The Millennium, the 1000 years of Revelation 20...

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Checkpoint
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The Millennium, the 1000 years of Revelation 20...

Post #1

Post by Checkpoint »

This thread stems from the following exchange between myself and Pinseeker:


PinSeeker wrote:

The millennium of Revelation 20 is not a future event. It was when Jeremiah prophesied, obviously, but is not anymore. Or, to be more exacting, it's no longer merely a future event.

Checkpoint asked:

Then why do so many believers think of it as yet future only?

Pinseeker explained:

For at least two reasons, I think:

1. A basic misunderstanding of Revelation as a whole, and the Millennium of chapter 20 included.

2. Many believers (primarily western believers) have bought into the heresy of the "rapture," which came about in the early 19th century. It's not that they are heretics, it's just that that's all they've ever been exposed to.
That's one take from one school of thought.

Your take may be similar or be completely different.

Please share it here, and tell us why you hold that position.

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Re: The Millennium, the 1000 years of Revelation 20...

Post #2

Post by PinSeeker »

You're opening up a can of worms, Checkpoint. Or maybe a can of... elephants, or great white sharks, or... something... :) I'm quite sure this will get all kinds of, um, rather interesting responses... :D

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Re: The Millennium, the 1000 years of Revelation 20...

Post #3

Post by Checkpoint »

PinSeeker wrote: You're opening up a can of worms, Checkpoint. Or maybe a can of... elephants, or great white sharks, or... something... :) I'm quite sure this will get all kinds of, um, rather interesting responses... :D
That's ok, Pinseeker, it comes with the territory.

This is, after all, a debate site and a debating forum.

Hopefully, some of us might learn a thing or two, and even realise we don't have all the answers.

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Re: The Millennium, the 1000 years of Revelation 20...

Post #4

Post by PinSeeker »

Checkpoint wrote: Hopefully, some of us might learn a thing or two, and even realise we don't have all the answers.
Well... some of you, maybe... :D

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Re: The Millennium, the 1000 years of Revelation 20...

Post #5

Post by myth-one.com »


[Replying to post 1 by Checkpoint]

Immediately before Jesus returns to the earth, Satan will be locked up for a thousand years:
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the Dragon, that serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (Revelation 20:1-3)
This thousand years is the millennium and is equivalent to our Sabbath.

God completed the Genesis re-creation of the earth in six days and rested on the seventh. Therefore, he blessed the seventh day and made it holy.

This is a model for what is now occurring on the earth. Man was created and given instructions on how to live, God's commandments or laws. Man has six "days" to work on the earth and choose his way or God's. For God, a thousand years is like one of our days:
For a thousand years in thy sight are but yesterday when it is past... (Psalm 90:4)

But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (II Peter 3:8)
Therefore, man's six days of "work" on the earth equates to six thousand years.

The millennium will be the Sabbath day. Thus six thousand years of work, and a thousand years of rest. We were given the Sabbath day as a way of recognizing and remembering what is happening here on earth. The Sabbath is a sign!
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work,... (Exodus 20:8-10)

I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign... (Ezekiel 20:12)
Should Christians be expecting a Sabbath, or period of rest?
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. (Hebrews 4:9)
This period of rest, or Sabbath, will be equal in length of time to one of the six work periods which it follows. Therefore, the rest period for the people of God will be one thousand years, or the millennium!

The millennium will be a day of rest in that Satan will be restrained during this thousand-year period. We have been working against Satan!

=========================================================================

The Millennium will began at the first resurrection which occurs at the Second Coming.

Every single human who has ever lived will be resurrected:
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (I Corinthians 15:22)
However, all will not be resurrected at the same time! There will be an order to the resurrections:
But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (I Corinthians 15:23)
So Jesus will be resurrected first, and that has already occurred.

The resurrection which we presently await is the one at which those "that are Christ's" will be resurrected. Those "that are Christ's" refers to Christians. This resurrection for all Christians occurs at the Second Coming of Jesus to the earth, or "at his coming."

Christians who are alive on the earth when Jesus returns will be born again as spirits and meet them in the air:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (I Thessalonians 4:17)
Some refer to this event as the "rapture."

At this point after the first resurrection, all mankind who died as Christians along with Christians who were alive at the Second Coming have been born again as spiritual beings. They will then enjoy the millennium Sabbath with Jesus:
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)
The thousand-year millennium will be spent resting, rejoicing, and apparently new member training, since these new spirits will judge angels and others following the second resurrection:
Know ye not that we shall judge angels?... (I Corinthians 6:3)

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Re: The Millennium, the 1000 years of Revelation 20...

Post #6

Post by Checkpoint »

PinSeeker wrote:
Checkpoint wrote: Hopefully, some of us might learn a thing or two, and even realise we don't have all the answers.
Well... some of you, maybe... :D
So, are excluding yourself, and saying you do have all the answers on this passage?

If so, what about other Bible issues of contention?

Or were you just having me on? (just pushing my button in jest)

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Re: The Millennium, the 1000 years of Revelation 20...

Post #7

Post by PinSeeker »

Checkpoint wrote:
PinSeeker wrote:
Checkpoint wrote: Hopefully, some of us might learn a thing or two, and even realise we don't have all the answers.
Well... some of you, maybe... :D
So, are excluding yourself, and saying you do have all the answers on this passage?

If so, what about other Bible issues of contention?

Or were you just having me on? (just pushing my button in jest)
I was being facetious, Checkpoint. 8-)

But I will say, in reference to myth-one's response: See? I warned ya... :)




Here. Rather than type out my answer to your question, I'm going to give you a link to a video series (12 installments) by R.C. Sproul of Ligonier Ministries:

https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/l ... chatology/

As of a year or two ago, Dr. Sproul went home to be with the Lord and is awaiting the resurrection. You may not want to take the time to watch all these (about 25 minutes each), but they're absolutely fantastic. One of them is actually specifically on the Millennium, so watch only that one if you want, but I would (obviously) recommend them all to you.


And here's something else. This is actually a book that you can buy for about $12 or $15 or so, but the author, Dr. Vern Sheridan Poythress, has actually put it on his website, and you can read it for free:

https://frame-poythress.org/ebooks/the-returning-king/

It's excellent.

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Re: The Millennium, the 1000 years of Revelation 20...

Post #8

Post by Checkpoint »

[Replying to post 5 by myth-one.com]
The Millennium will began at the first resurrection which occurs at the Second Coming.

Quote:
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)

The thousand-year millennium will be spent resting, rejoicing, and apparently new member training, since these new spirits will judge angels and others following the second resurrection


Second resurrection?

Where is that term used, even once, in Revelation 20, or anywhere else in scripture?

First resurrection, yes, but this term is found only in Revelation 20 in direct association with another term, "the second death", as its counterpart.

Also of note, the term "the first death" is never used in the Bible.

Hmm...

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Re: The Millennium, the 1000 years of Revelation 20...

Post #9

Post by myth-one.com »

Checkpoint wrote: [Replying to post 5 by myth-one.com]
The Millennium will began at the first resurrection which occurs at the Second Coming.

Quote:
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)

The thousand-year millennium will be spent resting, rejoicing, and apparently new member training, since these new spirits will judge angels and others following the second resurrection


Second resurrection?

Where is that term used, even once, in Revelation 20, or anywhere else in scripture?

First resurrection, yes, but this term is found only in Revelation 20 in direct association with another term, "the second death", as its counterpart.

Also of note, the term "the first death" is never used in the Bible.

Hmm...
Correct.

You agree that the term "second death" is used.

How can there be a second death without a first death?

Everyone is appointed to die once (the first death):
And it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)
The second death (when cast into the lake of fire) is optional based on whether or not one chooses to accept Jesus as their Savior.

Thus there are two possible "deaths."

Both of which are physical deaths.

==========================================================================

Christians are resurrected with everlasting spiritual bodies at the Second Coming.

All dead nonbelievers are resurrected a thousand years later as physical human bodies once again.

The two events are separated by one thousand years and involving two different groups -- believers then nonbelievers.

The Bible calls the resurrection at the Second Coming of believers the "First Resurrection."

Therefore, I distinguished the first from the next by calling it the "second."

I suppose it could also be called the "last" resurrection.

Click below for a more detailed explanation:

Sleep Versus Death

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Re: The Millennium, the 1000 years of Revelation 20...

Post #10

Post by brianbbs67 »

[Replying to post 5 by myth-one.com]

So, should we be keeping the Sabbath now to be included? Not many do.

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