The millennium is the 1,000-year reign of Christ on earth, the promised kingdom of God that will never be destroyed.
Revelation adds a time element to the kingdom that the Old Testament promised without a specific duration. Les Feldick explains that this thousand-year reign is limited, but the same kingdom economy continues into eternity on the new earth and new heaven. Thus the millennium is an introduction to the eternal kingdom.
Daniel 2:44 — Promises the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed — the kingdom the millennium fulfills.
Revelation 20:6 — The first explicit statement that believers reign with Christ for a thousand years, giving the kingdom its millennial duration.
The Bible first promises this kingdom in Daniel 2:44: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." In Revelation 20, the time element appears. Revelation 20:2 says Satan is bound for a thousand years, and Revelation 20:6 says, "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." After this period, Revelation 20:7 says, "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison." The Bible therefore joins the eternal kingdom promise of Daniel with the time-specific reign in Revelation. The millennial kingdom is the earthly expression of the kingdom that, in its final form, stands forever.
Les Feldick explains that the millennium is the thousand years of rule and reign that Revelation adds to the kingdom God promised all along in the Old Testament. He points out that no Old Testament passage gives a time frame for the kingdom — that comes only in Revelation 20, which is why we call it the millennium. The thousand-year reign is not a contradiction of the kingdom's "forever" language; rather, it is an introduction into the eternal. Les emphasizes that the thousand-year reign is limited in time. At its end, God will bring great turmoil through His providence, and Satan will be loosed for a little season. According to Les, the millennium becomes the seventh period of testing for the human race, as new generations arise and are given the opportunity to respond to God. After that, when the new heaven and new earth appear, the same kingdom economy seen in the millennium continues into eternity — with nations again and Christ ruling and reigning, likely from the New Jerusalem. Les also distinguishes his pre-millennial position — that Christ returns before the earthly kingdom is established — from amillennialism, which denies any earthly thousand-year kingdom and any return of Christ to set one up. He is clear that Scripture presents a real, literal, future kingdom on earth.
Revelation 20 is the one place Scripture explicitly gives the kingdom a thousand-year duration. Daniel 2:44 speaks of an eternal kingdom without a time frame, and Les observes that no Old Testament writer attaches a specific number of years to it. Revelation 20:2 and 20:6 give the thousand-year figure, and Revelation 20:7 says Satan will be loosed after the thousand years are finished. This is why the period is called the millennium.
Les teaches that the millennium is a limited, thousand-year phase of the eternal kingdom. It will be interrupted by turmoil and Satan's final rebellion, but it will not be destroyed. When the new heaven and new earth appear, the same kingdom circumstances return for eternity — Christ ruling and reigning, with nations present. Les says the thousand-year reign is an introduction into the eternal, so there is no contradiction between Revelation's thousand years and the Old Testament's "forever."
Les explains that Satan must be loosed for a little season after the millennium so the new generations born during that kingdom economy can be tested. He calls the millennium the seventh period of testing in human history. The perfect reign of Christ does not abolish the need for testing; it sets the stage for a final test that ends with Satan deceiving the nations in the four quarters of the earth.
Les connects the millennium to Christ's second coming by explaining that pre-millennial means Christ returns before the thousand-year kingdom is established on earth. He contrasts this with amillennialism, which says there is no earthly kingdom and no thousand years. Les affirms the pre-millennial, pre-tribulational position: the church is raptured before the tribulation, and Christ returns to set up the kingdom.
Context Before the Kingdom
Les sets the stage for the kingdom by describing the seven-year reign of the Antichrist and affirming God's sovereign control over all of history.
The 1,000-Year Reign of Christ
Les shows that Revelation puts a thousand-year time element on the promised kingdom, giving us the term 'millennium,' and that the new heaven and new earth will have the same circumstances.
The Millennium Leads Into Eternity
Les teaches that after the millennial reign ends, eternity operates on the same basis as the kingdom, with Christ ruling from the New Jerusalem; the thousand years is a time of testing.
Why It Is Called the Millennium
Les explains that no Old Testament passage gives the promised kingdom a time frame; Revelation is the first to reveal the thousand years, making the millennium an introduction to the eternal.
A Limited Reign With an Eternal Continuation
Les affirms the thousand-year reign is limited, but the same kingdom economy continues into eternity; he also says heaven is not a ghostly, inactive existence.
The Seventh Period of Testing
Les teaches that Satan is bound until the thousand years are fulfilled, then loosed for a little season to test the new generations; the millennium is the seventh testing period.
First Mention of the Thousand Years
Les emphasizes that Revelation 20 is the first time Scripture gives the delineated thousand years, and after it is fulfilled Satan must be loosed to deceive the nations.
Pre-Millennial vs. Amillennial
Les explains that pre-millennial means Christ returns before the earthly kingdom, while amillennialism is the view that there is no such earthly kingdom.
Daniel 2:44: And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
This is the foundational promise of God's eternal kingdom, which the millennium fulfills in its thousand-year aspect.
Revelation 20:2: And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
This shows that Satan is imprisoned for the entire thousand-year period of Christ's reign.
Revelation 20:6: Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
This is the clearest statement that believers reign with Christ for a thousand years, giving the millennium its name.
Revelation 20:7: And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
This marks the end of the millennium and the beginning of Satan's final deception.
Yes. Les Feldick takes the Scripture literally when it says a thousand years. Revelation 20 sets a specific time element on Christ's reign, and Les says the thousand-year reign is limited in time.
The specific thousand-year period ends, but Les teaches that the same kingdom economy continues into eternity on the new earth and new heaven. The kingdom is interrupted but never destroyed, so in essence it continues forever.
Les explains that the loosing of Satan gives the generations born during the kingdom a final test. He calls the millennium the seventh period of testing for the human race.
Amillennialism is the view that there is no earthly thousand-year kingdom and no return of Christ to set up an earthly kingdom. The 'a' prefix means 'no' or 'without.' Les rejects this view and emphasizes Christ's pre-millennial return.
Watch the Teaching: Daniel's Four Beasts and the Revived Roman Empire Explained