Home > Millenarianism

Millenarianism is so called because it was thought to peak at the turn of the millennia and this was supposedly seen in the year 1000, and somewhat toward the year 2000. Having passed the second millennium uneventfully, Millenarianism could be expected to see a decline in popularity for a while. However it is common for believers to use a variety of accounting methods to extend the range of relevant dates for calculating the appropriate millennium.

The idea predates Christianity and similar ideas can be found in Judaism and Islamic teaching. It is not part of main stream Christianity, but has been adopted by numerous sects.

Millenarism typically claims that the current society and its rulers are corrupt or unjust and will be destroyed soon. The evil nature of the status quo is always considered intractable without dramatic change. In Medieval millenarianism the world was seen as controlled by demons, in the modern world economic rules or vast conspiracies guarantee continued oppression. Only dramatic change will change the world and change will be brought about, or survived, by a group of the devout and dedicated. The disaster or battle to come will be followed by a new, purified world in which true believers will be rewarded.

Millenarian beliefs can make people ignore conventional rules of behaviour, which can result in violence directed inwards (such as mass suicides) and/or outwards (such as terrorist acts). It sometimes includes a belief in supernatural powers or predetermined victory.

Millenarian ideologies or religious sects often appear in oppressed peoples.

• Examples of the millenarian groups, movements and writings:
  • Plymouth Brethren
  • Seventh-day Adventist
  • Branch Davidians
  • Aum Supreme Truth
  • The Native American Ghost DanceThe Ghost Dance also known as the Ghost Dance of 1890 was a millennialistic religious movement among Native Americans that began in the 1880s in the southwestern United States, as many Indian tribes had been forcibly relocated and integrated there. It end
  • The Heaven's GateHeaven's Gate was the name of a cult led by Marshall Applewhite, whose end, coinciding with the appearance of the Hale-Bopp comet, created a sensation in the United States in 1997. Applewhite convinced 39 followers to commit suicide so that their souls co cult
  • DispensationalismDispensationalism is a school of Bible interpretation that is associated with fundamentalist Christianity; the primary alternative within the evangelical community is covenant theology. It has been most influential in the United States, outside of which i
  • End timesFor a more general eschatological view, see eschatology Tympanum sculpture at the Abbey Church of Ste-Foy, Conques-en-Rouergue, France The end times are, in one version of Christian eschatology, a time of tribulation that will precede the Second Coming of prophecyFor other uses of the term, see prophecy (disambiguation . Prophecy in its most general sense is the communication of some revelation of divine will. However, the term is most commonly used to refer to the prediction of future events by supernatural means
  • Old BelieversThe Old Believers or are a schismatic group of the Russian Orthodox Church. The schism itself is known as staroobryadchestvo . In 1652, Patriarch Nikon of the Russian Orthodox Church introduced a number of reforms aimed at centralizing his power and bring
  • NostradamusNostradamus ( December 14, 1503- July 1, 1566) born Michel de Nostredame is one of the world's most famous authors of prophecies. Nostradamus' book "Les Propheties" consists of rhymed quatrains (4line poems) grouped into sets of 100, called Centuries.
  • The Turner Diaries

In politics millenarianism is often linked to radical ideologies that share a similar but secular belief in a transformation of society

The words millenism, millennialism, millennianism, millenniarism and millenniumism are rarer synonyms.