THE 1000 YEAR REIGN OF CHRIST
When people read Revelation 20 and come across the thousand-year reign of Christ, they often think of it as something far off in the future—an earthly kingdom that hasn’t started yet. But that’s not the best way to understand it. There’s another view that takes the passage seriously but sees it as something already happening—or even something that’s already been fulfilled in key ways. This understanding takes Revelation symbolically, just like many other places in Scripture where numbers and images are rich in meaning and not always meant to be taken in a wooden, literal sense.
Take Revelation 20:1–3, where it says an angel came down from heaven with a great chain and bound Satan for a thousand years so he couldn’t deceive the nations anymore. That’s a powerful image. But is it describing something that’s going to happen in some future earthly kingdom? Or could it be pointing to what Christ has already accomplished? When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, He dealt a death blow to the enemy. Colossians 2:15 says He “disarmed the rulers and authorities” and “made a public display of them.” That happened at the cross, not at some future point. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 12:28, “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” That was during His earthly ministry, which shows Satan was already being bound, already being stripped of his power to deceive as he had done before.
That’s the key to understanding the thousand years—it represents a long, complete period of time where Christ is reigning, Satan is limited, and the Gospel is going out to the nations. Psalm 50:10 says God owns “the cattle on a thousand hills.” No one thinks God only owns a thousand literal hills. It’s symbolic language for something total and complete. In the same way, the “thousand years” in Revelation 20 isn’t about calendar years—it’s about the full span of God’s purpose in a season of spiritual victory and gospel expansion.
Revelation 20:4–6 goes on to describe those who reign with Christ during this time. It says they came to life and ruled with Him. Some think this refers to a physical resurrection, but Scripture often talks about spiritual resurrection as well. Ephesians 2:5 says we were “made alive with Christ.” That’s something that happens when we’re born again. Romans 6:4 says we walk in “newness of life.” So the “first resurrection” could well be that spiritual rebirth—and those who’ve died in Christ are reigning with Him now in the heavenly places, while those still alive are seated with Him spiritually even now (Ephesians 2:6).
There’s also that verse in Romans 16:20, where Paul says, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” He wrote that to believers in the first century. He wasn’t talking about something thousands of years down the road. That “soon” meant something real for them. It shows that Satan’s downfall wasn’t some far-off future—it was underway in their own day.
Now, some believe that the reign of Christ—the millennium—represents the whole church age, the time between His resurrection and His return. During this age, the Gospel is going out to the nations, and Satan can no longer deceive in the way he once did under the old covenant. The powers that used to blind the world are being overcome by the truth of Christ. Others believe that something significant shifted around the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, when the old system of temple sacrifices and Mosaic law was brought to an end. That opened wide the door for the Gospel to spread freely among the Gentiles without the obstruction of the old religious order. Either way, the emphasis is that Christ is reigning now, His kingdom is expanding, and Satan is not free to stop it.
The important takeaway is this: the victory of Christ is not just something we’re waiting for. It’s something we’re living in. Jesus is reigning now. His people are alive in Him now. The enemy is restrained now. And the Gospel is going forth with power. That doesn’t mean everything is perfect on Earth—but it does mean the decisive battle has already been won. We’re not waiting for Christ to be King—He is King. We’re not waiting for Satan to be defeated—he already is. And we’re not waiting to reign with Christ—we are reigning with Him, even now, as His Spirit works through His Church.
That’s the hope and the confidence we have as believers. Not just in what’s coming one day—but in what God is already doing through Jesus Christ, right here and right now.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
