The first part of this article on the Millennium dealt with various interpretations of the Millennium and argued—based on the text of Revelation—for premillenniaslism. However, this could still be understood as leaving open two options: historic premillennialism and dispensational premillennialism. This second part of the article will begin with a discussion of dispensational premillennialism and will move on to other important issues: the understanding of the two resurrections in Revelation 20, the nature of the Millennium, and the relevance of a biblical interpretation of the Millennium for believers today.

Since premillennialism comes in two major forms, there still looms the question of whether to opt for historic premillennialism or dispensational premillennialism. This topic is very broad and cannot be sufficiently addressed in this article. Here are only a few points that make the author shy away from dispensationalism.

As has been pointed out in the first part of the article, the major difference between dispensational premillennialism and historical premillennialism is hermeneutics. For a historic premillennialist, it seems that dispensationalism rests on assumptions that are difficult to verify and biblical texts and concepts that may not directly refer to the Millennium.¹

The gap theory in Daniel 7—according to which the seventieth week is separated by millennia from the preceding sixty-nine weeks that begin in Persian times and lead to the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus—is not convincing. The text does not indicate that such a gap exists. It would also mean that, while the beginning of the sixty-nine weeks can and must be determined to understand when the Messiah would arrive, verifying Jesus as the one who came at the right time—the beginning of the seventieth week—cannot be established. Otherwise, a date for Christ’s second coming could be ascertained—seven years before His actual parousia—which is prohibited in the New Testament. Thus inconsistencies arise.

A secret rapture and an invisible coming of Christ before His official second coming are difficult to establish with biblical data and force people to resort to difficult maneuvers to prove their point.

Dispensationalism appears to opt for an unjustified literalism, which may look like an easier solution to the understanding of eschatology, while in reality it complicates matters. Typology should be understood and used as presented in Scripture without bringing it close to allegory. It should be allowed to function as a hermeneutical tool to understand the biblical message because Scripture uses it this way.² The difference between literary genres such as classical prophecy and apocalyptic prophecy should be taken seriously and not be easily discarded. The claim that unfulfilled Old Testament predictions related to Israel need to still be fulfilled literally ignores conditional prophecy as, for instance, presented in the blessings and curses in Deuteronomy, in the prophetic message to Jeremiah (18:5– 10), and the experience of Jonah. It also ignores the New Testament reinterpretation of these messages.³

Also, the approach to Israel as belonging to a different dispensation and having a specific role in the last times differs from historic premillennialism.⁴ One scholar correctly stresses that the idea of a restoration of the Old Testament sacrificial system contradicts Hebrews 8:13. The text explicitly mentions that the Old Testament cult is obsolete and done away with.⁵

While the biblical texts seem to rule out amillennialism and postmillennialism, they do not support the details of dispensationalist premillennialim either. New representatives of that school seem to move closer to historic premillennialism, which is to be applauded.

The Two Resurrections Mentioned in Revelation 20

Revelation 20:4–6 refers to two resurrections. How should they be understood? Amillennialists and premillennialists differ widely.⁶ To understand the Millennium as the entire Christian era, it is necessary to spiritualize at least one of the two resurrections. Also, the question arises as to who those are seated on the thrones (Rev 20:4).

Obviously being driven by opposition to sensuous chiliasm, “Augustine argues that many Christians misunderstand Revelation 20:1–6 by thinking that the first resurrection is physical.”⁷ He believes it is not. Rather it refers to one’s personal conversion. He “interprets the thrones of Rev. 20 as ‘the seats of the authorities by whom the Church is now governed, and those sitting on them are the authorities themselves.’”⁸ This does not seem to do justice to the biblical text but superimposes on it a theological meaning that is not inherent in it.

The Context

Revelation 19:21 ends with all the supporters of the satanic trinity dead at Jesus’ second coming. One scholar, understanding Revelation 19b as referring to Christ’s second coming, affirms, “There is but one line of information in the chapters leading up to 20.7–10. That information tells the reader in almost the strongest language imaginable that no one survives the parousia except the faithful.”⁹ Revelation 20:1–3 mentions the imprisonment of Satan. According to Revelation 20:4, some people are alive or come back to life at the beginning of the Millennium. They are seated on thrones and involved in the proceedings of the heavenly court. Obviously they are believers. But who precisely are they? Are they only the martyrs mentioned in the same verse a little later, or are they a larger group? This is a question with which Bible translators also wrestle. While the Common English Bible opts for one group in verse 4 by rendering, “Then I saw thrones, and people took their seats on them, and judgment was given in their favor. They were the ones who had been beheaded,” the English Standard Version and others opt for at least two groups: “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded.”

The reference to thrones on which people sit reminds readers of the twenty-four elders who sit on thrones in heaven (Rev 4:4; 11:16). However, there is also a promise to the overcomers of Laodicea, the last of the seven churches. Jesus tells them, “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Rev 3:21). This promise, indirectly repeated in the hymn of Revelation 5:9–10,¹⁰ seems now to be fulfilled, especially in the light that the one who sits on the great white throne (Rev 20:11) may be Jesus.¹¹ Paul also knew that the saints would judge the world (1 Cor 6:2).

If this is the larger group, then included in this group are the martyrs “who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God.” This may include Old Testament martyrs (“because of the word of God”) and New Testament martyrs (because of the testimony of Jesus).¹² “And those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand” seems to point to God’s end- time believers, whether martyrs or not. Were some of them alive, not having died at the Second Coming? This question does not seem to be the focus here. Rather the emphasis is on those who experienced the first resurrection—in contrast to the second resurrection—which protects them against the second death and entitles them to be priests of God and Jesus and “reign with Him for a thousand years.” (Rev 20:8) Are living saints excluded—that is, those who did not die at the Second Coming? Paul speaks about such a group in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17. But it may even be hinted at in Revelation, as Mealy points out, namely by the “carefully chosen expression ‘they lived’ (ἔζησαν), which can either mean ‘they came to life’, or simply ‘they lived’”¹³ (Rev 20:4) and did not die.

So the context suggests that all ungodly will perish at the Second Coming. They are not alive during the Millennium. But there is a first resurrection at the beginning of the Millennium, which means that it is associated with Christ’s second coming. Those participating in the first resurrection will reign with Christ for a thousand years (Rev 4, 5b, 6).

In the middle of his depiction of the righteous and their fate (Rev 20:5a), John performs a mental leap to the lost before returning to the redeemed at the end of verse 5. The others, namely the lost who died and did not come to life during the Millennium, will be raised at the end of the Millennium. Beginning with verse 7, the focus is on these resurrected people and on Satan. Revelation 20:13 explicitly mentions their resurrection.

In this situation, it is hardly possible to speak about a spiritual resurrection. A spiritual resurrection would imply that people are alive physically but would give their life a new direction spiritually. This is not the case here. The believers had passed away sometime in the past and had been called back to life in the first resurrection. Therefore, their resurrection must be a physical resurrection. The same is true for those who did not accept God’s gift of salvation.

The Term ezēsan

Although these deliberations should clarify the issue, two points need to be made. The first is the term “they came to life” (ezēsan) in verses 4 and 5. The very same term in the very same form (aorist indicative active third person plural) is being used for both those saved and those raised after the Millennium to encounter the second death: the martyrs came to life; the human opponents of God did not come to life until after the thousand years. John intends a clear parallelism, contrasting the two groups against each other. This contrast is lost as soon as a spiritual resurrection is compared to a physical resurrection. While the meaning of a word may change, depending on context, “in this case the two usages of ἔζησαν occur together,” writes Erickson, “and nothing in the context suggests any shift in meaning. Consequently, what we have here are two resurrections of the same type, involving two different groups at an interval of a thousand years.”¹⁴

The Term anastasis and Its Usage in the New Testament

The word for “resurrection” employed in Revelation 20:5–6 is the term anastasis. In Revelation it is used only twice, although resurrection is also described with other terminology.¹⁵ Anastasis occurs forty-two times in the New Testament, mostly in the Gospels, Acts, and 1 Corinthians, where the chapter on resurrection is found. The term is rendered “rise”/“rising” in Luke 2:34 or “resurrection” in the other cases. It is used by Jesus to describe Himself as the Resurrection and Life. In this context the physical resurrection of Lazarus takes place. Anastasis typically describes the physical resurrection of Jesus, believers, and unbelievers. The only text in which anastasis might be understood metaphorically is Romans 6:5. But even this is disputed. While Kruse has in mind the believers’ “resurrection life now,”¹⁶ the trend in scholarship seems to opt for a future physical resurrection. Bruce, Dunn, Matera, and Schreiner talk about the future resurrection.¹⁷ Moo states, “But, while the spiritual effects of resurrection are felt now, we must not commit the mistake of some in the early church (cf. 2 Tim. 2:18) and spiritualize the resurrection.”¹⁸

Thus the term “resurrection” (anastasis) in Revelation 20:5–6 does not easily lend itself to be spiritualized. In addition, two different physical resurrections appear elsewhere in the Johannine writings and support a literal understanding of the first and second resurrections. According to John 5:38–39, Jesus announced two different future resurrections: “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.” This is affirmed in Acts 24:15 when Paul states that he has “hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” Jesus’s resurrection theology is reflected in the Gospel of John, in Paul, and in the Apocalypse, “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:1).¹⁹

Summary

The interpretation of the two usages of “resurrection” in Revelation 20:5–6, though widely discussed and often understood as two different types of resurrections—a spiritual one and a physical one—is being clarified through the immediate context as well as through a study of the terminology in this passage. “Resurrection” in Revelation 20:5–6 should be understood in the same way. Preconceived possibilities to interpret the Millennium should not be allowed to control the text.

The Nature of the Millennium

Reigning and Judging

This brings us to the last question, the nature of the Millennium. We have already touched on this issue. The data point out that the Millennium is a time in which the redeemed will reign with Christ and participate in a judgment process (Rev 20:4–6). Those who have supported the satanic trinity and opposed God are dead (Rev 19:17–21). Satan is bound in the abyss. As one scholar concludes, “Satan has been reduced to a state of complete impotence, and has no power whatever to deceive the nations even within the prison, if that were possible.”²⁰

By the time the readers have reached 20.3, they will be in a position to know that Satan and all the unrepentant are gone from the earth (presumably all demonic spirits as well, although this idea must be supplied by reading Isaiah from Revelation’s point of view). They are trapped in the nether world for “many days”’ (Isa 24.22), together awaiting the divine summons for judgment. That is, all wicked forces have been overcome and banished from the earth.²¹

While during the world’s history the boundaries between the righteous and the unrighteous may often have appeared blurred, Revelation makes it very clear that in the last conflict before Christ’s second advent only two groups of people exist: those who follow the Lamb and those who worship the dragon, the sea beast, or its image. One group suffers the seven plagues and ends up dead at Christ’s second coming; the other group is not affected by the plagues and reigns with Christ.

This scenario eliminates the option for humanity to have a second chance. The righteous are finally saved and the unrighteous are lost. It also makes impossible any mission outreach or evangelization effort during the Millennium. If none of the unrepentant are still alive and therefore able to change sides, mission is redundant.

No Golden Age on Earth

But where are the followers of Christ? Typically, the Millennium is painted as a golden age on earth with Christ reigning in peace over its inhabitants. Revelation 20 does not directly address the question of where the believers are during the thousand years, but it mentions the attack of “the camp of the saints and the beloved city” (Rev 20:9) by the resurrected enemies of God and Christ. These are humans who at this time have experienced the second resurrection.

The people of God, on the other hand, are depicted as the camp and city. The conjunction “and” (kai) should be understood epexegetically—that the camp is or represents the city.²² It is an allusion to “Jerusalem and its special status in the sight of God.”²³ Jerusalem/Mount Zion is considered beloved in the Old Testament (Jer 12:7; Pss 78:68; 87:2).

Aune, however, suggests that the beloved city cannot be New Jerusalem because it will come from heaven only in Revelation 21.²⁴ However, such an argument would require a strict chronological arrangement of Revelation. We have argued that the eschatological part of Revelation is generally chronologically arranged but contains flashbacks (e.g., Rev 17:10), parenthetical statements (Rev 20:5b), and short parallel accounts (Rev 20:7–10; 11–15). In addition, Revelation 19:7 talks about the wedding of the Lamb and the preparation of His bride. Revelation 21:2, 9–10 mentions the bride again but portrays her as a bride-city, the holy city, the new Jerusalem.²⁵ What John has in mind from Revelation 19 onward when he talks about the city is the New Jerusalem and the people of God. The great city, Babylon, the counterpart of the holy city, was destroyed in Revelation 18. The only surviving city is the bride-city. This is also the city of Revelation 20:9.²⁶

So we have a proleptic description of the descent of the New Jerusalem on earth in Revelation 20:9. This would also mean that only after the Millennium are the people of God on earth again. During the Millennium they are in heaven.

A parallel account may be found in Revelation 7, supporting this conclusion. The sixth seal ends with Christ’s second coming, the Day of the Lord. Revelation 6:15–16 seems to suggest that the unrighteous will die. The question of who will be able to stand remains (Rev 6:17). This question is answered by the expansion of the sixth seal in Revelation 7. Those who do survive the Second Coming are the 144,000 and the great multitude. The 144,000 are found on earth while the great multitude is found in heaven. We have argued that this is the same group.²⁷ They stand before the throne of the universe (Rev 7:9, 15) with the angels (Rev 7:11) and serve God in His temple, obviously as priests. This coincides with the priestly role of the people of God in Revelation 20:6. The throne of God is in heaven, as the beginning of the seal vision points out (Rev 4:2). The temple is where God’s throne is. It is the heavenly sanctuary. There are the redeemed. The rest of chapter 7—although similar to Revelation 21 and 22b— seems to describe the time of the Millennium without mentioning it by name. Unmistakably, the saints are in heaven and not on earth. The eighth seal with the silence in heaven (Rev 8:1) may point to the executive judgment at the end of the Millennium and to the new creation.²⁸

Summary

The Millennium is not described in terms of world evangelism or a period of ease and peace for the children of God. It is, however, depicted at a time in which the faithful will serve as priests,²⁹ reign with Christ, and be involved in the millennial judgment process. Satan is bound in the abyss,³⁰ the other evil powers are destroyed, the opponents of God and His people are dead, and the believers are in heaven. Earth is not inhabited at this time. At its end, the final showdown will happen, followed by the execution of the verdict and the establishment of a new heaven and new earth.

The Relevance of the Understanding of the Millennium Today

Why discuss the Millennium? Why is it relevant for the present generation to understand from a biblical perspective what the Millennium is all about? Here are some thoughts. The teaching of the Millennium is important for us because:

1. It has to do with Jesus³¹ and His reign, in which the redeemed will participate. As King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus is involved in the final judgment, and obviously it is He who is seated on the “great white throne . . . from whose presence earth and heaven fled away” (Rev 20:11). As Creator and Savior He is also the Judge— omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. He is not only “sweet Jesus” but also the Lord of the universe. He loves humankind as a whole as well as each individual person.

2. It has to do with humanity’s deep longing for justice in a world where injustice seems to triumph and actually gains victory so frequently. It also has to do with humanity’s longing for the end of all evil. “Without God, human beings have a virtually limitless capacity for destructiveness and self-deception.”³² But God will intervene for His children and reward people with what they deserve. Therefore, the judgment process will bring about a deeper understanding of the love, holiness, and justice of God and the ugliness of sin. It will also vindicate God’s own character.

3. It is necessary for the completion of the plan of salvation. God will bring about a close to the present evil age in such a way that sin will no longer and never again lift up its head to harm God’s creation. The redeemed will then appreciate to an even greater extent the gifts of salvation and eternal communion with God and will praise Him throughout eternity.

4. It informs people that there is no automatism by which humanity gets better and individuals are saved. There is no universalism in the sense that all will, in the end, find themselves in the kingdom of God. One scholar writes:

We are tempted to imagine that time will cure the problem of human sin in a way that even the preaching of the cross has never promised to do. But time is ultimately nothing but a proof of the human character. What realistic grounds has anyone for the confidence that he or she (or anyone else) will love God in the next life, if they have hated him in this?³³

We need to listen to God, try to understand Him, and make a decision for Him.

5. It tells humans not to postpone their decision for God. There is no second chance beyond this present life. To follow Christ is not something to be dreaded or postponed for as long as possible; it is a daily blessing that gives meaning to life.

6. It helps the redeemed understand why God cannot save all their loved ones. But God will comfort them over their losses and “will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Rev 7:17; 21:4).

7. It keeps people from having a distorted understanding of God. First, there is no partiality in God. All humans are equal before Him, are saved in the same way, if they accept God’s grace and live their lives with Him. God is not a tyrant who punishes forever in hell those who have made a decision against Him. God is love, fair and just, and deserves trust, love, and loyalty.

Conclusion

The Millennium, with the imprisonment of Satan, preceded by the death of the unrighteous, and positively filled with the priestly and kingly rule of the saints, clearly follows the Second Coming and does not precede it. Therefore, a premillennial approach best matches the biblical data. There is no need to spiritualize the first, second, or both resurrections mentioned in Revelation 20. They are physical resurrections—the resurrection of the believers at the Second Coming and the second resurrection at the end of the Millennium. There is also a real judgment, and a verdict, taking place in heaven during the Millennium.

The Millennium is not a period of peace on earth but of God’s final judgment—a judgment, however, that does not affect God’s true children directly. It establishes justice and ushers in the kingdom of glory. Those whose names are written in the book of life (Rev 20:12) do not need to be afraid but can rejoice that with the Millennium the eon of this world will come to an end and the new eon will take over completely—eternal and unsurpassable in the presence of God.