Millennialism () or chiliasm (from the Greek equivalent) is a belief which is held by some religious denominations. According to this belief, a Messianic Age (the so-called Christian Millennium) will be established on Earth prior to the Last Judgment and the future permanent state of eternity.
Christianity and Judaism have both produced messianic movements which featured millennialist teachings—such as the notion that an earthly kingdom of God was at hand. These millenarian movements often led to considerable social unrest.Some examples are given by Gerschom Scholem in Sabbatai Sevi, the mystical messiah (London: Routledge, 1973). The whole book profiles a Jewish group of this kind centered on the person of Sabbatai Zevi, but in part 1 Scholem also gives a number of comparable Christian examples, e.g. pp. 100–101.
Similarities to millennialism also exist in Zoroastrianism, which identified successive thousand-year periods, each of which will end in a cataclysm of heresy and destruction, until the final destruction of evil and the final destruction of the spirit of evil by a triumphant king of peace at the end of the final millennial age. Jewish and then Christian interpretations built on Zoroastrianism and on Babylonian astrology, resulting in the construction of a schema of a sequence of seven successive thousand-year periods ("millennia") of earthly human existence.
Scholars have linked various social and political movements, both religious and secular, to millennialist metaphors.
Christianity
Most Christian millennialist thinking is based upon the Book of Revelation, specifically Revelation 20, which describes the vision of an angel who descends from heaven with a large chain and a key to a bottomless pit, and captures Satan, imprisoning him for a thousand years:
The Book of Revelation then describes a series of judges who are seated on thrones, as well as John's vision of the souls of those who were beheaded for their testimony in favor of Jesus and their rejection of the mark of the beast. These souls:
Early church
Premillennialism During the first centuries after Christ, various forms of chiliasm (millennialism) were to be found in the Church, both East and West. Premillennialism held by the Early Church is called "historic premillennialism", and it was supported in the early church by Papias, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Polycarp, Pseudo-Barnabas, Methodius, Lactantius,Insruct. adv. Gentium Deos, pp. 43, 44. Commodianus,According to the Encyclopedia of the Early Church "Commodian (mid 3rd century) takes up the theme of the 7000 years, the last of which is the millennium (Instr. II 35, 8 ff.)." M. Simonetti, "Millenarism," p. 560. Theophilus,Against Marcion, book 3, chapter 25 Melito,Simonetti writes in the Encyclopedia of the Early Church "We know that Melito was also a millenarian" regarding Jerome's reference to him as a chiliast. M. Simonetti, "Millenarism," p. 560. Hippolytus of Rome, Victorinus of Pettau,Note this is Victorinus of Pettau not Marcus Piav(v)onius Victorinus the Gaelic EmperorIn his Commentary on Revelation and from the fragment De Fabrica Mundi (Part of a commentary on Genesis). Jerome identifies him as a premillennialist. Nepos, Julius Africanus, Tatian and Montanus. However, the premillennial views of Montanus probably affected the later rejection of premillennialism in the Church, as Montanism was seen as a heresy.
Amillennialism In the 2nd century, the Alogi (those who rejected all of John's writings) were amillennial, as was Caius in the first quarter of the 3rd century.Eusebius, 3.28.1–2 With the influence of Platonism, Clement of Alexandria and Origen denied premillennialism.De Principiis, 2.11.2–3 Likewise, Dionysius of Alexandria (died 264) argued that Revelation was not written by John and could not be interpreted literally; he was amillennial.Eusebius, Church History, 7.24.3; 7.25
Justin Martyr (died 165), who had chiliastic tendencies in his theology, mentions differing views in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, chapter 80:
I and many others are of this opinion [premillennialism], and [believe] that such will take place, as you assuredly are aware; but, on the other hand, I signified to you that many who belong to the pure and pious faith, and are true Christians, think otherwise.
Augustine in his early days affirmed premillennialism, but later changed to amillennialism, causing the view to become popularized together with Pope Gregory the Great.G. Folliet. "La typologie du sabbat chez Saint Augustin. Son interpretation millénariste entre 386 et 400". . REAug 2 (1956):371-90. Cited in David R. Anderson (Spring 2002), "The Soteriological Impact of Augustine's Change From Premillennialism to Amillennialism: Part One", The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, Vol. 15, 27. Johannes Quasten also writes "Augustine made a "short shrift of millenarianism after having accepted it at first himself (De civ. Dei 20, 7; Serm 259.2) by explaining Apoc. 20:1-5 in an allegorical sense (it regards the spiritual resurrection of the body – real bodies even though no longer corruptible) (De civ. Dei 22, 1-28)." Johannes Quasten, Patrology, Vol. 4 (Westminster, Maryland: Christian Classics), 452.
The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that the 2nd-century proponents of various Gnostic beliefs (themselves considered heresies) also rejected millenarianism.Kirsch, J. P. Transcribed by Donald J. Boon. "Millennium and Millenarianism"
Reformation and beyond
Christian views on the future order of events diversified after the Protestant Reformation (). In particular, new emphasis was placed on the passages in the Book of Revelation which seemed to say that as Christ would return to judge the living and the dead, Satan would be locked away for 1000 years, but then released on the world to instigate a final battle against God and his Saints. Previous Catholic and Orthodox theologians had no clear or consensus view on what this actually meant (only the concept of the end of the world coming unexpectedly, "like a thief in the night", and the concept of "the Antichrist" were almost universally held). Millennialist theories try to explain what this "1000 years of Satan bound in chains" would be like.
Various types of millennialism exist with regard to Christian eschatology, especially within Protestantism, such as Premillennialism, Postmillennialism, and Amillennialism. The first two refer to different views of the relationship between the "millennial Kingdom" and Christ's second coming.
Premillennialism sees Christ's second advent as preceding the millennium, thereby separating the Second Coming from the Final Judgment. In this view, "Christ's reign" will be physically on the earth.
Postmillennialism sees Christ's second coming as subsequent to the millennium and concurrent with the final judgment. In this view "Christ's reign" (during the millennium) will be spiritual in and through the church.
Amillennialism sees the 1000 year kingdom as being metaphorically described in Rev. 20:1–6 in which "Christ's reign" is current in and through the church. Thus, while this view does not hold to a future millennial reign, it does hold that the New Heavens and New Earth will appear upon the return of Christ.
19th, 20th, and 21st centuries Catholic Church The Catholic Church strongly condemns millennialism as the following shows:
Bible Student movement The Bible Student movement is a millennialist movement based on views expressed in "The Divine Plan of the Ages", in 1886, in Volume One of the Studies in the Scriptures series, by Pastor Charles Taze Russell. (This series is still being published, since 1927, by the Dawn Bible Students Association.) Bible Students believe that there will be a universal opportunity for every person, past and present, not previously recipients of a heavenly calling, to gain everlasting life on Earth during the Millennium.Studies in the Scriptures, Volume One, The Divine Plan of the Ages, Study IX, "Ransom and Restitution", pp. 149–152
Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Christ will rule from heaven for 1,000 years as king over the earth, assisted by the 144,000 ascended humans. According to them during this 1,000 year reign the earth will become a paradise, like the Garden of Eden, and humans will themselves return to the perfection lost by Adam and Eve.
The Church of Almighty God Also known as Eastern Lightning, The Church of Almighty God mentions in its teachings the Age of Millennial Kingdom, which will follow the catastrophes prophesied in the Book of Revelation in the Bible.
New Apostolic Reformation Counter to much of the Pentecostal movement, which tends towards belief in premillennialism, the rise of the Antichrist, and the decay of the world prior to the Second Coming, the New Apostolic Reformation's focus is instead on an "optimistic" eschatology. It holds that most end-time prophecies have long since been fulfilled and that modern-day prophets and apostles have divine authority; the end times will be an era in which obedient Christians, through using spiritual warfare and shaping all aspects of society into aligning with their Christian beliefs (Seven Mountain Mandate), will bring about the Second Coming.
Alleged partial underpinning of US-Israel attack on Iran 2026 Following the start of the 2026 Iran war, multiple sources reported figures in the United States Army were framing the conflict in millenialist terms. Military Religious Freedom Foundation received anonymous complaints from soldiers claiming they were told the conflict in Iran was meant to cause Armageddon. Another complaint mentioned officers telling soldiers that the conflict was "all part of God’s divine plan", citing the Book of Revelation. According to one NCO, he was told "President Trump has been anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon and mark his return to Earth". In total, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation received more than 200 such complaints, which came from every branch of the military.
Judaism
Millennialist thinking first emerged in Jewish apocryphal literature of the tumultuous Second Temple period.Compare: It originated in about 200 B.C.E. and was believed to be fully developed by the year 200 C.E. Many 'signs' that humanity is drawing to a close are mentioned throughout early Jewish texts, including the fact it will be collective, recognizable only on Earth, imminent, and total, completely transforming the human race. This belief was shaped heavily by Norman Cohn, a British historian whose work often focused on principles of Judaism.
Gerschom Scholem profiles medieval and early modern Jewish millennialist teachings in his book Sabbatai Sevi, the mystical messiah, which focuses on the 17th-century movement centered on the self-proclaimed messiahship (1648) of Sabbatai ZeviGerschom Scholem, Sabbatai Sevi, the mystical messiah (London: Routledge, 1973). Scholem also gives examples of other Jewish millennialist movements. (16261676)
Islam
According to a hadith, the Prophet Muhammad has stated that a man from his Household will come and rid the world of all injustice and tyranny. He will be known as the Mahdi.
The Mahdi is noted in the Sunni books, Sunan Abi Dawud 4285, Sunan Ibn Majah 4083, and Sahih Muslim 2913. Muslims, who believe in hadith, also believe that Jesus will come alongside the Mahdi and will fight together with him against oppression and injustice, where the Mahdi will rule for a period of time before the Day of Judgement.
Shia and Sunni Muslims differ on who exactly the Mahdi is. While they both agree that he will come alongside Jesus to save mankind from injustice and oppression; Sunnis believe he is yet to be born, while Shias believe that he is currently alive and in occultation.
Baha'i Faith