Question
Gramps,
We know that there is to be a millenia or 1,000 years of peace after Christ returns. My question is simply why 1,000 years instead of say 2,000 or some other number of years before Satan is loosed again? Do you think that’s the amount of time we will need to complete the temple work and other missionary assignments before Satan is loosed again or is it more of a symbolic 1,000 years to represent 1 day in the Lord’s time like a sabbath for the Earth? Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks!
Everett
Answer
Dear Everett,
There are a few questions within your inquiry, so, let’s start with the basics:
what is the millennium?
in Revelation 20:4 we read:
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
and in Doctrine and Covenants 29:11 it is cleared that is 1000 years long:
11 For I will reveal myself from heaven with power and great glory, with all the hosts thereof, and dwell in righteousness with men on earth a thousand years, and the wicked shall not stand.
So, there hasn’t been direct revelation stating as to why it is a 1000 years long, however, we could conclude that the Lord chose 1000 years because it has been done previously by way of commandment from His Father.
One thing we need to remember is this: The Plan of Salvation is older than the earth itself and has been established long before the work had began. Meaning that the reason for using “Days” to elaborate the time frame of the creation of this earth is part of the plan.
One curious way to look at this time frame is looking at science and see what we can get from the great minds that have walked this earth. For example, I was reading an article/blog where it talked about the fact that depending on the mass of an object, time is relative: time is either shorten or lengthened depending on the amount of gravitational pull of such object. Here is a small excerpt from this blog:
Have you ever wondered how one day for the Lord could be equal to a thousand years for humankind? You might be surprised to learn that there is a simple scientific explanation.
According to Einstein’s principle of general relativity, time is relative, which is to say that it varies based on situational circumstances. Most scientists before the 20th century believed that time was constant, but Einstein proved otherwise. Einstein’s work showed that time varies based on velocity, energy, and mass (gravity).
Let’s take mass (gravity). According to relativity, as gravity increases, time slows down. Time moves more quickly for someone in a low gravity environment than it does for someone in a high gravity environment. This may explain why time moves more slowly at God’s throne.
The Lord dwells in a place where gravity is high relative to that on earth. We know that His throne is in a star cluster containing many large stars, something which would create massive gravity. Abraham 3:2 reads: “And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it.” The name of the great one nearest to God’s throne is Kolob. Abraham tells us that Kolob “govern all those [worlds] which belong to the same order as that upon which thou [Abraham] standest.”
So, scientifically speaking, the greater the gravitational pull, the slower the time takes. Now, this is only a suggestion and not exactly confirmed with gospel, but it does give us an idea as to the length of time it takes for a millennium day compared to an earthly one.
Why is the Millennium one thousand years and not two?
Well, the scriptures state that this is the last dispensation and since there is only one left (The seventh day), and we know it is 1000 years in length, then there is no point in taking 2000 years when that has not been the patterned here forth followed.
And yes, this will be time enough to perform all ordinances required for all of God’s children to receive the ordinances required to enter in to the presence of the Lord.
Gramps
