Tuesday 7 August 2007

The Millennium

The Millennium

(Revelation 20:1-10) is described as a period of a thousand years during which Satan is bound and the resurrected saints reign with Christ before the final judgment. There is no other clear mention of the millennium in the Bible. The nature of the millennium is a subject of great debate within Christianity, and beliefs about it fall into several categories:

· Amillennialism views the millennium as a symbol of the present age where the Church carries on Christ's work and the binding of Satan was accomplished by Jesus in the past.

· Postmillennialism views the millennium as a future period during which the gospel message will eliminate evil from the world and Christ will rule spiritually for a thousand years before before the Second Coming.

· Premillennialism views the millennium as a thousand year period between the Second Coming and the final judgment. Two subcategories of premillennialism can be identified:

o Historic premillennialism views the millennium as the next stage in advancement of the kingdom of God, coming after the present age of the Church and before the new heaven and earth.

o Dispensationalism views the millennium as a period during which the Old Testament promises to the nation of Israel will be fulfilled. In this view:

§ Establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 is evidence that the Second Coming is approaching.

§ The Rapture (see below) will occur before the Great Tribulation begins so that Christians will not have to face that time of suffering.

Revelation 20:1-10

1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3and threw him into the pit, and locked and sealed it over him, so that he would deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be let out for a little while. 4Then I saw thrones, and those seated on them were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand years. 7When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will come out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, in order to gather them for battle; they are as numerous as the sands of the sea. 9They marched up over the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from heaven and consumed them. 10And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

۱و دیدم فرشته‌ای از آسمان فرومی‌آید، و کلید هاویه با اوست، و زنجیری بزرگ در دست دارد.۲او اژدها را، آن مار کهن را، که همانا ابلیس یا شیطان است، گرفت و در بند کشید تا هزار سال در اسارت بماند۳و او را به هاویه درانداخت و در بر او قفل کرد و مُهر بر آن نهاد تا قومها را دیگر نفریبد تا آن هزاره سرآید. و پس از آن چندگاهی آزاد گردد.

۴و تختهایی دیدم که بر آنها کسانی نشسته بودند که حق داوری به آنان سپرده شده بود. و نفوس کسانی را دیدم که سرهاشان در راه شهادت در حق عیسی مسیح و در حق کلام خدا از تن جدا شده بود. اینان نه به پرستش آن وحش و تمثال او تن‌داده بودند و نه علامت او را بر پیشانی و بر دست خود پذیرفته بودند. اینان دوباره زنده شدند و با مسیح هزار سال سلطنت کردند.۵این رستاخیز اوّل است. و مردگانِ دیگر زنده نشدند تا آن هزاره سرآید.۶خجسته بمانند و مقدّس همۀ آنان که در رستاخیز اوّل شرکت دارند. مرگ دوّم بر آنان هیچ قدرت ندارد بلکه در سِلک کاهنان خدا و مسیح خواهند ماند و با او هزار سال سلطنت خواهند کرد.


۷آنگاه که آن هزاره سرآید، شیطان از زندان رها خواهد شد و۸در پی فریب قومها به چهارگوشۀ زمین - به یأجوج و مأجوج که به شماره چونان شنهای کنار دریا هستند - خواهد رفت تا آنان را برای نبرد گرد هم آورد.۹اینان بر پهنۀ زمین پیش رفتند و اردوگاه مقدّسان، یعنی شهر محبوب خدا را محاصره کردند. امّا آتش از آسمان فرود آمد و آنان را فروخورد.۱۰و ابلیس، که آنان را فریب داده بود، به دریاچۀ آتش و گوگرد افکنده شد، جایی که آن وحش و نبی کذّاب افکنده شده بودند. اینان روز و شب تا ابد عذاب خواهند کشید.


مکاشفه یوحنا 20: 1-10



The Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17) refers to the departure of faithful Christians (the Church) to meet the Lord in the air. There are three theories about when the Rapture will occur:

· Pre-tribulational rapture: When John ascends to heaven (Revelation 4:1-2)

· Mid-tribulational rapture: When the two prophets ascend to heaven (Revelation 11:11-12)

· Post-tribulational rapture: At the end of the seven bowls (Revelation 16:17-21)

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.

ای برادران، نمی‌خواهیم از حال خفتگان بی‌خبر باشید، مبادا همچون دیگر مردمان که امیدی ندارند، به ماتم بنشینید.۱۴زیرا اگر ایمان داریم که عیسی مرد و باز زنده شد، پس به همینسان خدا آنان را نیز که در عیسی خفته‌اند، با وی باز‌خواهد آورد.۱۵این را به‌واسطۀ کلام خودِ خداوند به شما می‌گوییم: کسانی از ما که هنوز زنده‌اند و تا آمدن خداوند باقی می‌مانند، به‌یقین از خفتگان پیشی نخواهند گرفت.۱۶زیرا خداوند، خود با فرمانی بلندآواز و آوای رئیس فرشتگان و نفیر شیپور خدا، از آسمان فرود خواهد آمد. آنگاه نخست مردگانِ در مسیح، زنده خواهند شد.۱۷پس از آن، ما که هنوز زنده و باقی مانده‌ایم، با آنها در ابرها ربوده خواهیم شد تا خداوند را در هوا ملاقات کنیم، و بدینگونه همیشه با خداوند خواهیم بود

اول تسالونیکیان 4: 13-17


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