Millenarians is a word that refers to a group of people who believe in a thousand-year reign of Christ. The word is spelled with three syllables as /mɪ-len-ˈer-ɪ-ənz/. The first syllable is pronounced with a short "i" sound /ɪ/ followed by a stress on the second syllable /len/. The third syllable is pronounced with an "uh" sound /ə/ followed by the plural inflection /nz/. The word can sometimes be confused with "millennials," which refers to a generation born between the early 1980s and the mid-1990s.
Millenarians refer to individuals or groups who hold belief in the concept of millenarianism, a religious or social belief system that centers around the anticipation of a future era of peace, justice, and spiritual or social renewal. Millenarians typically believe that this future period will be ushered in by a profound transformation or cataclysmic event, often associated with the second coming of a messiah or the arrival of a collective savior.
The term "millenarians" encompasses a diverse range of religious movements throughout history, including but not limited to Christian millenarianism, which closely ties the arrival of the millennium to the return of Jesus Christ; various strands of Jewish messianism, which emphasize the establishment of a messianic age or the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem; and even secular or political movements that envision a utopian society based on a fundamentally transformed social order.
Millenarians may hold different views on the means through which this future era will be achieved, the timing of its arrival, and the specific characteristics it will entail. The concept of millenarianism has manifested itself in various ways over time, often inspiring fervent hope, social movements, and sometimes even radical or apocalyptic behavior motivated by the belief in an imminent transformation of the world order.
The word "millenarians" has its etymology rooted in the Latin term "millenarius", meaning "pertaining to a thousand". The term is derived from "mille", meaning "thousand". Millenarians refer to people who believe in or advocate for the belief in a millennial age, typically associated with the second coming of Christ and an earthly reign of peace for one thousand years. The term is often used to describe various religious groups or movements throughout history who hold such beliefs.