Central thesis: there will be no physical millennium; that Bible references to that period are spiritual only.
Amillennialism literally means, in the Greek, "no millennium"; though amillennialists do believe in a millennium.
Their millennium is a spiritual state, not a physical time or state on earth.
They deny a physical, literal reign of Christ on this present earth.
Benware, "Premillennial author John Walvoord has given a good and complet derfinition of amillennialism that is considered by amillennialists to be fair: "The most general character is that of denial of a literal reign of Christ upon the earth. Satan is conceived as bound at the first coming of Christ. The present age between the first and second comings is the fulfillment of the millennium. Its adherents are divided on whether the millennium is being fulfilled now on the earth (Augustine) or whether it is being fulfilled by the saints in heaven (Kliefoth). It may be summed up in the idea that there will be no more millennium than there is now, and that the eternal state immediately follows the second coming of Christ."
The view of the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and a significant part of Protestantism.
It is usually traced back to St. Augustine (AD 354-430). Prior to this time, for the church's first 300 years, the prevailing view was premillennialism; with Origen being the exception.
Benware, pg. 122, "Like Origen, Augustine had been educated in Greek philosophy and could not escape its influence, which is probably why he viewed premillennialism with suspicion, seeing it as a view that promoted a time of carnal enjoyment. Augustine was absolutely convinced that the 'chiliasts' (premillennialists) promoted an unspiritual time of fleshly excesses and that no spiritually minded person would follow such a view... He found Origen's allegorical method of interpretation a helpful tool in sidestepping the teachings of certain millennial passages."
Renald Showers in There Really Is a Difference!, (Bellmawr, N.J.: Friends of Israel, 1993), pg 133 wrote, "In his book The City of God, he (Augustine) became the first person to teach the idea that the organized Catholic (universal) Church is the Messianic Kingdom and that the millennium began with the first coming of Christ."
Benware, pg 121, "Origen (185-254) and other scholars in Alexandria were greatly influenced by Greek philosophy and attempted to integrate that philosophy with Christian theology. Included in Greek philosophy was the idea that those things that were material and physical were inherently evil. Influenced by this thinking, these Alexandrian scholars concluded that an earthly kingdom of Christ with its many physical blessings would be something evil."
There are two predominant amillennial viewpoints:
Millennial rule of Christ in Heaven.
The millennium is being fulfilled only in Heaven as Christ reigns over the glorified saints.
The millennium does not precede the second coming of Christ.
The millennium is about the blessed condition of the saints in heaven.
The millennium is not/never fulfilled on earth.
The Scriptures that describe the improved conditions on earth, Christ's reign over all nations and peoples worshipping Him, are spiritualized to refer to conditions in heaven.
Circa 19th century.
Millennial rule by the Church on earth.
The majority amillennial view; reflecting Augustine's theology.
The millennium is being fulfilled in the present age, on the earth, in the church.
Benware: Augustine believed that this spiritual millennium would end in AD 650.
This ongoing millennial kingdom began at Christ's first coming and ends upon Christ's return.
Christ is currently reigning in the hearts of believers plus over the souls in heaven.
The 1000 years of Revelation 20 is to be taken figuratively. The term "1000 years" figuratively means a complete period of time, the length of which is known only by God. (Ref. William Cox, Amillennialism Today (Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1980), pg 4.)
Christ's death and resurrection vanquished Satan, sin, and death; enabling the Kingdom of God to begin.
The Revelation 20 passage does not refer to the future but to the present. Millard J. Erickson, Contemporary Options in Eschatology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1977) pg 83, "The amillennialist generally sees Revelation as composed of several sections (usually seven), each of which recapitulates the events of the same period rather than describing the events of successive periods. Each deals with the same era -- the period between Christ's first and second coming -- picking up earlier themes, elaborating and developing them further. Revelation 20, then, does not speak of far-removed, future events, and the meaning of the thousand years is to be found in some past and/or present fact."
Satan already bound.
The binding of Satan described in Rev 20.1-3 occurred at Christ's first coming.
Satan was bound then and is bound now; until Christ's second coming to earth.
Amillennialist William Cox says this "binding" doesn't render Satan inactive, but limits his power so that he can no longer deceive the nations by keeping the gospel from them.
Andrew Hoekema agrees, "The latter term should rather be thought of as a figurative description of the way in which Satan's activities will be curbed during the thousand-year period... This does not imply that Satan can do no harm whatever while he is bound. It means only what John says here: while Satan is bound he cannot deceive the nations in such a way as to keep them from learning about the truth of God." (Ref Anthony Hoekema, *The Bible and the Future" *(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), pg 228)
The abyss of Rev 20.1-3 is interpreted figuratively as a description of the way Satan's activities will be curbed during the thousand-year period. (Ref Anthony Hoekema, "Amillennialism," in The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views, ed. R. Clouse (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1977), pg 161)
The two resurrections of Rev 20.4-6 describe a spiritual resurrection followed by a physical resurrection.
The first resurrection, of those martyred for their faith, is a spiritual resurrection; referring to the new birth of the believer.
Revelation 20 depicts the, "present reign of the souls of deceased believers with Christ in heaven." (Ref Anthony Hoekema, *The Bible and the Future" *(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982), pg 174)
The second resurrection is a physical resurrection, which occurs at the end of the millennial kingdom (which, since it ends at Christ's return, must occur then).
Christ's literal return.
Christ's second coming will be a literal return of the Lord to the earth.
The second coming is a single event; so there is no prior return of Christ for the saints at the rapture.
The rapture of all believers occurs at Christ's second coming. (me: caught up to where?)
A pessimistic view of the present age.
Belief that the world is growing worse and will be at its very worst when Christ returns. (Ref. William Cox, Amillennialism Today (Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1980), pg 5.)
The tribulation began when Satan was defeated at the cross and will continue until the return of Christ. (me: "bound Satan" is certainly active!)
The question, will the Church go through the tribulation, is moot since, (Benware) "The church has been through tribulation, is presently experiencing tribulation, and will continue to face tribulation until it reaches heaven."
Resurrection, judgment, and the eternal state.
At Christ's second coming there will be one general resurrection and one general judgment. Everyone, believer and unbeliever alike, will participate in both events.
After the judgement the final, eternal state will begin. Unbelievers will spend eternity in the lake of fire, and believers in glory on a new earth.
Criticisms of amillennialism
Incorrect Biblical interpretation
The dual system of hermeneutics used, in which the passages about the millennium are interpreted figuratively and other passages interpreted literally, is not suggested or allowed by Scripture
Walvoord, "Once spiritualization of prophecy is allowed it is very difficult to regulate."
Benware, "When an interpreter leaves literal interpretation, he also leaves the guidelines and restraints of history and grammar. There is truth to the idea that when one spiritualizes the Scriptures the interpreter becomes the final authority instead of Scripture itself."
A literal interpretation method invariably leads to the premillennial view.
The issue of the binding of Satan.
No Scripture states, implies, or authorizes the interpretation that Satan's "binding" means he cannot deceive the nations and deprive them of the gospel.
Rev 20 does not discuss Satan's present activity but his future confinement.
1 Jn 5.19 says that Satan's defeat at the cross did not then remove him from his place of authority on earth. Eph 6 describes a present warfare against the hierarchy of satanically led forces of evil.
The chronology of the beast and the false prophet being thrown into the lake of fire, never to return; and subsequently Satan being incarcerated in the abyss to return briefly at the end of the millennium reads logically and reasonably when using the written language in its normal way.
There is no Scriptural grammatical warrant for spiritualizing the abyss and considering it anything other than a place where Satan is incarcerated and rendered absent from the earth for the period of time specified.
Undermining the amillennial argument that "bound" Satan currently cannot deceive the nations nor deny them the gospel:
2 Cor 4.3-4 says Satan is currently able to blind the minds of unbelievers so that they will not believe the gospel.
In 1 Thess 2.18 Paul said Satan hindered him from returning to them to preach the Word.
In Ac 5.3 Satan prompted Ananias and Sapphira to lie.
Heb 2.8 says currently not everything is subject to Christ. He has not yet returned to exert that authority and power.
Satan's present activity is documented in Eph 2.1-3, 1 Tim 4.1, 2 Tim 2.24-26, 1 Jn 3.8-10.
The issue of the length of the millennium ("1000 years"). pg. 132-135