The Second Coming of Jesus Christ: 3 Main Views of the Millennium
Curated insights from Armageddon Approaching by David Cooper
The three main views of the end times are amillennialism, postmillennialism, and premillennialism, and they differ over where the second coming of Jesus Christ falls relative to His thousand-year reign in Revelation 20. All three are readings of that same chapter, not disagreements over whether Christ’s Kingdom is coming.
The disagreement is narrower than it sounds. In Armageddon Approaching, Dr. David Cooper frames the dispute as a question about the Millennium’s nature, length, and purpose, not a question of whether Christ’s Kingdom is coming.
The one chapter behind every view of Christ’s return
The word millennium means a thousand years, and Scripture uses it in only one place: Revelation 20. Cooper notes that the same era carries other names in Scripture, including “the times of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21 NKJV) and “the age to come” (Hebrews 6:5 NKJV). John’s description is the text every view has to account for: martyrs who “came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4 NIV). Cooper adds that numbers in Revelation seldom function as bare numbers. They represent spiritual truths, and one thousand speaks of “a golden age, a completed time in which God fulfills His plan”. Every view of the end times is an attempt to read this chapter in the Bible, which is why the study begins here rather than with current headlines.
The 3 main views of the end times
Cooper gathers the positions under a section he titles “Three Views of the Kingdom,” and he opens it by naming the actual point of dispute: “Bible scholars hold different views about the nature, length, and purpose of the Millennium”.
1. Amillennialism
Amillennialism holds that there is no literal Kingdom age of Christ and that the reference to a thousand years in Revelation 20:1–6 is figurative, “descriptive of believers who have died and gone to heaven”. On this reading, the throne of Christ is His rule in heaven now, which believers share with Him. Cooper’s response is to hold up the promise of a bodily return. Against those who say Jesus will not literally come back, he points to Hebrews 9:28: Christ “will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” (NIV).
2. Postmillennialism
Postmillennialism is the view that the world will eventually be transformed into a Christian culture by the influence of the Church, and that Jesus returns once the world has been straightened out. Cooper raises two objections. If the view is correct, he writes, “we are a long way from Jesus’ return, because the world is getting worse by the day.” And more fundamentally: “we cannot have the Kingdom without the King”. Christian values belong in government, education, and media, he adds, but that work alone will not turn the whole world into the Kingdom of God.
3. Premillennialism
Premillennialism “teaches the biblical truth that Jesus will return to reign on earth as Lord of all,” and “His return is the beginning of the age to come”. Christ comes first; the Kingdom age follows. Cooper notes that this was the earliest of the three positions, writing that “the early Church believed in the premillennial return of Jesus,” with amillennialism and postmillennialism appearing many centuries later.
The three views at a glance
| View | The thousand years of Revelation 20 | Christ’s return | Dr. David Cooper’s response |
| Amillennialism | Figurative; describes believers who have died and gone to heaven | No literal Kingdom age of Christ on earth | Hebrews 9:28 holds out a literal second appearing |
| Postmillennialism | A Christian culture the Church brings about | After the world has been straightened out | “We cannot have the Kingdom without the King” |
| Premillennialism | A reign Christ begins when He comes | Before the Kingdom age, which His return opens | Affirmed as “the biblical truth” and the belief of the early Church |
Where Armageddon Approaching lands on the second coming
In Armageddon Approaching, Cooper lays out all three positions and then teaches premillennialism as “the biblical truth”, treating Christ’s personal return as the event that opens the age to come. What matters more to Cooper than the mechanics is the certainty underneath them. “Whether or not a thousand is literal or figurative does not really matter,” he writes. “What matters is that Christ will rule as King of kings, and we will rule and reign with Him”. He grounds that in three promises he finds in Revelation 20:4: thrones for believers, the authority to judge, and reigning with Christ.
Why Cooper calls end times study faith news
Cooper’s pastoral reason for teaching the end times at all is because we cannot always trust the news to tell us what is really going on in the world.
“But while the world worries over fake news, we rejoice in faith news!” (p. 185)
The last chapter of history is the return of Jesus Christ, and when He returns, He will set up the Kingdom of God under His own kingly rule with righteousness and peace. Whichever view a believer holds, Cooper’s counsel is the same: “don’t be hopeless about the future—because the future is as bright as the promises of God!”
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between premillennialism and amillennialism?
Premillennialism holds that Christ returns to begin a literal reign on earth, while amillennialism reads the thousand years of Revelation 20 as figurative and sees Christ’s throne as His rule in heaven now.
What does the millennium mean in the Bible?
The millennium is the thousand-year reign of Christ described in Revelation 20, the only chapter in Scripture that uses the term. In Armageddon Approaching, Cooper notes that numbers in Revelation seldom function as bare numbers, so one thousand may be read as a literal span or as a symbol of “a golden age, a completed time in which God fulfills His plan.”
Which view of the end times is correct?
Bible scholars hold all three views, and the disagreement is over the nature, length, and purpose of the Millennium rather than over Christ’s Kingdom itself. In Armageddon Approaching, Cooper makes the case for premillennialism, noting it was the view held by the early church.
What happens when Jesus returns?
When Jesus returns, He will set up the Kingdom of God under His own kingly rule, with righteousness and peace. Whether that Kingdom age runs a literal thousand years or stands as a symbol of a completed golden age is a question for debate among scholars.
Further Reading
Dr. David Cooper is the lead pastor of Mount Paran Church of God in Atlanta, a licensed professional counselor with a doctoral degree from Erskine Seminary, and he writes for readers who want end times teaching that is clear rather than sensational. Armageddon Approaching (Chosen Books, 2025) walks the full arc of biblical prophecy with a pastoral aim: replacing dread about the future with confidence in Christ’s return. It is a good starting point for anyone who wants the major views without jargon or date-setting.
This article was drafted with an AI research tool and reviewed and verified against the source manuscript by Joyce Perez, Marketing Manager.
