What Do the Scriptures Say About the Millennium?
by: Todd Clippard
With the year 2000
just around the corner, speculation regarding the Bible and the onset of the
new millennium is well underway. This speculative teaching is based upon
various interpretations of the books of Revelation, Daniel, and Ezekiel. Do
these books, or any others in the Bible, make reference to the coming
millennium? The short answer is no; they do not. However, let's
take a moment to understand why taking such a view of the scriptures is
incorrect.
According to
official time keepers of Greenwich, England, the official beginning of the
millennium will be January 1, 2001. Here is why. Does the
millennium begin with the year 0 or the year 1? Most people agree the
first year would be the year 1. So, begin counting at the year 1 and
count forward one thousand years. The conclusion of the first millennium
would be the year 1000 (not 999) and the beginning of the second millennium
would be the year 1001. Counting forward another one thousand years
concludes the second millennium on December 31, 2000. This is why the
third millennium technically begins on January 1, 2001.
Second, our
current system of counting years was not introduced until more than 500 years
after Jesus' birth. Until that time, years were determined according to
the reign of various kings and world leaders. (The Bible accounts for
years in this manner, e.g., Daniel 1:1, 2:1). A Catholic abbot named
Dionysius Exiguus devised our current system. Exiguus wanted all men to
reckon years according to the Saviour's birth and not according to the reign of
godless men. However, he erred in his calculations, missing the birth of
Christ by four to six years. This error was not discovered for more than
a thousand years, by which time Exiguus' calendar was in use worldwide.
Rather than create mass confusion, the current calendar was kept intact.
In comparison to our current calendar system, Jesus was born in 4 - 6
B.C.! If the Bible predicted anything about the onset of the third
millennium, the events should have begun between 1995 and 1997!
Third, the Bible
was completed within 75 years of the death, resurrection, and ascension of
Jesus. If the Bible speaks concerning the millennium, why does it apply
to the third millennium and not to the first or second? (By the way,
"millennial fever" was also common around the close of the first
millennium.) Cults and other millennial groups are creating serious
problems in Israel and throughout the world. Some are planning terrorism
to create chaos in hopes of hastening the second coming of Christ.
Fourth, in recent
history, men have assigned meaning to 20th-century events supposedly foretold
in Revelation. For example: in World War I, the German Kaiser was
identified as the beast (anti-Christ) of Revelation; in World War II, it was
Hitler; during the Cold War it was first Stalin and then Khrushchev. Other
improperly identified individuals and events: the establishment of the
nation of Israel in 1948; the formation of the United Nations; the
Israeli-Egyptian wars of the 60's and 70's; Desert Storm and Saddam Hussein;
the introduction of the Euro (an attempt to singularize the European monetary
system); and now it is the arrival of the year 2000. The Bible is God's
Word to all men in all places for all time. It is foolishness to attempt
to designate current events to those revealed in Revelation.
Fifth, the Bible
clearly teaches that no man knows the time of the second coming of
Christ. Jesus said the angels didn't know (Matt. 24:36), and said that
even He did not know (Mark 13:32). We are commanded to prepare ourselves
and to be ready whenever the day comes. In the eyes of God, the year
2000, should it arrive, is no different from the year 1999, or any other
year. Do not be deceived by those attempting to make themselves rich or
famous by the spread of misinformation.
We welcome your comments and
questions on Bible subjects.
You may write to:
Burleson Church of Christ
10655 US Hwy 278
Hamilton, AL 35570
or e-mail Todd Clippard