Postmillennialism is one of several interpretations of end-time events in Christian eschatology. Postmillennialism teaches that Christ will return after the millennium-a golden age of peace and righteousness brought about through the spread of the Gospel and Christian influence over the world. According to this view, Jesus will return after a long period of Christian prosperity on earth, during which evil has been largely defeated and the world has been transformed through the Gospel.
However, when we examine the Bible carefully, we find that postmillennialism is not supported by Scripture. Rather than portraying the earth gradually becoming a paradise before Christ returns, the Bible teaches that Jesus will return to deliver His faithful people and begin a thousand-year reign, known as the millennium. But this millennium is not on earth in a time of peace and prosperity for all mankind-it is in heaven, while the earth lies desolate, and the righteous are with Christ judging the wicked. Satan, during this time, is bound by circumstances, with no one left alive on earth to deceive.
This article will explore what the Bible truly says about the millennium, Satan’s binding, the state of the earth during the thousand years, and the final destruction of the wicked. By comparing these teachings to postmillennialism, we will see that the Bible teaches something very different from what postmillennialism claims.
Understanding the Millennium
The term “millennium” means a period of one thousand years and comes from the Latin words mille (thousand) and annum (year). The only place in the Bible where a thousand-year period is explicitly mentioned is in Revelation 20.
Revelation 20:4-5 (NKJV) says:
“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them… And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.”
This passage introduces a thousand-year period during which the righteous reign with Christ and participate in judgment. Importantly, it says that the rest of the dead (those who were not part of the first resurrection) will not live again until after the thousand years are completed. This gives us a timeline: the righteous are resurrected and reign with Christ, while the wicked remain dead.
This immediately challenges postmillennialism, which sees the millennium as a time on earth where good triumphs and society becomes increasingly Christian. The Bible, instead, shows that the millennium follows Christ’s return and involves the righteous being with Him, not a golden age of human achievement before His return.
Christ’s Return and the First Resurrection
The beginning of the millennium is marked by the second coming of Jesus. The apostle Paul describes this in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NKJV):
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”
This event-known as the first resurrection-marks the beginning of the thousand-year period. The dead in Christ are raised, and the living righteous are caught up to meet Jesus. At this moment, the righteous are removed from the earth and taken to heaven.
This is further confirmed in John 14:2-3 (NKJV), where Jesus said:
“In My Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
Jesus promised to return and take His people to where He is-heaven. He did not say He would remain on earth to rule over a transformed society. The righteous are taken to heaven to be with Christ during the millennium.
What Happens to the Wicked?
While the righteous are caught up to meet the Lord, the wicked face a different fate. In 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 (NKJV), Paul writes:
“When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God… These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
And again, in Revelation 19:21 (NKJV), we read:
“And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.”
This shows that at Christ’s second coming, the wicked are destroyed by His glory and judgment. They are not converted or reformed through the influence of the Gospel, as postmillennialism suggests. They are slain, and the earth is left desolate.
Jeremiah 25:33 (NKJV) describes the condition of the earth at that time:
“And at that day the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground.”
This is not a picture of a victorious Gospel age, but of widespread devastation.
The Binding of Satan
Revelation 20:1-3 (NKJV) gives us more details about what happens next:
“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit… He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years… so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished.”
Satan is bound during the thousand years, not by chains of iron but by circumstances. There are no people alive on earth for him to deceive. The righteous are in heaven, and the wicked are dead. Satan is left to wander the desolate earth, unable to influence or tempt anyone.
Isaiah 24:1, 3 (NKJV) supports this image:
“Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste, distorts its surface and scatters abroad its inhabitants… The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered.”
The earth during the millennium is a lifeless wilderness. There is no golden age of peace and prosperity happening on earth. Instead, the devil is imprisoned in this wasteland with no one to manipulate.
The Judgment During the Millennium
Revelation 20:4 (NKJV) says:
“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them.”
The righteous, now in heaven with Christ, participate in a judgment process. This is not the final judgment of the wicked (which comes after the millennium), but a phase where the faithful review the lives and records of the lost. It is a transparent process that reveals why certain people are not in heaven and affirms God’s justice.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 (NKJV):
“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?… Do you not know that we shall judge angels?”
This confirms the role of the saints in the judgment. They examine the cases of those who rejected God, including fallen angels, to understand and affirm the righteousness of God’s final decisions.
The Second Resurrection and the Final Judgment
Revelation 20:5 (NKJV) states:
“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.”
After the millennium, the wicked are raised in the second resurrection. This is confirmed in Revelation 20:7-9 (NKJV):
“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations… to gather them together to battle… They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.”
Satan’s release is symbolic. With the wicked resurrected, he now has people to deceive again. He rallies them in rebellion, but their end is swift. God rains fire upon them, and they are destroyed.
This is the final judgment, also called the second death. Revelation 20:14-15 (NKJV) says:
“Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
This marks the end of evil. There is no eternal torment. The wicked are destroyed forever.
A New Heaven and a New Earth
After the wicked are destroyed, God creates a new heaven and a new earth. Revelation 21:1 (NKJV) says:
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.”
This is where the redeemed will live forever, in a world without sin, sorrow, or death. Revelation 21:4 (NKJV) declares:
“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.”
This is the true hope of the Christian-not a world gradually improving, but a new world made by God after sin and death are finally defeated.
Conclusion
The Bible does not teach postmillennialism. The Scriptures clearly show that the millennium takes place after Christ’s second coming, not before it. The righteous are taken to heaven to reign with Christ, while the wicked are destroyed and the earth lies desolate. Satan is bound by circumstances, and no one is left on earth for him to deceive. After the thousand years, the wicked are resurrected for judgment and are ultimately destroyed by fire.
Rather than portraying a future where the world improves gradually under Christian influence, the Bible teaches that things will grow worse until Jesus returns (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Our hope is not in human progress, but in the soon return of Christ, who will rescue His people and put an end to sin and death.
Let us prepare our hearts, not for a golden age on earth, but for the glorious return of our Savior, who will take us to be with Him forever.
Insightful!