The note on Revelation 20:5 explicitly states that the "first resurrection" refers to the spiritual resurrection experienced by the souls of the godly through the illuminating power of the Gospel.
This suggests that the thousand-year reign mentioned in the text is not a future literal, earthly reign but a spiritual one that began with Christ's victory over Satan.
Specifically, footnote 3 on Revelation 20:2 mentions the 36th year from Christ's passion.
Essentially, the 1599 Geneva Bible's interpretation sees the thousand-year period as a past event, specifically the age of the Church on earth following Christ's first advent.
This aligns with the postmillennial perspective that emphasizes the gradual triumph of the Gospel and the establishment of God's kingdom on earth through the church, according to mattayars.com.
Yes, the 1599 Geneva Bible footnotes on Revelation 20 interpret the "thousand years" in a way that suggests it refers to a past or ongoing period, not a literal future millennium after Christ's second coming.
Key Footnotes and their interpretation in the 1599 Geneva Bible:
Revelation 20:2:
The note connects the "thousand years" to a historical period that began around 36 AD and ended with Pope Gregory VII (Hildebrand) in 1073 AD, whom the note calls a "most damnable Necromancer and sorcerer" who Satan used as an instrument to persecute the saints.
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View full-sizeDownload Pope Gregory VII (Latin: Gregorius VII; c. 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana (Italian: Ildebrando di Soana), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085.
The note explains the "first resurrection" as the spiritual resurrection of the souls of the godly who rise from their death in sin, contrasting it with the second resurrection when their bodies will rise again.
The translators of the Geneva Bible were English Protestant exiles in Geneva, influenced by Reformed theology, particularly the teachings of John Calvin.
This perspective led them to interpret Revelation 20 within a historicist framework, seeing the prophecies as unfolding throughout the history of the church.
The Geneva Bible's notes emphasize the ongoing victory of Christ and the expanding of the kingdom of God in the present age.
The Geneva Bible's interpretation shares similarities with Amillennialism, which views the millennium as a present, symbolic period of Christ's reign in the church, rather than a literal future thousand-year kingdom on earth.
Some sources suggest that the amillennial view was expressed through Postmillennialism in earlier periods.
Postmillennialism:
While the Geneva notes technically reflect a postmillennial stance in that they see the millennium as having already occurred, modern postmillennialism generally believes in a future "golden age" before Christ's return, which is not the emphasis in the Geneva Bible notes.
It's important to remember that there have been diverse interpretations of Revelation 20 throughout history, and different denominations and theologians hold various views on the millennium.
