils believe in a gradual movement towards social holiness/perfection. There are many post-mils that teach that Christians must rise to the heights of political and social power to ensure progress towards the millennium. How this plays out in the real world: from a conservative point of view, post-millennianalism is most clearly expressed in what is called "Dominionism", which holds that the job of the Church is to establish theocratic systems of government that might precipitate the millennium; from a more 'liberal' point of view, we find an expression of post-mil thought in what has been termed the "Social Gospel" and the idea that the Church might bring about the Kingdom of God through social action. These are the most blatant examples - expressions of post-millennialism are not necessarily as stark as choosing between Dominionism and the Social Gospel. However, in both cases, political involvement by Christians for the purpose of making real the reign of Christ and the bringing about of His Kingdom on earth by his followers is assumed. It should be noted that this has been the predominant position of Christians for much of the history of the faith. It should also be noted that post-mils don't believe in the Darbyist system, which includes the Rapture, the Great Tribulation, the Antichrist, etc. A good summation by Stanley Grenz: "…postmillennialists view the millennium as a long era of universal peace and righteousness that comes as the result of the preaching of the gospel, the saving work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of individuals and the Christianization of the world."
3) Amillennialism – this is an interpretation of Rev. 20:4-6 that posits that there will be no literal 1,000 year reign of Christ. Like the post-mil position, a-mils believe that there will be no rapture, no tribulation, no Armageddon, but unlike post-mils, a-mils believe that there will be no 1,000 year reign of Christ. The millennium spoken of in Revelation 20 is symbolic of Christ's reign on earth (or his advancing Kingdom) in the Church. The position here is that Jesus is presently reigning at the right hand of God and is with the church as he said at his ascension. The return of Christ to earth will be sudden and unexpected. The return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the judgment will be (basically) a singular event. How this plays out in the real world: many in the a-mil camp (or in denominations that are predominantly a-mil) are not as aware of or knowledgeable about eschatology - this perhaps led many Christians in historically amillennial traditions to get caught up (as it were) in the Left Behind phenomenon a few years back. Many Christians in amillennial traditions don't hear much teaching about eschatology or those Scriptures that are eschatological in focus (the 2nd half of Daniel, the Olivet discourse in Matthew, Revelation, etc.).
Several things should be noted:
- These are merely thumbnail sketches of some very complex theological systems of thought. I have most likely not done justice to the depth of thought that has gone into these "systems". Quite frankly, I distrust any "system" that claims to have a full understanding or accounting of God's purposes for the world and for the future of the world. I also feel that endless debates or fixed certainty about what God will do or must do distracts from the church's call to be at work in the world on behalf of the poor, the suffering, and the lost.
- Many Christians are probably a mix of the above, in some ways. I think it's perfectly fine to be a Christian and not be able to know precisely how you interpret Revelation 20:4-6. I'm not swayed by passionate end-times obsessives who (a) demand that Christians know exactly what they believe about this topic, and (b) further demand that Christians agree with their positions.
For the record, I'm an amillennialist. I figure that God's in control and He knows what He's doing. Besides, Jesus tells me not to worry about tomorrow - today's got enough worries of its own.
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