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1000-Year Reign
Last week we started looking at Revelation chapter 20. We saw how God had bound the devil with Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. So now we want to ask to what effect? To what purpose?
Revelation 20:1-5, 2 Peter 3:8, John 18:36
Last week we started looking at Revelation chapter 20. We saw how God had bound the devil with Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. So now we want to ask to what effect? To what purpose? Well, those passages go on to tell us that the devil has been bound for a thousand years, and that Christ will reign with his saints for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:1-5) As we talk about the thousand year reign today, that’s oftentimes a point of controversy in Christianity.
Just what is this 1000 year reign? Is it literal or is it figurative? Well, some important things to remember about the Bible is that as it uses numbers, the number ten oftentimes represents fullness or completion. That’s because, well, if I’m counting on my fingers, I have ten fingers, so I can’t go much higher than ten, can I? Ten is the number of completion. Three is the holy number of God for the holy, Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So what you have with 1000 is you have ten times ten times ten. Which when you take it together, is a thousand years. A number that represents a holy completion.
In fact, there’s one other time in the Bible where God mentions a thousand years. It’s in the book of Second Peter. When Peter is talking to the church, he’s telling them to be patient as they wait for the Lord’s return. Because to God, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. (2 Peter 3:8) The thousand years is a figurative number that represents just the right amount of time. So be patient.
The second question people often ask with the thousand year reign of Christ is what type of reign will this be? Many Christians today are tempted to look at this as a political reign from Jerusalem, that Jesus will return in person and set up a kingdom in Jerusalem, and there he will reign for a thousand years. Others might look at this as the progression of history as the church progresses and as the world governments all become Christian theocracy that we’ll be able to establish an order of peace and security that will reign over the world for a thousand years. Both of these views see the thousand year reign of Christ as a physical, worldly kingdom.
And there’s an allure there. There’s a very human desire for us as Christians to have our time on top. To have a world and a government that makes sure that everything goes my way. I get what I want, and I get to be on top of the pecking order. Though that’s certainly tempting to want to believe that, God never works that way in the Bible. Jesus confessed to Pontius Pilate, a worldly ruler, saying, my kingdom is not of this world. (John 18:36) In fact, Jesus’ kingdom, Jesus’ thousand year reign has already begun. It began a long time ago, as we confess in the Creed, Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. That statement in the Creed confesses that Jesus is seated on the throne in heaven, that all things are under his power and under his control. And as Jesus sits and reigns from the right hand of God the Father Almighty, that means he’s governing over everything for the good of the church. For your good and my good. So that his kingdom can continue to spread.
No, his kingdom is not a kingdom of worldly governments or worldly rulers or powers or empires or military. His kingdom is a kingdom of hearts that have been captured for the love of Christ and captured by Christ’s love. Who have been freed by the forgiveness of sins, and reign with Christ through your prayers and petitions. Today, as we think of the thousand year reign, that’s something you and I as Christians get to participate in through our prayers, through our offerings, through our ministries, and our personal witnesses. You and I get to help share and spread that kingdom. Amen.
