Mealy, J. Webb: After the Thousand Years: Resurrection and Judgment in Revelation 20. (JSNT.SS 70). Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1992. 273 pp.

Mealy’s study is the first monograph on Revelation 20 since Bietenhard’s from 1955. Mealy argues in favour of a premillennial position, even though he, at first, seems to present arguments that to me (and, indeed, him) rather supports an atemporal millennialism.

Mealy proposes several new readings and points to some very important prima facie arguments which have not been recognised before Mealy.

Mealy’s study was a very important inspiration for my article on ‘the thousand years.’

Reviews (kindly provided by dr. Mealy)

• Georg S. Adamsen, Revelation Resources [this page]
• Gregory K. Beale, “Review Article: J. W. Mealy After the Thousand Years,” in: Evangelical Quarterly 66 (1994): 229-49
• Ian Boxall, in: Biblical Interpretation: A Journal of Contemporary Approaches 1/2 (1993): 250
• John M. Court, in: Journal of Theological Studies 44/1 (April 1993): 488
• Charles E. Hill, in: Journal of Biblical Literature 14/1 (Spring 1995): 169-72
• Martin Karrer, in: Theologische Literaturzeitung 118/10 (1993): cols. 836-38
• Russell Morton, in: Catholic Biblical Quarterly 55 (1993): 595-96
• Steve Moyise, in: Anvil 10/2 (1993): 164.
• Mathias Rissi, in: Interpretation (Jan. 1994): 102-103
• D.S. Russell, in: Expository Times 104/5 (February 1993): (155-)156
• John Sweet, in: Theological Book Review 6/1 (October 1993): 20.

See also the abstracts in New Testament Abstracts 38/2 (1994), 307; Theology Digest 40/2 (Summer 1993), 174.

Introduction

The interpretation of the ‘thousand-year’ text in Revelation 20:1-10 (more precisely in verses 2-7) has lead to a flood of literature on this topic. The various views exist in many different versions, and there is hardly two substantial works that agree on all aspects. This ‘thousand-year’ problem is part of the larger issue of eschatology.

A number of issues are involved. The first is whether Christ comes before (pre-) or after (post-) “the thousand years,” i.e. the millennium. Recently, however, a certain type of postmillennialism has been designated amillennialism (‘without-millennium’), not because it rejects any “millennial reign,” but because it rejects the premillennial view. Postmillennialism is now reserved as a term for a specific type of postmillennialism.

As it is clear from the preceding explanation, another issue is how to understand the character of the reign. Premillennialism asserts that Christ will return invisibly and establish his reign either directly or indirectly. The conversion of the Jews play a major role for the adherents of premillennialism. Many believe that the invisible (first) return of Christ will be announced by a number of signs. Postmillennialism believes that the world will be increasinly influenced by Christian values, which will bring peace, righteousness and prosperity. Amillennialism argues that the millennial reign is the age of the church. It will be terminated by the (visible) return of Christ and the judgment of the world. Until the very second coming of Christ believers and unbelievers will live together on the earth.

Descriptions

Amillennialism is the view that the “thousand-year” period is a symbol for the age of the church and that Christ has bound Satan. It might, perhaps, be more precisely termed realised millennialism. The term is relatively recent (cf. “Van Deventer, Amillennial History“).

Atemporal amillennialism is the view that the ‘thousand-year’ period is hardly any period, but a symbolic term describing the period between the beginning and the end of the judgment, a period which does not really have any length.

Premillennialism, which is also called chiliasm or millennarianism, teaches that Christ will come at the beginning of the thousand-year period which lasts until the last judgment. There are a number of subdivisions. Dispensational Premillennialism, which was unknown until the 19th century, seems to be far more popular than historic premillenialism.

Postmillennialism teaches that the thousand-year period is still future (as do the premillennialists), but that Christ will come at the end of this period that is often viewed in very positive terms. Earlier, the term was used with reference to what is now called amillennialism.

Introductions

For an overview, see Bock (ed.), Three Views on the Millennium.

The following works provide general introductions to the problem of interpreting Revelation: Clouse, Four Views; Erickson, Contemporary Options.

See also “The ‘End Times”, a booklet that presents the topic from a Lutheran perspective of doctrine.

Theses

• Bietenhard, Das tausendjährige Reich
• Mealy, After the Thousand Years
• Bauer, Messiasreich

Updated: July 20th, 2008

Synnes, Martin. “Kommer det et tusenårsrike? Joh åp 20,4-6 som akilleshæl i bibeltolkningen” i Tidsskrift for Teologi og Kirke 73 (2002): 3-17.

I denne artikel argumenterer tidligere førsteamanuensis Martin Synnes for, at tolkningen af Åb 20,4-6 må basere sig på to præmisser. For det første Jesu genkomst i 19,11ff og for det andet den endelige sejr over de dæmoniske magter (20,7f).

Det ville derfor være mere korrekt at kalde 20,4-6 for “den første opstandelse – martyrernes rehabilitering”. Der er tale om en reel begyndelse på den nye verden (Åb 21f).

Synnes anfører følgeligt, at nogle nok vil mene, at tusindårsriget helt forsvinder i hans tolkning. Dette er berettiget, for så vidt Synnes argumenterer for, at millenniet tilhører den nye verden.

Synnes’ tolkning kan ikke karakteriseres som atemporal amillennialisme, eftersom han faktisk (ligesom Krodel) lader millenniet have en udstrækning. Men man kan heller ikke kalde tolkningen for præmillennialistisk.

Læs artiklen og vurdér selv!

Se also:

• Synnes, Martin. ““Den første oppstandelse”: Fortolkning til Johs. Åp. 20, 4-6 (Det messianske tusenårsriket)” (The First Resurrection: Interpretation of Rev 20:4-6 [the Messianic Millennium]). Pages 79-95 in For jøde først: Bibelens profetier om Israel og folkene. Edited by Ragnvald Ask. Oslo: Luther Forlag, 1977.
• Synnes, Martin. “Johannes Åpenbaring: Et profetisk-apokalyptisk skrift i Det nye Testamente.” In: Fremtiden i Guds hender. Edited by Collegium Judaicum. Oslo, 1978, pp. 156-204.

Adamsen, Georg S. Parousia and Paraenesis: The Parousia Motif and Its Paraenetic Use in the Book of the Revelation. Dr.theol. thesis, Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology, Oslo (Det teologiske Menighetsfakultetet, Oslo), 2001/2002.

The Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology in Oslo, Norway, (http://www.mf.no) has accepted the 369 page dissertation Parousia and Paraenesis: The Parousia Motif and Its Paraenetic Use in the Book of Revelation by cand.theol. Georg S. Adamsen, The Lutheran School of Theology in Aarhus, Denmark, (http://www.teologi.dk) for public defence for the degree Doctor Theologiae (dr.theol.). The defence took place at Saturday, June 8th, 2002 at 10:15 am.

The official opponents were Professor, teol.dr. David Hellholm, University of Oslo, and Reader, teol.dr. Håkan Ulfgard, University of Linköping, Sweden. The third member of the committee was Professor, dr.theol. Hans Kvalbein, NLST. Professor Hellholm served as chair of the committee.

The degree of Dr.theol. was awarded June 14th, 2002.

The submitted dissertation consists of Five Parts.

Part I contains four introductory chapters which argue that the topic parousia and paraenesis merits a specialised study (Chapter 1), preliminarily define important concepts and terms such as parousia and paraenesis (Chapter 2), discuss the role of the OT (Chapter 3) and the methods and procedures (Chapter 4) in this study.

Part II presents a preliminary study of the narrative character, structure and setting of Revelation (Chapter 5), outlines the conceptual OT background for the portrayal of the parousia in Revelation, i.e. the OT imagery of theophany, divine warfare and judgment, the Day of the Lord, and some other concomitant motifs (Chapter 6), and closes with some concluding remarks (Chapter 7).

Part III analyses the parousia motif in the pro- and epilogue (Chapter 8), in the first vision in Revelation 1:9–3:22 (Chapter 9), and in the second vision in Revelation 4:1–22:5 (Chapter 10). The author argues that the whole prologue and the entire epilogue (apart from the very last verse) concern the parousia and reveal that the main theme of the two visions is the parousia. The analyses make clear that the parousia is not only conceived of as a martial and judicial coming, i.e. as a divine judgment warfare epiphany, but also as the coming of the bridegroom. The aim of Chapter 9 and Chapter 10 is to substantiate that the two main visions of Revelation concern the parousia of (primarily) God and Christ by applying the parousia concept developed in the preceding chapters of the dissertation. Thus, Chapter 9 argues that the texts which in the first vision (Rev 1:9–3:22) refer to the coming of Christ concern the parousia. Chapter 10 endeavours to demonstrate that an outline of a parousian interpretation of the second vision (Rev 4:1–22:5) can plausibly be provided. The author therefore concludes that the parousia is the main theme of Revelation and the most important issue (Chapter 13).

Part IV (Chapter 12) deals with the paraenetic use of the parousia motif. The author argues that there is a paraenetic use of the parousia motif and that the paraenesis is directly related to the parousia and the parousian Son of Man, not to a non-parousian martyrdom. The problem which the paraenesis addresses is that many of the churches are no longer properly prepared for the parousia. They therefore need to repent in order to prevent the Son of Man’s coming as a warrior-judge and ensure that that he will come as their bridegroom. The churches who do not need to repent are urged to remain faithful so that they will not loose the salvific relationship they already have with Christ and, in consequence, suffer the eternal judgment plagues instead of the temporary defeat by Satan and his helpers followed by the resurrection. Thus, the aim of the paraenesis is to urge the churches to be and remain appropriately prepared for the coming of Christ which results in either defeat and judgment or wedding and salvation, depending on people’s relationship to Christ. The paraenetic exhortations in the first vision are supported by the second vision in general and a number of specific passages in particular, and they are strongly reinforced by the epilogue in that it explicitly urges all individual listeners to call for the parousia.

Part V (Chapter 13) garners the conclusions of the whole thesis and concludes that the parousia is not only an important theme, but the central main theme (Part III) as well as the focus of the paraenesis of Revelation (Part IV), which is also indicated by the peculiar double opening of the prologue. Thus, the theme and function of Revelation are brilliantly integrated with its structure, or form. The few pertinent studies of this theme and in particular those studies who have dealt with various aspects of the parousia concept, outlined a path to a new understanding of Revelation (Part I, Chapter 3). The starting point was a combination of the analysis of the narrative structure of Revelation and the Old Testament portrayal of the Day of the Lord and the divine warfare which will take place on this day (Part II). The longer part of the journey was then an analysis of the theme of Revelation on this basis (Part III), while the shorter part (Part IV) surveyed the texts once more in order to determine how the theme was used paraenetically. The author believes that this is a substantial contribution to the determination and understanding of Revelation’s main theme and the paraenetic use thereof.

For a Danish summary, see http://www.mf.no/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39.

Revelation mailing list: Dissertation Abstracts 6.002: Georg S. Adamsen: Parousia and Paraenesis: The Parousia Motif and Its Paraenetic Use in the Book of the Revelation
Date of original posting on Revelation mailing list: May 9th, 2002

Adamsen, Georg S. “‘De tusinde år’: Et essay om den kronologiske udstrækning af ‘de tusinde år’ i Åb 20,2-7″ (‘The Thousand Years’: An Essay About the Chronological Duration of the Thousand Years in Ap 20:2-7). Ichthys 25, no. 2 (1998) 67-83.

Adamsen concedes that the millennial interpretation is right in its insistence that Rev 20:1-10 must be understood as a yet future event and that the amillennial interpretation is correct that there cannot be a thousand-year interval between the parousia and the judgment. He therefore argues that the thousand year period is a atemporal, symbolic term for the resurrection of all Christians on the Day of the judgment.

Kjær, Torben. “Responsum [to Adamsen's article above].” Ichthys 25 (1998) 129-32.
Adamsen, Georg S. “Replik til Torben Kjærs responsum.” Ichthys 25 (1988) 133-5.

These two items are short discussions of Adamsen’s major article on Rev 20.

All the articles are in Danish. Here follows an extended Danish presentation.

Med udgangspunkt i de problemer, som såvel præmillennialismen som amillennialismen rejser, i J. Webb Mealys og R. Fowler Whites analyser af Åb 20 og i narrativ teori diskuteres den krono-logiske udstrækning af ‘de tusinde år’ i Åb 20,2-7 gennem en analyse af såvel temporale termer (kairos, chronos, hora, hemera) som temaer (parusien i 1,7; plagerne, polemos ['krig']) med krono-logiske implikationer.

Herefter analyseres rækkefølgen af begivenhederne i tre forskellige tekster (6,12–7,17; 19,17–20,10 og 20,4.11).

Det påvises, at teorien om en kronologisk progression i Åb 19,11–21,8 ikke kan opretholdes. Konklusionen er, at begivenhederne i Åb 19,11–21,8 og dermed også ‘de tusinde år’ finder sted indenfor dommedagen, og at ‘de tusinde år’ er tiden for de troendes eskatologiske opstandelse.

Artiklen diskuteres i de ovenfor nævnte artikler af Kjær og Adamsen.