MAY 23

Revelation 20:1-7
Memorise 1 Thess 5:9
“And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

ARE WE PRE-MILLENIAL?

Revelation 20:1-7 speaks of a literal 1,000 year period during which Jesus Christ will reign over the whole world with the saints. This thousand year period is known as the millennium. There are three differing views on the millennium, namely post-millennialism, amillennialism and pre-millennialism, the last being our BP view.

Post-millennialism is the view that Christ will come only after the millennium. They believe that Christians will improve the world, whether through evangelism, politics or other social actions, such that it becomes peaceful and prosperous. The millennium to them is thus an undefined long period of a golden age, whereby the world will become better and better until Jesus returns to rule the world. We reject this view as Jesus proclaimed that the world will only become more wicked in the last days. Amillennialists do not believe in a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ but treat it as a symbolic, heavenly reign where Christ is even ruling the world now from heaven through the Church. We reject this view as the Bible clearly states that Christ and His people will reign on earth (Rev 5:10) and that this will be in the future. Satan and his devils should be bound during the millennium (Revelation 20:2-3) and we know that this is not true currently.

We believe in pre-millennialism which states that Christ will return before the millennium to judge the world, restore Israel and reign on earth physically. The Bible teaches that the world will become progressively more wicked with the coming of the Anti-Christ and the seven year Great Tribulation period. This period is often specifically referred to as the “wrath” or “orge” in Greek (Revelation 6:17) and is used in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 to show that true believers will be spared from this “wrath” and raptured. After the Great Tribulation, Christ will return to defeat the Anti-Christ at Armageddon and set up His millennial reign on earth. This biblically correct view gives us hope for the future. As we look around at how wretched and depressing this sinful world is, we should not despair but keep our eyes on Christ and His future reign on earth. There will be true peace on earth at last and we will reign with Him as “kings and priests”. Cling on to this blessed hope and persevere to the end!

Thought: Christ is coming soon. Are you ready?
Prayer: Dear Lord, I earnestly await the day when Thy Son will reign on earth as its rightful King. Help me to be faithful to Thee till the end.