Revelation 20:4, 1000 years:
A few days ago, I was watching Television when a pastor that I had watched several times in the past, was speaking on Revelation 20, concerning the 1000 year reign of Christ. He quoted from,
Revelation 20:4-5-7, “those who had not received the mark of the beast in the 7 years of tribulation, Lived (raised from the dead) and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
Verse 7, “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.”
This pastor claims that 1000 years is not to be taken literally, but a stretched-out period of time which is not definite. I was surprised and taken back by his comments! It brought to mind, how one bad teaching can spread to other doctrines, as would a plague. This twisting of numbers when it comes to days or years usually begins in Genesis 1:1, concerning the six days of creation.
The Bible said, “In six days God created the heaven and the earth. This is the Hebrew interpretation in all languages.
Now, concerning the word “day,” in Genesis 1, in the Hebrew: The Jews were very particular in defining time. Day can be an indefinite period, and can also be one literal day that is reckoned from sunset to sunset, 24 hr. What distinguishes one from the other, is when the adjectives “one, two, three etc.,” is connected to the substantive, “Day,” then the time is certain. This rule also applies to months, and years. So when we say ‘One thousand years,” that’s exactly what it means.
There are 9 Greek words for thousand, (1000.) Each Greek word represents a specified number.
Example,
Greek dischilio, means two thousand.
Greek trischilioi, meaning three thousand.
Greek tetrakischilios, means, four times one thousand, as four thousand.
Greek pentakischiloi, means five thousand; five times one thousand,
The word we are speaking of in Rev.20:4, is the Greek, chilias. It means one (1) thousand in number. How the word is used in other verses of Scripture,
2 Peter 3:8, “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
Revelation 11:3, “A thousand two hundred and threescore days.”
Revelation 12:6, “The woman fled — a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”
Revelation 14:20, “A thousand and six hundred furlongs.”
Revelation 20:2-3-4-5-6-7, “A thousand years expired.” Septuagint, for Hebrew, Genesis 20:16.”A thousand pieces of silver.” Exodus 38:25, “A thousand seven hundred.”
Now if anyone who thinks 1000 years in Revelation 20:4, does not mean a specific number of years, please explain.
Someone wrote to me and disagreed with the above. They claimed that a “Thousand,” does not mean a literal thousand, so let’s look again at the word again in Revelation 20:4.
Greek is, chilioi, is one Thousand. It’s a number in the Greek, and is used as an adjective. The Hebrew is eleph. In Hebrew it is also used as the NUMBER one thousand. When translated over to the N.T. Greek, the Septuagint for Hebrew eleph, is, “chilioi, the number, “One thousand.”
If the Lord wanted to use another word not meaning a thousand, He could have used the Greek murioi, (thousands) meaning, very many, innumerable. In N.T. only plural, ten thousand, or in the O.T. Hebrew, Esther 3:9, “Ten thousand,” or in, 1 Chronicles 29:7. Put in English for any indefinitely large number,
Or, He could have used the Greek murias. A myriad, as in ten thousand,
Acts 19:19, “Fifty thousand pieces of silver.”
Septuagint for Hebrew, found in Ezra, “Forty and two thousand.” or in, Nehemiah 7:66. Deuteronomy 33:17, “Ten thousand.” Leviticus 26:8. Put in English for any indefinitely large number.
Luke 12:1, “An innumerable multitude of people.
Also, in Acts 21:20. Hebrews 12:22, “Innumerable company.” Jude 14, “Ten thousand.” Revelation 5:11, 9:16. Septuagint and Hebrew, “Thousands of millions,” Genesis 24:60 and 1 Samuel 21:11.
So again to overthrow the words in both the Old and New Testament is to do a great injustice to the meaning of the passage in Revelation 20:4-5.
Also in Revelation 20:5, it reads, “But the rest of the dead lived not again UNTIL the thousand years were finished.”
Until is a word of time, specifying when a particular future event will follow a past event.
Revelation 20:7, “When the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.”
The word “when” is a reference to a future action, or time! I believe the evidence is there. If you still disagree with it, you had better take it up with God, and tell Him why you think he used the wrong word.
Phillip LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com