The Tribulation and the Thousand Year Reign

1. The word “tribulation.”

1) The word “tribulation” in the Greek is (thlipsis).

2) The word means to be pressed together; symbolically, therefore, it means distress, tribulation, or afflictions.

3) This word is found 45 times in the New Testament.

4) It is translated “tribulation” 21 times in the NT (KJV).

5) It is translated “affliction” 17 times in the NT (KJV).

6) The remainder of times it is found it is translated troubled, anguished, persecuted, and burdened.

7) There is no special reason within this word to consider it as referring to a special period of time.

2. Requirements of a premillennial “tribulation.”

1) The doctrine says that after the rapture there will be period of seven years in which the church will suffer extreme persecution.

2) Notice what is required for such a doctrine to be biblical.

3) First, there must be a seven year period.

4) Second, there must be persecution for the church as a whole, not just individual congregations.

5) Third, there must be persecution ONLY for Christians.

6) Fourth, these events must happen AFTER the rapture.

3. What does the Bible say about this concept of “tribulation?”

1) First, some periods of tribulation are discussed in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Revelation 2:10.

a. Matthew 24 and Mark 13 are speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem.

b. Moreover, this “tribulation” was for the city of Jerusalem, not Christians only.

c. Revelation 2:10 is speaking about the persecution of one church alone.

d. So, these passages don’t meet the requirements of the premillennial doctrine.

2) Second, the number seven is never in the same context as the word “tribulation.”

3) Third, the only place in the Bible where the concept of “rapture” is mentioned is 1 Thessalonians 4.

a. Where, in this passage, is the tribulation?

b. Where, in this passage, is the reigning of Christ on the throne of David?

4) Fourth, in contrast to the idea that there will only be a period of seven years of persecution, the Bible teaches that the church is constantly under persecution. Consider these passages.

a. John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

b. Acts 14:22 “Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”

c. Romans 5:3 “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;”

d. 2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;”

e. 1 Thess.3:4 “For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.”

f. Is there a period of time when the church has been persecuted greater than others? Yes.

g. But nothing in regard to a seven year tribulation.

4. The requirements of the doctrine aren’t found in scripture.

1) No “rapture” followed by tribulation.

2) No seven year period of tribulation.

3) No limited persecution of the church as a whole for seven years.

4) No special time of persecution for Christians ONLY.

5) We must conclude that this doctrine comes from the fancies of men’s imaginations and not from the Bible.

1. We do have a passage in the scripture that discusses this, Revelation 20:1-6.

2. What are the requirements of the thousand year reign according to premillennial doctrine?

1) It must be a literal one thousand years.

2) Christ is going to come back to live on the earth.

3) Christ must reign on the literal throne of David in the literal city of Jerusalem.

3. What does the Bible say about these items?

1) Does Revelation 20:1-6 teach a LITERAL 1000 year reign?

a. What about the context?

b. Is the book of Revelation literal or figurative? Revelation 1:1 “signified.”

a) That’s the verb form of the Greek word for “sign.”

b) What is a sign?

c) It is something that points to something else; it’s not literal.

c. What about Revelation 20, is that literal or figurative?

a) Is the “key” literal?

b) Is the “pit” literal?

c) Is the “chain” literal?

d) The immediate context is obviously figurative.

e) We also know that number 1000 is used figuratively in the Bible also (2 Peter 3:8).

d. To suggest that this passage teaches a literal thousand years is to take it out of context.

2) Is Christ going to come back to live on the earth?

a. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 teaches we will be with him in heaven.

b. Notice the order in 1 Corinthians 15:23-24.

c. After Christ’s coming comes THE END.

d. There is no passage of scripture that teaches that Christ is going to come back to live on the earth.

3) Is Christ going to reign on the literal throne of David in the literal city of Jerusalem?

a. There is no plain passage of scripture that says so.

b. Acts 2:30-36 teaches that Jesus is sitting on the throne of David right now.

c. But this is not an earthly throne in literal Jerusalem; it is in heaven.

d. Moreover, this passage in Revelation 20 doesn’t discuss the duration of the reign of Christ, but the duration of the reign of the saints.

e. It really doesn’t speak to the extent of Christ’s reign at all.

f. Was Christ NOT reigning prior to this period?

g. Will Christ NOT reign after this period?

h. That is not consistent with 1 Corinthians 15:25.

4. What does Revelation 20 teach?

1) We need to consider some rules of interpretation.

a. First, we need to ask ourselves what this meant to those to whom it was originally written.

a) What were their circumstances?

b) How would this comfort those Christians?

b. Second, one doesn’t understand something that is literal in terms of the figurative, but one understands the figurative in terms of the literal and this is a figurative passage.

c. Third, we need to consider the context of the passage.

a) In Revelation there are four great enemies.

A. The dragon.

B. The false prophet.

C. The beast.

D. The great harlot.

b) In chapter 19 we see the defeat of …

A. The harlot (Revelation 19:2).

B. The beast and the false prophet (Revelation 19:20).

c) Now in chapter 20 we see the defeat of the dragon.

2) What does the text say?

a. An angel comes with a key and a chain.

b. He binds the dragon with the chain.

c. He casts him into the pit and seals the door.

d. Why? So that he can no longer deceive the nations.

e. The word “nations” here is the word which is normally translated “Gentiles.”

f. Those who were martyred and those who didn’t worship the beast reign with Christ 1000 years.

g. This is the first resurrection.

h. Again, the 1000 years is the reign of the saints, not of Christ.

i.   The rest of the dead don’t live until the 1000 years are finished.

j. Then Satan is loosed for a short time.

k. Why? To deceive the nations/Gentiles.

l. Satan’s influence brings the nations/Gentiles into conflict with the saints and the beloved city, Jerusalem.

m. But instead of completely annihilating the saints, fire from heaven destroys the nations and they, along with Satan, are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.

3) Now, what is a plausible explanation?

a. The angel represents the messengers of the gospel (angel means messenger).

b. The key and the chain represent the gospel and it’s power to bind Satan (see Acts 26:18).

c. Satan is bound by the message of the gospel and Satan can’t break nor escape the gospel (Hebrews 2:14).

d. The pit and the seal indicate that the gospel has been believed by many and defeated Satan for a time.

e. And so Satan no longer deceives the nations/Gentiles as they now have the gospel.

f. In this period of time, it is those who believed, preached and taught and died for the gospel that reign with Christ for a long period of time (a figurative thousand years). (2 Timothy 2:12).

g. The first resurrection seemingly refers to Christian baptism (see Romans 6).

h. After the long period of time, Satan is loosed because people stop many Gentiles stop believing the gospel.

i. DURING THIS TIME, THE GENTILES RISE UP TO FIGHT AGAINST THE SAINTS AND THE JERUSALEM, WHICH IS THE CHURCH (SEE HEBREWS 12:22).

j. Just as it seems that Satan is about to defeat the saints and the church, Jesus returns, destroys them with fire (see 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9) and sends them to the lake of fire.

k. Satan is ultimately defeated and the church lives gloriously with Christ throughout all eternity.