Several scriptures mention the little season of wickedness that will follow the end of the millennium, but no specific duration is ever given.¹ Joseph Fielding Smith suggested that the little season could last another 1000 years, making the earth's temporal existence 8000 years in all.² Bruce R. McConkie and others also subscribe to this view.³ However, that view is not consistent with John's vision of the seven seals, which represent the entire temporal history of the earth as a period of only 7000 years.⁴ On the other hand, in Revelation 17:10-11, John saw an eighth kingdom after seven earthly kingdoms had passed away and this eighth kingdom corresponds to Satan's final kingdom during the little season.⁵ This eighth kingdom beyond the seventh leaves open the possibility of a little season that could theoretically last another 1000 years.⁶

Some scholars have also suggested that the little season will be relatively brief when compared to the millennium, followed by a long period of time until the final judgment.⁷ That seems unlikely, however, because the final preparations for the celestialization of the earth will be complete when the little season ends. There is no reason to delay the death and resurrection of the earth beyond the little season⁸ since this earth will be the first of all earths to be resurrected in this generation.⁹ Furthermore, Elder McConkie has said that after the little season "time as we measure and know it will cease."¹⁰

Several circumstances lead to the necessary conclusion that the little season will last substantially less than 100 years. This must be the case primarily because millennial mortals will have a maximum life span of 100 years,¹¹ and children will not be born during the little season.¹² Millennial childbirth will cease when the fixed number of God's spirit children appointed to this earth have been born¹³ and that fixed number will be exhausted by the end of the millennium.¹⁴ In fact, the last child born on this earth must be born well before the celestial resurrection is complete at the end of the millennium.¹⁵ This is true because the last children of this earth must have enough time in their millennial lives to accept or reject the gospel¹⁶ after they become accountable at the age of eight.¹⁷ After this, their physical bodies must still grow and mature to the full stature of their spirit and they must be old enough to marry and be sealed in the temple or they cannot qualify for exaltation.¹⁸

The foregoing conditions must be satisfied before the celestial resurrection is complete at the end of the millennium. Since the resurrection proceeds in stages from highest to lowest with no overlap,¹⁹ any children born after the celestial resurrection at the end of the millennium would lose their opportunity for celestial glory only because they were born too late.²⁰ In other words, if children were born after the end of the millennium they would be predestined²¹ to come forth in the resurrection of the unjust during the little season²² only because the resurrection of the just would already be complete by the time they are born.²³ Furthermore, only telestial people and sons of perdition will live as mortals on the earth during the little season because all celestial and terrestrial people will be resurrected by the time the little season begins.²⁴ God is no such respecter of persons.²⁵

Based on the foregoing considerations, the last of God's children will be born well before the end of the millennium. Therefore, the little season will also last significantly less than the set time of their millennial life expectancy of 100 years.²⁶ In other words, and hypothetically speaking, if the last child of the millennium was born 20 years before the end of the celestial resurrection, he or she would then have sufficient time to marry and accept all the exalting ordinances of the gospel thus qualifying that person to be part of the celestial resurrection‒or even the terrestrial resurrection if that person was not celestial worthy. Assuming a worst-case scenario, if that same person was wicked and lived no better than telestial law, he or she could not be resurrected in the first resurrection and would continue to live during the little season. However, the little season could last no more than 80 years in this example, because this last child of the millennium has a set life span of just 100 years, and his or her first 20 years elapsed before the little season begins.