There are three main tenets about the placement of the millennium in relation to prophecy.  The names for these views are not found in scripture.  They are Latin words describing exactly what each tenet means.

1  Premillennial pre-mille-annus or “before the thousand years”

Speaking prophetically this would mean the Second Coming of Christ would occur before the 1,000 years’ reign mentioned in Revelation 20.

2  Postmillennial post-mille-annus or  “after the millennium”

Those who hold this view teach that by preaching the gospel we can usher in a golden age.   The world would become better, and sin will disappear as the darkness of night when day dawns.  Then Jesus Christ will come and set up His kingdom and reign forever.

3  Amillennial a-milli-annus or  “no thousand years”

There are many different Amillennial views.  Some hold that the millennium is an indefinite period of time, and is figurative rather than literal.  Some make the millennium co-existing with the present gospel age.  Christ’s kingdom is spiritual and in our hearts.  It is not literal, visible, or material.  They believe Satan’s binding began when Christ nullified his power on the cross.  Amillennialism prefers a spiritual rather than a literal interpretation of the prophetic scriptures.  They do, however, believe in a literal (physical) return of Christ