TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I. FROM THE BEGINNING TO A. D. 373

[CD-ROM Editor’s Note: The Part heading is inserted from the content listing.]

The word millennium simply means a thousand years. In this sense, the world has seen five millenniums, and above eight tenths of the sixth. Tradition, by an erroneous chronology, has long regarded the seventh as near, and has expected it to bear such a relation to the previous six millenniums, as the Sabbath of rest bears to the six days of labor in the week; ^{1See Barnabas, quoted below.} but it is not to be followed by another six of labor: it is to be an eternal rest, in holy bliss, for the chosen people and faithful. ^{2Hebrews 4:5, 9.} The time is definitely a thousand years; but it has ever been, and now is, more generally received, in an indefinite sense, for a longer period; nobody can tell how long, but as probably three hundred and sixty thousand years, as one thousand.HDM 1.1

In this common sense I chiefly use the word millennium, to designate a period of heavenly bliss, commencing in the conclusion of this world, and running into eternity with unknown limits; a period of which all prophets have prophesied, ^{3Acts 3:21. Revelation 19:10.} and poets have sung; ^{4Hesiod, David, Virgil, Milton, Cowper, Heber, Pollok.} the golden age and restitution of all things, for which creation longs with outstretched neck in earnest expectation, ^{6St Jerome says of these words, they ask “for the kingdom of the whole world, that Satan may cease to reign in the world.” St. Chrysostom interprets them of the groaning, Romans 8:21; St. Cyprian of the coming and kingdom of our Lord in the end of the world. So the Assembly’s and Ed. Sixth’s Catechisms.} and we ourselves groan within ourselves, constantly praying, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, as in heaven so in the earth.” It is the resurrection of the dead, in angelic natures, to inherit the promised land in the new earth forever and ever. ^{1This view of the course of time in six days of a thousand years appears not to have been confined to Jews. The Chaldeans, according to Plutarch, believed in a struggle between good and evil for the space of six thousand years; “and then Hades is to cease, and men are to be happy, neither wanting food, nor making shade.” Zoroaster taught, that after six thousand years of suffering, men would be happy under one government, speaking one language. Plutarch assigns no reason for these opinions; but Daubuz, from whom I extract them, supposes they are of patriarchal origin. He adds: The Tuscans had an opinion, which the Persians still hold, that “God has appointed twelve thousand years to his works; the first six thousand were employed in creation; the other six are appointed for the duration of mankind.”
Mr. Mede, p. 535, informs us that the whole school of Cabbalists call the seventh millennium “the great day of judgment,” because then they think God will judge the souls of all men; and he quotes many of their Rabbis to show that they defined the day of judgment, “millennium,” or a thousand years, together with the resurrection and Messiah’s kingdom. For example, David Kimchi, on Isaiah 55:5, says, “The observance of the Sabbath is essential to the faith; for such only as observe the Sabbath confess that the earth will be renewed: because he who created it out of nothing will renew it.” As if he who observes the holy Sabbath testifies his faith in the great Sabbath, in which God will renew the world.
The learned Dr. Gill has some valuable citations on this point. On 2 Peter 3:8, he says, The Jews interpret days, millenniums; the seventh is the Sabbath, and the beginning of the world to come. On Revelation 20:4, The Rabbis say, The days of Messiah will be a thousand years. In these thousand God will renew his world, and then the righteous dead will be raised and die no more.
The following is in the name of St. Barnabas, the companion of St. Paul, and is of his age, whether the hand-writing be that of Barnabas, or another.
“In six thousand years (from creation) the Lord God will bring all things to an end; for with him one day is a thousand years, as himself testifieth, saying. Behold, this day shall be as a thousand years. Therefore, children, in six days, that is, in six thousand years, shall all things be accomplished. And what is that he saith, He rested the seventh day? He means this, that when his Son shall come, and abolish the season of the wicked one, and judge the ungodly, and shall change the sun and moon and stars; then he shall gloriously rest in the seventh day.”-Apoc. Test., Barn. xiii. 3.}HDM 1.2