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57b. Before He Comes – Part 2

8th June 2007 by Arthur Eedle

Part 2. The Millennium

Frequently these days I receive papers, or read articles, which fight shy of accepting the thousand-year reign of Christ, as stated in Revelation 20. It is as though a new consensus of opinion is gaining ground amongst evangelicals and charismatics, whereby it is now in vogue to spiritualise the words of Rev.20, so that the “thousand years” can mean any length of time, as long as it’s not 1,000 years. In this article I wish to give my reasons for maintaining a belief in a literal Millennium. The reason for this may be seen as a first necessity in our study of the days “before He comes.”

I am aware of the fact that the Book of Revelation contains vast amounts of figurative material. Of this there cannot be any doubt. But expositors very often adopt extreme positions. Some are prone to take everything figuratively, whilst others try their best to take everything literally. One prominent writer in the USA has recently pronounced his opinion quite vigorously in favour of total spiritualization, thereby getting himself into knots from the outset, because one simply cannot spiritualise Jesus, God, the throne of God, and various other factors that require no effort of the imagination to require alternative meanings. On the other hand, another well-known writer has tried his level best to engender fear and terror in the minds of his readers by presenting “apocalyptic nightmares” of  colossal magnitude. I would suggest that neither of these extremes are worthy of further thought. A balanced approach is needed when reading the Revelation. Some of John’s visions are figurative, but many statements that read in a simple straightforward manner can be left as literal.

So let’s investigate the subject of the Millennium. Is it literal or figurative? First of all, here are the actual references, on which the assessment has to be made.
20:2 The Devil is bound for a thousand years.
20.3 At the end of the thousand years the Devil is released.
20:4 The faithful overcomers reign with Christ for a thousand years, in resurrection.
20:5 The rest of the dead have to wait for resurrection until the thousand years is over.
20:6 The faithful overcomers will act as priests and kings in their thousand-year reign with Christ.
20:7 When the thousand years expires, Satan will be released from his prison.

Here is a period of time which has a beginning and an end. To assume otherwise would be to create nonsense out of these words of Scripture. Furthermore, we are given no less than six items to ponder, which reduce to three theological statements, namely
1. The Devil is imprisoned for 1,000 years, and thereafter released.
2. The faithful overcomers reign with Christ during this period of 1,000 years.
3. The rest of the dead have to wait until the 1,000 years is over before attaining resurrection status.

We, as human beings, have no certain knowledge of future dates. We cannot specify when this period of time will begin. And it is doubtful whether anyone will be able to pin-point the starting date even after it has started. Ultra-literalists would then be unable to calculate the terminal date. We must avoid this type of exercise.

However, in the mind of God, there is both a beginning and an end to this period of time, and it remains in His authority both to begin and to end the period. If this were not so, then words would have no meaning.

On this basis, to assume the necessity of spiritualising the time period becomes questionable, to say the least. What valid reason can anyone have for saying that 1,000 years does not mean 1,000 years but some other (often unspecified) time interval? What better contender for rational thought can arise by saying that 1,000 years means 500 years, 10 days, or 10,206 years? If we have authority to change a simple statement to mean something “better” in our own estimation, then we are taking a dangerous liberty. Without very cogent reasons to the contrary, simple statements of Scripture should be allowed to mean what they say. To do otherwise would be to adopt the position of the Serpent in the Garden, – “Can it really be that God should have said . . .?”

There are other reasons for considering the Millennium to be 1,000 years.

  1. At the beginning of Revelation, John said that he was “in the spirit on the Lord’s day.” I know there has been a lot of speculation about the meaning of “the Lord’s day”, but I find it passing strange to think that John merely meant Sunday (the usual interpretation). In fact there is much to be said for “the Lord’s day” being Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. But even this is without very much clout. I think Dr. Bullinger had the correct view when he declared that John was in the spirit in “the Day of the Lord,” that period of time specified by Old Testament prophets, which equates exactly with the contents of the subsequent visions in Revelation.

This being so, it suggests that there is a hidden symbolism within the plan of the “week” in Genesis. Each of the “days” is prophetic of 1,000 years, the seventh period being that of the Sabbath, which is called “the Day of the Lord,” and referred to as Rest (a Sabbatism) in Hebrews 4.

  1. In ancient times there were many Hebrew scholars who espoused this concept, and became known as Chiliasts, a word deriving from the Greek for ‘one thousand.’ I’ll mention some passages that support this. First of all, in the apocryphal Epistle of Barnabas, where we find the following. (Chapter 12.) “At the beginning of creation God makes mention of the Sabbath . . . Consider what that signifies, He finished them [i.e. works] in six days, that is in six thousand years the Lord will bring all things to an end. For ‘one day with Him is as a thousand years’, . . . And what means it, ‘He rested on the seventh day’? The Son shall come and abolish the season of the wicked one . . andshall gloriously rest in that seventh day. . . . When resting from all things He shall begin the eighth day, the beginning of the other world, for which we observe the eighth day with gladness, in which Jesus rose from the dead.”
    Barnabas mentioned the verse in Psalm 90, quoted by Peter in one his epistles, that “one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
    Then we have the Feast of Tabernacles, the time of rejoicing after harvest gathering. It was a seven-day feast, followed by an eighth day, “the last day, the great day of the feast.” This caused Martha to say to Jesus, concerning Lazarus, “I know he shall rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” She believed, along with many in Israel at that time, that the “general resurrection” would be after the 7,000 years were over, corresponding to the eighth thousand years. John, in Rev.20, stated that “the rest of the dead” would have to wait until the 1,000 years expired. This was confirmed to the Hebrew mind by circumcision, the ‘putting away of the flesh, ‘being required on theeighth day.3. Chronologists who try to assess the time interval from Adam to Christ find their calculations more or less agreeing with Archbishop Ussher, in other words approximately 4,000 years. (I am aware of the many who prefer the longer period deduced from the Septuagint, but after doing some extensive research on this subject, I found that there were many flaws in the LXX chronology.) I believe the 4,000 years was shown in type by the days of Passover. The Lamb was chosen on the 10th day, and slain on the 14th day. (The four days representing 4,000 years) Our Lord was“chosen from before the foundation of the world”, but only appeared “in the fullness of the times,” 4,000 years later. And if Scripture gives warrant to there being eight “days”, then the Crucifixion occurred exactly midway in history.
  2. Using the same system of interpretation, we find the prophet Hosea saying, (Chapter 5:15-6:2) “I will go and return to my place, till they have borne their guilt, and seek my face. In their affliction they will seek me earnestly, saying, Come, let us return to the Lord, for He has torn and He will heal us; He has stricken, and He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us, on the third day He will raise us up that we may live before Him.” Have these “two days” represented the 2,000 years from Calvary until now? Possibly Hosea had some other more local interpretation in mind when God spoke to him, but as is frequent in prophecy, multiple fulfilments are possible, because prophecy is not the same as prediction. A prediction is fulfilled as soon as it occurs, but prophecy is an expression of God’s mind, and He uses His words over and over again as occasion demands.
  3. The life of Noah is full of typological meaning. His name means “Rest.” He lived 600 years before the flood, and therefore his seventh century was on the renewed earth, after passing unscathed through the judgment of the flood. If his 600 years symbolise the 6,000 years of millennial history, then at the end of 6,000 years we may expect a time of judgment, followed by a different order in the world. This is exactly what the prophets tell us.
  4. The “Cluster effect.” This is the name I give to significant events that cluster round Millennial boundaries. God told Adam that he would die “in the day that you eat” from the tree of knowledge. In point of fact he died twice, first of all when he “fell”, and finally when he died at 930 years of age. Some 57 years later (in 987) Enoch was translated, and in 1056 Noah was born. These three important events “cluster” around the first millennial boundary.
    The second millennial boundary finds Abram born at 1948, and Noah dying at 2006.
    The third millennial boundary is marked by the building of Solomon’s Temple at approximately 3,000 (i.e. BC 1,000)
    The fourth millennial boundary has the Lord being born BC2 and dying AD33. Israel ceased as a nation in AD70.
    The fifth is uneventful, but the sixth millennial boundary is noted for the re-establishment of the Nation of Israel in AD1948, and the capture of Jerusalem in AD 1967.

As a result of this study, it is clear that no major event actually clicks on millennial boundaries, but the presence of “clusters” show us the importance of millennial typology. It leaves us with the high probability of the Lord establishing His Millennial Rest sometime soon. We are now living approximately 6,000 years from Adam. Nobody can produce a reliable date, however much research they do, but we can be sure of the approximate duration. Hence we are living in exciting times. The Millennial Rest could begin at any time and there is therefore an added urgency for serious-minded believers to be much before the Lord, to act like the wise virgins who were ready for any eventuality, because “they knew not the hour”. The foolish virgins thought they knew, and therefore restricted their oil supply accordingly.

Filed Under: The Wellspring Tagged With: Expository Items

About Arthur Eedle

Arthur was born in 1931, and became a Christian in 1948. At London University he gained a 2nd honours degree in Physics. He went on to get a Teaching Diploma, and throughout his career life taught physics in England, Kenya, and Hong Kong. Coupled with his love of science, he was a keen student of Greek and Hebrew, and gave many lectures on Biblical subjects. Read more

The Wellspring

1. God’s Megaphone

1st September 2001 By Arthur Eedle

2. Suicide

1st October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

3. Petra

12th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

4. Two different Gods?

20th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

5. I AM

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6. “Not I but Christ”

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7. How I Love Your Law!

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8. The Jewish Problem

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9. The Evaluation of Coincidence

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10. Gracious Uncertainty

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11. Jasper & Sardius

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12. Antithesis

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12a. The Essential Role of Free Will in Universal Reconciliation

17th June 2002 By Arthur Eedle

13. The Importance of Earnest

10th August 2002 By Arthur Eedle

14. The Millennium

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15. Cancer – A Personal Testimony

17th December 2002 By Arthur Eedle

16. C.S.Lewis on the New Year

1st January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

17. Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

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18. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

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19. “The Intolerable Compliment”

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20. The Power and Practice of the Truth

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21. The Power and Practice of the Lie

1st March 2003 By Arthur Eedle

22. The Use and Abuse of Power

8th March 2003 By Arthur Eedle

23. What on earth is happening?

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23a. A reply to “What on earth is happening?”

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24. Equality

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25. Paul to the “Ephesians”

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26. Mystery

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27. Ephesians 1:15-23

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28. Ephesians 2:1-10

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29. Ephesians 2:11-22

6th October 2003 By Arthur Eedle

30. Cain and Abel

19th January 2004 By Arthur Eedle

31. Laying the Foundation of the Lord’s House

1st February 2004 By Arthur Eedle

32. Tomorrow’s Bread

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33. Grace Parables

27th February 2004 By Arthur Eedle

34. The Responsibility Factor

5th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

35a. Our Wilderness Journey. Part 1

13th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

35b. Our Wilderness Journey. Part 2

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36. Genetic Modification in the Bible

20th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

37. Arthur’s Testimony

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38. Identified with Christ

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39. It Would Have Been Better…

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40a. Friday’s Man was nailed upon a Cross

9th April 2004 By Arthur Eedle

40b. Sunday’s Man was nowhere to be found

11th April 2004 By Arthur Eedle

41. Jeremiah’s Cryptogram

11th May 2004 By Arthur Eedle

43. The Gospel of Humanism

14th August 2004 By Arthur Eedle

44. Cosmetic Christianity

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45. EXPERIENCE versus KNOWLEDGE

6th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

46. “Just a wearyin’ for you”

13th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

47. Islam by ex-Muslims

24th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

48. Six Particular Men

9th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

49. Ten “Everlasting” wonders in Isaiah

13th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

50a. Missing the Mark. Part 1

18th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

50b. Missing the Mark. Part 2

21st April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

51. The Mark of the Beast

29th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

52. Irreducible Complexity

2nd May 2006 By Arthur Eedle

53. No historical Jesus?

4th July 2006 By Arthur Eedle

54. The Power of God’s Spoken Word

17th March 2007 By Arthur Eedle

55. God’s chosen fast

19th April 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56a. Resurrection and the Change – Part 1

1st May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56b. Resurrection and the Change – Part 2

7th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56c. Resurrection and the Change – Part 3

10th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56d. Resurrection and the Change – Part 4

12th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56e. Resurrection and the Change – Part 5

13th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56f. Resurrection and the Change – Part 6

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56g. Resurrection and the Change – Part 7

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56h. Resurrection and the Change – Part 8

16th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56i. Resurrection and the Change – Part 9

17th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56j. Resurrection and the Change – Part 10

18th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56k. Resurrection and the Change – Part 11

21st May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56l. Resurrection and the Change – Part 12

22nd May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56m. Resurrection and the Change – Part 13

23rd May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56n. Resurrection and the Change – Part 14

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56o. Resurrection and the Change – Part 15

25th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56p. Resurrection and the Change – Part 16

27th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57a. Before He Comes – Part 1

31st May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57b. Before He Comes – Part 2

8th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57c. Before He Comes – Part 3

10th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57d. Before He Comes – Part 4

11th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57e. Before He Comes – Part 5

12th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57f. Before He Comes – Part 6

13th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57g. Before He Comes – Part 7

14th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57h. Before He Comes – Part 8

18th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57i. Before He Comes – Part 9

19th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57j. Before He Comes – Part 10

24th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57k. Before He Comes – Part 11

29th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57l. Before He Comes – Part 12

30th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57m. Before He Comes – Part 13

3rd July 2007 By Arthur Eedle

58. Free Will Versus God’s Sovereignty

28th August 2007 By Arthur Eedle

59. Rules of Engagement

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60. Cameo. Part 1

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61. Cameo. Part 2

18th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

62. Cameo. Part 3

26th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

63. Cameo. Part 4

28th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

64. In His Hands

1st November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

65. The Starlings

5th November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

66. “Dead Truth”

13th November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

67. “Dead Sin”

18th November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

68. “Dead Faith” and “Dead Works”

2nd December 2007 By Arthur Eedle

69. “Dead Worship”

18th December 2007 By Arthur Eedle

70. A Pseudo-Bunyan Author

19th March 2008 By Arthur Eedle

Article Series

  • All our Yesterdays (30)
  • Before He comes (13)
  • God's Spoken Word (37)
  • Mysteries of Science & Faith (8)
  • New Series (101)
  • Newsletter (2)
  • Original Series (109)
  • Prophecy considerations (5)
  • Recognising the Hand of Judgment (33)
  • Resurrection and Change (16)
  • Seekers Corner (14)
  • Simple Statements on Serious Subjects (6)
  • The City of God (18)
  • The Millennial Octave (23)
  • The Restitution Times (22)
  • The Song of Solomon (6)
  • The Standard (19)
  • The Wayside Pulpit (107)
  • The Wayside Pulpit 2015 (96)
  • The Wellspring (101)
  • The Wellspring 2017 (55)

Index of Topics

Arthur & Rosalind Eedle's Personal Testimonies Discipleship Expository Items Good and Evil Human Pre-Existance Jane Leade. Philadelphian Numerology in the Bible Quotations from other Authors Resurrection and the Change Ron Wyatt. Archaeology Science Topics The Kingdom of God the Millennium and the Return of Christ The Sabbath Day Universal Reconcilliation

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