ingdom of Christ is the Church, which was even then in the millennial cera, and on the road to a glorious as- cendency over all its enemies. It would seem that this modified interpretation of prophecy, sustained as it was by the authority of the principal Latin father, gave color to the mediseval speculations on this subject. As the year of our Lord 1000 approached, it was a natural corollary that the judgment and the end of the world would then occur. Hence there was a widespread ex- citement throughout Western Europe, from tlie appre- hension that the "dies ira;" was at hand. There were not wanting in the Middle Ages " apocalyptic parties" — enthusiasts, whether individuals or in bands — who looked for the miraculous advent of Jesus as the indis- pensable means of purifying and extending the Church. At the Reformation, the traditional method of inter- preting the Book of Revelation was abandoned. The papacy was extensively regarded as Antichrist, and Lu- ther and other leading Reformers frequently supposed themselves authorized by the signs of the times to ex- pect the speedy coming of the Lord. A fanatical form of millenariani'sm was espoused by the Anabaptists of Germany, who took possession of the city of Munster, and set up the reign of the saints.
The millenarian doctrine, in its essential characteris- tics, has had adherents among some of the sober-minded theologians of the Lutheran Church in later times. Of these, one of the most distinguished is John Albert Bengel, the author of the Gnomon, who defended his opinion in his commentary on the Apocalypse, published in 1740. He was followed by other divines of repute ; and the doctrine has not been without prominent sup- porters among the Lutherans down to the present time. One of the latest of their number who has discussed this question is the Rev. A. Koch {Das tuusendjahrige Reich, Basle, 1872). This writer endeavors, in particular, to refute the arguments adduced against the doctrine of a millennium by the (ierman commentators Hengsten- berg, Keil, and Kliefoth.
In all the other various orthodox Protestant bodies there are many who believe in the personal advent of Christ for the purpose of establishing a millennial kmg- dom. Now, as in former ages, the Uteral restoration of
MILLENNIUM
266
mLLENNIIJlM
the Jews to Palestine, and their conversion to Christi- anity, is frequently a part of this creed. The coming of Christ in visible glory is to be signalized, it is held, by this among other wonderful events. The Chiliastic tenet forms one of the distinguishing features of the '• Catholic Apostolic Church," or the religious denomi- nation commonly known as Irvingites. (See the art. Catholic Ai'OsVomc Ciilrcii, and Ikvixg, Edward, in this Cyclopa'dia.) Christ is to come and gather his | elect together; the Jews are to be brought back to their ancient land ; the Gospel is to be extended by their in- strumentality, and by the new agencies connected with the personal presence of the Lord, over the earth. Then ! is to foUow the judgment and the end of the world. Such arc the main points of the millenariaa view, as cherished by the followers of Mr. Irving.
In the course of the history of the Church many sects have arisen by whom the speedy coming of Christ to set up a visible empire has been proclaimed. One of these is the class designated as " Millerites" (q. v.), the disciples of William Miller (q. v.). He was born in rittslitld, Mass., in 1781, and died in 1849. With slen- der resources of learning, he began, about the j-ear 1833, to preach on the subject of the second a<lvcnt, which he | declared, on the ground of his interpretation of the prophecies, to be near at hand. The Jlillerites at length wont so far as to fix a certain day in the year 1843 when the Lord was to appear in the clouds of hea\-en. Some gave up their ordinary occupations, and prepared robes in which to ascend and meet Christ. Subsequently the members of this sect— if sect it is to be called — ceased to define the precise time of the miraculous advent, but continued to wait for it as near. See Advkntists. The Millerites, in common with many other Chiliasts, have supposed themselves to be furnished l)y the prophecies with the means of calculating with mathematical accu- racy the time of the Saviour's glorious advent.
When we leave the history of the doctrine, and look at the cxegetical arguments of the several parties, it becomes plain that they are guided by diverse principles of interpretation. With respect to certain passages, millenarians adopt a second sense, or a figurative, tn^p- ical interpretation. This is the character of their view of the sabbatical rest, as predicted in Gen. ii, 2, 3, and Psa. xc, 4. On the contrary, to the passages in Isaiah and other prophets which describe Jerusalem as the centre and resort of worshippers of all nations, promise Canaan as an everlasting possession to the Jews, and depict their splendid restoration to power and plenty, they give a literal interpretation. The same course is pursued by them with regard to Rev. xx, and with re- gard to all that is said of the first and the second resur- rection. They attach often a literal sense to the decla- ration of Jesus (^Matt. xxvi, 29 ; Mark xiv, 2u) in which he speaks of drinking new wine in his Father's kingdom. They consider their general view to be favored by Luke xiv, 14 ("the resurrection of the just"); Luke xx, 35 ("they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world and the resurrection of the dead"); by John vi, 39, 4^1 (wliich speaks of the resurrection of believers, without any mention of others). The promise of Christ that the disciijles at "the regeneration" — or the resti- tution of all things, and the deliverance of all things from corruption — shall sit on thrones, judging the tribes of Israel (.Matt, xix, 28), is conlidently referred to as proving the millenarian hypothesis. So the statements of John and Paul with respect to Antichrist, and the sins and perils to immediately precede the advent — cor- roborated, as they suppose, by the Saviour's own pre- dictions in Matt, xxiv and xxv, and the parallel pas- sages— are brought forward in defence of tlieir position.