Research Paper: Millennium Views

Research Paper: Millennium Views

Introduction

The question of understanding the millennium is one of the most complex and contentious issues in understanding the book of Revelation. Despite the fact that the entire book of Revelation is caused and is still a significant amount of disagreement between the interpreters, because of deep imagery and mystery of this book, the problem is particularly acute Goals and significance. The significance of this debate is also reflected in the fact that the doctrine of the millennium has been used for political purposes. In this regard, the discussion of the millennium took on sometimes rather violent. In the course of history was dominated by a variety of views. Their range is so broad that it includes the views, ranging from literal understanding to the most refined spiritualistic interpretation. Some researchers are saying about the Revelation of John, deliberately avoiding the issue, arguing that "any discussion of this complex and controversial issue is still not lead to unambiguous conclusions."

For many Christians, the millennium is a literal period of a thousand years immediately following the return of Christ to earth; it will be an era of peace, when Christ will be the ruler of the world. That is, however, largely an evangelical Protestant belief, and there are many alternative versions. The traditional view of mainstream Christianity (the historical denominations of Roman Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Anglicanism) follows the teaching of St Augustine (354-430 AD), that the millennium, like other passages about Christ's return, should be treated symbolically, not literally. This is known as a-millennialism; loosely speaking, if the millennium exists at all we are living through it now, because 'the kingdom of God is within you'. The RAPTURE, the Antichrist, the battle of Armageddon, even the return of Christ are seen as symbolic, not literal.

Discussion

Post-millennialism teaches that Christians must bring about the millennium, the thousand years of peace, first, before Christ returns. This was a popular belief in the early 19th century, then went out of favor, but has recently returned among some ultra-conservative Christian groups in the USA. Known as Dominionists or Christian Reconstructionists, their stated aim is to impose their interpretation of Christian beliefs and moral practices onto the world; all other religions would be suppressed; adulterers, homosexuals and others who break their moral law would be executed. They hold that once the world has been converted, Christ will return. The popular belief of most evangelical Christians is pre-millennialism: first Christ will return, then he will reign on earth for a thousand years of peace. This, in many different versions, is the predominant belief of evangelicals, particularly in the USA. The belief was promulgated in the Scofield Reference Bible, first published in 1909, in which Cyrus I Scofield explained Christian doctrines alongside the text of the Bible itself.

Among the doctrines Scofield expounded was Dispensationalism, a controversial teaching by John Nelson Darby (1800-82), founder of the Exclusive Brethren (popularly known as the Plymouth Brethren). This taught that we are living in the sixth of seven ...