There are three major views about how the Second Coming relates to the Millennium:
1) Premillennialism which is the belief that the Second Coming of Jesus will be BEFORE the Millennium (a literal 1,000 year reign of Jesus on earth based on Revelation 20:1-7).
2) Postmillenialism which is the belief that the Second Coming of Jesus will be AFTER the Millennium. Those who believe this way say the Millennium started with the first coming of Jesus and is going on today; that during this time Christians will preach the gospel, the world will get better and better, and most of those on earth will accept Jesus; then, AFTER many years of success in the Church, Jesus will come back to reign on earth over a converted world (this group teaches that the Millennium refers to a long period of time not necessarily a literal 1,000 years).
3) Amillennialism which means no Millennium. This group believes that Jesus is reigning spiritually today and there won’t be a future literal reign of Jesus.
We believe Premillennialism is the right view for many reasons:
1) Isaiah prophesied the birth of Jesus (it was a literal birth) and that the government will be upon His shoulders (Isaiah 9:6).
2) The Bible prophesies an earthly reign or earthly government of Jesus(Jeremiah 23:5-6; Zechariah 14:9).
3) The Bible teaches that the believers who are killed during the Tribulation Period will reign on the earth in the future (Revelation 5:10). It teaches that these Tribulation Period saints will reign with Jesus for 1,000 years after Satan is seized, bound and chained (Revelation 20:1-4). Since Satan is seized at the Second Coming of Jesus, the 1,000 year reign of the Tribulation Period saints will be AFTER the Second Coming.
4) Since Satan will be bound, chained and cast into the Bottomless Pit for 1,000 years at the Second Coming (Revelation 20:2-3), the Millennium won’t start until the Second Coming takes place.
5) In Daniel chapter 2, the Rock (Second Coming of Jesus) will destroy the final Gentile world kingdom BEFORE the Rock fills the whole earth (Jesus will return and destroy the world government of the Antichrist before He establishes the Millennial Kingdom).
6) Israel must complete all seventy weeks of her punishment BEFORE she stops rebelling against God and before the kingdom of everlasting righteousness is established (Daniel 9:24). Since the seventieth week will end with the Second Coming of Jesus, this means the Second Coming of Jesus will be BEFORE the Millennium.
7) Jesus will send forth His angels to remove the wicked from the earth at His Second Coming (Matthew 13:36-43; 47-51). Since the wicked are removed before the kingdom of everlasting righteousness is established, the Second Coming will be BEFORE the Millennium.
8) Jesus told Christians to watch for the Second Coming, but there would be no need to watch for the Second Coming if it is after the Church wins most of the world to Christ (Postmillennialism). No matter how long the Millennium is there is no need to watch for the Second Coming if the Church must convert the world first.
Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck