Should the 1000 Year Reign of Christ be Understood Literally or Symbolically ?

SHOULD THE 1000 YEAR REIGN OF CHRIST BE UNDERSTOOD LITERALLY OR SYMBOLICALLY?

By Ezekiel Kimosop 

The number "1000" in Scripture can either be construed in a literal or poetic/figurative sense depending on its context. The use of the number has connotations of a multitude, a long time, totality, divine completeness, and a few other meanings in Jewish tradition and ancient writings. Here are some of the ways in which the number 1000 is employed in Scripture:

A)    Literal usage of 1000 in Scripture

The literal application of the number 1000 in the Bible can be noted in the following Old Testament Scripture texts: I Chronicles 29:1-7 describes offerings presented to the temple in Jerusalem. The context of this numbers suggests a literal application of the 1000 number. In 2 Chronicles 30:24, king Hezekiah’s gifts during the Passover celebration naturally fall under a literal numbering. The use of the 1000 number in this context is best interpreted in its literal context. Job 42:12 applies the 1000 number in a literal sense to describe the blessings of Job. In I Chronicles 29:21 Solomon offers sacrifices based on a literal number of animals in the thousands mentioned. In I Samuel 25:2, the thousands of sheep and goats owned by Nabal in Carmel were based on literal thousands of numbers. In Ezra 1:8-10 the thousands of temple articles which had been stolen by Nebuchadnezzar during the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC were counted and returned by King Cyrus. The mention of thousands of articles should best be understood in a literal context. 

 B)    Literal plus Symbolic usage of 1000 in Scripture

There are circumstances in Scripture where a literal and symbolic application of the number 1000 is contemplated. The symbolic usage can be identified in 2 Peter 3:8 where the Bible says in part “…with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day” (NKJV). Notice the use of a simile in this context to portray the incomprehensibility and mystery associated with divine numbers in the context of time.

C)    Poetic Uses of the number 1000

The poetic application of the 1000 number is notable in a number of Old Testament Scripture texts including Deuteronomy 32:30. In Psalm 91:7 the writer makes reference to a thousand and ten thousand in a poetic or allegorical sense. Isaiah 7:23 poetically speaks of a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver. These numbers should be construed as a figurative reference to large numbers of great value in view of the poetic structure and context of the passage. Daniel 5:1 reports that king Belshazzar made a great feast for a thousand of his lords. Bible scholars consider this number as allegorically describing a large number of guests. 

In Judges 15:15 the writer states that Samson used the jawbone of a donkey to kill a thousand men. Again, the number 1000 is employed in an allegorical sense to refer to a large number of men rather than a numerical sum.

D) Prophetic application of the number 1000 in Scripture

The prophetic use of the number 1000 is evident in Isaiah 60:22 where the prophet speaks of a little one becoming a thousand. This is a reference to an exponential growth rather than a literal number. In Amos 5:3, the prophet predicts that the city will fall and people will go out in droves of a thousand. This is an expression of a large exodus of people taken to captivity following the fall of Israel under God’s judgment. The thousand measurements in Ezekiel 47:4 have been understood by some scholars to fall into the figurative context. They illustrate the considerable depth of the water rather than a mathematical specification in height.

However, sections of Scripture are complex and may not be simplified under a literal vs. figurative/symbolic spectrum without due consideration. Often literal verses can be categorized further in detail based on word choice, word frequency, numbers, symbols, or spelling. The Hebrew language is especially complex. For instance, 2 Peter 3:8 reveals not only God's patience with sinners but His unchanging nature. On the flip side, symbolic verses may have literal components that should be marked out by the reader.

E) The 1000-year reign with Christ

In Revelation 20:1-3, Satan was bound in the bottomless pit for 1000 years so that he could not deceive the nations during the thousand-year period. In Revelation 20:4-6, the writer describes a vision in which the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received the his mark on their foreheads or on their hands, lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not live on again until the 1000 years were over.

How should the reader of Scripture interpret the meaning of the 1000 years reign? Should this be understood as a literal or allegorical period of time? 

There are a number interpretations that Bible scholars have drawn from their study of these passages. Some have understood the 1000 years as a reference to a futuristic literal millennial period during which Christ will come down to earth with the saints and rule the nations from Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:1-15). This view is popularly embraced by Premillennial Dispensationalism groups and is popular in Western Christianity. Other scholars interpret the 1000 years as a symbolic reference to the period coinciding with Christ's messianic reign. They reject the literal application of the number. The two interpretations of the 1000-year reign outlined above have divided Christian traditions down the middle. 

The third view holds that the 1000-year reign is a symbolic reference to a long period of time rather than a literal futuristic period. This minority view is embraced by Amillennialism groups who reject the futuristic literal view. Another category known as Full Preterists argue that whatever was prophesied in Scripture concerning the end times have been historically fulfilled and that only the coming of Christ is awaited. Partial Preterists argue that some of the end time prophecies have been historically fulfilled while some are futuristic. 

Other groups claim that the millennial period commenced right from Calvary when Christ defeated Satan at the cross and would come to a close when Christ returns to take away the church. They reject the futuristic literal millennial reign view. Each school of thought have a set of Scripture texts that they cite in support of their eschatological view.

No matter what view one subscribes to, what is perhaps of paramount significance for a believer is their hope in Christ; the assurance of Christ’s coming to take his church at God’s appointed time. This is the resurrection of believers mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. This anticipation should unite Bible-centered believers across all Christian traditions.

 

 

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2025

 

[This article was articulated from a comment posted by Jennifer Rothnie on e-bible.com on 27th August 2014 under the topic: What is the Purpose of the Thousand Year Reign of Christ?]