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Examined Doctrine

Tim Keller on the millennium & Christ's return

1950 – 2023 · PRESBYTERIAN (PCA)
STANDARD SCHOLARLY ACCOUNTAFFIRMS°
STANCE

Amillennial — the millennium is the present church age

THE POSITION

Amillennial.

WHY THERE IS NO QUOTATIONOne quotation, on spiritual-warfare, taken from a machine transcript of a freely published 1992 sermon, and copyright is not what is stopping the rest. Nine of the other ten loci have had no primary-source pass at all. The tenth, scripture-authority, had one that read three freely published pieces in full and kept no excerpt from them — so what is missing there is a retained sentence, not permission. The books are in copyright, but he preached and published free for decades, and this map quotes MacArthur, Heiser and Sproul at length, all modern authors in copyright.

SCRIPTURE
REVELATION 20:1-6 · BSB

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time. 4 Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

7 OTHERS HOLD THIS

AquinasAugustineCalvinLutherPhilip MelanchthonJohn Duns ScotusR.C. Sproul
Premillennial — Christ returns before a future millenniumBILLY GRAHAM · IRENAEUS · JOHN MACARTHUR · JUSTIN PETERS · JOHN PIPER
Postmillennial — the gospel triumphs before Christ returnsJONATHAN EDWARDS · CHARLES GRANDISON FINNEY · JOHN OWEN
No required position; several views held faithfullyATHANASIUS · M. HEISER · JOSH HOWERTON · SECOND LONDON BAPTIST CONFESSION · WESTMINSTER CONFESSION
See all 26 figures on the millennium & christ's return →

ABOUT THIS FIGURE

Founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian, New York. Known for apologetics addressed to urban skeptics and for a notably winsome register.

1 OF 11 POSITIONS QUOTED
Everything Tim Keller holds →
Cite this page

"Tim Keller on the millennium & Christ's return", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/keller/millennium (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/keller/millennium).

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