John describes events leading to the millennium in great detail,¹ but his vision of the actual millennium in Revelation 20:4-6 is incredibly brief.² These three verses do not even use the word millennium³ and they exist in John's record primarily to provide the context for his description of the first resurrection.⁴ Scholars and theologians are much divided about the meaning of the millennium,⁵ and many spiritualize its meaning into metaphor.⁶

The millennium is a literal period of 1000 years.⁷ People known as millenarians believe that this 1000 years will be the literal period of Christ's personal reign of peace on earth after his Second Coming.⁸ The doctrine of a literal millennium is called millenarianism⁹ or premillennialism.¹⁰ Jewish Pharisees in the time of Christ were millenarians based on their belief in a literal resurrection and a millennium.¹¹ Their beliefs were controversial at that time,¹² but millenarianism was an accepted doctrine in Christ's ancient church.¹³

By 200 AD,¹⁴ diverse views of the millennium had developed among doctrinally misguided Christians.¹⁵ The doctrine of a literal millennium was largely replaced with the concept of a mystical and metaphorical millennium¹⁶ no later than the fourth century.¹⁷ Some scholars cite this doctrinal change as evidence of progressive Christianity.¹⁸ Unfortunately, it is one example, among many,¹⁹ where the true doctrine of Jesus Christ was lost during the Great Apostasy.²⁰ During the Reformation, many Protestant religions revived and accepted the doctrine of a literal millennium following the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.²¹ Nevertheless, many Christians today still believe in a millennium that is not literal.²²

The Tenth Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints confirms the millenarian doctrine that Christ will reign personally upon the earth among mortals,²³ and that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.²⁴ The earth and all things thereon will be literally²⁵ transfigured.²⁶ All of creation will be transformed from the fallen telestial conditions of the world today²⁷ to become a terrestrial paradise like the Garden of Eden before the fall of Adam.²⁸ The scriptures describe this transformation as a new heaven and new earth.²⁹ The millennial conditions will commence on a set date and predetermined time³⁰ after the earth is cleansed during the seventh Vial Plague of the Third Woe.³¹ Christ will purge evil and corruption from the earth at his Second Coming.³² Once all things are restored and regenerated the earth will rest for its thousand-year³³ sabbatical.³⁴

At his Second Coming, Jesus Christ will destroy all earthly kingdoms³⁵ and will rule as King of kings and Lord of lords³⁶ for the thousand years³⁷ of the millennium.³⁸ He will be King over his earthly political kingdom,³⁹ and he will be Lord over his earthly ecclesiastical kingdom.⁴⁰ Both kingdoms will be merged to form a single millennial theocracy⁴¹ called the Church of the Firstborn.⁴² In this church, righteous husbands and wives will govern with Christ as kings and queens in the Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood.⁴³ Christ's title as King of kings and Lord of lords perfectly describes his presiding role in this kingdom over many kings and many lords among the saints of God.⁴⁴

Christ will reign personally on earth during the millennium⁴⁵ from two world capitals⁴⁶ that correspond to the political and religious subdivisions within his kingdom.⁴⁷ Ancient scriptures refer to these two subdivisions as the law and the word.⁴⁸ New Jerusalem (Zion) in Missouri⁴⁹ will be the seat of Christ's political kingdom⁵⁰ and from here his law will go forth.⁵¹ Old Jerusalem will be rebuilt after the Second Coming to become the religious capital,⁵² and from here the word of Christ will go forth.⁵³

Christ will rule over his political kingdom with a rod of iron,⁵⁴ which means all people will be subject to the political and civil law of Zion.⁵⁵ However, they can choose to reject the word of God that will issue from Old Jerusalem.⁵⁶ People of the millennium will not be compelled to accept membership in Christ's ecclesiastical kingdom.⁵⁷ Ultimately, however, all people will choose to accept and live the gospel⁵⁸ until after the millennium when wickedness will again prevail on earth during the little season.⁵⁹

People that live during the millennium will know Christ personally.⁶⁰ However, the millennial earth will not be his continuous residence, nor will it be the permanent residence of other resurrected saints.⁶¹ Christ could not be expected to dwell on this earth continuously since he reigns over countless earths and will bless them with his presence in their proper order. This is described in the Parable of the Lord of the Fields found in Doctrine and Covenants Section 88:51-61.⁶²

During the millennium, the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord⁶³ because wicked antagonists against the truth will be destroyed and removed from the earth during the Second Coming.⁶⁴ These antagonists include the Beast (Cain) and the False Prophet (Judas Iscariot) from Revelation 16:13-14. Both will be cast alive into the lake of fire together with all disembodied spirit sons of perdition as recorded in Revelation 19:20.⁶⁵ Similarly, the Dragon (Satan) will be bound with all unembodied spirit sons of perdition in the bottomless pit as recorded in Revelation 20:1-3.⁶⁶ In the spiritually favorable conditions of the millennium, Christ will reveal all things about the earth and its creation.⁶⁷ Furthermore, whatsoever a person asks of God in righteousness shall be given.⁶⁸ The same spirit that empowers people to pray with perfection during the millennium⁶⁹ will also empower them to speak the pure language of Adam.⁷⁰