The 1,000-year reign of Christ (or ‘millennium’ as it is frequently called) is one of the strangest parts of the Bible. It is strange in that it is only explicitly mentioned in one passage of the Bible and speaks of a temporary reign of Jesus (Rev 20:1–10). In this article, I present a new interpretation of the 1,000-year reign of Christ that focuses on the purpose of the millennium.
The millennium is a return to an Edenic state where the unrepentant are under Jesus’ just and good rule without the influence of Satan. Just like Eden, humanity rebels when Satan arrives. The millennium proves that the unrepentant will eternally rebel against Jesus and that a state better than Eden is needed.
There are four primary questions when interpreting the millennium: (1) When does the millennium begin? (2) How long is the millennium? (3) Who enters the millennium? (4) What is the purpose of the millennium? The answers to these four questions are interrelated. However, I will answer each one in sequence, while focusing most of this article on the final two questions. To me, discerning the purpose of the millennium helps answer most questions about the millennium.
I. When Does the Millennium Begin?
When one reads the book of Revelation sequentially, the millennial reign of Christ seems to begin after the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments upon the wicked (concluding in Rev 16:17–21), after the fall of Babylon (Rev 18), after Beast’s war against Jesus (Rev 19:11–21), after the Beast and False prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev 19:20), immediately after Satan is captured, bound, and thrown into “the abyss” (ἡ ἄβυσσος) for a thousand years (Rev 20:1–3), yet before judgement of the dead (Rev 20:11–15), and before the New Jerusalem comes out of heaven where man and God live together for eternity (Rev 21:1–22:5). Thus, under a sequential reading of the book of Revelation, yet taking into account the interludes (7:1–17; 10:1–11:13; 12:1–14:20; click HERE to see my full outline of Revelation), the millennial reign of Christ is future and directly after the defeat of all Jesus’ enemies.
The sequential understanding of when the millennium begins has been primarily challenged by amillennialism, which posits that the church age (the period between Jesus’ ascension and future return) is the millennium, which is (obviously) not a literal 1,000 years. Amillennialism, then, understands Revelation 20:1–10 as another interlude and not a future period of salvation history. Amillennialism posits that Jesus is reigning now and that Satan is bound now. After the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments, and after the final war against Jesus at his return, the judgement of the dead will happen and the New Jerusalem will come down from heaven and man will live with God forever. There is much to commend in this approach. It rightly acknowledges that Jesus is reigning now. It is also a simpler understanding of salvation history in that there is no pesky and confusing temporal reign of Jesus before eternity begins. However, the amillennialist approach does not align with Revelation’s depiction of the church age (or with the New Testament’s depiction of the church age), specifically when it comes to Satan.
A. Satan’s Role as Deceiver (Rev 12–13)
In the book of Revelation, Satan is formally introduced in Revelation 12. We discover in Revelation 12 that one of Satan’s primary roles is as deceiver:
“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
REVELATION 12:9, emphasis added
Satan is “the one who deceives [ὁ πλανῶν] the entire world.” After Jesus ascends into heaven, Satan gives his authority and power to the Beast (the antichrist) who deceives all those who do not have their name written in the Lamb’s book of life into worshipping him (the Beast).
“and all who dwell on earth will worship it [the Beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”
REVELATION 13:8
Not only does Satan deceive the unbelieving world, but a number of churches have been deceived, which Revelation attributes to Satan and those working for him (the Beast, the False Prophet, Babylon, and any other person or entity that is opposed to Jesus and his people). Note what Jesus says to the church at Thyatira:
“But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing [πλανᾷ] my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.”
REVELATION 2:20, emphasis added
The false prophet, Jezebel, is “deceiving” [πλανᾷ] the church into committing idolatry! Based on Revelation 12–13, Satan is the one who is behind all deceit in the world, including Jezebel’s deceit of the Thyatira church (note that the Greek verb for “to deceive” [πλανάω] is used of both Satan and Jezebel).
Understanding Satan’s role as deceiver is important for understanding Satan’s binding and the millennium, to which I will now turn.
B. The Purpose of Binding Satan (Rev 20:3)
Revelation 20:1–3 is clear that an angel of the Lord binds Satan and casts him into the abyss for a thousand years. Thankfully, Revelation is also clear why Satan is bound for a thousand years:
“And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that [ἵνα] he might not deceive [πλανάω] the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.”
REVELATION 20:2–3, emphasis added
For those familiar with biblical Greek, the “so that” clause introduced by ἵνα is a clear purpose clause. Satan is bound for a thousand years for the purpose of not deceiving the nations for the thousand years. This interpretation is confirmed in Revelation 20:7–8 that claims when Satan is released after the thousand years, he “will come out for the purpose of deceiving [πλανῆσαι] the nations” (the infinitive πλανῆσαι is an infinitive that indicates purpose and is from πλανάω).
The next logical question is, who are the nations that will not be deceived during the millennial-reign of Christ, but will be deceived when Satan is released? If we can identify “the nations,” then we can discern if they are being deceived by Satan now or not. If they are being deceived by Satan now, then the millennial reign must be future, not now (i.e., amillennialism will be wrong).
The term “the nations” (τὰ ἔθνη) has three meanings in the book of Revelation.
- Countries in a neutral sense (Rev 5:9; 7:9; 10:11; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6; 17:15). “Nation” can refers to countries without a connotation of being good or bad in the book of Revelation. When it is used in a neutral sense, it is always part of a fourfold phrase, such as “every tribe and language and people and nation.” It is also frequently (but not always) in the singular (“nation,” not “nations”). God’s people come from the nations (7:9) and the wicked come from the nations (11:9).
- The wicked peoples or countries of the earth (Rev 2:26; 11:2; 11:18; 12:5; 14:8; 15:3–4; 16:19; 18:3, 23; 19:15). This use of τὰ ἔθνη has a negative connotation and refers to those countries and peoples that are wicked and opposed to God, his Messiah (Jesus), and his people (the church). Two good examples are Revelation 18:3 and 19:15. In these passages, we find that “the nations” have committed sexual immorality with Babylon the Prostitute and that Jesus comes and strikes down “the nations.”
- Countries comprised entirely of God’s people (Rev 21:24, 26; 22:2). The term “nations” can refer to those countries in a positive sense in that they contain God’s people only. This use of τὰ ἔθνη is only found after the New Jerusalem has come.
Although it is possible “the nations” (τὰ ἔθνη) in Revelation 20:3, 8 could refer to one of the three uses, it is more likely that it refers to the wicked peoples and countries of the earth (this will become much clearer when I discuss who enters the millennium and the purpose of the millennium). But, for the purpose of proving my point, let’s go through all possible uses of “the nations” (τὰ ἔθνη) in the book of Revelation and see if any of them are still being deceived by Satan today.
- Countries in a neutral sense. Are there any countries in the world that are being deceived by Satan? Yes! The vast majority of the countries in the world are not Christian nations. They have denied Jesus as the Lord or Lords and King of Kings and do not organize their nation as a Christian nation under the Lordship of Jesus. This is a result of Satan deceiving the entire world. In this sense, there are no neutral countries; all are either for Christ or against Christ. It should be noted that there are some countries in the world today that have declared themselves as a Christian nation, such as Zambia.
- The wicked peoples or countries of the earth. Are there still wicked people and countries in the earth who have rejected Jesus as saviour? Yes! The majority of the peoples in the world are currently being deceived by Satan, evidenced in their rejection of Jesus.
- Countries comprised entirely of God’s people. There is no country or nation today in which 100% of its citizens are disciples of Jesus. This will only happen after all the wicked are judged and cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:11–15). However, we can ask are there any churches in the world that are being deceived today? I would argue that there are. Churches like Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, and Laodicea, which were being deceived by Satan, still exist today and are still being deceived by Satan. I have a number of churches in mind, but will refrain from calling any of them out on this platform.
It seems fairly clear that the book of Revelation presents Satan as deceiving “the nations” (τὰ ἔθνη) from the time of Jesus’ ascension to the time of Jesus’ return when Jesus sets up his thousand-year kingdom on earth and binds Satan so that Satan can no longer deceive the nations for the duration of the 1,000 years. When we look at the world today, it is also clear that Satan is still at work deceiving the nations (however one understands that term).
C. Summary of When the Millennium Begins
Based on Satan being bound so that he can no longer deceive, we can confidently say that the millennium begins when Jesus returns, binds Satan, and sets up his 1,000-year reign. We know that this is when Jesus’ millennial reign begins because Satan is still deceiving the nations today! Thus, amillennialism, which posits we are currently in the millennial-reign of Christ, is untenable because there is still deceit in the world, evidenced by the billions of people who have rejected Jesus.
II. How Long Is the Millennium?
There is a debate whether the 1,000-year reign of Christ is a literal thousand years or is symbolic for a very long time. If one believes the thousand years is the church age, then one must interpret the number 1,000 as symbolical for a very long time.
The decision for interpreting the 1,000 years is not an easy one for non-amillennialists. The book of Revelation clearly uses numbers literally, symbolically, and some both literally and symbolically. No one who has read Revelation carefully can claim all numbers in the book are literal or that all are symbolic.
Personally, I don’t think the length of the millennium is a big deal. And am happy for it to be either a literal 1,000 years or symbolic for a long time, because the reality is that 1,000 years is a very long time! As you will see in §IV below, the purpose of the millennial reign of Christ does not change if the length is a literal 1,000 years or symbolic for a very long time.
III. Who Enters the Millennium?
Other than Jesus, the question as to who exactly enters the millennium is fraught with difficulty. We know Jesus will rule (Rev 20:4). We know that a group of people will rule with Jesus (Rev 20:4, 6). We know that Jesus and those reigning with him will rule over another group (Rev 20:8). Who these particular groups of people are depends largely on one’s interpretation of Revelation as a whole and the translation of Revelation 20:4 in particular. My interpretive approach to the book of Revelation is closest to historic premillennialism in the vein of George Ladd and Paul Hoskins. What I present in this section will impact the purpose for the millennium as presented in §IV. Let’s begin with the translation of Revelation 20:4, which impacts who it is that will reign with Christ.
A. Those Who Reign with Christ: The Translation and Meaning of Revelation 20:4
In 2021, I was teaching a one-week intensive on the book of Revelation and I read Revelation 20:4 out loud from the ESV. As soon as I finished reading, a student blurted out, “that’s not what my Bible says!” She was correct. There are two different translations of Revelation 20:4 from two mainstream translations of the Bible. See if you can spot the difference and the impact it has on who enters the millennium and reigns with Jesus.
“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 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.”
REVELATION 20:4, NIV, emphasis added; also see CSB, NET, NKJV, NRSV
“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who 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 for a thousand years.”
REVELATION 20:4; ESV, emphasis added; also see NASB
I hope you are able to see the difference. The NIV, CSB, NET, NKJV, and NRSV say that only one group of people will reign with Jesus—those Christians who have been killed because of their testimony. The ESV and NASB on the other hand say that two groups of people will reign with Jesus—(a) those Christians who have been killed because of their testimony and (b) those who never worshipped the Beast—meaning all Christians or all Saints. It should be noted that the KJV, LSB, and RSV are ambiguous in their translations.
So, which translation is correct? The translation issue surrounds the conjunction and relative indefinite pronoun καὶ οἵτινες. Here is what the translation looks like with the καὶ οἵτινες.
“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, καὶ οἵτινες 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 for a thousand years.”
REVELATION 20:4; ESV, emphasis and Greek added
For those not interested in the reason for the translation differences, the bottom line is that both translations are grammatically possible and one’s overall interpretation of Revelation and one’s biblical theology become key deciding factors regarding which translation is correct.
For those who are interested in the grammatical reason for each translation and why I think the ESV/NASB translation is more likely, here is a brief explanation.
1. In Support of the NIV, CSB, NET, NKJV, and NRSV Translations of Revelation 20:4
ὅστις (from which οἵτινες is derived) is an relative indefinite pronoun. ὅστις frequently introduces a dependent clause (a relative clause) that modifies its antecedent. This is how the NIV and similar translations take it (CSB, NET, NKJV, NRSV). Grammatically, the only possible antecedent to the masculine plural pronoun οἵτινες is “those who had been beheaded” (πεπελεκισμένων) because it could be masculine in gender. The antecedent could not be “souls” (ψυχαί) because ψυχαί is grammatically feminine and οἵτινες is grammatically masculine. What is interesting to note is that the translations that understand οἵτινες as introducing a dependent clause omit the καί from their translations. If οἵτινες is modifying πεπελεκισμένων, then there doesn’t seem to be a need for the καί. If one were to include the καί while interpreting οἵτινες as the NIV and other similar translations do, then we would have the following: “Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded . . . . The beheaded [οἵτινες] also [καί] had not worshiped the beast . . . .”
2. In Support of the ESV and NASB Translations of Revelation 20:4
By the time of the writing of the New Testament, ὅστις had begun functioning like the regular relative pronoun ὅς and so it could also function as the subject of an independent clause, like the ESV and NASB have understood it in their translations of Revelation 20:4 and like it is used in Revelation 1:7. In this option, οἵτινες does not have an antecedent, but is translated as “those who” or “anyone who.” This translation option makes the best sense of the grammar of Revelation 20:4, including the καί that comes right before οἵτινες.
The presence of the καί in καὶ οἵτινες suggests the entire phrase καὶ οἵτινες οὐ προσεκύνησαν τὸ θηρίον οὐδὲ τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ (“and those who did not worship the Beast or his image”) is another direct object of εἶδον (“I saw”), which is the main verb of the main clause of the verse. John “saw” (a) thrones, (b) the souls of those who had been beheaded, and (c) those who did not worship the Beast. Thus, by the time we get to “And they came to life and reigned with Christ,” we know that the antecedent of “they” is both those murdered for Christ and anyone who did not worship the Beast (i.e., those who worshipped Jesus).
Revelation is quite clear that those who do not worship the Beast, do not worship his image, and do not receive the Beast’s mark are all those who believe in Jesus (see my article on the 144,000 HERE and the mark of the Beast HERE). Thus, the ESV and NASB translation of Revelation 20:4 claim that all Christians (both those killed for Jesus and those who were not killed for Jesus) will come to life and rule with Jesus.
The final piece of evidence that suggests all Christians will enter the millennium to rule with Christ is the claim that these who rule with Christ “will be priests of God and of Christ” (Rev 20:6). The book of Revelation is clear that all Christians are priests of God and Christ, not just those who were murdered, as Revelation 1:5b–6 and 5:9–10 make perfectly clear.
3. Those Who Reign with Christ—All Christians
I believe the evidence is in favour of the ESV and NASB translation of Revelation 20:4. Both the grammar and the context of the book of Revelation favour the translation and interpretation that all Christians will be raised from the dead and will rule with Christ for a thousand years! This, then, begs the question, ‘over whom will Jesus and Christians rule?’ Let’s find out!
B. Those over Whom Christ and Christians Reign
If all Christians are ruling with Christ for a thousand years, then over whom are they reigning? It must first be acknowledged that the book of Revelation does not explicitly say over whom Jesus and his saints reign. However, Revelation is careful with its language, so an answer can be confidently asserted.
The place to begin is with the sixth bowl plague (Rev 16:12–16). The sixth bowl dries up the river Euphrates “to prepare the way for the kings from the east” (16:12). Then, three unclean spirits go throughout the entire world “to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty” (16:14). The kings are then assembled at Armageddon for a battle with Jesus. Note that in Revelation 16:12–16 only the kings (or “rulers”) of the world are mentioned, no one else.
When Jesus returns, however, and the battle is recounted in Revelation 19, we are explicitly told who is with the kings of the earth to battle against Jesus. Those assembled with the kings are their armies:
“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest [the kings and their armies] were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.”
REVELATION 19:19–21, emphasis added
Revelation 19:19 explicitly says that those with the kings of the earth are “their armies.” And when verse 21 mentions “the rest” who are slain by Jesus, the only antecedent is the kings and their armies. Thus, it is not every single wicked/unrepentant person on the planet who is killed by Jesus upon his return, but only those wicked who are part of the armies of the kings. So, we may conclude that most of the wicked on the planet are killed by the trumpet and bowl plagues and by Jesus when he returns, but not all the wicked are killed when Jesus sets up his millennial kingdom.
I posit that those wicked, non-repentant sinners, who survived the trumpet plagues, bowl plagues, and who did not enlist in any of the armies to fight against Jesus are the ones who enter into the millennium to be ruled by Jesus and all his saints. This is for a very important purpose, which just so happens to be the purpose of Christ’s millennial reign, to which I now turn.
IV. The Purpose of Christ’s Millennial Reign
The millennial reign of Christ after his coming and prior to the coming of the new heaven, new earth, and new Jerusalem is an enigma for many because the biblical text does not explicitly tell its readers why such a period in salvation history is needed or what its purpose is. Why allow some of the wicked to live after Jesus’ coming? Why lock up Satan for a thousand years so that he cannot deceive anyone, only to release him again? Why does God not simply usher in the new heaven, new earth, and new Jerusalem as soon as Jesus returns? These are good questions that I believe Revelation 20:1–10 answers for the careful reader.
A. Allusions to Genesis 3 in Revelation 20:1–10
Within the ten verses that make up the Bible’s only explicit account of the millennial reign of Jesus (Rev 20:1–10), there are two significant allusions to Genesis 3. It is these allusions that I believe hold the key for understanding the millennium. Let’s look at each allusion in turn.
The first allusion is in Revelation 20:2 with the verbal reference to “that ancient serpent”:
“And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.”
REVELATION 20:2, emphasis added
The reference to “that ancient serpent” is a clear reference to the serpent in the garden of Eden in Genesis 3. Calling Satan “that ancient serpent” at the beginning of the passage on the millennium suggests that the garden of Eden is somehow important for understanding this unique period in salvation history.
The second allusion to Genesis 3 is thematic. With the binding of Satan, that ancient serpent, there is no more deceit during the millennial reign of Christ (Rev 20:3).[1] Further, upon the release of Satan when the thousand years are ended, Satan deceives the nations so that they rebel against Christ and wage war against him (20:7–10).
Since the reader has been alerted to a possible connection between the millennial reign of Christ and Genesis 3 at the beginning of the passage, it is difficult to miss the thematic connections of deceit between Adam and Eve’s experience in the garden of Eden and the experience of the “nations” in the millennium. Like Adam and Eve, the “nations” in the millennium experience the good and just rule of God through Jesus without the presence of deceit or a deceiver for a period of time. Also, like Adam and Eve, a serpent enters and deceives the “nations” into rebelling against God. Although the term “deceit” and its cognates are not used in Genesis 3, the parallels are hard to miss.
Adding further confirmation for reading deceit into the serpent’s interaction with Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 is 1 Timothy 2:13–14, which states:
“For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived [ἐξαπατάω], but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.”
1 TIMOTHY 2:13–14
Thus, it seems quite certain that Revelation 20:1–10 is alluding to Genesis 3 and expects the reader to view the millennium in light of the Garden of Eden and the events that took place there—both paradise and the sin from deceit.
B. Interpretive Significance of the Allusions to Genesis 3 in Revelation 20:1–10
Now that allusions to Genesis 3 in Revelation 20:1–10 have been identified, the more difficult task of discerning their significance for interpreting the millennium begins. It seems that the book of Revelation is suggesting that the millennium is akin to the garden of Eden. It is a paradisiacal period in salvation history that is like that experienced by Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, a period that begins without Satan and his deception, but ends with him deceiving humanity (note that Adam and Eve were all of humanity in Genesis 3) into rebelling against God.
Those who enter the millennium are the remaining wicked, unrepentant, humans who survived the trumpet and bowl plagues and who did not join an army for the war at Armageddon. These enter into the millennium to be ruled by God and his saints (those who believe in Jesus). The millennium is a return to paradise like that in the garden of Eden; it is a return to the state of Adam and Eve before they sinned. In the millennium, there is no deceit. The wicked humans who enter the millennium get to see Jesus for who he is and they get to experience his good and just rule for a THOUSAND YEARS (either literal or figurative for a very long time).
However, just like with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, when Satan comes into the picture, he deceives humanity into rebelling against God. This is what happened in the garden of Eden and it is what happens again in the millennium (Rev 20:7–10). Those blessed few people who reject yet enter into the millennium get to experience Jesus’ good and just rule for a thousand years. But as soon as Satan is released, he deceives “the nations” (the wicked who entered the millennium) into rebelling against Jesus once again.
C. The Purpose of the Millennium
If one views the millennium as another garden of Eden or an Edenic state, then the purpose of the millennium becomes clear. The millennium is to demonstrate the total depravity of mankind and that creation can never return to an Edenic state. The millennium proves how utterly depraved, wicked, and sinful all humans are. The proof of this is the instant rebellion against Jesus after 1,000 years of living under his good rule. Given the chance, an unrepentant sinner will always, 100% of the time, reject Jesus! This truth that is presented so clearly in the millennium justifies the eternal torment of all sinners (those who reject Jesus). Sinners who reject Jesus will reject Jesus for eternity, so they are tormented for eternity.
The millennium also demonstrates that creation can never return to an Edenic state. Rather, God’s plan is to transform his creation into a state far better than that which was seen in the garden of Eden prior to the fall and far better than that which will be seen in the millennium. The transformation of all of creation into a state better than an Edenic state is exactly what Revelation 21 promises with the creation of the new heaven, new earth, and new Jerusalem. Revelation 20–21 powerfully demonstrates that God’s salvific plan is not a return to pre-fallen Eden, but moves beyond it to a type of utopia where God’s people will dwell with him in a way never before experienced since the beginning of creation where there are no enemies and no deceit. This, my readers, is good news!
V. Summary and Concluding Thoughts
The thousand-year reign of Christ, or millennial reign of Christ, begins when Jesus returns. It may be a literal 1,000 years or symbolic for a very long time. During the millennium, Satan is bound so that he cannot deceive anyone and Jesus raises all saints from the dead to reign with him over the wicked who were not killed by the trumpet and bowl plagues and who did not participate in the war at Armageddon. The millennium is a return to an Edenic state where the wicked are under Jesus’ just and good rule without the influence of Satan or any deceit. However, when Satan is released at the end of the thousand years, he will deceive the surviving wicked who entered the millennium into rebelling against Jesus, just like he deceived Adam and Eve into rebelling against God in the garden of Eden. The rebellion proves that the unrepentant will eternally rebel against Jesus, justifying their eternal torment. The millennium also sheds light on eternity; it will be much better than the Edenic state.
A question I get a lot by non-Christians and Christians surrounds the justice of God in tormenting the wicked for eternity in the lake of fire. Personally, I think Revelation 20:1–10 is an important passage in this topic that gives a rational explanation and justification for God’s eternal wrath against the wicked—they are eternally in rebellion against him. The millennium also underscores the necessity of making a decision for Jesus before one’s death or before Jesus returns. If you reject Jesus upon your death or by the time he returns, you will forever reject him, even if you enter the millennium and experience his good and just rule without the interference of Satan. So, if you haven’t repented of your sin and believed in Jesus yet, do it now!
[1] Also note that the Beast and False Prophet were thrown into the Lake of Fire, and Babylon was destroyed prior to the millennium (Rev 18:1–24; 19:19–20).