Chapter 11 – Christ’s Ascension Began the Millennium

Having explored Jesus’ promise to return within His generation, the historical records of angelic armies on the clouds, and the likely fulfillment of the resurrection of the dead in 66 AD, it’s natural to turn our attention to the Millennium. This period, described in Revelation 20, is a source of much debate, symbolism, and mystery.

Understanding scripture often requires allowing it to interpret itself. While the Bible doesn’t explicitly mention a thousand-year reign of Christ elsewhere, clues within scripture can help us uncover more about this period. Significant events at the beginning of the Millennium include:

1. Satan is bound (Revelation 20:1-3).
2. Christ reigns supremely until His enemies are defeated (Revelation 20:6).
3. Martyrs who remain faithful to Jesus and refuse the mark of the beast are resurrected (Revelation 20:4).
4. These martyrs reign as priests with Christ (Revelation 20:6).

Revelation was a prophecy about the near future but also contained elements from John’s past:

Revelation 1:19 (BLB) Therefore write the things that you have seen, and the things that are, and the things that are about to take place after these.

John’s narrative includes events that had already occurred by the time of his writing, such as the birth of Jesus and the description of the woman and the dragon (Revelation 12) and the five fallen heads of the beast (Revelation 17:10). This implies that the Millennium might have begun before John wrote Revelation. Around Christ’s ascension into heaven, all the elements described at the start of the Millennium occurred:

1. Jesus bound Satan during His ministry (Matthew 12:28-29).
2. Christ initiated His supreme reign at God’s right hand until His enemies were defeated (1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 10:12-13).
3. Martyrs who remained faithful to Jesus and refused the mark of the beast were resurrected (Matthew 27:51-53).
4. The martyrs began to reign with Christ, and Christians were referred to as priests (Ephesians 4:8-10; 1 Peter 2:9-10).

Comparing scripture with scripture helps determine whether the Millennium began during Christ’s ministry and ascension.

1. Jesus Bound Satan

Jesus described how He had bound Satan during His ministry:

Matthew 12:28-29 (WEB) But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come upon you. Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house.

Jesus saw Satan fall from heaven and gave His disciples authority over demons (Luke 10:17-20). He said that when He went to the cross, “the ruler of this world will be cast out” (John 12:31-32). Jude states that demons were imprisoned and awaiting judgment after Christ’s ascension (Jude 6).

Satan’s Limits

During the Millennium, Satan was bound and unable to deceive the nations into waging war against Christianity (Revelation 20:3). However, he could still deceive individuals, as seen in his ability to blind the minds of unbelievers (Mark 4:15; 2 Corinthians 4:4). This suggests his limitations were specific and not all-encompassing, similar to his restrictions in the story of Job (Job 1:8-12).

Once released, Satan immediately pursues what he was restrained from doing: deceiving the nations to wage war against the saints (Revelation 20:7-9). This indicates his binding primarily prevented him from inciting large-scale conflict and persecution against Christians. For more information, see, “Chapter 20 – Gog and Magog.”

2. Christ Ascended to the Throne

Christ’s supreme reign began at His ascension and was ongoing during Paul’s ministry (1 Corinthians 15:25; Hebrews 1:3-4, 13; 2:8; 10:12-13; 1 Peter 3:21-22; Ephesians 1:20-23; Revelation 3:21).

Hebrews 10:12-13 (WEB) But he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from that time waiting until his enemies are made the footstool of his feet.

1 Corinthians 15:25 (WEB) For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.

Typically, God and Christ rule together. However, for a limited time, God allowed Christ to exclusively lead with the martyrs until His enemies were defeated. This period can be likened to Joseph’s authority under Pharaoh (Genesis 41:39-44), where Joseph exercised significant power, but under Pharaoh’s sovereignty.

1 Corinthians 15:28 (WEB) When all things have been subjected to him, then the Son will also himself be subjected to him who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all.

After this period of exclusive reign, Christ and God resume their joint rule (Revelation 11:15-17), with Christ having achieved complete victory over His enemies.

3. Martyrs Resurrected with Christ

The first resurrection occurred with Jesus’ resurrection and included righteous martyrs:

Matthew 27:51-53 (WEB) Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.

Scripture often describes the resurrection of the dead as a “harvest” (Matthew 13:37-43; Revelation 14:13-16). Just as the first fruits of a crop were offered to God before the full harvest, Jesus and the martyrs are considered the first fruits of the general resurrection (Acts 26:23; 1 Corinthians 15:20; Colossians 1:18; Leviticus 23:10-11).

Hosea points to this first resurrection when he prophesies about God reviving Israel on the third day. Jesus connected this prophecy to His own resurrection, but Hosea’s words suggest it involved many people, not just Jesus. Later in the chapter, Hosea says, “Also, Judah, there is a harvest appointed for you,” indicating a second resurrection for the remaining saints.

Hosea 6:2-3,11 (WEB) After two days he will revive us. On the third day he will raise us up, and we will live before him. 3 Let’s acknowledge Yahweh. Let’s press on to know Yahweh. As surely as the sun rises, Yahweh will appear. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the earth.”

… 11 Also, Judah, there is a harvest appointed for you, when I restore the fortunes of my people.

Beheaded for the Testimony of Jesus

At the beginning of the Millennium, martyrs who were beheaded for their testimony of Christ and the Word of God are said to come to life (Revelation 20:4). This prophecy also references the Old Testament saints who believed in Christ through the Scriptures and endured persecution for their faith. Jesus affirmed that the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms testify about him (Luke 24:44; John 5:39,46). These saints recognized Christ in the prophecies, believed in him, and, in many cases, suffered or even died for their faith.

Hebrews 11:26 (WEB) considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he [Moses] looked to the reward.

Hebrews 11:35 (WEB) Women received their dead by resurrection.1 Kings 17:17-23; 2 Kings 4:32-37 2 Kings 4:32-37 Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.

Matthew 23:29-32 (WEB) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.

Researcher Robert Cruickshank suggested that the tombs opened at Jesus’ resurrection were those of the martyred prophets.¹

Avoiding the Mark

The “beast” and its “mark” was not merely an end time tyrant, but a symbol for enemies of God’s people throughout the Old Testament.²

Revelation 17:8 (WEB) The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction.

Ezekiel 29:3 (WEB) Speak and say, ‘The Lord Yahweh says: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great monster that lies in the middle of his rivers

Jeremiah 51:34 (WEB) Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me. He has crushed me. He has made me an empty vessel. He has, like a monster, swallowed me up.

In Psalm 74, David prophetically calls for God’s help at a time of foreign occupation (likely the Jews exile to Babylon), reminding God that he had slain the Leviathan, or foreign persecutors, in their past (Psalm 74:14).

The mark of the beast symbolizes those who forsake their faith in Christ and choose to follow the beast, abandoning God’s laws. This concept is paralleled in the Old Testament, where faithful adherence to God’s commandments was marked by symbolic actions such as binding the law on one’s hand or forehead (Exodus 13:9; Deuteronomy 6:4-8).

In the New Testament, Christian Jews contrasted receiving the mark of the beast with serving God’s laws and maintaining their testimony about Christ (Revelation 14:11-12; 20:4). This indicates that the “mark” is a symbolic representation of allegiance and obedience, rather than a physical mark.

For a more thorough explanation, see “Chapter 18 – The Mark of the Beast”.

4. Martyrs Reigned with Christ

The martyrs ascended to heaven and reigned with Christ. Acts 1:9-11 describes Jesus ascending with a “cloud” (Greek: nephelé), a word that can also mean a dense crowd, as seen in Hebrews 12:1.³ This raises the possibility that Christ ascended with those resurrected in Matthew 27. Similarly, Ephesians 4:8-10 suggests that martyrs and captives of Hades ascended with Him.

Historical accounts support this view. Early church father Eusebius wrote:

Thus, too, His own body was raised up, and many bodies of the sleeping saints arose, and came together with Him into the holy and real City of Heaven, as rightly is said by the holy words: “Death has prevailed and swallowed men up”; and again: “The Lord God has taken away every tear from every face.”⁴

Other non-biblical writings, such as the Gospel of Nicodemus (Vol. 8, Chapter 1) and the Archko Volume, claim that thousands rose from the grave with Jesus and ascended into the clouds.⁵

Scripture further suggests that martyrs were already in heaven before the day of judgment. Hebrews 12:1, 22-24 refers to a “cloud of witnesses” and an “assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven,” possibly describing the martyrs’ presence in the heavenly realm. Revelation 4:4 depicts twenty-four elders wearing golden crowns and seated on thrones in heaven, symbolizing saints reigning with Christ. Revelation 6:9-11 shows martyrs in heaven, asking God when He will avenge their blood “on those who dwell on the earth.”

Christians were also referred to as priests (1 Peter 2:5, 9-10; Revelation 1:5-6; 5:10).

Seeing the martyrs wear crowns and sitting with Christ in the heavenly realm aligns perfectly with the idea of martyrs reigning alongside Him.

Addressing Questions

1. Are Christ and the martyrs expected to reign from heaven or earth during the Millennium?

   Christ reigns from heaven during the Millennium. Paul states that Christ returns at the end of the Millennium when all His enemies, including death, are defeated (1 Corinthians 15:23-26; 1 Corinthians 1:8). Peter confirms that Christ returns on the day the old heavens and earth are dissolved (2 Peter 3:10). The saints were also promised to reign with Christ in heaven (Matthew 19:28; John 18:36; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3; Ephesians 1:20; 2:6; 2 Timothy 4:18; Revelation 3:21; Daniel 4:26).

2. If Satan was cast down from heaven during Christ’s ministry, why were spiritual forces of wickedness still in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12)?

   Even after Satan was cast down during Christ’s ministry, the fallen angels or “elohim” remained active in the heavenly realms until the Great White Throne Judgment (Psalm 82:6-8). This suggests that while Satan’s direct access to heaven was restricted, other spiritual forces of wickedness continued their influence from the heavenly places. Their final judgment and ultimate defeat were reserved for the day of judgment. For a more thorough explanation, see “The Defeat of Satan.”

3. If the martyrs began to reign with Christ in heaven at the ascension, why does the Bible promise the saints will reign when Christ returns after the Millennium (Matthew 19:28; 25:31-34; 1 Corinthians 6:3; 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 2:10,26-28; 3:21; 5:10; 12:9-12; Daniel 7:18-27)?

   The martyrs reign exclusively with Christ during the Millennium (Revelation 20:6). All saints are promised to reign with Christ forever after the Millennium ends (Revelation 22:3-5; Daniel 7:18-27).

   Revelation 22:3-5 (WEB) There will be no curse any more. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no night, and they need no lamp light or sun light; for the Lord God will illuminate them. They will reign forever and ever.

4. If the first fruits refer to the martyrs raised with Christ, why did the apostles later describe themselves as the first fruits and firstborn among many brethren (James 1:12-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Revelation 14:4)?

   While the harvest metaphor sometimes describes the resurrection, it also represents spreading the gospel (Matthew 9:37-38; 25:24-25; John 4:35). Early Christians saw themselves as the initial believers in a kingdom that would grow eternally (Matthew 13:31-32). Notably, when “first fruits” refers to the resurrection, it explicitly mentions “of the dead,” and when it refers to people accepting the faith, it says “of many brethren.” Thus, they referred to themselves as “first fruits” and “firstborn” among many future generations of Christians.

Conclusion

When one realizes that Revelation is a narrative that includes John’s past, present, and future, he must consider whether the Millennium began in John’s past. Christ’s ascension fulfilled all the prophecy’s elements:

1. Satan was bound, restricting his ability to deceive nations into war.
2. Christ initiated His reign from heaven, awaiting the defeat of His enemies.
3. Martyrs who remained faithful to Jesus and refused the mark of the beast were resurrected.
4. These martyrs began to reign with Christ in heaven, as priests.

By comparing scripture with scripture, it becomes clear that the Millennium began with Christ’s ascension.

Footnotes