The belief in a thousand-year reign of Jesus upon the earth dominated the church during its first four centuries (Revelation 20:1-10). Noted church historian Philip Schaff, who himself rejected this viewpoint, nevertheless verified that a belief in the millennial reign of Jesus was the prominent belief during the early centuries of the church.[i]
Justin Martyr (AD 100-165), who rose to prominence in the early church with his vigorous defense of the Christian faith, said this about Jesus’ reign:
“But I and others, who are right-minded Christians on all points, are assured that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a thousand years in Jerusalem, which will be built, adorned, and enlarged, [as] the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah declare. . . And further, there was a certain man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, who prophesied, by a revelation that was made to him, that those who believed in our Christ would dwell a thousand years in Jerusalem. . .”[ii]
Today, we refer to the belief espoused in the above quote as premillennialism. Many other prominent leaders in the early church, besides Justin Martyr, also voiced strong support of Jesus’ millennial reign on the earth (before the eternal state) including such early church fathers as Papias, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Lactantius. Even though some replaced Israel with the church, they nevertheless maintained a literal interpretation of Revelation 20 with respect to its references of the thousand-year reign of Jesus, what we refer to as the millennium.
It was not until the time of Augustine (AD 354 – 430) that an alternate view of the end times became popular. Influenced by anti-Semitism and the pagan philosopher Plato who regarded anything material as evil, he rejected the biblical teaching regarding Jesus’ millennial rule. Augustine stated the millennium “’would not be objectionable’ if the nature of the millennial kingdom was a ‘spiritual one’ rather than a physical one.”[iii] He resisted thoughts of the “carnal banquets” he imagined would be a part of such a kingdom.[iv]
From Augustine through the time of the Reformation, the three key factors supporting amillennialism were allegorical interpretations of Scripture, anti-Semitism, and Platonism.
The opposition to Jesus’ future thousand-year reign on the earth remains intense. Although premillennialism grew dramatically during the twentieth century, many teachers and pastors today deny the biblical teaching regarding the millennium and the glorious restoration of a kingdom for Israel before the eternal state.
What has caused this decline in recent decades? I believe the roots of today’s opposition to premillennialism stems at least in part from Satan’s intense hatred of anything to do with Jesus’ future thousand-year reign on the earth.
1. Satan Hates Anything that Glorifies Jesus
I cannot imagine anything more glorious, more spectacular than Jesus’ return to earth as a Conquering King as He defeats the armies arrayed against Jerusalem and sets up His kingdom in Zion. Zechariah 14:9 says, “And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.”
Words fail to adequately describe the future magnificence, power, and splendor of Christ as He rules as King over the nations of the world for one thousand years. Habakkuk adds this to the picture, “For the earth will be filled with glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (2:14).
I recently wrote a post entitled The Book of Revelation Magnifies Jesus. When pastors or teachers tells us that the book of Revelation is not future prophecy, they remove the glow from Jesus’ future glory as the King upon the throne of David. John wrote what he heard and saw; don’t be deceived by those who say the book is not what it claims to be, future prophecy (Revelation 22:6-7, 18-19).
Is it any wonder why the devil hates the day when Jesus will rip the kingdoms of this world out of his snarly grasp, imprison him, and rule over all the nations in his stead? I believe this is a key reason why Satan fiercely opposes the doctrine of Jesus’ glorious thousand-year reign, which we refer to as “premillennialism.”
2. Satan Hates the Jewish People
No false doctrine has caused more harm to the Jewish people throughout history than amillennialism. The belief that God has rejected Israel has empowered people to persecute and kill the Jews throughout the ages. We again witness this same tendency as many churches steeped in amillennialism harshly criticize the nation of Israel and openly support the Palestinian cause.
Satan’s opposition to the people of Israel is nothing new; we see it throughout the Old Testament as he tried everything he could to stop the birth of the Messiah. His antics led to the killing of babies in Bethlehem. The devil’s failure became evident for all to see when Jesus conquered him as well as death by His sacrifice on the cross.
If Israel no longer possesses a place in God’s prophetic program, one would expect such hostility to cease or at least diminish in intensity, but it remains as fervent as ever. Why would the devil continue to stir up persecution for the Jews if they no longer hold a prominent place in God’s future plans for the world?
Satan knows that God is not yet finished with Israel. Jesus will return to a repentant Israel precisely as Zechariah prophesied long ago (Zech. 12:10-13:1). The Lord will rule over all the nations of the world seated on the throne of David in Jerusalem.
Until then, our adversary will do all he can to stop all these things from happening, but he will fail, again. Jesus will sit on the throne of David and from there rule over the nations of the world. This is what Satan desires to stop, but will not be able to do so.
3. Satan Hates New TEstament Saints
Satan also despises all those who belong to Christ. In 1 Peter 5:8 the apostle gives us these solemn words of warning, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Our adversary will do all he can to undermine our hope in Jesus’ return and keep our eyes locked on earthly pursuits and aspirations.
The millennium will not only be a glorious time for Israel, but also for New Testament saints who will rule alongside Jesus. This is not merely a future hope, but something that helps us make sense of this life. The millennium will be a wondrous time of redemption, renewal, and reward for all those who know Jesus as their Savior (see Matt. 19:27-29).
Do you remember the fate of Joseph after his brothers betrayed him? Can you imagine his thoughts as he trudged toward Egypt bound in chains? Were his dreams a prophecy of his role in a kingdom? Or, did all hope associated with them die when he became a slave?
I believe Joseph’s story helps us understand our lot in this life as we experience hardship, loss, false accusations, and fierce storms. Many of us have both physical and emotional scars that await the time Jesus calls us home and we experience the totality of His healing touch.
Just as the day came when Pharaoh called Joseph up to reign with him, someday we will rule over the nations alongside our Savior. Just as Joseph’s dreams came true, so the Lord’s promises to us of reigning with Him will not fail (Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10). Of this we can be sure.
The enemy of our soul does not want us to view the many ups and downs of our lives from such a glorious, eternal perspective. He wants us to believe that failed dreams are gone forever, lost opportunities to use our God-given talents vanish forever, and the godly aspirations of our hearts die with us never again to see the light of day.
The biblical truths of the millennium tell a much different story. Our dreams, gifts, talents, and godly aspirations do not end with our death or the Rapture. The Lord’s purposes for us will find their greatest fulfillment during Jesus’ thousand-year reign on earth and then forevermore in the eternal state.
For those of us in Christ, our current lives are a preparation for the glorious time ahead for us in Jesus’ kingdom!
Not only is this great news, but it also motivates us to faithfully serve Jesus for which He will someday reward us.
The early church fathers of the first four centuries got it right. Jesus is coming back to this world to reign for a thousand years on the throne of David (Isa. 9:6-7) and we will reign with Him during this wondrous time of renewal for us, Israel, and all of creation.
Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
My new book, The Triumph of the Redeemed-An eternal Perspective that Calms Our Fears in Perilous Times, is now available on Amazon. In it, I go into much further detail of the joys ahead for us in eternity!!!
[i] Allen, D. Matthew, Theology Adrift: The Early Church Fathers and Their Views of Eschatology. A paper published on the Bible.org website, Chapter Five
[ii] Martyr, Justin, “Dialogue with Trypho,” The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 10 vols. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1979) Vol. 1, pp. 239-40
[iii] Allen, D. Matthew, Theology Adrift: The Early Church Fathers and Their Views of Eschatology
[iv] Ibid.