A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times

by Kim Riddlebarger

Either we see John’s depiction of the millennium as a description of the present reign of Christ and the triumph of God’s people over those who seek to destroy them (amillennialism), or we must see Revelation 20 as depicting a millennial age after Christ’s return in which people coexist in resurrected and unresurrected bodies and which ends in a satanically energized apostasy. This scenario will be interrupted by fire from heaven that consumes the rebellious apostates who have lived under Christ’s earthly rule only to fall victim to satanic deception (premillennialism). The presence of evil and the mixing of redeemed and unredeemed individuals on the earth during the millennial age make the premillennial interpretation highly untenable.

Although the differences among Christians about the nature of the millennial age are not “salvation” issues, they do affect how we understand large sections of the Bible and our expectations for the future. So despite the sentiments of “panmillenarians,” who avoid taking a millennial position because they are sure things will simply “pan out” in the end, this is an important debate and worthy of our consideration in the light of Scripture.