Will Barnett May Christ find faith here

“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” — Revelation 20:4b

In this final installment of a series of articles intended to engage and critique dispensationalism, I return to the original question that sparked this series: “What is your view of the millennium?”

The millennium in question is that of Revelation 20 which refers to a period of one thousand years during which Satan is bound and Jesus reigns, along with the saints who were raised to life to reign with him. The passage begins with the words, “And I saw…” which indicates that the author is reporting a vision. Much like the visions of Daniel and other Old Testament prophets, this vision uses symbolic language to convey spiritual truth and must be interpreted accordingly.

When we approach the passage this way, we find three points of emphasis in verses 1-6, the verses dealing with the “thousand years.” First, Satan is conquered by Christ and prevented from gaining any actual victory (v. 1-3). Second, the faithful who die do not lose anything, but rather gain the reward of reigning with Christ (v. 4, 6). And thirdly, Satan’s followers ultimately contribute nothing to his cause while Christ reigns (v. 5).

While there are details in the text that remain difficult to interpret, the basic premise is clear and straightforward. This is especially true in light of the major theme of the book, “blessed are those who hear [the words of this prophecy], and who keep what is written in it.” (Revelation 1:3).

In fact, the way that this is expressed in Revelation 3:21 is, “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.” The idea in that passage is the same as what is intended in Revelation 20:4. And contrary to the teaching of dispensationalism, these conquerors do not come alive to reign in the flesh, but in the spirit. This is indicated by the use of the word “souls” in verse 4.

That interpretation is precisely what would have made Revelation 20 (and the whole book for that matter) just as relevant to the original audience as it is to us now and as it will be to Christians in the future.

It is describing the entire church age, the period of time between Jesus’s first coming and second coming. It is a long time, represented by the symbolic number of one thousand years. During this time, Satan has no real power over the church and his followers cannot prevail against her. Furthermore, the saints of God who die in faith do not lose a blessing, but rather gain it, going to reign with Christ from heaven as he builds his kingdom.

So the millennium is now, Christ reigns, and he is coming once more to perfect our redemption. May he find faith when he comes! Amen.

Rev. Will Barnett is the pastor of Sovereign Grace Reformed Church in Doniphan.