The Epistle of Barnabas, an early Christian text likely written in the late first or early second century, addresses eschatological themes, including the concept of a millennium. Its interpretation of the millennium is tied to a typological reading of the creation account in Genesis and the idea of a future sabbatical rest.
Key Passage: The “Eighth Day” and the Millennium
In Barnabas 15, the author interprets the seven days of creation in Genesis 1 as a prophetic foreshadowing of human history. Drawing from the Jewish tradition that each day represents a thousand years (based on Psalm 90:4, “For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past“), the epistle suggests that the world will last for 6,000 years, followed by a seventh “day,” corresponding to a 1,000-year sabbath rest:
Give heed, children, what this meaneth; He ended in six days. He meaneth this, that in six thousand years the Lord shall bring all things to an end; for the day with Him signifyeth a thousand years; and this He himself beareth me witness, saying; Behold, the day of the Lord shall be as a thousand years. Therefore, children, in six days, that is in six thousand years, everything shall come to an end.
And He rested on the seventh day. this He meaneth; when His Son shall come, and shall abolish the time of the Lawless One, and shall judge the ungodly, and shall change the sun and the moon and the stars, then shall he truly rest on the seventh day.
Here, the seventh “day” represents the millennial reign of Christ, a period of rest and renewal following the judgment of the wicked. The epistle does not dwell on the nature of this millennium (whether earthly or heavenly), but it views it as the culmination of God’s redemptive plan.
The “Eighth Day” and Eternal Rest
The Epistle of Barnabas also introduces the concept of the “eighth day,” which symbolizes eternal life and the new creation:
Finally He saith to them; Your new moons and your Sabbaths I cannot away with. Ye see what is His meaning ; it is not your present Sabbaths that are acceptable [unto Me], but the Sabbath which I have made, in the which, when I have set all things at rest, I will make the beginning of the eighth day which is the beginning of another world.
(Barnabas 15:8)
The “eighth day” is associated with the resurrection of Christ and the eternal kingdom. It signifies a new beginning beyond the millennial sabbath, aligning with the Christian understanding of eternity.
Summary of Eschatological Themes in Barnabas
Millennial Rest: The Epistle of Barnabas portrays the millennium as a sabbatical rest following 6,000 years of human history. This aligns with a chiliastic view, anticipating a 1,000-year period of peace and renewal.
Typology of Creation: The creation week serves as a prophetic outline of God’s redemptive timeline, blending Jewish interpretive traditions with Christian eschatology.
Eternal Sabbath: The “eighth day” transcends the millennium, pointing to the eternal state in the new creation, where believers will dwell with God forever.
Conclusion
The Epistle of Barnabas reflects an early Christian chiliastic view of the millennium, rooted in typological interpretations of Scripture. It anticipates a 1,000-year sabbatical rest as a fulfillment of God’s promises, followed by eternal life in the new creation. While not as detailed as later chiliastic writings, the epistle connects the millennium to Christ’s redemptive work and the hope of resurrection, emphasizing the continuity of God’s plan from creation to consummation.
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