There are three basic views regarding the 1000 years mentioned here (the millennium): amillennialism, premillennialism, and postmillennialism. Amillennialism is the belief that there is no literal 1000 year reign, and that the period is symbolic of the time between the first and second comings of Christ. Postmillennialism also believes that the time period is symbolic, but believes that the church will usher in a golden “millennial” age and that Jesus will return at the end of it. Premillennialism is the belief that the 1000 year reign is literal and will begin when Jesus Christ returns. What you believe will be influenced by whether or not you think that most of events in Revelation are still future. But in one sense, it doesn’t matter. There have been different opinions for 2000 years, with various beliefs being prominent at different times. For example, in the first several hundred years of church history, most of the church thought that they were either in the tribulation or in the time immediately preceding the tribulation. They tended to be premillennialists. However, once Christianity became legal in the Roman Empire (313 A.D.), and then became the state religion (381 A.D.), views changed. What has remained constant though, is the idea that your view of the end times shouldn’t affect your relationship with other believes. Regardless of how you view Revelation 20, certain features remain:
- God wins!
- Satan and his minions are defeated!
- There is a final judgment for mankind.
- We need to be in the book of life to escape the final judgment.
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