he term Amillennialist identifies Christians who believe that the thousand year reign spoken of in Revelation chapter 20, is the reign of Christ's Kingdom that was instituted by His death and resurrection. The word millennium is from the Latin words [mille], meaning thousand, and [annum], meaning years. The article "a" in Latin is a negation of the word following it, thus a-millennial literally means "no millennium," or no thousand years. The word is actually a misnomer because Amillennialists do in fact believe in the millennial (1000 year) reign of Christ as prophesied in scripture. But they believe that it is not to be understood as a worldly reign of Christ on this earth. Rather they believe that the saints reign on earth as ambassadors of a spiritual Kingdom situated above (Ephesians 2:6). They hold that the kingdom of God is not carnal or a worldly kingdom, but spiritual and is now being extended throughout the world through the preaching of the gospel of Christ (Luke 9:60).

"The kingdom of God cometh not by observation" -Luke 17:20.

Amillennialists "generally" do not believe in a special future salvation plan for Israel, but rather that Israel is saved the same as any other nation. By the faithful promises to the Seed, Christ. Their doctrine is not a teaching that the people of Israel have been cast off, but rather that by Israel's fall, the Gentiles have been included among the Jews in God's Covenantal promises. They do not believe that Christ will have an future earth bound kingdom, but that Christ has already established an everlasting kingdom (Colossians 1:13) and that He is presently ruling in that kingdom. This doctrine follows scripture declaring the saints have a kingdom, and reject any eschatology that an earthly reign can fulfill the prophesy of an everlasting reign, as required by scripture.

Amillennialists teach that Christ's kingdom is not of this earth where it comes by observation, but is of a far superior spiritual principality. A Kingdom from above, and not below.

Colossians 3:1-2

• "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek these things which are from above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
• set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."

Though their detractors claim Amillennialist do not take Old Testament and New Testament scriptures literally, the truth is that they take scripture both literally and figuratively, depending upon warrant and context. Their argument is that the law is being fulfilled literally in Christ, not in Old Testament shadows, figures and types that merely looked forward to Christ. i.e., the prophesy of the coming of Elijah before Christ was fulfilled literally in John the Baptist coming in the Spirit of Elijah. And that the prophesied Temple rebuilding is not of an earthly temple in the middle east, but spoke of the temple being rebuilt by the stones of the Church, with Christ being the Chief corner stone of that Temple building.

The Amillennialist high point is their claim to support their doctrines with plain scripture, as opposed to using "interpretations of" scripture that is so prevalent in other millennial positions. Amillennialism was the predominant historical Reformation Church Eschatological position.