The major features of one's end-time belief (eschatology) can be readily communicated by where he places "The Millennium" upon the timeline of God. This is because eschatology's grandest events are organized around these "1000 years," also known as, "The Day of the Lord," (2 Peter 3:6) The Resurrection of Christ's Triibulation-martyrs at His Return demarks the beginning of the "1000 years" (Rev 20:4 & 1 Thes 4:16) and the Resurrection of the rest of the dead demarks the end of the "1000 years," (Rev 20:5). Therefore, by telling us where one places the Millennium on a timeline, he also tells us when Christ Returns, when the first resurrection takes place as well as the Day of Judgment and the resurrection of the rest of the dead. With this in mind, the major eschatological positions are each described in terms of where they place the Millennium on a timeline:
Premillennial - The 1000-year Millennium will begin with Jesus' future Return; view known previously as "Chiliasm."
Mine is NOT one of the major eschatological positions of our times. I take a historical preterist position and hold to an endpoint to Rev 20:1-10's "1000 years" an actual 1000 years after the Lord's 70AD Return. This position may be succinctly described as "70-1070AD Millennium." What follows are introductory details:
Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone determines orthodoxy, correct teaching) will permit only one of four possibilities:
a) "1000 years" = a 24-hour day
I reject a) as a reasonable possibility because that would make the very long anticipated 1000-year reign of the Saints with Christ become a mere 24 hours; a farce.
I reject c) as a reasonable possibility because Rev 20:1-10 clearly demarks the beginning and ending points of the "1000 years" by certain, anticipated, landmark events. The "1000 years" is clearly described, therefore, as a finite period of time.
I reject d) as a reasonable possibility because God expects us to understand His Word. "Study to show yourselves approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly understanding the Word of Truth," 2 Timothy 2:15. Everything in the Bible was written to be understood by men. And God has provided us with 2 Peter 3:7-12 which associates the term "1000 years" with "the Day of the Lord." This clues us to understand that all the references to the anticipated "Day of the Lord" refer to a lengthy span of time, a 1000 years.
Only b) remains for consideration, then: Rev 20:1-10's "1000 years" can only be an actual 1000 years as humans count them: the prophecy was given to humans to bless them when they understand it upon reading. 2 Peter 3:3-14 describes the anticipation for the Day of God since the dawn of human history. And the heart of the passage firmly announces that Day would be as (equal to) a 1000 actual years as humans count them. Rev 20:1-10's "1000 years" = "Day" of 2 Peter 3:3-14 as well as other New Testament references to the anticipated "Day" whether referred to as "The Day of the Lord," "The Last Day," " The Day of God," "The Day of Judgment," etc. The Day was at hand when Paul penned 2 Thessalonians 2:2 and Romans 13:12 around 52AD and 56AD, respectively.
Historical Preterism has, to me, the most sound argument for the arrival date of "The Day of the Lord": that is, within the lifetimes of the Apostles, around the time of ancient Jerusalem's fall in 70AD.
Putting these together, I arrive at the fulfilled view that Christ Returned around 70AD as He performed the first resurrection of the two resurrections described in Rev 20:4-6. This first resurrection was also foretold by 1 Thess 4:16-17. "The rest of the dead did not come to life (resurrected) until the 1000 years were completed" following that closely anticipated first resurrection, per Rev 20:4-6. That would place the resurrection of the rest of the dead around 1070AD. That resurrection of the rest of the dead was as unseen to the natural eye as the first resurrection had been 1000 years prior at Christ's Return, 1 Thess 4:16-17. These epoch events inaugurated ongoing processes of judgment and resurrection-transformation of both the Just and the Unjust following each one's biological death whereupon their souls each give account for the deeds done in their natural-mortal bodies. The natural-mortal bodies of each, upon receiving judgment, are resurrected-transformed to animate new bodies: the Just to the resurrection of Life and the Unjust to the resurrection of Damnation (Lake of Fire / Second Death).
Following Augustine's teaching a 1-1000AD or 70-1070AD Millennium, much of Christendom of that period believed themselves to be living in a 1-1000AD Millennium. By the same teaching, much of Christendom believed their world to be ruled over by resurrected-glorified martyr-Saints who, following their deaths & resurrections, had received delegated authority from Christ over the various powers in the Creation, whether that be safety in travel, or on the seas, or whatever, displacing the rule of the former, pagan gods. (Taken to the hyper-extreme, this is where some jumped off into praying directly to various resurrected-glorified Saints who specialized in answering certain types of prayer requests. Notwithstanding, all prayer is to be directed to God the Father in the name of Jesus the Son).
The great reformer Martin Luther, following up on Augustine's teaching of a 70-1070AD Millennium, taught a 1000-year Millennium that began at the time Revelation was penned and ended at the 1073AD inauguration of Pope Gregory VII (who inaugurated various audacious papal claims to world authority). Martin Luther believed himself and the Reformers to be living in the period of Satan's Release that follows the Millennium, Rev 20:7. (He calculated it to be a period of 666 years from 1073AD to 1739AD, from Pope Gregory's inauguration through the times of the Reformers. This was part of their doctrine that the Roman Pope was the anticipated Antichrist).
Concerning the timing of the 1000-year Millennium, my view is in very close agreement with that of Augustine and Martin Luther.
More about Martin Luther and Augustine's eschatology may be found at: /?q=node/246
Further introduction to the 70-1070AD Millennium may be found at: /?q=node/122
The subject of Resurrection is treated at: /?q=node/146