In his vision, John now sees another angel descending from heaven, seizing, chaining, and locking the dragon away in the pit for a thousand years. This is done, we are told, to keep the dragon from deceiving the nations for a particular period of time. In verses 4-6 John sees thrones and the souls of those murdered for the name of Christ brought to life in “the first resurrection” to reign with Christ during this same period of time.

Revelation chapter 20 is one of the most contested and challenging passages in the entire book. That is saying something considering how many challenging passages there are in Revelation. People have interpreted chapter 20 in ways that are hopelessly contradictory. This has led to very different views of history and the end times. How chapter 20 is interpreted has established very different theological traditions such as pre-millennialism, post-millennialism, and amillennialism. The popularizing of dispensational pre-millennialism in the 20th century has added further confusion.

The return of Jesus, the nature of his reign, the final judgment, and the inauguration of the new creation are all important matters and we should strive to properly understand what the Scriptures say about those matters. Doctrinal indifference is not a virtue. However, whether we understand Revelation 20 as teaching that the thousand year reign of Christ is symbolic of his current reign or something that has yet to occur is hardly worth breaking fellowship over. What we agree upon is that Christ is King, he is returning to judge the living and the dead, and he will take his beloved people home, there to live in his blessed presence.