HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, July 6, 2025 – There are very few things that get my goad more than the lie about a “millennial kingdom”, where Jesus will descend to Earth in bodily form and rule from the temple in Jerusalem for a thousand years. The absolute and utter hogwash of this “prophecy” should anger anyone who’s born-again and living in the prophesied Kingdom because it flies in the face of everything we know to be true about God’s Kingdom on Earth. And we know it to be true because we’re living in that Kingdom. It’s our everyday reality.
According to scripture, Jesus’ main teaching topic was showing people how to live in the Kingdom of God on Earth. Why would Jesus have wasted these people’s time teaching them how to live in the Kingdom if that Kingdom wasn’t to come for thousands of years? When Jesus said: “If I by the finger of God cast out demons, then the Kingdom has come upon you”, was he lying? Did he not cast out demons by the finger of God, and even if he did, was the Kingdom not then upon them?
Of course, we know that Jesus wasn’t lying either about casting out demons by the power of God’s Holy Spirit or about the establishment of the Kingdom already during his time on Earth. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, he rode in as a king, as prophesied in scripture. He was crucified under the marker “King of the Jews”. He now sits at the right hand of God and has been there since his ascension nearly 2000 years ago. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and rules over God’s Kingdom on Earth. He has full authority over Satan and over all the fallen spirits, and by proxy, so do we, if we’re genuinely born-again.
Jesus said: “In the world, you’ll have problems, but don’t worry about it: I’ve overcome the world”, and also: “My Kingdom is not of this world”. This is the Kingdom where we, as born-again believers, live and move spiritually, have our being, and are protected and guided by God and Jesus, as Jesus promised we would be. There’ll be no other kingdom (though people are waiting in vain for one), just as there’ll be no other messiah (though people are waiting in vain for one). The here-and-now spiritual realm of the Kingdom of God is the one and only prophesied Zion, just as the here-and-now Jesus is the one and only prophesied Messiah. If you’re genuinely born again, you know this to be true. If you’re not born again, you’re likely falling for lies.
And who’s behind those lies? Who wants people to believe that a physical kingdom will be set up and ruled over by a benevolent but nonetheless iron-fisted ruler in the not-too-distant but still hazy future? None other than the Father of Lies himself, who easily deceives people who are not born-again and so gloss over scripture in favor of having their ears tickled. God permits Satan and his minions to disseminate these lies as a test to those who say they believe but don’t. The so-called “millennial kingdom” is among the chiefest of those lies and one, frankly, that makes my blood boil whenever I hear it being repeated. It’s right up there with the “Jesus is coming back soon!” mantra and the “once saved, always saved” lie, making a mockery of everything Jesus taught us and everything we know to be true.
I haven’t yet progressed to the point of overturning tables and whipping random bystanders as an expression of my anger over false prophets and their lies, but that might not be far off. In the meantime, I calm myself with the reminder that God permits the lies for a purpose, though he has no problem with my being angry with them. In fact, he encourages our righteous anger: It helps fuel our zeal.
A BORN-AGAIN BELIEVER 
The doctrine of a 1000 year reign of Christ on earth (in Jerusalem) is known as Chiliasm (Gr. thousand) or Millennialism, Millenarianism, Premillennialism.
The beginning of chiliasm dates back to pre-Christian times. Most Jews saw in the promised Messiah not a Redeemer from sin, damnation and death, but an earthly king who would create his kingdom on earth and give power and authority to the Jewish people.
The father and the first propagator of the sensual millennium is the heretic of the apostolic age Cerinthus (c. 50-100). He taught that when Christ sets up his 1000 year kingdom on earth, he will restore Jerusalem to its former splendor and majesty and will again introduce the fulfillment of all the prescriptions and regulations of the ritual law of Moses, with all the OT sacrifices; the happiness and bliss of the righteous will then consist of all kinds of sensual pleasure.
The Church has always refuted the millenarian idea that after 6,000 years there will be an earthly millennium. Instead, it teaches that the Seventh Age began with the Incarnation of Christ.
Dionysius of Alexandria refuted the Chiliastic doctrine against which Origen had dealt so heavy blows. Dionysius succeeded in expelling Chiliasm from the Church. Didymus the Blind (c. 313-398) in his commentary on 1 Peter shows that Chiliasm is a carnal and frivolous theory.
Chiliasm was condemned at the Council of Nicea. The Church, having condemned the heretic Apollinaris of Laodicea, also condemned his teaching about the millennial kingdom. For this purpose, the phrase, “whose kingdom will have no end” were added to the Nicene Creed. Chiliasm has never been an accepted teaching of the Church.
The Church understands the millennial kingdom as an indefinite period of time from the Incarnation of Christ to the end of the world.The first resurrection means the spiritual rebirth of people into eternal life in Christ which is sometimes called the first resurrection.
The temporary release of the devil from prison for a short time means the appearance on earth of the antichrist shortly before the end of the world, which will be followed by the universal and final judgment. The second death is the condemnation of sinners at the universal judgment, which will not affect those who have participation in the first resurrection, that is, spiritually regenerated in Christ and purified by His grace.
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