To fully grasp the glorious purpose of the Lord’s Return, it is essential to understand the subject of the Millennium—the final phase of Christ’s great plan for the Earth. The term describes the thousand-year period during which Christ will reign personally and physically following the Second Advent.
The Millennium: A Clear Definition
The word Millennium comes from two Latin words: mille (meaning “a thousand”) and annum (meaning “year”). In biblical prophecy, it refers specifically to the one thousand years mentioned six times in the Book of Revelation:
“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 old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years…” (Revelation 20:1-2, KJV)
The Millennium is the promised age of global peace, justice, and righteousness that immediately follows the climactic end-time events.
The Prophetic Events of the Millennium
The thousand-year reign is characterized by dramatic shifts in the spiritual and physical state of the world:
- The Binding of the Adversary: At the beginning of the Millennium, the Adversary (Satan) is bound and cast into the bottomless pit. This removes his deceptive influence from the world, allowing truth and righteousness to flourish without hindrance.
- The Reign of the Saints: Scripture confirms that those who have died faithful to Christ will be raised in the first resurrection and will reign with Him. Revelation 20:4 (KJV) states that “they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
- A Kingdom of Peace and Justice: Prophets foresaw this era as a time when Christ will rule from Jerusalem with an iron rod, bringing unprecedented peace and eliminating war and injustice. Isaiah 2:4 (KJV) promises that the nations “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
The Millennium is the ultimate fulfillment of the promise given to the redeemed. It is the period where the knowledge of the Lord covers the Earth, confirming that the triumph of Christ’s Return is complete and absolute.