millenarian

Millenarian refers to beliefs, movements, or individuals that anticipate a coming radical transformation of the world, often involving a utopian era, a decisive divine intervention, or a dramatic reordering of society. In religious contexts, the term is closely tied to millennialism in Christian eschatology, which centers on a promised thousand-year reign or a foundational change in history. The label is also used more broadly in sociology to describe movements that seek or predict an imminent, sweeping alteration of the current social order through prophecy, charisma, and collective action.

Scholars distinguish several eschatological variants. Premillennialism holds that Christ will return before a literal thousand-year reign on earth; postmillennialism argues that Christ will return after a forthcoming golden age; amillennialism interprets the millennium symbolically rather than as a literal future event. Millenarian movements may be individual or communal, and they may pursue reform, radical change, or even upheaval, typically motivated by religious, prophetic, or visionary claims.

Historically notable millenarian currents include the Millerites in 19th-century United States, who predicted the second coming in 1844 and experienced the Great Disappointment when it did not occur; the Taiping Rebellion in 1850s China, which framed its upheaval as the establishment of a heavenly kingdom on earth; and various utopian religious communities such as the Shakers, who anticipated a coming age of righteousness. In contemporary scholarship, millenarianism is studied as a social response to crisis, characterized by charismatic leadership, apocalyptic rhetoric, and expectations of rapid, decisive change.