Catholic Online Forum

In Protestant circles vigorous debate has gone on between those who regard Our Lord's reign of 1,000 years to be ahead of us and those who hold St Augustine of Hippo's attitude that this reign started at Pentecost and all that we have to look forward to is the Final Judgement.

While the latter position is largely that of the Western Church I note that the Eastern Church has been more conscious of the minority of Early Fathers who wrote in Greek and who take Chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation as a prediction of the future coming reign.

No serious bible scholar thinks that the thousand years is to be taken literally. 'Thousand' in Scripture is code for a very long time.

Most prophets and revivalists inside and outside the Catholic and Orthodox churches appear to emphasise the joyful expectation of an ever-imminent second Advent of Our Lord.

This is a return to that expectant attitude of the early church which is reflected in the New Testament's approximately 200 references to Our Lord's near return.

My reading of the Catholic Catechism is that it takes the post-millenial view of St Augustine of Hippo.

However I note a growing interest among some Catholics in the relatively neglected pre-millenial alternative understanding.

As this Advent season approaches I ask whether others feel that these two views which cause so much acrimony in Protestant circles can be reconciled by those of us with a more Patristic perspective?

Can East and West together resolve the apparent conflict?

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"... all the trees, as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. ... when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near." Lk 21:30,31