1,000 Reign of Christ!
Reflection: Although there is much debate over exactly what this passage means and how it is to be interpreted in light of historic events, there is one thing that can be said with absolute certainty. There are Christians of all stripes and sizes that have differing views on what this means for us. Generally speaking (and it is with caution I say this) there are 3 camps theologians fall into regarding the thousand year reign of Christ talked about in Revelation 20.
1. Pre-millenial - Generally means that at Jesus' second coming there will be 1,000 year reign of Christ with His saints and Satan will be bound until a final judgement. Obviously this hasn't happened yet.
2. Amillenial - "A" means "no", and thus those in the amillennial camp don't interpret this passage literally, but interpret it spiritual meaning and reality. Just as when Jesus taught on the spiritual reality of the kingdom coming here on earth as it is in heaven through the parables.
3. Post-Millenial - Suggested that we are living in the time after the millennium and that Jesus is reigning now through the Church on earth. This became popular in the 19th century with a movement that foresaw the world getting markedly better. World War 2 doused this flame somewhat and took away much of this idealism.
Here are some of my reflections. Obviously things have not gotten much better so to think we are moving to some utopian reality seems unrealistic. Any attempt to link the events of Revelation to modern day historical events has been tentative at best. Every generation has seen oppressive rulers that people have likened to the anti-Christ. In Luther's day he made assertions that the Pope fit some of the description. Many thought Hitler was the anti-Christ because of his genocide against the Jews.
Hal Lindsay, in his Late Great Planet Earth, associated the ten European Common Market countries with 10 world powers listed in Revelation, and started staging a calculation of the end of the world. But here's the thing everyone who has predicted the end of the world up to this point has one thing in common, they are dead wrong!
So how important is it for modern day Christians to take one of these three positions? Answer: I think it is more important for us to live our lives every day as if Jesus were to return today! As the clear biblical teaching is that only the Father in heaven knows the day and the hour of His return. The other imperative is that we live our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring in God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven each day. For this we are reminded of Luther's famous teaching in the Small Catechism in regard to the petition in Lord's Prayer that says, "Thy Kingdom Come On Earth As It is In Heaven!" Luther taught, "God's kingdom will surely come without our prayer, but our prayer is that it might come through us!"
As we look at the 1,000 reign of Christ, a good question is, "Is He reigning in me?" Or better yet, what is it in my life that prevents His reign. As we live under the reign of Christ, available for what God would do in and through us individually and collectively through the Church, we can be prepared for Jesus to return and set up His reign in whatever way He determines!!
Verse of the Day:
The Thousand Years
20 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
The Judgment of Satan
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Psalm 147:15-20
Zechariah 10,11
Revelation 20:1-10
Lord, may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength. Judges 5:31 (NIV)
Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light. Ephesians 5:8
God, the light of your love illuminates the darkest corners of human existence. Banish our fears and make us your light-bearers as we offer our lives and our service to you.
1. Pre-millenial - Generally means that at Jesus' second coming there will be 1,000 year reign of Christ with His saints and Satan will be bound until a final judgement. Obviously this hasn't happened yet.
2. Amillenial - "A" means "no", and thus those in the amillennial camp don't interpret this passage literally, but interpret it spiritual meaning and reality. Just as when Jesus taught on the spiritual reality of the kingdom coming here on earth as it is in heaven through the parables.
3. Post-Millenial - Suggested that we are living in the time after the millennium and that Jesus is reigning now through the Church on earth. This became popular in the 19th century with a movement that foresaw the world getting markedly better. World War 2 doused this flame somewhat and took away much of this idealism.
Here are some of my reflections. Obviously things have not gotten much better so to think we are moving to some utopian reality seems unrealistic. Any attempt to link the events of Revelation to modern day historical events has been tentative at best. Every generation has seen oppressive rulers that people have likened to the anti-Christ. In Luther's day he made assertions that the Pope fit some of the description. Many thought Hitler was the anti-Christ because of his genocide against the Jews.
Hal Lindsay, in his Late Great Planet Earth, associated the ten European Common Market countries with 10 world powers listed in Revelation, and started staging a calculation of the end of the world. But here's the thing everyone who has predicted the end of the world up to this point has one thing in common, they are dead wrong!
So how important is it for modern day Christians to take one of these three positions? Answer: I think it is more important for us to live our lives every day as if Jesus were to return today! As the clear biblical teaching is that only the Father in heaven knows the day and the hour of His return. The other imperative is that we live our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring in God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven each day. For this we are reminded of Luther's famous teaching in the Small Catechism in regard to the petition in Lord's Prayer that says, "Thy Kingdom Come On Earth As It is In Heaven!" Luther taught, "God's kingdom will surely come without our prayer, but our prayer is that it might come through us!"
As we look at the 1,000 reign of Christ, a good question is, "Is He reigning in me?" Or better yet, what is it in my life that prevents His reign. As we live under the reign of Christ, available for what God would do in and through us individually and collectively through the Church, we can be prepared for Jesus to return and set up His reign in whatever way He determines!!
Verse of the Day:
The Thousand Years
20 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They[a] had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
The Judgment of Satan
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Psalm 147:15-20
Zechariah 10,11
Revelation 20:1-10
Lord, may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength. Judges 5:31 (NIV)
Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light. Ephesians 5:8
God, the light of your love illuminates the darkest corners of human existence. Banish our fears and make us your light-bearers as we offer our lives and our service to you.
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